Jamaica, the third largest island in the Caribbean, is full of nuances. Traveling there is like visiting an old friend – one who knows exactly what you need. Her welcoming demeanor and curiosity for people is genuine; Jamaican hospitality nurtures and nourishes. Everyday’s buffet is a new surprise of delicious jerk spices, barbecued meat, saltfish, kidney, mannish water, escovitch, lychees and dumplings.
Jamaica has remained true to her originality. Her iconic greetings “Ya, Mon,” and “One Love,” are expressed with a fist pump. You bond easily with no language barriers since the official language is English (with a dialect of Patois). Concerned about safety outside the resorts? That can be assuaged quickly, as efforts to reduce crime have been prevalent through local social media awareness.
The big island has a big heart. You’re not confronted by packed ports or excessive water sports. Reggae’s spirit and values are in the ether. Any turmoil occurring in the world is temporarily suspended from your consciousness as you embrace Jamaica’s yellow, green and black flag color symbolisms.
Yellow represents how Jamaica shines her light with natural wealth and sunshine. Envision GoldenEye, Ian Fleming’s Jamaican estate where he wrote all fourteen James Bond novels, which was inspired by tropical beauty while escaping England’s harsh winters. Golden moments are experienced in rum tastings of the molasses-transformed concoction. Natural wealth abounds in Montego Bay’s intimate coves – the heartbeat of the island compared to Negril’s expansive Seven Mile Beach. Sponges and coral washed up on beaches remind us how the ocean and land constantly merge. Sunset slices of glowing gold and orange cut through the clouds as beachcombers gaze in awe.
Green stands for agriculture and hope for the future. Hope is represented in the Rastafarian roots born out of religious and social movements. Agriculture is best experienced on the Martha Brae River bamboo rafting excursion, where one glides down a river draped in vines, nestled in perfect wilderness. Orchids grow out of tree trunks and blue herons perch on banks. What’s more earthy than being captive to nature’s beauty when you receive it rather than defying it through water sports and ATVs? Drink the Blue Mountain coffee and the Appleton Estate and Kingston Rum; all products of the land. “The mountain is so green, it’s blue,” is the explanation for the coffee’s name.
Black symbolizes strength and creativity; the omnipresence of Jamaica which was the first Caribbean nation to become independent from British rule. From activists like Marcus Garvey to the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, there are numerous strong and creative Jamaicans: the first tropical Olympic Bobsled team, the musicians Bob Marley and Shaggy, and people of Jamaican heritage like Harry Belafonte, Naomi Campbell and Kamala Harris.
Creatively, Jamaica’s reggae, rocksteady rhythms and ska music reverberate in the island’s soul. Today, the island’s strength is evident in the hurricane relief provided by mission groups helping restore homes in Hurricane Melissa’s aftermath.
