Welcome to the first 'thirties in transit' post on Twenties In Transit! I’ll be honest: apart from a little logo change and an addition to the home page paragraph, everything else is staying the same.
To celebrate the start of a new decade, myself and my partner headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The plan was to balance relaxing at the resort with actually seeing the island too; I'm definitely of the mind that to really say you've been to a country, you have to actually see it, not just from the confines of a resort... which is why I don't talk too tough about Crete (but that total recoup in the sun was most definitely needed on that holiday!) Montego Bay is in the north of the island, and is rather touristy - perfect for what we were after. And it is straight-up actual paradise!
Rest and recuperation
We had a day flight out to Jamaica, which was totally smooth (unlike the way back, which for someone who hates flying was defo the pit of my holiday), and thanks to the six-hour time difference, we clawed back a whole afternoon once we’d landed. After being welcomed with a refreshing fruit punch, we kicked off our shoes, donned our swimmers and headed straight for the beach (via the snack bar). After the long flight, it was a tonic to mind and body to not only bathe in the warm sea, but watch the sunset from the water itself. We then watched the gorgeous colours of the sky fade to black from the hotel's pool.
So, we learnt pretty quickly that resort life starts early. Thanks to jetlag, we often awoke naturally between 6am and 8am, and we were most definitely not alone. Breakfast was teeming from 7am, and getting to the beach for 8.30am, you'll find it more difficult to get a sun lounger. Even our first morning, on the beach at 6.40am, we were not alone. I really enjoyed these early morning beach trips - at this time of day, the fish are out and about, so close to shore. There is something truly magical about popping on some goggles and seeing schools of fish in their natural habitat centimetres from you. During these early mornings, I saw an array of tropical fish - including a starfish one morning - in waist- or bust-height water. Often, you didn't even need the goggles as the water was so clear. On the other hand though, watch out at night. Against my better judgement (and my partner's protests), I ventured into the sea after dark. As I got to the water's edge, I thought "wow, the beach is suddenly dirty at night, look at all these plastic cups". It wasn't until I felt something "cut" me, but couldn't see any blood, I realised all the "cups" were tons of jellyfish and I had just got stung. Oops.
Most resort days were spent at the beach, followed by late afternoon trips to the pool. As we were staying at a twinned resort, we had access to both hotel's facilities, and over at the other hotel, they had a swim-up bar with banging tunes. One of the days, we competed in the music quiz at this pool bar, and won. On Saturdays, they also threw a pool party here, blasting Soca and reggaeton tunes, which was right up my street.
During the trip, my partner was unwell for a day, so I had one of my infamous solo travel days, where I spent time relaxing at the beach, bathing in the water, and dining at odd times of the day. Once he was better, we resumed our routine of lazy beach days, even taking it up a gear on an exhilarating sailboating ride one afternoon, and going head to head on the huge chess board.
Seeing the island
Of course, I couldn't come to Jamaica without seeing some of the island. The first of our excursions was on my birthday itself, when we went river rafting. We booked it through Chukka, and depending on the time of your rafting, you can get access to their Ocean Club too. On the shuttle bus, there were four of us celebrating birthdays, and the whole group sang four rounds of "happy birthday", which was a great start to the day. The rafting itself was exceptional - you are seated on a bamboo throne-esque seat as you are taken down the river, champagne in hand. You also get a limestone leg massage, which was heavenly. We also passed by the riverside bar on our raft, where I got a big birthday shot of tequila, plus you get a coconut to share - that coconut water was much needed!
We ventured inland a couple of times during our stay; one of our stops was Dunn's River Falls. Climbing the falls is an absolute must when visiting Jamaica. Wear your water shoes, wear your swimmers, hold the hand in front of you, and climb. It was so much fun traversing the waters, and also bathing in them. Arachnophobes, be warned, there are big spiders in webs in trees that surround the falls. I'm scared of them, so you can trust me when I say they don't ruin your fun - I’m not saying that flippantly at all. They are not along the route - or too close to the side of the route - you'll be walking or climbing, and they don't venture close to you.
Another inland spot we ventured to was Nine Mile - Bob Marley's birth and final resting place. By pure coincidence, we actually visited on May 11 - the 42nd anniversary of his death. To get there from Montego Bay, you drive through stunning mountains, gorges, and fields, passing through a fair few of the island’s 12 parishes. Our guide was so knowledgeable, pointing out landmarks - one of which we saw was Usain Bolt's school running track where he first started out - and giving us a thorough history of the island and its culture. Oh and explaining all about the grazing goats we kept seeing walking in an orderly fashion on the side of the road, like little four-legged pedestrians. The Bob Marley walking tour was billed as "authentic" if you catch my drift, with a plethora of options if you're not a smoker. Alternatively - or as well as, if you so wish - there is a bar stop in the mountains on the walking tour, where we drank the flaming Bob Marley shot (through a straw, cos the thing is lit on fire). It's worth noting that this was the one place away from the resort where I didn't wear mosquito spray and should have. The mozzies clearly wanted to pay their respects to the legend too! As well as getting an intimate look at Marley's family life and childhood (Nine Mile was set up by his late mother), we were also able to walk into his actual mausoleum barefoot, and that of his brother and mum; it was quite a humbling experience, especially on the anniversary.
Everyone we engaged with both inside and outside the resort, whether by the pool, on a tour, or just walking on the streets around the hotel, were all really friendly. While I can't speak on inland experiences, if you're staying in a touristy area like Montego Bay, don't let the fear-mongering of the Gov UK website keep you from going for a little walk if you fancy it - like when visiting any foreign country, just keep your wits about you is all. The main friends we made, as we saw them more regularly, were of course within the hotel. A couple of couples, and a couple of solo peeps, with whom we went to resort shows, and spent long afternoons in the pool or sea (and my partner took a trip to KFC drive-thru with, but more on that later). Making friends with people from around the world is one of my favourite things about travelling.
Nightlife
Speaking of the resort shows, on the nights we didn't fall asleep super early, we went to watch them after dinner. From magic to steelpan performers, and karaoke to actual singers, there was some good talent. My favourite was the performers on one of the Saturday nights: they were singers, and performed reggae, dancehall and soca hits, but all in a slightly reggae style. They were fab.
One night, we shook a leg at local nightclub Lounge 2727, where Popcaan and Burna Boy themselves had previously visited when they came to Montego Bay. The tunes were good, and I loved the fact we were by the sea and it was open - properly felt like we were on holiday - but word of warning, it is paaaacked on a Saturday night. Good night out though!
Food
My partner’s family are from Jamaica, so I already knew the food was gonna be good on this trip; however, I've gotta say, I was still surprised, because I did not expect the hotel buffet to be as good as it was!! Everything was so flavourful, and seasoned properly, be it Jamaican dishes or otherwise. Really, I should have known, hey. At the main buffet, they had live performers every evening, and you could also opt to book in at the specialist restaurant, which we did for one evening. Despite all the delicious food I had morning, noon and night (quite literally), my fave meal at the hotel was actually a snack: jerk chicken and festival served on the beach, post-pool party. Just what the doctor ordered!
Away from the hotel, we had a few equally delicious dishes, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't dedicate a whole paragraph to KFC!! Now, my love of fried chicken is clearly where my Caribbean heritage comes to shine most, as I was told by many Caribbean family members and friends that KFC on the islands is on a different level from that in the UK. This must have been where my love affair with the stuff started, as I often laugh at a photo of me aged four, licking my fingers, eyes closed in utter bliss at a Trinidad KFC. ANYWAY, I digress. KFC here stands not only for Kentucky Fried Chicken, but also Keep From Cooking - and boy, it seems like everyday people are keeping from cooking as the queues were something else. Clear your diary and get there a good hour or two before you actually want to eat. The original chicken was, of course good, and we had a BBQ piece and a spicy piece (none of our little wing nonsense - proper size). Accompanied by chips, American biscuits, cola champagne, and grape soda, and devoured on the beach: I was in heaven.
On that note, I'm gonna wrap up this article, before I now order Uber Eats KFC and get upset at the lack of good drinks and sides here at home. I always love my trips, but usually opt to venture to different cities/countries instead returning; however, Jamaica, I'll definitely be back.