De Reizen, de Gidsen en de Vakanties van Jamaïca

Zo natuurlijk bewegen wij ons aan Jamaïca en ik besloot dat op onze retourvlucht na de vakantie ik zo veel materiaal ging terug brengen aangezien ik het vliegtuig kon misschien dragen. Wij hadden een geheel huishoogtepunt terug van materiaal in opslag in Florida en het weinig aan hield me steek om al nieuw materiaal hier in te kopen Jamaïca wanneer het verschepen schijnt een vat zo gemakkelijk en de kosten waren eigenlijk vrij goedkoop.

Ik droeg meer dan 8 gecontroleerde zakken elk voor 4 van ons bij een maximum gewicht van 50 pond voor een totaal van enkel onder 400lbs van materiaal dat wij op het vliegtuig plus elk van ons hadden geladen hadden stuk met persoonlijke gevolgen en twee dagen dragen zich kleedt voor het geval dat onze bagage werd verloren. Het schijnt als dit zou zijn genoeg voor om het even welke familie maar ik besloot dat ik zelfs nog meer materiaal zou brengen en een trommel van het 55 gallonstaal met het werkelijk zware materiaal zou laden. Ik beëindigde omhoog vullend het volledig met alle soorten van housewares en uiteindelijk woog het meer dan 260 pond.

Wij dreven aan Fort Lauderdale Florida van Ocala met een huurvoertuig zodat kreeg ik wat het tarief informatie bij vat het verschepen online en kwam eigenlijk met a great deal via de Luchtvaartlijnen van de Geest en hun verschepende partner op de proppen bij het Verschepen Finlays. Ik betaalde de een totaal van $70 V.S. om hen te hebben een vat van Lauderdale aan Kingston verschepen. In 8 tot 10 dagen kon ik mijn vat in Kingston opnemen en de ruzie niet hebben van het behandelen van douane bij de luchthaven maar op mijn eigen tijd en programma op een recenter punt.

It took me a little while to find the shipping terminal in North Miami but once I did it took less than 15 minutes to fill out forms and process our shipping order. The entire process of shipping a barrel to Jamaica consisted of me loading it on their ramp, filing one simple form and sealing the can for delivery. Finlays provided me with the wire to lock up my barrel and we wrote the shipping address on the barrel in permanent marker. It is suggest you lock you barrel but I only wired mine and everyting arrived here in Negril with no trouble mon.

Upon arrival here in Jamaica I had to pay an additional charge of $2,000 JA or about $30 for handling fees and of course my import duties. My estimated value for the barrel was $24,000 JA and my duties were $3500 or about $50. I’ll include more details on dealing with Jamaica customs in the follow up post “Dealing with Jamaican Customs at the Kingston Wharves”.

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Spring Break Jamaica 2008 is upon us and the Spring Break reggae concerts are popping up all over. This show isn’t really a reggae show in Jamaica but still takes place on Saturday March 1, 2008 at Wavz Beach here in Negril Jamaica. The show features Bounty Killa and the ever popular Taurus Riley as well as Kip Rich, Bouncer, Sophia Squire, Sai Fiyah, DA VILLE and others.

It should be more of the standard Jamaican concert with lots of loud DJ music in between performers. The show will most likely start very late and end very early the next morning and there will be lots of vendors offering just about anything you want for a concert and more.

There are lots of other spring break shows, events and activities planned for Negril. I will take a spin through town and collect some photos of the spring break party hot spots and banners advertising things to do in Negril for Spring Break 2008.

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No South Coast Jamaica trip is complete without at least driving through Black River and on this occasion we decided to stop and take a trip with J. Charles Swaby on his Black River Safari and Riverboat Cruise. It was an exceptionally hot day and the sun was shining as bright as ever so we decided that a ride on the boat was a great way to spend the day. We set out for Black River from Treasure Beach and arrived in the early afternoon while most of the towns people of Black River we’re off to lunch or whatever they do in the heat of the mid day sun.

This Jamaica attraction was rather slow on this day and we were able to get reservations on the very next boat leaving. We we’re glad to do so because sitting around in the sun and waiting was sucking the life out of me fast. It was really hot this day and I was hopeful that the clouds would blow over and we might end up with an overcast day because the sun was blazing. As it were I was in luck and the clouds came over us just after lunch and cooled the day off for us all. With all the shade it was still a hot sunny boat ride around a very beautiful river and wetlands area.

I really do love the natural beauty of Jamaica and Black River is one of the highlights of any nature or eco tour of the country. The Black River is home to some of the rarest and most unique of all Jamaican wildlife and there are all sorts of animals to see on this tour. The most popular of all wildlife on the Black River tour is the Jamaican Crocodile. There are no alligators in Jamaica and the only crocodile species is the American Crocodile found all over North America. The Jamaican crocs hang out in the brackish waters of South Coast rivers and Black River is a hot spot for croc activity. You can also find manatees in the river but we did not encounter any on this trip.

The Black River is also a birdwatchers dream with dozens of birds to be seen on any given day. I’ve become much more of a birdwatcher since our return and I was glad to be able to get some pictures of birds in Jamaica on this trip. The birds here in Jamaica scare easily but the ones on the Black River tour seem to be used to the boats and noise and they allowed us to approach them rather close. It was really cool to see the Egrets hanging out with the Crocodile in the shots above. I don’t think I could have asked for a better shot from them.

The Black River Safari runs about 1 1/2 hours and costs $15 per adult and half price for children. Resident pricing is available if you present a Jamaican ID or TRN card. I suggest you bring a lunch with you as there are limited choices in the area for dining and it is a bit out of the way. Travel time from Negril is just over one hour with good traffic conditions. There is no swimming area on the Black River and lots of folks head on to YS Falls and Bamboo avenue after spending a half day on the River.

Check out over 300 more pictures from the Black River Safari in our photo gallery here

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Jakes Place is more to Treasure Beach than another bar and hotel on the beach. Jakes Place is more like an institution with a following of not only tourists from around the world but a great mix of locals as well. Jakes is without a doubt the hottest spot in Treasure Beach with much going on from breakfast in the morning to late night parties on the beach and dancing under the star lit skies of night. The compound is pretty large actually and covers the bar, 2 restaurants and 38 cottages that were created by theatrical designer Sally Henzell nestled just off the beaches of Frenchmans Cove.
Jakes is not a cheap place to stay in Treasure Beach and the rooms here will set you back upwards of $200 per night but you’re living in the lap of luxury in one of the most attractive resorts on the South Coast of Jamaica and amongst some of the best people in the world. The rooms offer the very best in amenities including the following:
Verandas with garden views or decks over the sea
CD players and CD libraries
Architectural details include Moroccan domes and arches
In-room safes and hair dryers
No in-room telephones or TVs to provide distraction
Wireless Internet access in main areas (dinning room, poolside, lobby, bar & games room )
Most of the residents of Treasure Beach are members of a few large families in the are and most everyone knows everyone as a brother, sister or cousin of some sort. You may notice some of the people around town have a unique look to them. You will see what are known as the “Treasure Beach Reds” which are red skinned Jamaicans with freckles, blondish hair, and green eyes.
Jakes is a part of the Island Outpost network of rental properties and attractions in Jamaica and owners Sally and Jason are supporters of a variety of not for profit organizations in Jamaica as well as socially responsible community based tourism and development. They are founders of Breds.org, a non-profit association established by local community leaders with the assistance of Peace Corps Volunteers in 1998 to promote Education, Sports, Cultural Heritage, and Environmental awareness in Treasure Beach. The term “Breds”, short for Brethren, is commonly used by locals hailing each other on the local fishing beaches. They get bonus points in my book for being one of the more socially responsible companies on the island.
Jakes is not the only reason people know about Treasure Beach but it certainly is the most popular. Many of the visitors to town are drawn in by the stories of previous guests about the best Jamaica vacations they have ever taken. Jakes has been the biggest draw in Treasure Beach for many years now and no visit to town is complete without dropping in for a meal, a drink and some good conversations with folks from all over the world.

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