I have been traveling to Jamaica for the past 16 years at least one to four times per year and plan to make Jamaica my home in the next couple of years. Now, for all you travelers who go to Jamaica and spend your time in an “exclusive ” all-inclusive resort” (oxymoron: The main “exclusion” to the “all-inclusive” is the Jamaican people) and then complain about the “hustle and hassle” of the people who wait outside the walled-in compound, I offer this explanation.

The Jamaican people, some of the kindest and most honest people on Earth, live in widely scattered villages throughout the island. When a thief or a rude boy lives among them the people in their local community “suggest strongly” that this person should move on. And move on they do, to Negril, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Kingston. In these places they can grow their dreads and blend in “like a wolf in sheep’s clothing”. They all proclaim to be Rasta Men but a true Rasta doesn’t eat meat, smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. The “wolves” try to either “warm-up” to their target or directly hassle them to get their money. That is why so many tourists who, after leaving Jamaica, complain about their contact with the Jamaican people out on the island and rave about their accomodations where each Jamaican they met (the bartender, the maid or the nanny) was so warm and friendly.

Me, I travel all over the island and NEVER go to Ocho Rios and only stop in Montego Bay or Kingston to catch a plane and RARELY go to Negril. I prefer to take the road less traveled and go to places like Treasure Beach, Accompong, Maggotty, Port Maria, Stoneinch, Catadupa etc. etc.. Now that the rude boys and the thieves have mostly moved on to the tourist centers, you stay and interact with the REAL Jamaicans and isn’t that what you really wanted in the first place? If you would like to know more about an alternative way to visit Jamaica and really enjoy your stay, you can e-mail me at [email protected]

I will be glad to answer your questions or suggest places that might be suitable to your type of travel.

Thanks,
Bill Evans