A friend and I used Redjet to fly there and I am very happy with the experience. It was just as good as Caribbean Air and a lot less. I spend $280usd for return tickets vs $420 for CA. That got me allowance for one regular sized suitcase (50lbs) and a carry on. The flight time was mid morning and the process was as smooth as it usually is for my other trips. It was on a MD-82 jet plane and it actually had a couple more inches for my knees between the seats than the 737's CA uses. It was open seating so I could choose any available seat on the plane when I got in. There was no first class section. There were nothing free on board during the flight. There was a menu of sandwiches, potato chips/laye, water, soft drinks each for a couple of USD, many currencies accepted. I slept for most of the flight.
The approach to the airport was from the east and we got a view of the city and the mountains. When we landed the weather was nice and sunny and our host Delton was right on time. The first day there was very interesting. The airport is on a separate piece of land from the city and there is a long connector road to the city. We were driven through Kingston, initially through Tivoli Gardens which was very quiet at the time. The first meal was from Island Grill, a jerk chicken combo, with festival and peas and rice. Pretty good. After this we were on the way to a house party in Portmore. Delton wanted to check out the shore there so we drove over. On the way there was a noticeable abundance of goats roaming the road sides. So, "Ok" I thought we have roaming goats too.. These did not seem to have any ID on them, just a herd walking along, old and young.
Back at the party house the big game for the men was Dominoes. These fellas are very passionate about the game, it is easy to learn and hard to master. Of course there was a slight language barrier as we did not understand some of the local slang and none of the patois. The game was played outside and the mosquitoes loved the foreign blood as usual. After dinner there was a very exciting game of Actionary, aka Sherades. The teams were boys vs girls, everyone there being 20's/30's ofcourse. At some points it got very loud, it seems they are ever more passionate about Actionary than Dominoes! After it all, a glass shelf was shattered and many spirits broken as well, the games had multiple judges as they could not seem to handle the pressure from the players. It all made for a very fun first day.
We spent a week at Delton's house and then a week in Mo' Bay. New Kingston looks like it was a well planned city with broad streets and organisation. There was a very noticeable segregation of the well off and the poor. Many intersections had beggars and people trying to wash your windscreen for change. The exchange rate is about 1 ttd to 13 jd. This made it interesting, paying $500 for a box of food etc.
The network of gullies that pass through the city are hard to miss. There are slums that line gullies. Within the city the streets are smooth but outside it gets rough. The network of roads within the city was orderly but very windy outside along the coast and through the hills. The hills away from the city were lush green during the day and dark towers at night.
On new year's eve we had the best view in the city. It was from the top of the hills in a gated community above the city. We tried to drive in at the same time most other people were either trying to go home or visit their friends. It took at least an extra 30 minutes to get in as the gated community has strict rules and each visiting car had to be verified with the residents which took considerable time. We did make it in on time and joined the lime that was already going on. There were a couple different fireworks displays in the city going on as the clock struck 12. Lots of fireworks went off next to us too as residents and others visitors put on their own show. This was my third year away from home for New Years and it was another enjoyable night.
The trip to Mo' Bay took about 3 hours via the Knutsford Express. The ride was very comfortable and I had no complaints. During the trip they played movies on two screens in the bus and the audio was played on the wall mounted speakers so everyone could hear. When the driver spoke, the video paused and I wondered if this was automatic or had to be done manually.
I slept most of the way going up so I missed the nice views. On the way back there were wide rivers and steep cliffs, with goats in between..
I got to visit the Holywell National Park. The drive up was interesting. The roads were narrow, like our 'mountain' roads along the north coast. Along the route were parlours, bed and breakfasts, and definitely a few pan chicken men (jerk chicken men). There is an army base along the way with a very nice view of Kingston. There was military activity on the road so at some points we had to slow down for army trucks to pass. Approaching the park took the car into a cloud, visibility was very low. The park itself is very picturesque. Clouds come from behind the park and down over you on their way toward Kingston. It would be worth it to stay in a cabin there, very relaxing. The facilities were clean and the area was very neat, tourist friendly for sure.
Overall the trip was excellent. I would recommend Jamaica to everyone. I felt safe throughout the trip, no different from how I feel in Trinidad.
The network of gullies that pass through the city are hard to miss. There are slums that line gullies. Within the city the streets are smooth but outside it gets rough. The network of roads within the city was orderly but very windy outside along the coast and through the hills. The hills away from the city were lush green during the day and dark towers at night.
On new year's eve we had the best view in the city. It was from the top of the hills in a gated community above the city. We tried to drive in at the same time most other people were either trying to go home or visit their friends. It took at least an extra 30 minutes to get in as the gated community has strict rules and each visiting car had to be verified with the residents which took considerable time. We did make it in on time and joined the lime that was already going on. There were a couple different fireworks displays in the city going on as the clock struck 12. Lots of fireworks went off next to us too as residents and others visitors put on their own show. This was my third year away from home for New Years and it was another enjoyable night.
The trip to Mo' Bay took about 3 hours via the Knutsford Express. The ride was very comfortable and I had no complaints. During the trip they played movies on two screens in the bus and the audio was played on the wall mounted speakers so everyone could hear. When the driver spoke, the video paused and I wondered if this was automatic or had to be done manually.
I slept most of the way going up so I missed the nice views. On the way back there were wide rivers and steep cliffs, with goats in between..
I got to visit the Holywell National Park. The drive up was interesting. The roads were narrow, like our 'mountain' roads along the north coast. Along the route were parlours, bed and breakfasts, and definitely a few pan chicken men (jerk chicken men). There is an army base along the way with a very nice view of Kingston. There was military activity on the road so at some points we had to slow down for army trucks to pass. Approaching the park took the car into a cloud, visibility was very low. The park itself is very picturesque. Clouds come from behind the park and down over you on their way toward Kingston. It would be worth it to stay in a cabin there, very relaxing. The facilities were clean and the area was very neat, tourist friendly for sure.
Overall the trip was excellent. I would recommend Jamaica to everyone. I felt safe throughout the trip, no different from how I feel in Trinidad.
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