Island – Traveling Epic!

Natural Wonders of the World – Underground River of Puerto Princesa

May 7, 2018Posted in Adventure, Asia, Bucket List, Favorite, Island, Oceania, Photography, Tourism, Travel, UNESCO, WonderTagged National Park, New7Wonders, palawan, Philippines, ramsar wetland, Unesco, Wonders of the WorldLeave a comment

Philippines is hidding a real gem. In fact, scratch that, they are hiding some of the most amazing islands for vacation in the world. I’ve been to the main island a couple of times, but it was this intentional visit to go see the 7 natural wonders of the world that brought me to the little gem of an island of Palawan. Puerto Princesa Underground River started with a motor boat ride to the nearby beach to an outfitter to provide us with smaller boats bright mandatory big orange life jackets and shiny hard hat helmets.

The puerto princesa national park is a limestone karst mountain landscape. The actual St. Pauls Underground River Cave is more than 24 km (15 mi) long and contains an 8.2 km (5.1 mi) long underground section of the Cabayugan River. The river system of the cave flows into the West Philippine Sea and is navigable by boat up to 4.3 km (2.7 mi) in from the entrance. The cave includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers, including the 360-meter-long Italian’s Chamber with approximate 2.5 million square meters of volume making it one of the largest cave rooms in the world.

Tourists getting ready to enter the cave

Just inside the cave system

On the first boat headed to the beach with the smaller boats

The island of Palawan has many uniquely styled canoe boats designed to move quickly over the water

The boat captains love and live on the water. It is life.

Bats, snakes, birds, there’s a lot of life going in and out of the caves.

Chili crab. Some of the best food on a banana leaf.

The boats are a very important part of life on Palawan island

I stand back to back with our guide and she’s next to one of the indigenous oldest elders. They are known as pygmy people due to their height.

Palawan not only has an underground river cave system, but also native tribes! This friendly looking tribe recently emerged from the forest. They danced with us and taught us about their mythologies and shared traditions. A young guide who is from another nearby tribe can speak their language and helped us communicate with them. The young ones are now attending a school built right next to the huts, the teacher resides nearby.

There are 70 indigenous peoples and the Bataks are thought to come from Asia 50,000 years ago. The island of Palawan, the largest province in the Philippines, is home to several indigenous ethnolinguistic groups namely, the Kagayanen, Tagbanwa, Palawano, Taaw’t Bato, Molbog and the Batak tribes. They live in remote villages in the mountains and coastal areas. We drove as far as we could and then walked across 6 streams to this remote village. We visited this small tribe of about 17 individuals, some of the last of the Batak tribe. The Batak tribe is a group of indigenous people who reside in the rugged interiors of the northeast portion of the province of Palawan. These group of people lives close to nature and are extremely peaceful and shy, traditionally they believe in nature spirits with whom they communicate with through the aid of a shaman. At present, there are only about 500, or less, Batak people remaining in the Philippines. This group is now Christian and preferred not to talk about the old beliefs, but did tell us how much their lives changed when they found rice. It was rice ultimately that drove them from hiding in the forest to coming out and coexisting with the other people.

Visit Beautiful Palau Micronesia Islands Nation of Nature

January 30, 2018Posted in Adventure, Culture, Falls, Food, Island, Oceania, Road Trip, UNESCOTagged Bai, islands, Micronesia, Palau, waterfallLeave a comment

When I first thought about visiting Palau I for sure wanted to visit the Jelly Fish Lake, but then after researching it I found out it had been closed due to mass loss of jelly fish due to a number of factors and they’ve denied access to humans until they repopulate. Palau is an archipelago of over 500 islands including the popular rock islands, part of the Micronesia in the vast Pacific Ocean. Koror Island is home to the former capital, also named Koror, and is the islands’ commercial center. It’s really where most of the island population is. It was an island territory of the United States until 1986. It is now an independent UN nation of Micronesia, but is defended by the US.

Where is Palau? It’s in between the Philippines and Guam. You can fly direct from Guam. The airport is quite small. Palau has become very attractive for diving and as such has become fairly expensive. We stayed at an airbnb and the frequency or infrequency of flights kept us on the island for a few days. It was very relaxed and chill on the island… very low crime. The largest city feels like a small village.

Nearest neighbors are Yap Island and Guam. There are a ton of other reasons to go to Palau. The diving is the best in the world.

The Republic of Palau is scenically magical. For such a tiny area of land, it packs a big punch. It is hard not to be overwhelmed by its extraordinary array of natural wonders it’s an island archipelago of about 500 largely pristine limestone and volcanic islands

But there are a lot of other non diving reasons as well.

The “bai” traditional huts preserve the history. The monoliths connect to the old ways and old religion of the island. The symbols are fantastic. The people of Palau were Matriarchal and the women were the backbone of society. I see how this continues today based on our interactions at the market with a mother who gave her son permission tp take us around the island. very rich culture and customs that are overlooked as most spend their times in the best waters in the world.

The larger Babeldaob has the present capital, Ngerulmud, plus mountains and sandy beaches on its east coast. In its north, ancient basalt monoliths known as Badrulchau lie in grassy fields surrounded by palm trees.

Reality Check: The new capital building seems like it is away from everything, much like Palau in the world. It’s distant, but also disconnected… but there is hope the little island nation will grow. I personally worry it is already setup on an expensive path that keeps the tourists away. If the island could find a way to get more attractive flights from China and reduce their permits for just about everything, tourism would definitely grow. There is a lot to see and experience, but the lawman of this little nation state need to understand the laws of supply and demand. Cheaper prices will attract more tourists and they don’t need to nickle and dime the tourists to use the water. I would love to go back, but it was quite expensive to get there, and it was one of the most permit heavy islands I’ve ever visited. It was extremely beautiful and I would have loved to have dove here. I did some snorkling and enjoyed it, but the prices encourage you to bring your own equipment which is cost prohibitive. I’m hoping they’ll learn. Don’t let this totally detract. We found a way to work around most of the expensive water use permit issues by spending most of our time on the island. Vote in new politicians and say we want more visitors who will obviously spend more money on the island when they visit. Protect the Jelly Fish and preserve the nature. I hope to see them when they are recovered.

The bai is the school, the community council meeting place, the town hall, the place where laws are made.
Funny enough the young men we were with shared that there’s a pee hole in the floor. So yeah. They rarely need to even leave.

Palau Monolithic Stones

Stone Face Monoliths of Ngarchelong State. On the grassy flats along the eastern coastline

of Ngarchelong sit 37 ancient monoliths. Many of them have carved faces. They say the purpose of the monuments and when they were constructed are still unknown. The largest is over 5 tons. Some experts believe the monoliths were built in 100 AD. Some of these large Monoliths use to hold a bai. One of those old community houses. Some of them have faces like the Easter Island heads

Palau – Ngardmau Waterfall

It’s a nice hike to the waterfall on the western coast. It is worthwhile, but quite slippery.

Don’t eat the Turtle it tastes too good so you might like it.

We did find a local food place, which they said you couldn’t find. They served Clam, Pork, or Turtle wrapped in banana leaf. We ate a variety of meats with Taro and rice.

Amazing to visit such an interesting island.

Easter Island Travel – Isla de Pascua Mystery

January 11, 2017January 11, 2017Posted in Bucket List, Easter Island, Island, Travel, UNESCOTagged Easter Island, Isla de Pascua, Mystery, Wonder of the World1 Comment

The island who seems to be on every bucket list has got to be Easter Island. They mysterious Moai stand guard for all time. The knowledge seemingly of these majestic statues is truly timeless. First off let me tell you, you won’t accidentally come to Easter Island. This is a place that takes real planning. The first time I priced out travel to Easter Island I was the round trip flight from Santiago out to Easter Island at $700 or $800. So for many years, it was a dream. Then, it was a breakthrough. Simply adding Easter Island to my itinerary from LAX to Santiago, it was only an incremental $200. I booked early and wow, what a payoff!

While likely one of the most fantastic destinations it is out of range for most. Only the truly dedicated will make it. The community there is one of the most remote in the world! It’s over 1000 miles to the nearest land mass of Chile, which by the way is most likely where you’ll fly from. For me, I’ve continued to think of Easter Island as one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world that reminds us of lost knowledge.

Surely these massive ancient rocks did walk from the quarry and down the mountainside and make their way across the island. There’s no disputing the fact that the natives cut these amazing massive moai and brought them to their resting places. There’s a lot more I could say about the mystery but instead I’ll save the mystery and encourage you to go. The first thing to know is there isn’t just one group.

There are so many fun places to see on the island. My recommendation is a minimum of 2 days, but 3+ is preferred. There are around 887 Moai scattered across the island. There were no standing moai in 1825. There are groups that have been put back to their proper places and you’ve gotta see the quarry where there are Moai half cut out of the stone with many working their way down the mountain.

Rainbow follows the rain. This beautiful rainbow taught us a good lesson… “After the storm comes a rainbow!” We were standing under cover waiting for the rain to part, then bam!

Does this stonework remind you of another group of people? Me too. This looked very much like Machu Picchu of the Incas. You can also find stonework like this in ancient Egypt.

Moai on the beach… minutes later wild horses would sweep across the sand!

There are still many mysteries of the island. The culture is very strong with the people. Spanish is widely spoken, but the native traditions and language are well respected and celebrated.

We happened to happen onto a wedding performed both in the native tongue and translated into Spanish.

The stones carry a message from a time gone. They teach us to respect the past and reverence the gods. There’s something bigger than us, a mystery that will not be discovered until we connect with the cosmos and return to the earth. We have an amazing wonderful world. I hope you get to visit Easter Island sometime in your life. Amazing!

Traveling Haiti Emperors Palace and Citadel

April 8, 2015November 20, 2016Posted in Caribbean, Extreme, Food, Island, North America, Philanthropy, Travel, UNESCO, UniqueTagged Adventure travel, citadel, ecotourism, ecotravel, Extreme, Haiti, Sans Souci, Unesco2 Comments

When I told my friend Michael I was going to be visiting the REAL Haiti and not some resort and looking for a real adventure, he called me crazy at first. He says I don’t know anyone but you that would be looking to take their family to Haiti on spring break. My kids had a break coming up and two new UN countries was sounding really good. There were plenty of ways to spend a week in Dominican Republic and people seem to not have an issue with the idea of a vacation there, but when I mentioned Haiti, people get confused. Even in DR people were confused. Why would we want to visit Haiti? That’s truly what makes it a treat. It’s virgin travel territory. There are so few tourists. There’s this assumption that there is danger and security issues. Sure crime rates are high, but the murder rate is actually higher in DR. That’s not to say I don’t love DR. Great place. Save that for another travel post.

My trip to Haiti started with a border crossing. One of the most fascinating border crossings in the world. While crossing I saw a nude guy bathing in the river, as well as a baptism off in the distance in the same river. People were crossing back and forth across the river as if there was no border. I’d later find out that this no mans land of the border has a lot of vendors that live on one side and work on the other without actually going across the final border crossing. They vendor there wares which may simply be a sack of used clothes.

The Haitians are clever people that see the world in a different way.

It was only recently that I started seeing the cactus fence. Very clever. The animals stay out because otherwise they get poked by the spikes.

My favorite part of Haiti was simply the unexpected. There was so much to experience that I had not seen anywhere. While I have participated in Carnival festivities in Trinidad and spent plenty of time across the caribbean islands, I found a culture, and a people that are so fascinating and resourceful. With 40% unemployment, and a non functioning system to really take care of them, the people find ways of keeping busy and really begging really doesn’t make sense since everyone around them is in a similar situation.

There were a few things that really surprised me.

These beans were awesome! These beans have probably been boiling for days.

Add some fresh rice and chicken and stewed veggies and you have an incredible street meal for less than 2 dollars.

Before I went to Haiti, I had imagined it as a place with no trees across the country with only mud and dirt. There are plenty of trees, they are a valuable commodity. I saw a group pushing a big tree across the border and over the course of my time I saw them push the tree more than 10 Kilometers.

Voodoo is a strong tradition in Haiti… So are zombies. I jumped out of the car to take this quick photo with these boys in a small little village. I was happy to see that even in the most dire circumstances, the people knew how to have fun.

I’m not sure why this kid has ripped pants that seem to not have much left of them. We simply stopped to see what was going on after seeing some of the zombie looking guys.

Had I not had a driver who was use to being stopped on the road with a whip and a chain stretched across the road, I may have freaked out. The masked men dressed head to toe might have looked like criminals, but apparently this is like trick or treating in the road. Due to the holidays, they’d stop the cars and ask for money or food. Some would dance and

Hulk mask is a nice touch, so is the cool whistle. His buddy with the goggles is definitely pulling off a great trick or treat vibe… right?

The back pack makes it easy to put the food or goods. It’s like the sack during trick or treat.

This was the first building I saw as we pulled into the UNESCO Herigate site of Sans Souci

These Haitian monuments date from the beginning of the 19th century, when Haiti proclaimed its independence. The Palace of Sans Souci, the buildings at Ramiers and, in particular, the Citadel serve as universal symbols of liberty, being the first monuments to be constructed by black slaves who had gained their freedom.

This bust gives you a bit of the glory days for this once amazing palace built for the first emperor of Haiti. King Henri I. The history of the building, takes one back to the founding of Haiti and it’s amazing fight to independence. This is where slavery began its end… as they held off and defeated the Spanish, French, and English. The only island in the Caribbean to have done so.

Henri Christophe (Henry Christopher) (6 October 1767 – 8 October 1820) was a former slave and key leader in the Haitian Revolution, which succeeded in gaining independence from France in 1804. In 1805 he took part under Jean-Jacques Dessalines in the capturing of Santo Domingo (now Dominican Republic), against French forces who acquired the colony from Spain in the Treaty of Basel.

We rode motorbikes up to the Citadel. It was one of the steepest and craziest roads to drive on. Drivers really didn’t want to take us. We got 3 quotes for $100 to drive us to the Citadel. The motorbikes were $10 to drive the crazy road, but we negotiated them down to $6 which still seemed steep until we actually started the trek.

The Citadel – Citadelle Laferrière another UNESCO Heritage site… rising out of the clouds. Largest fortress in the Caribbean. What would end up being the seriously craziest ride negotiation ever, would end with this view. I had left my family back at the emperors palace and needed to get back. We were then on to Cap Hatien for the night and a night we’ll never forget in joining in Hatian Carnival. Simply getting to the Citdel is a real challenge. Getting from the town where the palace is to the horses is $10 by motorbike, and then once you get to the donkeys/horses, it’s $15 by horse or a steep walk of 45min-1hr or so. Negotiation is possible, but very difficult to get more than 50% off.

Cap Hatian – view from our hotel balcony.

Wandering through the streets of Cap Haiten Haiti, I found this group of kids gathered around this open window watching what they said was a Jackie Chan movie on a 20 inch TV from the 80s. There were nearly 20 kids. It was a Bollywood movie and not even in French, but they were watching it intently.

Haitian Carnivale! The crowds came out by the thousands and filled the streets. People dressed up in whatever fun outfits they had. In largest conga lines I’ve ever seen in my life, the crowds started to slowly move at a snails pace. After a half hour of hearing the music we could see lights up a head. Preceding the carnival float was a UN truck with armed men that would slowly push the crowd forward. That scene was a bit scary. The army men didn’t seem to be enjoying themselves very much, but the people were relaxed and having the time of their lives.

Seas of people. The tall truck had popular musicians playing carnival songs. As was related in Port of Prince as the tall lighted trucks passed under power lines, the people would use sticks to lift the power lines over the truck.

Something I really loved about my trip to Haiti was the kids. So happy.

Is Haiti worth visiting? Oh, Yes! Is it setup as a tourist destination. Far from it. This is virgin travel territory. The taxis barely know how to negotiate. They aren’t use to negotiating very well. There really are 2 price levels. Those at the local level and those at what I refer to as the Mafia level. There are a few that artificially inflate some of the services. We negotiated a ride from the Dominican Republic border to take us to the Emperors Palace Sans Souci and the Citadel and to then take us to Cap Hatien hotel, and then back to the border. The first offer was $200 which was too much. When we agreed on a $65 price and started driving, the driver changed and by the time we got to the palace, he was telling us that was only for 1 day and not for both. We ended up paying $65 per day reluctantly after some fierce war of words. That was really our only challenge. We never felt for our safety outside of the van driver situation confusion. My friend Michael had a couple of years of high school French, which was very useful. We did find some who spoke spanish in our wandering around the city. There are still some very poor conditions, but the food was amazing. The Creole food was great, amazing flavor.

The hotel conditions were quite simple. Our night with approximately $20 in gourdes. Not something you could book ahead online. There’s a big delta between what is available online verses on the ground. This place was near the bus station. Notice no glass window and no air conditioning. The bathrooms were shared, and no sink in the bathroom. It was definitely an adventure.

Getting back across the border and having a chicken foot breakfast while in a mass of crowded vendors like a mosh pit was another first for me. They setup a temporary city on the border and much to my surprise didn’t even get in the passport control lines. I happened to have arrived on a morning they setup an impromptu market at the border for exchanging goods.

If you want to go to a place where you can make a difference, or where people don’t don’t frequently visit… Haiti is adventure travel. It’s fascinating and could use your assistance to grow. There are good people there looking to have a better life and you can make a difference.

Inland Jamaican Island Adventures and Excursions

April 14, 2014April 21, 2014Posted in Caribbean, Culture, Falls, Favorite, Food, Island, National Park, Nature, Photography, Road Trip, Tourism, Travel, Travel Tips, UniqueTagged cruise stop, Curry Goat, Curry Lobster, featured, food, Island living, jamaica, Jamaican, Jerk Chicken, Jerk Pork, kingston, Mas Camp, Montego Bay, Night life, Ocho Rios, Scotchies4 Comments

I flew into Montego Bay (a fairly cheap flight from the east coast of the US), and while I had some commitments for work, I arrived early so I could see one of the most amazing islands in the world. World Famous Jamaica!!! Known for Bob Marley, Music, the Reggae movement (read more in my other Jamaica post on Reggae Jamaica), the amazing people and rich culture of friendly people. What an incredible island with so much to see. If Jamaica is a quick stop, you have to focus on what you can fit in. I understand that. I was luck to spend time in both sides of the island and see the best of Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Kingston. I hope this post gives you some great ideas of what to see and what to do!

First off let me tell you all of the bad things I heard that were so wrong!

– I heard they had horrible roads

– I heard I had to expect horrible drivers

– I heard it would take me forever to get from place to place

– I heard it would be dangerous for me and I should be really careful cause people would try to cheat me.

So wrong… Don’t believe everything you hear!

There were a few things that I learned for travel tips that I’ll cover at the end of this post. A few words of caution, but for the most part, I was so glad to embrace Jamaica and not be afraid. The people were amazing!

Driving

First stop was to pick up the car. Yes, despite everything I was told, I figured I would want a car. I’m that kind of traveller that driving on the other side of the road and even with crazy roads and drivers, I still feel great, so I took on the challenge of Jamaican driving. Reality is, the roads were great! I’ve driven in Barbados and Puerto Rico and these roads were better than what I saw on both of those islands. I kept saying, where are those bad roads? Where are those crazy drivers? I guess I fit right in. I admit I did get pulled over by the police twice. Now there is some advice and story to that. I drove across the island. In all I drove both ways across the island and logged at least 12 hours on the road and I admit I was looking for the best and worst of the island. I drove to Nine mile, and I drove into trench town and some of the shady area of Kingston and suburbs. More on driving at the end of the post

Rose Hall Great House

If you love history, you’ll love Rose Hall. If you love romance, architecture, tours… you’ll love Rose Hall. There is so much of the story of the island and it’s history that is locked up in the history of Rose Hall. As the first real attraction just 15 min outside of Montego Bay, I was happy to have made Rose Hall my main investment of time the first night I arrived. Rose Hall is one place during the day, and another during the night. In the night you can tour the great house by candle light. Constructed in 1770 the owners had over 2000 slaves and was one of the many great houses that existed. It is one of the few on the island that remain. During slave revolt most of the great homes on the island were destroyed. The history here is one of VooDoo and murder and the story of Annie the white witch as seen on World’s Scariest Places, and Ghost Hunters International. It was $20 USD to visit the hall. I found most of the attractions to land at about $20.

The bedroom of Annie Palmer. Who murdered all of her husbands and lovers.

The Tomb of Annie Palmer… Listening to a story from our adorable guide in period dress.

You can read more about the tours at Rose Hall on their website RoseHall.com.

As far as spending money, we really didn’t even need to exchange our money. Every place we went took both Jamaican dollars and US Dollars. In fact, we were getting a better rate by using US Dollars as the money I exchanged at the airport was a worse rate than I was getting on the street. Paying with US dollars worked great.

That first night we drove to Ocho Rios… A stop at the night market

Market in Ocho Rios (Great during the Day or Night!)

Jamaican Jerk Chicken cooked right on the street. Some are spicier than others. None of them were as spicy as I was expecting, but you could add your own Scotch peppers to kick it up!

The fruit of the night market. For the most part the night market was one for the locals. We really didn’t see any tourists as we visited the stalls and walked around Ocho Rios. I think many were surprised to see us as so many of the travelers simply stay on their resorts, especially at night. We had plenty of folks who wanted to show us around. While I was fine doing my own tour, we stayed out pretty late… 1am and didn’t mind spending some time really getting to know some of the locals and hearing their stories.

Dunn’s River Falls

One of the most beautiful on the island, but one of many amazing waterfalls on the island. Dunn’s River falls is famous across the island. You can either bring your own water shoes or rent some for fairly cheap. I learned on another trip that climbing with socks gives you pretty good grip. So I hiked the falls in my socks and it worked just fine. I really enjoyed the hike up the falls. It was only as extreme as you made it. It costs $20 for adult foreigners enter the falls park. There were easy paths to climb. I would have been fine with my boys climbing it and may just have to bring them back soon.

The falls lands right into the beach. Beautiful beach. Since we weren’t on an organized tour we arrived early and had the entire beach to ourselves. Amazing turquois waters including a life guard and a roped off area to help you know the area that’s safe and protected. Of course, I tested the boundaries and even stood up on an old pier and jumped out into the beautiful waters.

Beautiful sandy beaches. So much warmer water than I’m use to on the West Coast of the US.

You can see the hand holds here on the left. I climbed the falls trying to take a medium difficulty route that I made up on my own. You could hire a guide to follow. I found that to be unnecessary. It wasn’t challenging, it was fun. I did try to put myself into some challenging positions.

Having arrived early, I had the falls to myself. One of my friends took pictures from a viewing area on the side. Lot of great pools, and amazing waters. This is a wonder of the island and one that should be appreciated. I understand there are different falls in the interior of the island and this one while it does have a local price for the islanders, they end up going to different falls.

Mystic Mountain Rain Forest Adventures

While we were on our way back to Ocho Rios, we saw the signs for Mystic Mountain. I’m a fan of ziplines and canopy tours, and still had fresh memories of my time in Costa Rica. It was a beautiful day and I felt like we had a little time to go. So we decided to do the Sky Explorer which would take us through the rain forest on a chair lift (like a ski lift). We also took the bobsled ride. We were limited on time or we likely would have done the full package. Honestly it was a bit pricey, but I’m sure it took a lot to put this together and while it was my intention to avoid the touristy areas, I felt like this allowed me to see and enjoy a lot in a short period of time. The Bobsled theme was pretty cool as well. We did find a moment to relax and enjoy the beautiful humming birds. Fantastic colors. If you end up doing this, I highly recommend slowing it down and enjoying nature and soaking up the rainforest and all it has to offer. The adrenaline rush of the bobsled ride and zipline is awesome, but be sure to slow down and relax. That’s really an important thing to realize that Jamaica is about. Enjoying life and appreciating what you have.

Sky Explorer – chair lift
Rainforest Bobsled – bob sled ride through the rain forest (additional cost)
Canopy Zipline – multiple ziplines through the rain forest (additional cost)
Butterflies and Hummingbirds – little areas setup with humming bird food (included once you’re up there)
Waterslide and Infinity pool (included with your purchase)

More info from Mystic Mountain (be sure to read the reviews on Trip Advisor as well)

Beautiful views from the chairlift of the amazing waters, beaches, and Ocho Rios off in the distance. Floating slowly over the tops of the trees on the chair lift.

Food – Eat Jamaican!

Up the road from Ocho Rios is a truly mystical place. Talking of taking a moment and enjoying nature… As the water would come in and go back it would swell and shoot up like a blow hole spraying a fine mist. We stopped here for lunch at Oracabessa. Momma took care of us. Incredible seafood, fish, and more. I included a few photos.

This is what you see from the road. A fun Jamaican reggae guy was working on the roof of the place, but we went further over next to the cliffs.

Conch salad

Curry Lobster!

Dishes you have to have while on the island after you eat the Jerk Pork and Jerk Chicken is… Curry Lobster, and bonus points for Ox Tail, and Curry Goat.

My Favorite Jerk Chicken on the Island is Scotchies… I ended up eating there in Montego Bay (the original) and in Kingston (in the bar area). There’s another near Ocho Rios, maybe others!?

Thursday is ribs! But you can get the chicken and pork every day. Go for the pork! It’s the best, but the Jerk Chicken is famous. You can tell it’s real by the corrugated tin.

We also ate at M10 in Kingston, a local place with great music and great food, and especially great seafood! Great ginger beer as well.

Bonus: More Nightlife and Carnival

Now for something that most travelers and tourists would miss. Though a friend we tracked down a party that was going on in one of the neighborhoods in Kingston. It seemed like it was going to go on all night, we ended up leaving at 4AM and the DJs were just changing to start a new set.

One other night we happened to be in Kingston for Mas Camp. It’s basically practice leading up to Carnival.

Carnival dancer at Mas Camp with a couple of my friends. High energy dancing… Kingston is where the best music and entertainment is on the island. I didn’t see any tourists at this event.

While I did end up staying on the island for 4 days, the first 24 hours of just soaking up the island was so incredible. I had an amazing time. I did mention that I drove across the island and spent more time than is spent in this post. Refer to my post on Bob Marley’s Jamaica and Reggae tour to see what else I saw with my time on the island. I do want to give you some balance to what else you’ll find on the island.

Some Warning and Caution

We did find a few hustlers and people begging, but for the most part when we asked them to leave they did. It wasn’t as aggressive as other islands or even close to what I’ve seen in much of Africa. This was less than what you’d see in big cities in the US. Don’t be so afraid to venture out of your all inclusive resort. Don’t believe the stories. Experience it for yourself.

There is still some corruption. I was pulled over by the police twice. The first time, I got a warning to slow down. There are basically two speeds on the ring road. 50 KM and 80 KM. The police were usually hanging out where it would transition to the slow speed and they’d be on the side of the road with their speed guns waving people over. By the time you see them or recognize, you’re likely going too fast. The second time I got pulled over, I got a different answer. The policeman asked me if I wanted to find a way to settle this. He asked me to be subtle, but to take the papers back to the car and put some money in it. Didn’t tell me how much. I think we ultimately put in about $10 and he didn’t even look, he just put it in his pocket and told me to slow down. I also got booted once. The guy was wearing a blue shirt. Everybody knew it was the guy in the blue shirt who was the one that booted the cars that weren’t suppose to leave their cars there. We were stopping to get our tickets before taking the car back and it looked like others had left their cars parked for a few minutes, but ours was the one that got the boot. $20 later, I was on my way. No other real problems. I grew up in Idaho and so I’m use to passing cars on two lane roads. What was different was the need to slow down a bit when people didn’t allow enough time when passing. It was much better driving than I experienced in Italy or especially than Naples, so I really can’t complain about the driving practices. Seemed pretty normal to me. There are some pretty narrow roads which go across the island, where you really need to be on watch. In Kingston itself there are the early numbered streets like first street and fifth street and streets around Trench town that certain streets aren’t designed to be through streets that don’t have the road blocks on the GPS or on the maps. For the most part you don’t need to be in there. Make sure the GPS is sending you to the actual street you’re looking for, some times it would fail to find it, but default to somewhere else and that’s where we’d be driving in strange roads, but for the most part, I enjoyed the challenge and the people were great. I would not compare Jamaica to most of the African villages. It’s one of the best islands in the Caribbean (easily one of my favorite) and the industry is really up and coming. The businesses and people really deserve your support. I see Jamaica as a great place to do outsourcing and a great place to work with hard working happy people.

Fresh coconut for $2 USD… Yes, Jamaica is paradise. While this photo catches me right after I survived climbing the Dunn’s River waterfall and isn’t flattering it shows off a bit of the natural beauty of the island. What an amazing place. Can’t wait to get back so I can go to the other parts of the island…. Negril and Blue Mountains and so much more to see!

Don’t miss my post on my Reggae Jamaica

Bob Marley Adventure Guide to Reggae Jamaica

April 10, 2014April 21, 2014Posted in Caribbean, Culture, Favorite, History, Island, Nature, North America, Religion, Road Trip, Tourism, UniqueTagged bob marley, bob marley birthplace, bob marley masoleum, culture yard, ethiopia, Haile Salassie I, history, hope road, jamaica, kingston, Lion of Juddah, reggae, tour, trench town, trenchtown2 Comments

I’ve been wanting to go to Jamaica really bad. When a few of my friends were asking when we’d go, I knew I was going to be in Orlando and said why not? At first I was planning on a dive, but most of my friends that were joining weren’t divers, so instead we made this an interior trip. Why not explore the parts of the island that the tourists miss and be real travelers and go on adventures . I did see a lot of Jamaica and I write about the other parts of Jamaica in my follow up post “Get all right in Jamaica”.

I was excited to connect with one of the greatest artists Bob Marley. Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) He’s had such an impressive impact on the music industry with popularizing Reggae on the world scene and bringing light to Rastafarian way of life. More than just having a few Bob Marley songs, I’ve met some real Rastafarians that helped me understand it’s more of a lifestyle. Many wouldn’t realize the commitment of the Rasta folks including not drinking alcohol and eating veggie. Most seem to focus exclusively on the fact that marijuana is accepted and taken religiously. It was in Zanzibar where I really gained an appreciation for the Rasta music and sacraments. It was then that I really wanted to visit the island and see what it was all about. In addition, it was visiting the grave of Haile Selassie I and the castles of the empire of Ethiopia that made me feel like I both needed to learn the ancient and modern manifestation of what was going on with the line of Solomon and Bob Marley as a Prophet? There was a lot I needed to learn. There were really three main places on the island we visited. Most of the tours be prepared to pay $20 USD on the spot. For some reason most of the attractions on the island are twenty US dollars and yes you can pay in USD or Jamaican Dollars (approximately 9 or 10 to 1), while we were there it was even better to pay in USD as the dollar was stronger, wasn’t even worth exchanging the money…

1. Bob Marley Experience – House and Record Label on 56 Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica (also where the attempted assassination took place) Tour required to see the house.

2. Trench Town Culture Yard – Birthplace of Reggae and where Bob Marley learned to play and where he lived after running away a few blocks. (a bit rough) Tour available. More on Trenchtown on Wikipedia

3. Birthplace, Mausoleum, and first home of Bob Marley in Nine Mile, his real retreat on his grandparents land. Deep inside the island. (Multi hour drive from Kingston or much closer from Ocho Rios) Tour required to get to the mausoleum.

There are a few ways to see the islands of the Caribbean, and while many simply get the all inclusive resort and catch a cab or van to their particular resort with a big fence and a private beach. If they leave they are visiting a tourist attraction called an excursion where the entire path and time is laid out where very little interaction with the *real* islanders happen. This trip on the other hand was the complete opposite. While I did see a few attractions, where I drove, slept, ate, and spent my time was amongst the people.

Popular Bob Marley Statue… One Love, One Life!

I had some great opportunities to visit the homes of Bob Marley. There are really three main areas to visit.

Bob Marley House on Hope Road – Bob Marley Experience

This is the house where Bob Marley lived until his attempted assassination in 1976. The house is now known as the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica dedicated to the reggae musician Bob Marley. The museum is located at 56 Hope Road, Kingston 6, and is Bob Marley’s former place of residence at his peak. It was home to the Tuff Gong record label which was founded by The Wailers in 1970. They don’t allow any pictures to be taken inside the home, but there’s a great collection of the news, records, and history. The guide takes you from room to room giving you history about Bob Marley and his success concluding in the theatre where they show a number of music videos and you get to listen to his music as it evolved over time.

Trench Town, Kingston Culture Yard – Birthplace of Reggae and where Bob Marley learned to play guitar – Not a place some tourists will want to drive by themselves. But for the adventurous traveler you’ll find a poor part of Kingston where the cement is the walls, floors, and many live in small spaces. The place itself has a rough history.

Bob Marley’s mom moved to Trench town, a poor but cultural part of Kingston a few streets up from the Culture yard. Bob moved to Trench town when he was 12 and wanted to stay on first street.

Today Trench Town boasts the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, a visitor friendly National Heritage Site presenting the unique history and contribution of Trench Town to Jamaica. Trench Town is the birthplace of rocksteady and reggae music, as well as the home of reggae and Rastafari ambassador and prophet Bob Marley.

“Though raised as a Catholic, Marley became interested in Rastafarian beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother’s influence. Marley formally converted to Rastafari and began to grow dreadlocks. The Rastafarian proscription against cutting hair is based on the biblical Samson who as a Nazarite was expected to make certain religious vows including the ritual treatment of his hair as described in Chapter Six of the Book of Numbers.”

Trench Town Culture Yard… birthplace of Reggae and where Bob Marley ran away from home and learned to play guitar. There you can see his first guitar and see his room.

Left: Bob’s first guitar. Right: Statue of Bob Marley in the Culture Yard.

Out in Ocho Rios the Ganja smoking is not welcome in some areas, but you can find people who can get you whatever your heart desires. There are many plants all over the island.

This weed seems to spring up everywhere. I can’t say I tried any, but I did see a few plants and was offered much of the Reggae sacrament.

Bob Marley Mausoleum, Resting Place, Birth Place and first home in Nine Mile.

Bob Marley’s home where he grew started his life on his grandparents property. The mausoleum in Nine Mile (deep in the island) contains family members on his mothers side of the family.

While I couldn’t sit on the bed, I was offered the rock which was where many songs of inspiration came to the Bob.

I had an incredible time on the island. I’ll follow up this post with the non Bob Marley things I saw, but felt like the Reggae experience was worth a post alone. I hope this post can stand as a reference that there’s a lot to see to better understand the great legend of Bob Marley, one of the most influential singers of the decade a man taken before his prime.

The landscape in 9 mile is beautiful. In my opinion it’s worth the drive. You get to see a very different part of the island and if you can find a way to relax with the people… I recommend slowing it down and listening to the music. Don’t be so afraid to leave your resort. Jamaica is amazing!

In my search for the origins of Reggae I found Marcus Garvey and read all about Haile Salasie I, then looked up more quotes on his rein. You can also get a lot more history of Bob Marley with tons more detail on Wikipedia.

Bermuda So much more! 5 Amazing things to do in Bermuda

September 21, 2013December 14, 2013Posted in Food, History, Island, Nature, North America, Tourism, Travel, UNESCO, UniqueTagged Bermuda, Bermuda Triangle, diving, featured, golfing, Horseshoe bay, Saint George, scooter, scuba2 Comments

When you think of Bermuda do you think of shorts, surfing, sun, and island living? Having recently got back from Bermuda I now have a great appreciation for this amazing island. One of the amazing things about the islands of the Caribbean and really the islands everywhere is that for the most part, each island is different. A few years ago before I started really exploring the islands I thought once you’d been to one you’d seen them all. This is far from the case. Each island nation has a different story. Many have different geographic features, and the histories and imperial powers languages and resources of each island make up a vast variety of experiences. Even the foreign money that may be invested in the nation play into the development of an island and how long it’s been independent or not!

Business wear in Bermuda really stands out as unique. It’s quite normal to see a business man in a suit coat, shorts, dress shoes, and long black socks.

In my trip there, I found it to be a bit of paradise. Amazing beaches, relaxing surf, some of the best ship wreck diving in the world, and if you love exploring by scooter, there isn’t a better island. Only the locals can have cars, and even they are limited to how many cars they can have per household. As a visitor or tourist you can rent a 150cc scooter. Even my friends who were from overseas working there drove a scooter to work. This keeps the traffic, noise and pollution and congestion down on the three main roads through the island. Top speed limits on the roads are easily achievable by scooter as well, so that’s not a problem. During my visit I ended up driving on each of the main roads and went from tip to tip in a day tour across the island with my scooting friends.

If you love island food you’ll love the Jerk, Cajun and Creole and amazing seafood with fresh fish sandwiches everywhere. Little island, great night life! I had an amazing time mixing it up with locals in one of a few clubs, and then headed out for a midnight dip.

Many people get Bermuda mixed up with the Bahamas or think that it’s in the Caribbean, in reality it’s closer to North Carolina than it is to the Virgin Islands or the Bahamas.

While tourism is one of the top two forms of income for the island, insurance comes in second.

Bermuda

Discovery: 1505 by Bermudez although he never even landed there!

Geographic features: Bermuda is the shape of a fish hook. At it’s widest point is 1.5 miles wide, and and just over 15 miles from eastern most point to western most point.

Indigenous population: Said to have had no natives, but someone apparently dropped off some pigs which later helped to establish a permanent settlement community there.

Unique Features: St. Georges was established in 1612 and is the oldest continuously inhabited British town in the New World. It is now also the oldest British overseas territory.

My Favorite 5 things to do in Bermuda

1. Dive the Bermuda Triangle – Right off the coast of Bermuda are tons of sunken ships and great reefs. There appear to be higher density of sunken ships around Bermuda than anywhere! If you don’t dive there are great snorkeling spots as well, or go for a glass bottomed boat, but you really should consider getting wet in the amazing water. There are advanced diving places with tunnels, caves, and canyons, and easy diving spots with tons of colorful fish. I saw a massive grouper.

2. Soak up some sun on the amazing beaches like Horseshoe Bay in the most amazing azure colored water you’ll ever see– The sand doesn’t get hot and it barely sticks to you.

3. Walk around St George 1612, the oldest continuously inhabited town in the new world. Old ships, old churches, old graveyards, great colorful little shops, and tons of museums. You can feel the history.

4. Life is an adventure – Rent a scooter, the best way to get around the island! Want to take it slower? Take a segway tour, or really step it up and put on a water propelled jet pack. I rented a scooter in the middle of the island and rode from tip to tip and then back. Amazing how much ground I could cover in an afternoon.

5. Go golfing?!! Highest golfing density in the world. 18 courses on some of the most pristine views and unique environments.

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