Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

I love driving my van around Jamaica. It’s been about 10 months now I’ve had it and we have covered many many 1000’s of kilometers and nearly the entire country thus far. We have actually circled the island and spent time in most major cities. I can drive around Mobay, Ocho Rios, Negril and Kingston with no problem mon.

We have driven the South Coast route from Negril to Kingston a few dozen times now and I feel super comfortable taking this route. We have stopped at all the major attractions as well as most of the smaller ones in the last year and visited much of the South Coast Jamaica. I especially love the Bluefields and Treasure Beach areas. Mandeville seems like a nice place to chill with some of the coolest weather on the island.

The van has been a great asset and well worth the investment. I have had to put a few bucks into it to keep it running but besides my van insurance its been pretty cheap. The van insurance policy we started with was weak and basically it covers the legal crap we need. I’m looking for some new van insurance quotes online using a new service that I found at QuoteZone.com but I will most likely be forced to stick with the crap policy I have. I say its crap because it does not cover anything more than the other person and it costs a fortune.

I’ve been lost in the van at least once on every trip we take and to be honest I’m glad it happens. Most often we end up in some rather unique and interesting situations that could only be found by getting lost in Jamaica. From 100 head of goats taking up the road or an impromptu street festival that erupts around a sound system in the town square I have been in some places and seen some things that only only me and Jah seem to truly appreciate.

I love Jamaica and my van has been a great part of the experience. If you plan on spending any more than 6 days in Jamaica bring enough money to buy a car and just sell it before you leave. You’ll appreciate having one while you’re here and it may just change your life.

Posted by Jamaica MAX - Join the Jamaica MAX Message Boards and discuss this in the Jamaica discussion forums!

Tags: Advertising, Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica Accomodations, Jamaica Adventures, Jamaica Tips, Jamaica Travel, Moving to Jamaica, van insurance

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Thursday night was Dancehall Night for Reggae SumFest 2008 and it was a great show with some of the biggest names in Jamaican music on hand for a show which proved to be an arresting experience for Bounty Killer and lots of fun for me and a few thousand others. It was my first backstage experience with permission to interview artists and straight up I was out gunned. Me and my little JVC handheld camera could not compete with the professional level equipment and setups that the big players had. These guys came prepared to interview and they got all the interviews they wanted. I was able to get some great pictures and hang out with lots of the artists but the few interviews I did do were horrible as the lighting was crap and the noise in the room made it almost impossible to hear anything beyond the crowds of people. My mission over the next year is to invest in a better video camera and audio microphone for interviewing people properly. I’ll be better prepared for next year presspass access.

I spent much of the evening in the press tent and missed much of the show hanging out backstage with other press people and lesser known artists like Jamaican culture artist Nature and more popular stars like Anthony B and Macka Diamond to name a few. I spent more time with the press people and the event turned more into a networking opportunity as I met many of the top people in the Jamaican music business. I discussed working with a number of artists in developing and promoting their music online and I think the evening went well for me in that regards. I already have lots of work to do from this show and I’ll probably be busy until next years event.

I got some decent photos from the show with lots more to write about in the coming days and weeks but here are some pics from Thursday Night Dancehall night at Sumfest 2008.

Sun sets before the first evening of Reggae Sumfest 2008

Nature interviewed by BBC Radio

Shane-O Backstage SumFest 2008

Hype TV Interviews Serani

Danielle D at Reggae Sumfest 2008

Voice Mail at Reggae Sumfest 2008

Harry Toddler at Reggae SumFest 2008

Jamaican Musician Spice at Reggae SumFest 2008

Macka Diamond at Reggae Sumfest 2008

Anthony B interviewed at Reggae SumFest

Elephant Man at Reggae SumFest 2008

The Crowd at Reggae SumFest 2008

Posted by Jamaica MAX - Join the Jamaica MAX Message Boards and discuss this in the Jamaica discussion forums!

Tags: Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica Cities, Jamaica Music, Montego Bay, reggae, Reggae Concerts, Reggae Concerts, reggae music, reggae sumfest, sumfest, Things to do in Jamaica

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The Smile Jamaica Africa Unite concert was some months back but its still with me. I’ve been listening to some of the new music I was exposed to at the show and I’m very glad I went. I’m most impressed with K’naan, the Dustyfoot philosopher from Mogadishu, Somalia in the Horn of Africa. I have no doubts you’ll hear lots more from this young man. He’s got something to say and we should all take an hour an listen to his new album at least once.

K’naan offers some of the most original new music I’ve heard in a long time. His music is powerful, his beats are infectious and will have you bumping along in no time. His lyrics are raw and untamed and songs like “Whats Hardcore?”, “If Rap Gets Jealous” and “My Old Home” deliver what hardcore rap has not been able to in over a decade. A real hardcore life experience. Something in his lyrics rings true and you can tell that he’s lived a truly hardcore life. Songs like “Strugglin” and “Smile” were written by someone who has seen the bad side of life and lived through it. Everyone should smile when they’re bleeding! I think my favorite tune may be “I Was Stabbed by Satan”. You’ll have to listen to it to understand it but other songs like “Soobax”, “Hoobalee” and “The African Way” offer an awesome blend of African music and American hip hop that everyone should appreciate.

This is one of the few new releases that I can honestly say I enjoy from beginning to end. The CD flows well and although the message is harsh at times so can life be and there is a constant upbeat tempo to the music that invigorates. It’s inspirational music for me. I have no doubt we were all Stabbed by Satan

If you have never had he chance to listen to K’naan then I suggest you buy the CD today because its better played from beginning to end.

K’naan at Smile Jamaica Africa Unite 2008

Swiss Chris and John Legend at Smile Jamaica Africa Unite 2008

Ziggy Marley at Smile Jamaica Africa Unite 2008

Damian Marley at Smile Jamaica Africa Unite 2008

Stephen Marley at Smile Jamaica Africa Unite 2008

Posted by Jamaica MAX - Join the Jamaica MAX Message Boards and discuss this in the Jamaica discussion forums!

Tags: Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica Music, Jamaica Music, Jamaica Nightlife, Oracabessa, Pictures of Jamaica, Reggae Concerts, Reggae Concerts, Things to do in Jamaica

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I have been considering a trip to another country just to see some new place with the kids. We have some travel time planned soon but no travel plans as of yet. i set the time and money aside to make certain we did make the trip but I have been very undecided about where I want to go. I have considered making the trip just to see some of the historical sites in Mexico such as Teotihuacan or some of the other ancient pyramids there or maybe a trip to South America somewhere like Costa Rica. I have a friend who just went there from Jamaica and he says its much nicer there. He seems to dislike Jamaica after having some hard times here.

I guess a part of things would be finances. I searched for mexico hotels online and found a lot of stuff available. I kinda prefer taking a locals tour and staying with friends or family but not knowing anyone in many of these places puts me at a disadvantage. I thought about a trip to Cuba and found some hotels in Cuba listed on EasytoBook.com but I don’t think I’ll make a trip there with the kids. I think my first trip to Cuba should be alone so I can get a feel for things before I drag the whole crew along. I understand travel to Cuba from Jamaica is a pretty simple hush hush thing and there is not much risk in getting caught. The Cuban government has an interest in us visiting and they don’t want us to get in trouble for it. I understand you can fly in on a State drivers license or passport and it will not be stamped.

EasytoBook.com turned out to be a very useful site with lots of hotels around the world. I can visit my buddy Ian and book a stay in some nicer Dublin Hotels at decent rates but i doubt it. He never answers my phone calls so why should I pay him a visit?

Posted by Jamaica MAX - Join the Jamaica MAX Message Boards and discuss this in the Jamaica discussion forums!

Tags: Advertising, hotels, international travel, Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica Travel

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