JAMAICA

Jamaica, a Caribbean island nation, has a lush topography of mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of its all-inclusive resorts are clustered in Montego Bay, with its British-colonial architecture, and Negril, known for its diving and snorkeling sites. Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music, and its capital Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the famous singer. Consisting of the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles. The island, 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the island containing the nation-states of Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Jamaica is the fourth-largest island country in the Caribbean, by area.

Inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Taíno peoples, the island came under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Many of the indigenous people died of disease, and the Spanish imported African slaves as labourers. Named Santiago, the island remained a possession of Spain until 1655, when England (later Great Britain) conquered it and renamed it Jamaica. Under British colonial rule Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with its plantation economy highly dependent on slaves imported from Africa. The British fully emancipated all slaves in 1838, and many freedmen chose to have subsistence farms rather than to work on plantations. Beginning in the 1840s, the British imported Chinese and Indian indentured labour to work on plantations. The island achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962.

With 2.8 million people, Jamaica is the third-most populous Anglophone country in the Americas (after the United States and Canada), and the fourth-most populous country in the Caribbean. Kingston is the country's capital and largest city, with a population of 937,700. Jamaicans predominately have African ancestry, with significant European, Chinese, Hakka, Indian, and mixed-race minorities. Due to a high rate of emigration for work since the 1960s, Jamaica has a large diaspora around the world, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Though a small nation, Jamaican culture has a strong global presence. The musical genres reggae, ska, mento, rocksteady, dub, and, more recently, dancehall and ragga all originated in the island's vibrant, popular urban recording industry. Jamaica also played an important role in the development of punk rock, through reggae and ska. Reggae has also influenced American rap music, as they share roots as rhythmic, African styles of music. Some rappers, such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Heavy D, are of Jamaican descent. Internationally known reggae musician Bob Marley was also Jamaican.

Many other internationally known artists were born in Jamaica, including Millie Small, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Gregory Isaacs, Half Pint, Protoje, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Big Youth, Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Brown, Desmond Dekker, Beres Hammond, Beenie Man, Shaggy, Grace Jones, Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Buju Banton, Sean Paul, I Wayne, Bounty Killer and many others. Bands that came from Jamaica include Black Uhuru, Third World Band, Inner Circle, Chalice Reggae Band, Culture, Fab Five and Morgan Heritage. The genre jungle emerged from London's Jamaican diaspora. The birth of hip-hop in New York City owed much to the city's Jamaican community.

NEGRIL

Negril is a town in western Jamaica. It’s known for its miles of sandy beaches on shallow bays with calm, turquoise waters. Seven Mile Beach, particularly the portion overlooking Long Bay, is lined with bars, restaurants and resorts, many of them international and all-inclusive. Long Bay opens onto a lagoon protected by coral reefs and is a snorkeling and scuba-diving destination. Negril is about an hour and fifteen minute drive on the coastal highway from Sir Donald Sangster International Airport, in Montego Bay. Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island. Downtown Negril, the West End cliff resorts to the south of downtown, and the southern portion of the so-called "seven mile (11 km) beach" are in Westmoreland. The northernmost resorts on the beach are in Hanover Parish. The nearest large town is Savanna-la-Mar, the capital of Westmoreland Parish.

For centuries, Negril, a seven-mile stretch of white sand beach on the western tip of Jamaica, was cut off from the rest of the island by bad roads and a large swamp. It remained relatively unknown to the world until the 1960s and 1970s, when U.S. “hippies,” students and Vietnam veterans gravitated towards this laid-back village. The U.S. travellers arrived in ever-increasing numbers and, towards the end of the 1970s, Negril blossomed as a tourist destination. But with the growing population and improved infrastructure, the natural beauty of Jamaica’s third largest tourism centre has suffered visible deterioration.

“When I first visited Negril from Kingston in 1960, just after the first road to the coast was built, there were no buildings the entire length of the beach. The waters were crystal clear,” wrote Thomas J. Goreau, president of the non-governmental U.S.-based Global Coral Reef Alliance, in a paper published in 1992.

“Now that it is Jamaica’s fastest growing resort area, all the tall coconut trees are gone, the beaches are crowded with people and buildings,” states the text.

Eighteen years later, the demise of the Negril environment has again been brought into sharp focus, this time by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Division of Early Warning and Assessment.

Pristine beaches, blue waters and an absolutely laid-back air that will bring out your inner free-spirit, Negril is one of the most under-rated hippie destinations in the world. Fabulously Bohemian, Negril is not your conventional hippie destination but its laid-back atmosphere, sunny weather and long stretches of beaches will surely give you the much-needed hippie vibe that you are looking for! 

KINGSTON

Kingston is the capital of the island of Jamaica, lying on its southeast coast. In the city center, the Bob Marley Museum is housed in the reggae singer’s former home. Nearby, Devon House is a colonial-era mansion with period furnishings. Hope Botanical Gardens & Zoo showcases native flora and fauna. Northeast of the city, the Blue Mountains are a renowned coffee-growing region with trails and waterfalls.

At the foot of the Blue Mountains, Jamaica's busy capital city offers a cosmopolitan contrast to the island's relaxed pace. Kingston can be intimidating, but visitors can view some of the town's attractions on organized tours. The Bob Marley Museum, at the reggae superstar's former home, is Kingston's most-visited attraction and the site of the Tuff Gong recording studio. Highlights are Marley's bedroom with his star-shaped guitar by the bed. Look for the bullet holes in the rear wall, evidence of an assassination attempt.

Tours will also take travelers to explore mansions like historic Devon House, as well as museums such as the National Gallery, and the Natural History Museum, Jamaica's oldest museum, with preserved specimens of the island's plants and animals. Also in town, the Institute of Jamaica's museums cover a wide range of the country's history from prehistoric to modern times, Hope Gardens is the largest botanical park in the West Indies, and National Heroes Park features statues of leading players of Jamaican history and independence. At the tip of the peninsula surrounding Kingston Harbor lies the community of Port Royal, the focus of British fortification in the late 17th century.

PORT ANTONIO

Set between mountains and a double harbor, Port Antonio exudes the relaxed charm of a sleepy fishing village. Once a center for banana export, the area is distinctly less commercial than the other resort towns. Visitors can explore the many art galleries, hike jungle trails, and snorkel and scuba dive the coral reefs. A popular swimming spot is the beautiful 60-meter-deep Blue Lagoon, fed by freshwater springs, and site of the namesake movie starring Brooke Shields. Navy Island, set between Port Antonio's two harbors and reached by ferry, was once owned by movie swashbuckler Errol Flynn and was renowned for wild parties. Today the island is a favorite for picnics and day trips.

Jamaica's spicy "jerk-style" of cooking originated in the region and some of the best can be found at Boston Beach east of Port Antonio. Other highlights of the area include the 18th-century British stronghold Fort George and beautiful Frenchman's Cove, where a fish-filled river flows into the sea. The beaches here are a wonderful mix of white sand, shallow waters, and lush outcroppings of land. Nearby, Daniel's River plunges through a gorge of natural rock in a series of cascades and pools known as Somerset Falls.

BULL BAY

Bull Bay is located on the south east coast of Jamaica 10 miles to the east of Kingston on the border between St Andrew and St Thomas, beside its lesser-known sister, Cow Bay. It is said that both bays were so named because the whole area was once a slaughter center of the buccaneers and the English colonialists.

Bull Bay has an energetic, close-knit community, and at night, the coastline pulsates with rhythms from the various nightclubs that line the beach.

FALMOUTH

Surrounded by sugar estates and cattle land, Falmouth is one of the Caribbean's best-preserved Georgian towns. Once a leading port, the town offers excellent examples of 19th-century Georgian architecture including a faithful restoration of the courthouse. Greenwood Great House is a major tourist attraction in the area. Built in 1790 by Richard Barrett, a relative of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the Great House is now a museum with period furniture and a rare collection of musical instruments and Wedgwood china.

Good Hope Estate, built in 1755, was an old-established coconut and sugar plantation. The well-preserved Great House contains period furniture, the first 18th century Caribbean hot water bath, old slave quarters, and the sugar mill with its waterwheel. Half Moon Beach is a peaceful crescent of sand with coral reefs just offshore. East of Falmouth is the Luminous Lagoon, named for its eerie marine phosphorescence.

See You Soon...On Another Famous Hippie Location

Until Then...NAMASTE...

#Trotterhipp