Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

Jamaican food is worth a trip to the island and no Jamaican vacation would be complete without at least one jerk chicken meal for a true Jamaican experience. Jerk Chicken is an art form in Jamaica and everyone has their opinion on what is the best jerk chicken recipe in Jamaica. I personally appreciate the many differences in jerk chicken recipes and the use of hot pepper and spices grown locally and I try to eat some in every new location I possibly can.

Fern Gully Jerk Centre in Ocho Rios Jamaica is an out of the way place that many people would never see but it has some of the very best Jamaican Jerk Chicken and it sits in a sweet spot at the top of Fern Gully where you can sit and enjoy the lush tropical vegetation and over 600 varieties of fern plants while you eat lunch.

I have been there about a half dozen times now and the chicken is always smoking hot, flavorful and cooked the right way over Jamaican hardwoods from the local forests. The type of wood has everything to do with the flavor and cooking over pimento wood is the preferred method although not cheap so most jerk chicken is cooked on lesser charcoal which is made from an assortment of soft lumbers and coated or injected with massive amounts of spices including Habanero, pimento and peppercorns.

When you get to Ocho Rios make sure you try the Jerk Chicken and if you take a trip up Fern Gully then you have to stop by there for some of the finest jerk chicken in Jamaica.

With the ever increasing costs and hassle associated with international travel we have seen a definite up tick in domestic travel. The Gulf Coast is a mess because of the BP Oil spill and basically no one travels north because of the weather. The difficult economic times are harsh and over travel is down but fear not because there are still many millions of Americans who will take a vacation this year and domestic vacation hot spots such as Myrtle Beach are gaining traction as the best vacations to take this summer.

A decent Myrtle Beach hotel will hardly cost as much as rooms in more exotic and far away places like Jamaica or South America and you can just jump in your car and make a road trip for far less than the cost of airline tickets and reservations. As an example sites like Towers at Myrtle Beach , located at www.towersatnorthmyrtlebeach.com, are offering great value and discount travel packages such as their exclusive travel packages which combine room rates and desired amenities into a value based package that has been nothing but hot for domestic travelers in the United States.

Myrtle Beach is a fabulous destination for travelers in America and a great way to see more of the States as so many of us Americans need to.By traveling locally and spending our hard earned dollars here we not only enjoy our vacations but do more for boosting the economy and creating jobs in America which is of course the best way for us to be spending our money these days.

Christopher “Dudus” Coke has finally been arrested outside Kingston and all of Jamaica can rest at ease now that America has gotten their man. I have remained rather silent about the whole affair because of how volatile the subject is but I felt it was time to make some remarks. I have no doubt that Mr Coke is a bad man and drug dealer who deserves to be arrested but my only question is why does Jamaica have to hand over one of their citizens to the United States at this time.

The common rationale is that this drug kingpin has committed crimes in America but I have to ask how many other drug kingpins are out there and the  timing of the US actions. If you look at statistics it seems that Jamaica has become rather lax in enforcement of drug laws with drug seizures in the last year a small percentage of the amounts seized in previous years. Actually it seems the statistics show that Jamaica has been lax on drug enforcement ever since California legalized ganja and one must question why the United States government has chosen this drug kingpin to be arrested now when we know of so many drug kingpins in the United States, Mexico and even Canada.

A total of 76 Jamaicans died trying to apprehend this man and he is not even charged with a capital crime. The Cali cartel in Mexico is directly responsible for the death of 100′s of Americans but they have never chosen to go after those guys. As a matter of fact US police officers in Mexico border states are receiving death threats in America by Mexican drug lords but no one seems to care about that. We don’t see any US DEA agents knocking down the capital city like they did in Kingston.

The Jamaican police shot and killed those 76 Jamaican men and women using guns given to them by the United States. Do the American need to send some more guns  to Mexico so they can capture the kingpins there or should we not worry about our southernmost neighbor with the longest border touching American soil? Mexican drug dealers dig tunnels into America and funnel drugs and illegal aliens directly in the country and all Dudus has been accused of is paying other Jamaicans to suitcase drugs way back in the 90′s.

Apparently Dudus is a has been in the US drug trade and his influence in America is weak at best. If Dudus was in fact importing cocaine into America it is a crime but the question is where does the cocaine come from? its not grown in Jamaica. There are no cocoa plants or drug labs in Jamaica. It’s nothing more than a small middle man in the billion dollar drug trade. If we want to stop cocaine from entering America maybe we need to invade South America where they actually make the cocaine.

Beyond the 76 persons killed I can assure you that a number of my friends have canceled travel plans to Jamaica this year because of the news of violence and unrest in the capital. How much do you think this has cost Jamaica in tourism dollars? Is 76,000 a reasonable number or do you think it approaches 76 million instead? how much is one drug kingpin worth and at what cost do we say thats enough? Would it be ok to have killed 100 men in search of a drug dealer? How about 100 million in lost revenues and bad press? Is that too small or too large a price to pay for one man?

Alleged drug kingpin arrested in Jamaica – CNN.com

Kingston, Jamaica (CNN) — Police in Jamaica issued a plea for calm after the arrest of alleged drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke outside Kingston.

The arrest occurred just outside the capital city on Tuesday afternoon. A failed attempt to arrest Coke last month resulted in four days of gun battles between security forces and his supporters that left 76 people dead, and authorities want to avoid a repeat of the violence.

Thanks to John Liefend for the guest post.

Enjoy Summer No Matter Where You Go

Enjoying the summer starts at home but can wind up anywhere. I have a long list of things to do with the season this year.

I love to garden and raising beautiful flowers and my own fresh vegetables are wonderful. When I cook meat out on the grill, I always wrap up a few vegetables in butter and seasonings and put it on as well. There is nothing like sitting on the patio with a good book while my meal is cooking.

After a day in the yard, I enjoy sitting down to some television. Now the Direct Tv Offers is better than ever and there are a great many sit-coms that I enjoy and there is almost always a good movie to catch. Some of these movies are new releases that I can see in the comfort of my own home rather than renting or going to a crowded theater. I can also stay up on the news and keep updated on the weather which is a great help when I am planning on being outdoors.

I enjoy traveling in the summer months as well and there is a lot out there to see. The Texas Hill country is one of the most beautiful sights when all of the wildflowers are in bloom along the highway. I visit a lot of rivers and lakes and I also enjoy museums and historical sites. Hiking and just enjoying nature is a must as well. There are many things to do during the summer season and I hope to take advantage of every moment that I can get.

It’s been a difficult year for many and not everyone is able to travel as much as we would like. The high cost of airline tickets and hotel reservations has made it so that not very many people are traveling as they have in years past and of course travel agents and service providers are working hard to increase the amount of travelers that are going to be visiting them this season.

Cheap airline tickets are by far the biggest boost a travel agent can have and companies like LowFares.com are offering the best discount airfare and travel packages available this year. Find cheap airline tickets on the web with some of the best in travel discounts being offered at discount providers and wholesale travel sites.

Discount airfare can make or break a vacation and the money saved by finding cheap airfare will make a huge difference in how you spend your time on the next vacation. Imagine saving as much as $500 on the cost of your flights and what you can do with the money in week. With $500 in savings a couple could enjoy a few extra days at the resort of their choice or maybe try a spa treatment and some local tour guides to truly immerse themselves in the local culture of a country.

Before you travel check online for discount airfare and save money with cheap airline tickets at sites like LowFares.com