How can you imagine that on your first trip, you also get to fulfill one of your wishes. Hans's and my great idol, Bob Marley, has obviously been gone for a long time. In the moment (I can evoke the feeling again) when you walk in the BOB MARLEY museum (his old house on Hope Road) and think, I think I hear Stephen Marley singing. And so, feeling your heartbeat quicken, you want nothing more than to make sure you don't miss this moment by not seeing him sing.
It turned out to be Yohan Marley, his grandson. How cool!! But this wasn't all. Suddenly, you find yourself there, glued to the spot, stuttering and asking... uh Mr. Marley may we take a picture with you PLEASE... We are all the way from Holland just to be here on the 80th Earthstrong Day of your beloved Father, 'Yeah man... big up' 'respect' was the answer.

I thought, oh god that man over there enjoying himself, a smile from ear to ear. And he came over. I thought, you can't be serious. Rohan Marley. He wondered if he heard it right? That we came to Jamaica specifically for this day. Well, not just for this day, but this one was very important for us. After a few photos, we were obviously completely ecstatic. And we were certainly impressed until the next day. Then followed a beautiful recording of an acoustic performance of 'could you be loved' by Yohan Marley. It couldn't have been better.

We enjoyed the whole vacation with a capital G. Swimming/playing with dolphins. Visiting the grave and rafting. It can't be taken away from us anymore. The hotel... lovely, tidy, well-maintained, but actually not for us. We didn't take advantage of it enough. We are of the 'ordinary man' who eats small and light, and we don't like mass events. I do join in the fun, but we are happier with the small but intense pleasures.

This is what we are going to experience this year. I hope so. Because I had to cancel the first attempt. Everything can be read in the Blog. What is small to you is everything to them.

One Love Claudia

On the first evening, we went next door to the highest-rated restaurant in Ocho Rios, the “Jerk Center” 🍗 and we weren't disappointed - the food was really amazing!

The next day, we set off early to the Blue Hole‘s - a collection of limestone sinkholes with crystal-clear water and beautiful waterfalls! We were here with a guide. It was so much fun jumping into the water! This was definitely an unforgettable experience 😍

In the afternoon, we then had a nice time swimming at Bay Beach 👙 and enjoyed delicious tacos for dinner 🤤

We took it a bit easier on Tuesday. For the first time on the trip (and for me, Kathrin, in my life 😄) we visited a laundromat 🧺

In the meantime, we had a coffee at Starbucks ☕️ and then set off to the beach 🏖️ with the freshly washed laundry bag, which looked pretty funny since the “laundry bag” was actually a green garbage bag 😂😂😂

Yesterday morning, it rained briefly several times 🌧️ by the way, for the first time in 3 weeks. So far, we've really had great luck with the weather 🙏🏼

So we used the time to take a closer look at Costa Rica 🇨🇷🚘🚌

By noon, we just lounged by the pool for a few hours 👙🩳🔆🌴

We really enjoyed our time in Jamaica to the fullest 🤩 and wholeheartedly recommend planning a trip there ☺️ we can also say that we liked Negril even better than Ocho Rios because there was just more going on 🎶💃🏼 but that is certainly a matter of taste ☺️

Today we are flying to Costa Rica 🤩 which we are extremely excited about!

K&M 🤍

The next day, we took a bus from Montego Bay to Negril.

By the way, right off the bat: our absolute recommendation for bus transport in Jamaica is the Knutsford Express (https://www.knutsfordexpress.com)

The reviews did not exaggerate - affordable, always on time, Wifi on the bus, clean, and nice staff 🚌

Upon arrival in Negril, we were pleasantly surprised, as our accommodation was truly outstanding! We had an outdoor kitchen and a saltwater pool with direct ocean access 🌊 (https://www.airbnb.com/l/yiM6quuY)

We were particularly excited about the next day. We set out for Seven Mile Beach ☀️🏖️

Once there, we first had an incredibly good coffee at a beach bar ☕️ and then relaxed on the beach 😍

In the late afternoon, another world-famous highlight awaited us: Rick’s Café

Here, fun and pure joy of life are guaranteed 🎶💃🏼 The cliff divers are definitely not to be missed. With daring jumps and spectacular stunts, they are applauded by hundreds of spectators 😍

So, definitely check it out when in Negril! It’s worth it ☺️💯

We spent yesterday very relaxed at our own ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/k/im-land-des-raggaeshttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/k/im-land-des-raggaesMon, 20 Jan 2025 04:36:00 GMT18.241173383858364-78.35434997617338

So now we're in Negril. Negril is a very touristy place and you can actually see - if rarely - someone with white skin here. The fact that it's a touristy place doesn't make our situation in Jamaica any better, there are even more people here who want to sell you something.

Our start here was a bit bumpy. When we arrived here on May 12th, our room was supposed to be ready at 2:00 pm. We arrived at 3:00 pm and our room was being cleaned. We were allowed to sit outside the door on the veranda and got the wi-fi password. This allowed Carolin to see on her phone that the Airbnb host of our accommodation actually wanted to cancel our stay here because there is currently no water. However, she only mentioned it in a message and did not cancel it 'properly'. Allegedly the plumber has already been called. After about an hour, around 4:00 pm, the plumber actually arrived. He went into the apartment, took off his slippers and lay down on our sofa. In the meantime, one of the people here also informed us that the water is currently not working, but everything is being done to fix the problem as quickly as possible. 20-30 minutes later, the plumber got up and went to work. Caro and I were also allowed into the apartment. We put down our things and took a small backpack to do some shopping in town. When we returned around 6:30 pm, of course, there was no water and no one was there. Once again, we contacted the local landlords. They told us that the water in the apartment is now working (it was just turned off), but the water pressure for the shower is too low. It should be repaired immediately on Saturday morning. To make a long story short: during our 5-day stay here, we couldn't take a shower once. We always washed ourselves over the sink.

Otherwise, we haven't done much in Negril. We spend our days here on the pretty beautiful 7-Mile Beach and we are happy to be approached all day long by dubious sellers who, depending on the state of the day, either want to sell something or ask for money for their daughter's education, their grandmother's hospital stay, for food or for other things.

Yesterday, on May 15th, when we came home from our day, we also received a nice email. Our flight to Cuba on May 19th was canceled without replacement. We will get a refund for the costs (supposedly), but we can't go to Cuba anymore. Various phone calls with the airline and the booking agency didn't help either. The problem is that we already have a connecting flight from Cuba to Colombia, which we can neither change nor cancel or reschedule.
Fortunately, we found a flight from Kingston to Havana today (originally the destination was Santiago de Cuba on the south coast of the country). This flight is with the same airline and we hope it won't be canceled either. Stay tuned!

Tomorrow, on May 17th, we will continue to Montego Bay. We will spend the two days until the 19th there and then take the bus to the airport in Kingston.

By the way, today (May 16th) we were able to get to know a new form of public transportation. Near the city, there is a place where many people on motorcycles gather at all times of the day to drink beer and smoke marijuana. We thought it was the local 'biker gang', but nope. These are motorcycle taxis for short distances within the city. The drivers are mostly drunk, definitely stoned, they don't obey any traffic rules and there are no helmets anyway. Just our thing we thought and asked one of the drivers if he could take us to our Airbnb. No problem at all - Caro in the front seat, the driver in the middle, and me with the backpack on the back. During the whole ride, the driver kept saying to Caro 'I take good care of you, Jamaica no problem' and Caro felt like she was getting drunker with every sentence because of the driver's breath. By the way, the driver had his rum cup wedged in the handlebar, just in case he gets thirsty during the ride. The ride itself was quite relaxed and we arrived home safely - probably because everyone here drives better when they're intoxicated than when they're sober.
All in all, it was a funny experience!

Hello everyone. Yes, we're still here and yes, this blog will continue. For the past 2.5 weeks, we were more or less 'trapped' in the Jamaican jungle. We didn't have a WiFi connection and only had internet through our phones - not enough to write a blog. So on April 26th, we drove to Thomas in the jungle. Thomas is a Swiss native who has been living as a Rastafarian in the jungle in Jamaica for 27 years now. The journey to Thomas was difficult. Caro & I had to share an emergency seat with another person in a route taxi for a good 2 hours. And we had to carry our luggage (yes, including the 20 kg backpacks) on our laps. Our legs fell asleep to the point where we couldn't move them anymore. It was one of the toughest taxi rides so far. From the last house in the small village of Cambridge, you have to walk through the jungle for about 20 minutes to get to Thomas. Thomas lives more or less in mosquito hell. We hadn't been there for half an hour and our arms and legs were already covered in mosquito bites. The 'amenities' at Thomas' place were quite minimal: there was a small outdoor shower (a hose with a small trickle of water). A delight for the mosquitoes. There was no bathroom or anything like that. The toilet didn't have a flush, but a bucket of water would do (there was also an outhouse). All the rooms were only covered with bamboo. In all the rooms, as well as in the kitchen, there were countless mosquitoes AND countless cockroaches. Super awesome. We even brought a few cockroaches with us in our backpacks to the next accommodation... Above our (incredibly uncomfortable) beds, there were mosquito nets - with countless holes. The nets were generally good, but once you have 4-5 mosquitoes inside, they don't come out that easily. And beetles would also get in. And cockroaches too.

Thomas had a relatively difficult personality. Due to years of isolation, he has become quite lonely and has gradually reduced his social interaction skills. He believed in extreme conspiracy theories, apart from the flat-earth theory, he believed in almost every conspiracy theory out there (9/11 was planned by the Americans, Bill Gates wants to reduce the world population to 500 million, Corona was a planned pandemic, vaccines are meant to make us sick, microchips are in the vaccines, climate change doesn't exist, etc.). I don't know why he didn't believe that the earth is flat.

The work at Thomas' place was relatively exhausting. We had to work in sturdy footwear, winter socks, long pants, and long tops - in 30 °C heat and 85% humidity. But that didn't help much against the mosquitoes. On the first day, we had to dig holes in the field, plant trees/plants, and do some watering. But our main task was to build a railing for Thomas' veranda. The available tools were limited and, if available, mostly worked poorly. Thomas never said how he wanted something done. But if he didn't like it afterwards, he made sure you knew. That's not what we call appreciation. We had to build everything 'Jamaica-style'. Without a level, without measurements, as long as it looked halfway decent.

The food for us, the Workawayers, was spartan. As a Rastafarian, Thomas lives completely vegan, meaning he avoids any animal products and salt. He only uses unprocessed fruits or vegetables (from the garden or the market). Unfortunately, he hasn't understood yet that vegan cuisine can also be varied: for almost the entire 2.5 weeks, we had the same food every day. There was only one meal a day, usually between 4 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon. In the mornings, we had a piece of jackfruit every day. Jackfruit is a local fruit that weighs 20-50 kg and contains 100-300 seeds. The jackfruit seeds can be eaten and are used as a meat substitute. The flesh of the jackfruit is incredibly sweet and the juice is sticky like super glue. After a week, you'll be tired of it. While eating, we had to remove the seeds so that we could use them in the evening meal. We weren't allowed to enter Thomas' kitchen, it's a spiritual place where Workawayers (non-Rastafarians) have no place. Animal products were not allowed near this kitchen, let alone consumed in any part of the house. However, Thomas keeps chickens, doves, and fish in overly cramped enclosures. The chickens peck each other's feathers out because they don't have enough space.
Carolin wasn't allowed to use a hairbrush (hairbrushes symbolize the division of humanity and are inherently bad) and all processed products (cookies, soda, bread, etc.) cause cancer or harm the human body in some way.

Despite the current rainy season, the water and drinking water supply was quite difficult. The Workawayer before us accidentally left the tap with drinking water open, so the main drinking water tank was completely empty. There was still a reserve tank, but it was almost empty too. Every time we got something to drink, we felt guilty, and if Thomas saw it, he usually made a remark about being very wasteful. We rarely drank more than 1-1.5 liters (at over 30 °C). The same went for shower water. It was scarce and showers were rare. Thomas said we should wash ourselves better in the river - but considering how much he smelled, that wasn't really an option. Thomas' personal hygiene left much to be desired. He usually washed himself in a stinky fish pond (without soap, of course). The clothes were washed by hand in a plastic bowl, here's how Thomas did it: dirty rainwater in the bowl, a little detergent on it, let it soak for 5 minutes, done. The (soapy) water can be dumped into nature afterwards.

Overall, not everything was bad during our time with Thomas. We learned a lot about his very simple way of life and how he manages day to day. In some respects, we could also learn from it and restrict or simplify our own lives and consumption. However, a life as a Rastafarian in the Jamaican bush is definitely not for us. We also got to know many different fruits that we had never heard of before: various types of bananas (including non-sweet ones), jackfruit, bilimbi, black sapote (chocolate pudding fruit), surinam cherry, breadfruit, stinky toe (it smells like it sounds but tastes better), starapple, starfruit, ice-cream beans, miracle fruit (if you eat it and then bite into a lemon, the lemon tastes incredibly sweet), rusty mango, and many more whose names we couldn't remember.
Thomas told us about a cave that supposedly exists on his property. However, he didn't think it was necessary to show it to us ('Maybe I'll show you if I feel like it, but maybe not'). We explored the property on our own and stumbled upon that very cave by chance. It was quite exciting, especially since you could walk about 100 meters inside. It was pitch black inside with many stalactites and stalagmites.

After our time with Thomas, we went to Negril in western Jamaica. To do that, we found a taxi in Montego Bay that was going to Negril. We asked both the taxi driver and his 'assistant' several times if they were going to Negril. 'Yah Mon, Yes, Of Course, No Problem.' We got in and were kicked out of the taxi in Savanna-la-Mar with the explanation that the journey ended there. Savanna-la-Mar is a 30-40 minute drive from Negril. Sorry, but I don't understand that at all. I can understand that many people here are not doing well economically and that many people depend on every dollar. But why do I have to deceive tourists so blatantly and obviously? The taxi didn't even indicate where it was going. That's just too cheap for us, and we are currently not willing to return to this country at any time. Perhaps it is appropriate for society here to rethink their treatment of tourists...

Slowly but surely our initial desire to travel Jamaica fades away. The country is not actually as it is often publicly portrayed: neither relaxed, nor easy, nor 'no problem'.

On 21.04. we took a route taxi from Port Antonio to Ocho Rios early in the morning. Our AirBnB host kindly drove us with our heavy luggage to the route taxi stop, but still tried to cheat us. We knew that the ride to Ocho Rios costs 600 J$. I asked him how much the ride costs, to which he went to a driver and inquired. Afterwards, they wanted to charge us 1000 J$ (per person). However, we had already talked to another driver and rode for 600. When we arrived in Ocho Rios, we were greeted very warmly. Actually, we are not allowed to check-in to the AirBnB until 3:00 PM, but luckily our room was already ready at 11:00 AM and we were allowed in. The room is very nice, but it heats up so much that you almost have to leave the air conditioning on all night. After unpacking our things, we went to the nearby (city) beach, which costs either 200 J$ (1.20€ = 1.32US$) for the entrance, or 3 US$ (meaning you can pay in either US$ or J$, but you save more than half when paying in the local currency). The beach is small and you can only go into the water up to shortly above your waist. Afterwards, there is a buoy line and boats are driving behind it. Swimming prohibited. Furthermore, you are constantly approached by people who want to sell boat tours, snorkeling tours, parasailing, or grass. In general, Ocho Rios (especially because of a large number of Americans and cruise ships) is much more touristy than Port Antonio and we don't like it here that much. We told one of the sellers on the beach that we would like to go diving. He was then (in addition to being a beach seller, beach cleaner, and lifeguard) of course also the owner of a diving school and wanted to go with us to it. We politely declined, but later in the day we went to this diving school to inquire. The person had nothing to do with the diving school at all.

On 22.03. we went to the diving school again at 08:30 AM. We had 2 dives planned for us (one to a nearby reef and one to a wreck). This was the most beautiful experience we were allowed to have in Jamaica so far. The reef dive went down to about 20 m depth, we had a visibility of 20-30 m and saw various colorful fish as well as lobsters, lionfish, sea cucumbers, and many corals. The wreck dive went down to 15 m depth and we dived a wreck (Katherine's Wreck) and saw sea urchins, stingrays, flounders, and also many different fish. The dive also included a kind of underwater canyon, which felt more like a cave. An absolutely great experience! We spent the afternoon of 22.04. at our accommodation, organized some things back home, and took care of further travel planning. We also had a very bad experience with Edgar (with whom we did a tour in Port Antonio), which I will not go into further detail about here. Fortunately, the experience was only online and not in 'real life'...

On 22.04. shortly before noon, we went back to the nearby city beach. To our surprise, the cruise ship 'MSC Divina' had docked off the coast of Ocho Rios. The view of the sea was blocked and the whole beach was full of cruise tourists. Just our thing. The businesses of all sorts of beach sellers were booming - we spent a large part of the afternoon drinking beer at the bar... what else can you do.

All in all, we are quite disappointed with Jamaica. The country with its nature and the sea is beautiful - no question about it. And if you like, you can definitely spend 2 weeks in a 4-star all-inclusive hotel here with crystal-clear water and a complete Caribbean feeling (and almost no contact with the local population). However, Caro and I just can't get along with the people. As 'white privileged people', we constantly feel like we are still to blame for the enslavement of the black population about 150 years later. In general, especially with white skin color, you always get looked at a little askew and almost everyone tries to rip you off in some way. Surely, economically we are better off than the majority of the local population, but from our point of view, this is not a reason to continuously allow oneself to be cheated. Especially since this is definitely not advantageous for the future of local tourism. We are curious to see how things continue with Thomas in 3 days and what he thinks about the whole thing...

Appendix to 18th April: The day itself was rather stupid for us, but it ended up being funny: In the evening, we went to a pizzeria in town to get pizza to take home. There, we were approached by 2 Canadians who have been on the island since December and are staying on a sailboat in the bay. We talked for a long time and ended up in another bar (a wooden hut with a corrugated iron roof) on the way home, where many locals also came. All in all, a very funny evening, although there was a bit of a commotion among the Jamaicans towards the end, but we kept out of it.

On the 19th of April, we visited the Reach Falls, which can be visited in two ways: either from the bottom up (you hike / climb up the river to the beginning) or you only visit the upper part without seeing the rest of the individual cascades. The Reach Falls are located about 40 km from Port Antonio. You can easily get there by shared taxi (which is about the size of a T3 or T4 bus and can accommodate about 21 people including the driver. No air conditioning, but lots of physical contact) and it only costs 200 J$ (1.20 €) per person. An alternative to the shared taxi is a chartered taxi, which you have all to yourself for the entire trip and is air-conditioned. But it costs at least 8,000 J$ (about 48 €). We opted for the shared taxi. The journey takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes and you drive on unpaved roads (worse than German forest paths) at speeds of up to 100 km/h and don't even know if the driver is sober. We arrived safely at the junction to the Reach Falls. We had read on the internet that we should ask for a local named Dorian here. 'Dorian' was then called by a local street vendor and was there within 15 minutes. I suspect that everyone there simply calls themselves Dorian and the street vendor simply calls a 'guide' who takes the tour with you. The tour with 'Dorian' costs the equivalent of 15 US$ (13-14€) per person and was worth the money. The water is crystal clear and comparatively cool. Definitely a beautiful area. Of course, in order to get from the junction to the Reach Falls, you still have to take an additional taxi, because the starting point is very far off the road. Since there is no normal taxi route here, it is naturally more expensive - but that's just the way it is (6 € per person for round trip). After the tour, when we were back at the junction, we had to wait quite a while for a route taxi (over 30 minutes). A local wanted to prevent us from getting in because he 'had already made an agreement with a friend that he would take us back to Port Antonio'. That sounded like a bad deal to us, as it would have definitely been more expensive. So we got in anyway. He complained a lot, but we saved some money. That's it. On the way back, we had the driver drop us off at Frenchman's Cove, another dream beach in Jamaica. However, the entrance fee there is 1800 J$ (11 €), which we were too stingy to pay. So we walked to Winnifred Beach, which is 3.5 km away, and went swimming there for a total of 200 J$ (although the 200 J$ were voluntary, you could also go in for free). Then we went back to Port Antonio and ate something at the Airbnb.

On the 20th of April, we had a hike planned with Edgar. Edgar is from Port Antonio and we met him a few days ago in the city. He showed us around a bit and told us a few things. He seemed very trustworthy to us because he didn't ask for money right away for directions (he also didn't ask for money for the short tour with him). We met at the agreed meeting point and walked up a mountain on the outskirts of the city with him. The paths seem much steeper at 30°C than they actually are. At the top, we met Brandon, who runs a farm there with bananas, pineapples, coconuts, coffee beans, and of course, weed. Besides his work as a farmer, Brandon also makes music and has traveled quite a bit (especially in Europe). We were able to enjoy freshly brewed tea from the plants in his garden - for free. Brandon and Edgar then got into a heated argument about who was to blame for the enslavement of black people. Edgar said that the black people were to blame themselves, while Brandon tried to correct him, saying that white people enslaved black people. For us, both being white, 'privileged Europeans', it was a rather uncomfortable situation. After the argument was settled (Edgar ignored Brandon and went outside the small jungle bar), we talked a bit more with Brandon. Then we started the journey back home with Edgar, who was waiting outside. In the end, Edgar wanted 40 US$ from us for the short hike, but we ended up agreeing on 3000 J$ (18 €), which was also okay for him.

All in all, tourism here in Jamaica works a bit differently than it did in Mexico. Apart from the route taxi drivers, who always cost 200 J$ regardless of the distance, almost everyone here tries to rip you off. It seems like every Jamaican works as a tour guide in addition to their regular job and offers tours to nearby attractions. The prices for these tours are always high initially, and there is room for negotiation. If you're not careful, you'll probably end up paying too much everywhere. But by now, we have a pretty good idea of how things work here and what to look out for.

Our journey from Kingston to Port Antonio with the Knutsford Express was relatively uneventful. Along the way, we learned where to transfer buses and even reached our destination relatively on time. The coaches are relatively comfortable and, as is customary in warm countries, cooled to temperatures below 20°C. However, some of the coaches do not have a toilet on board, so it's better to go beforehand. Our accommodation in Port Antonio is quite nice, we share a large kitchen with another guest and have our own bedroom and bathroom. There is hot water, but no way to regulate the temperature. This means that hot water is so hot that you cannot shower with it. But as mentioned before, cold water is completely sufficient. The Jamaican internet connection is not only very slow but also quite unstable, which naturally makes searching for activities in the region much more difficult.

In the morning of April 17th, we explored the area around our accommodation and the local market. The town is quite lively with its 15,000 inhabitants, and there's always a lot going on, especially during the day. Around noon, we had to return to the accommodation to clarify something with Thomas, our next 'employer'. But everything is relaxed, it will work out.

In the afternoon, we took one of the mentioned route taxis and were taken for about 150 J$ (0.90 €) to a supposed dive center, where there is actually none. The dive center only exists online and the dives are only conducted from where we were. Afterwards, we wanted to continue to Winnifred Beach, a dream beach straight out of a picture book. Unfortunately, all the route taxis were full and none could take us. Finally, an American woman with her Jamaican colleague named Roper stopped next to us and they took us to the 12 km away beach for free. We even got mangoes harvested directly from the tree. Super cool. The advantage of Winnifred Beach is that it is mainly used by locals and therefore not overcrowded. Initially, we were the only ones on this beach besides a few locals. The water was crystal clear, you could see underwater without a diving mask, and you just had to be careful not to step on one of the many sea urchins when entering. But it's fine.

On our way back, we caught another route taxi, which was driven by Robert Reliable according to the business card. 'Reliable' is English and means 'reliable'. Whether that was his real last name? Robert Reliable is a typical Rastaman who, judging by his eyes and language, has already smoked a joint or two before driving us. He drove very relaxed, didn't cause any accidents, and had an answer to every question we had (at least if he hadn't forgotten the question immediately after it was asked). For dinner, we had fast food in the midst of about 2,000 mosquitoes, which strangely enough preferred us over our food. Annoying creatures.

For April 18th, we had booked a rafting tour on the nearby Rio Grande. This was recommended to us by Leslie, our Airbnb host, as it is supposed to be very beautiful. Leslie knows the locals and promised us that we would get the tour much cheaper than if we booked it ourselves. We trusted him and let him book the tour. After researching on the internet, it is indeed true that the tour was much cheaper than if we had booked it ourselves (we paid a little more than half of the regular price). However, we stopped in between to eat something (which Leslie ordered for us without asking), costing 6,000 J$ (36 €), and there were also transportation costs to and from the tour (24 €), which no one mentioned in advance. All in all, a pretty shady move by Leslie and we will only book tours ourselves in the future.

Tomorrow we are going to the Reach Falls, for which we have already been offered tours from several sources. Roper (mentioned above) told us that it is best to drive there by route taxi (1 hour and 15 minutes) and do the rest with a local on site. So that's probably how we'll do it, as it has always worked best so far.

On the night of April 13th to 14th, our journey to Kingston started. We departed at 11:30 PM local time in Vancouver. We had a slight delay, but it wasn't too bad. The flight lasted about four hours, and we landed around 07:00 AM local time in Toronto (Toronto is 3 hours ahead of Vancouver). We had a scheduled layover of 2 hours and 50 minutes here. It took a while to figure out which gate we needed for the flight to Kingston, as the app showed a different gate than the boarding pass, and the departure board showed yet another gate. We relied on the gate shown on the departure board, but it was inaccessible due to closed doors. Well, we had plenty of time. The gate was changed twice more during the wait, but at least we knew which one it was. After our aircraft finally arrived at the correct gate (it was previously parked at a different gate and couldn't be moved to ours), we were able to board with a delay of about one hour. We landed in Kingston, Jamaica, at around 2 PM and experienced quite a climate and culture shock. We had temperatures of 27-30°C (for the record: above freezing) and high humidity. At the airport, we were greeted by scantily clad dancers, as Jamaica is currently celebrating 'Carnival'. Besides the dancers, about 50 taxi drivers welcomed us, and of course, they were eager to transport us. Unfortunately, there were no buses available, so we negotiated a somewhat bearable price for the half-hour drive with one of the drivers, who was probably happier with the deal than we were. We only discovered the route taxis we had originally intended to take after we were already in the taxi with driver Mark. We bought a few things and had dinner at a restaurant before we went to bed in the evening, quite tired.

The next day (April 15th), we visited the Bob Marley Museum, which is located in the immediate neighborhood. Taking pictures is not allowed here, except for a few exceptions. The visit was quite disappointing. Only guided tours can be booked here, and exploring the musician's residence 'on our own' is not possible. Our group consisted of about 20 Jamaicans and 4 'foreigners', including us. Our guide conducted the tour in the local language Patois about 85% of the time (which is related to English, but probably only has as much in common as German and Dutch). As a result, our understanding was quite limited. We don't know if this was the 'arbitrary' choice of our guide or if the tours are generally conducted in Patois. At least we would have liked to know this before paying the proud admission price of over €20. After visiting the museum, we went to the market and had a snack at a fast food restaurant. Vegetarian food is virtually impossible here unless you cook for yourself or eat at restaurants that have the word 'veggie' in their name. The market offers almost everything imaginable. In addition to grass (which is commonly known as Ganja or Weed here), there are food, all kinds of clothes, shoes, junk, sunglasses, and even school exams (and their results) for sale. I also saw a 'stand' for (very authentic-looking) Jamaican passports. Unfortunately, I couldn't verify the legitimacy of this offer - most likely, you give the trustful vendor your passport photo along with a lot of money, and she disappears with it and is never seen again. But for us Europeans, it's not quite clear why anyone would want to have a (even fake) Jamaican passport issued.

Tomorrow at 3:15 PM local time, we will take a bus to Port Antonio in the northeast of the island, which will take about 4-4.5 hours. The woman we bought the ticket from told us that we have to switch buses at some point. However, we still don't know where and in which bus we have to transfer. So the ride could be quite exciting. Maybe the bus driver knows more. By the way, my ticket lists me as 'Mike Holland' (not entirely undeserved, as I'm now too lazy to spell out my name every time). So I hope there won't be any ID checks before the journey.

It remains exciting, and I hope to be able to report from Port Antonio next time.

P.S.: Our 'accommodation curse' continues to some extent. Despite the low price, our current accommodation is in a good area of Kingston. On Airbnb, the accommodation was listed as having 'hot water'. As we have found out, this term is extremely subjective. But cold water is not a big deal here, as it's quite warm everywhere. The internet in the accommodation usually doesn't work, and if it does, it's pretty bad. But that could be a general problem on the island.

We started our journey in Montego Bay, Jamaica, with a Condor flight from Munich.

Our itinerary: Montego Bay - Puerto Limon - Colon (unfortunately cancelled due to strong gusts of wind in the port) - Cartagena - La Romana - Martinique - Antigua - St. Maarten - Tortola - Samana - Montego Bay.

During the first week, we got to explore Central America and had a heavenly departure from Cartagena, watching the sunset behind Cartagena's skyline, a truly impressive experience.

The second week was more focused on the famous Caribbean islands. We had more 'fun' excursions, swimming, snorkeling, and even a biking tour. Of course, we couldn't miss visiting the legendary Mahoo Beach, also known as the airplane beach.

After 14 days, it was sadly time to bid farewell to AIDA, but as the saying goes, if you don't leave, you can't come back :).

In the morning, we took a route taxi to Black River. Here we wanted to visit the famous bar in the middle of the sea called 'Pelican Bar' and take a tour on the Black River to see crocodiles. The town of Black River didn't have much to offer, so we went straight to our Air Bnb, which was located a bit outside. It was very exhausting to travel with the route taxis again, as they are always packed with so many passengers that you feel like a sardine in a can. The route taxi buses are also always overloaded. For example, you sit in a bus that is designed for eleven people, but there are easily twenty-one people, with outside temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius and a backpack on your lap. What an adventure. Especially because Jamaicans have a lead foot. When we finally arrived at our destination, we were very exhausted and had to realize that the host had made completely different statements in his ad. We ended up in a kind of construction site where it was dirty, the shower didn't work, and there was only a small camping stove. On one hand, we now saw the real life of Jamaicans. On the other hand, we were angry with the host. That evening, we decided to leave the next day and go to the nearby town of Treasure Beach.

Treasure Beach is a small town or rather village in the southwest of Jamaica. There is not much tourism here, and it is said that you can still experience the original Jamaica here. This mainly refers to the life and way of the people. The people were really nice and open-minded. Here we experienced the second mishap with Air Bnb. When we arrived at the booked hotel, the landlady said that 'she had been deregistered from Air Bnb and it was a fake profile'. 'She had already contacted Air Bnb about this'. Well, our money was still gone, and we had to deal with the hassle. After that, we went out and checked into a beautiful resort right by the sea. We just wanted a place to rest and recover from the recent hardships. And we had definitely found it here, and we were so happy.
The following days were very relaxing. Swimming, snorkeling, good food, and living in the moment were the order of the day. On our last day, the others took a boat tour to the famous bar in the sea and even saw some dolphins on the way. And to top it all off, David even had the opportunity to shoot a promotional video for the owner.
JAH MON 

Our next destination was Negril in the west of Jamaica. Negril is one of the most popular tourist spots on the island. That's why we were very happy to be here during the off-season, as we were almost the only tourists. In Negril, David and I were waiting for two friends who came to visit us in Jamaica, and this was definitely the perfect place for that. Negril itself is very small but known for its eleven-kilometre-long sandy beach, also known as the 'seven miles beach'. A local told us that in the 70s, many hippies came to this place and the whole beach was full of tents and people partying. He remembered this time very fondly. The actual town is largely located on a cliff plateau that drops into the sea, which means you can walk along beautiful cliffs for kilometers. One of the world's most famous bars, 'Rick's Cafe', is located there, where tourists and locals jump into the sea from the cliffs. When our friends arrived, we moved to the end of the town to a beautiful resort that we practically had to ourselves. We could go snorkeling at our private beach and reef or relax in one of the natural pools. Our first activity every morning after waking up was swimming and snorkeling. The water was so clear that we could see the many beautiful fish perfectly. This was a place where you could truly unwind.
JAH MON 

On August 9th, we finally arrived in Jamaica - Montego Bay. This fulfills a lifelong dream for both of us. From the plane, we could already see the stunning white Caribbean beaches with crystal clear water like we've never seen before. The many coral reefs also stood out.
Montego Bay is a city in the northwest of Jamaica, where Christopher Columbus landed nearby in 1494. The first impressions are all the clichés that are more than fulfilled in this country. It smells like Ganja everywhere, and you are approached on every corner to buy Ganja. Almost everyone smokes here, and if you don't smoke, they ask you, 'Hey man, you're in Jamaica! Why aren't you smoking? You're free to do whatever you want here. So enjoy it and relax.' The music connection of this country is also striking. It feels like music speakers are part of the basic equipment of this island. Everywhere you go, you hear loud reggae music and see people dancing and singing along. Bob Marley's album was already playing at the airport.
Although not everyone is a Rastafarian, Bob Marley is an idol, a superhero for the majority of people. Whether on building walls, t-shirts, or posters - Bob Marley is still present in the reggae land of Jamaica. And he is an example of how far hard work can take you. Through music, people express their pain. That's why you can find musicians everywhere who write their lyrics - like Bob Marley - that are socially critical and address issues. Especially, these lyrics are directed at politics.

In Jamaica, English and Patois - a creole language - are spoken. English is the official language, and Patois is the unofficial national language of Jamaicans. At the beginning, I had a hard time understanding, but luckily David could translate everything for me.
Mo Bay is also known for oyster farming. The facilities are located on the nearby Bogue Islands. Other products produced in Montego Bay include sugar and rum. In addition to these goods, bananas, coffee - including the world-famous Blue Mountain coffee -, ginger, fine woods, and animal hides are exported from the port of the city.

We spent the first two days in a villa area, so we didn't see much of the real Jamaica. After that, we settled in a neighborhood that couldn't have been more different. We also visited a Rastafarian who lives there with his Canadian wife. That was the Jamaica we had imagined and 100% authentic. So we had many interesting conversations about Rastafarian culture and spirituality in general. And as I quickly found out, we had a lot of common knowledge about spirituality.

The city itself was exhausting for us in the first few days. People seemed very stressed and almost dismissive. It was very difficult to connect with them and we had to draw them out. We hadn't experienced that in the other countries we had visited so far. But that also disappeared after a few days because we learned to meet them where they were, and communication improved a lot.

Unfortunately, the city doesn't have much to offer, so we'll soon be heading to Negril.

JAH MON - as they say here!

Bob Marley, co-founder of the Rastafari movement, was born in 1945 in Nine Miles, Jamaica.

He died of skin cancer at just 36 years old in Miami.

The origins of the Maya ancestors can be traced to Asia. They migrated over the frozen Bering Strait. They have characteristic physical features: almond-shaped eyes, little facial hair, and straight black hair. There are still about 6 million people today who speak Maya.

Chichén Itzá (Americans often say Chicken Pizza) is a Maya pyramid that stands 24m tall. The pyramid has 365 steps corresponding to the number of days in a year.

The Mayas were excellent astronomers and developed the solar and lunar calendar.

The Panama Canal is 82km long. The USA took over the canal project from the French in 1902 (who had failed with 40 million dollars due to underestimating the hard basalt, malaria, and yellow fever).

This was an economic, political, and military maneuver for the Americans. The canal was officially handed over to Panama in 1999.

About 14,000 ships pass through the canal each year, which means 30-40 transits daily. The transit of a tourist ship with, for example, 2,000 passengers costs around 400,000 US dollars.

The expansion of the canal for Neopanamax ships began in 2007 and was completed in 2016.

The Century Bridge was inaugurated in 1962 and renewed by the company Bilfinger (Mannheim) in 2004. It is 80m high above the shipping lane and has six lanes.

Today’s Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, and Colombia were still part of Greater Colombia until the 18th century.

In 1585, the English crown became aware and sent Sir Francis Drake to attack and plunder Cartagena. The Spaniards then responded with a massive military fortification, the San Felipe de Barajas Fort. It was considered unassailable for two centuries and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.

La Popa, founded in 1606, is a convent of mendicant monks and stands at the highest point, 148m, of Cartagena. The two-story arcade is a testament to a Spanish Andalusian style.

Muchas Gracias y hasta pronto :-))