Jamaica
The island of small treasures
Beyond Jamaica’s beach resorts is an island of locals and tiny communities doing incredible things – and it’s a world every bit as enticing and welcoming...
“Jamaica has many personalities,” my guide, Lucretia, advised me as we rounded a bend in the road on the way to an unspoilt stretch of coast home to fishermen and farmers. I tore my gaze momentarily from the car window, as farmland and glittering ocean spilled into the distance, and nodded in agreement. By this time, I’d been on the island a few days and I was starting to see what she meant.
Jamaica is often reduced to a string of cliches: there’s the Bob Marley tours, the all-inclusive resorts, the marijuana aficionados. But between the beach parties and neverending skank beat of daily life, you’ve got a world of people doing incredible things that go unseen. In my brief time here I’d met artists, conservationists and locals proud of their communities and eager to show them off. They’d opened my eyes to a side of the island I hadn’t considered: a thoughtful, artistic place where even the capital held unexpected treasures.
Indeed, when I arrived here I had allowed a day to see Kingston, the folly of which was soon revealed. This restlessly creative city is intent on reinventing itself and I had left little time to see its progress. But in the downtown National Art Gallery, I found the perfect introduction to the country, past and present.
The museum’s collection extended up to and beyond Jamaica’s gaining of independence in 1962, as it severed 300 years of British rule. The museum’s Dwayne Lyttle steered me around early wooden carvings by the island’s indigenous Taino people (“of course, the most famous artefacts are in your British Museum”) and examples from the colonial years, when wealthy sugar and tobacco plantation owners commissioned artists to capture their likenesses and riches.
Perhaps most interesting of all were the works of the nationalist movement that started with the arrival of an inspirational British-born artist and educator called Edna Manley in 1922. She was married to Norman Manley, the first premier of Jamaica, and is still a revered figure here. The country’s top art school is named after her and her name came up a lot over the following days as locals proudly told me of Jamaica’s creativity.
Yet it’s the country’s music scene, not art, that is responsible for Kingston’s UNESCO Creative City status. I found the two combining in an initiative aimed at regenerating the capital’s downtown, which has seen artists invited to create music murals around Water Lane. As Janet Crick of Kingston Creative explained: “There’s a stigma about downtown. Initiatives like this are trying to bring people in and change perceptions.”
I was lucky to have another super guide, Christopher Creary, leading my tour. A musician himself, he had known many of the reggae greats and told captivating tales of Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh and Desmond Dekker. As he pointed to the murals, he talked us through the history of Jamaican music, from its humble origins of playing anything to hand (even kitchen utensils) through to its many genres, revealing that the word ‘reggae’ was first popularised by a song by Toots & the Maytals, called ‘Do the Reggay’. I left the city humming it with a note of regret for not having more time.
“Don’t worry about the crocodiles – who are very friendly. They are on marijuana and extremely relaxed“
The mango question
I saw a different side of Jamaica the next day as I headed up into the Blue Mountains. The winding road was flanked by lush, tropical foliage and stands of bamboo. Signposts pointed to places with disconcertingly British names – Irish Town, Newcastle, Clydesdale – and goats browsed the roadside indifferent to the traffic.“Stay there unless you want to be goat curry!” driver Damien would mutter every so often.
The trees around us dripped with mangoes, prompting Lucretia to ask if I liked them. I nodded, and so began my education in Mango 101, as she and Damien reeled off a litany of 20 varieties: Stringy, East India, Blackie, Julie, Number 11. It became their mission to school me until I became a connoisseur – though it came in handy. We stopped at roadside fruit stalls over the coming days, and asking people their favourite variety became my standard conversation starter.
Selling fresh fruit in Jamaica
Selling fresh fruit in Jamaica
Mists swirled on the slopes below us as we pulled onto a plateau. We had arrived at Holywell Recreational Park and the temperature was noticeably cooler. “This must be like England,” said Damien, performing an exaggerated shiver.
Walking trails in Jamaica's Blue Mountains
Walking trails in Jamaica's Blue Mountains
The park is known for its walking trails, so we followed a forested path with a ranger who pointed out the plants, both native and introduced – of which there were many. I admired a tree fern, the oldest species of fern in the world, dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. I marvelled at the scarlet petals of the native Hot Lips and watched for hummingbirds darting by, including the red-billed streamertail, Jamaica’s national bird.
Of course, the Blue Mountains are famous for more than their scenic beauty. Driving back down, we made a stop at Craighton, a coffee plantation that dates back to 1765 – one of many estates in the area. There, yet another exceptional guide, Alton Bedward, took me through the history of coffee, including the characteristics of the Blue Mountain variety that make it, arguably, the best in the world and how to tell if it’s the real thing. Want to know how? Well, you’ll have to ask Alton.
Unearthing a treasure
Everyone I had met introduced a side to Jamaica that I didn’t expect. My next destination, Treasure Beach, the ‘Home of Community Tourism’, proved just as eye-opening. This strip of coast, spread across several bays, is home to communities of fishermen and farmers. Tourism here is still low-key, with no big resorts or high-rise buildings; instead, most of its stays are locally owned, including two boutique hotels and various villas and guest houses. I was staying at Jakes, a hotel at the heart of the community initiative.
There are places that you enter and immediately think: “Yes! I’m going to like it here.” Jakes had that effect on me. The reception area was crammed full of interesting photos and books (including one dedicated to Clarks’ shoes, which have cult status in Jamaica). Out back, tables were scattered under sheltering trees and a small saltwater pool beckoned invitingly as the ocean dazzled beyond. My waterfront bungalow even had an outside shower and came with a soundtrack of crashing waves.
Treasure Beach proudly declares its community spirit
Treasure Beach proudly declares its community spirit
Like Wanderlust, Jakes celebrates its 30th anniversary next year. I met with founder Sally Henzell, who told me that her family used to come to Treasure Beach for holidays and had owned a cottage here. She later opened a small bar-restaurant on the site and then added rustic accommodation for friends. Now there are 33 rooms at the property, plus others off-site, all adorned with Sally’s eclectic, artistic touches.
In the early evening I strolled next door to the Jack Sprat restaurant, also owned by the hotel. Kids were kicking around a football on the beach as families gathered up their belongings. A few hotel guests had gathered to watch the sunset but were to be disappointed as large thunderclouds blocked out the sinking sun, lightning flashing from within.
Jake Hotel's shaded patio
Jake Hotel's shaded patio
It was a Thursday and the weekly open-air movie night at Jack Sprat was cranking up. That evening was the turn, appropriately enough, of The Harder They Come, Jamaica’s first and, arguably, most famous film, now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Its director and producer was Perry Henzell, Sally’s late husband. It was ground-breaking in its day, and its soundtrack is often credited with helping to introduce reggae to the wider world.
Jack Sprat is also home to the Calabash Literary Festival, which returns in 2023 and has attracted writers such as Marlon James and Salman Rushdie in the past. “We have around 3,000 people who come to it,” explained Sally. “Half of them are fishermen and don’t know the authors! But they are great storytellers themselves and appreciate other storytellers.”
In the morning I walked to a yoga studio for what transpired as possibly the best yoga session I have ever had. Afterwards, I felt energised, refreshed and several centimetres taller. The woman responsible, Empress Thandi Wise, spoke strongly of the need for local sustainability, laying out the case for community tourism. “Here in Treasure Beach,” she said, “we’ve been about fishing and farming for generations. We want to keep it that way.”
Floyde Forbes, owner of Floyd's Pelican Bar
Floyde Forbes, owner of Floyd's Pelican Bar
Later I met one local who has definitely embraced change. Perched on stilts around a kilometre offshore, Floyd’s Pelican Bar is built from wood and driftwood and is only accessible by boat. I arrived early in the day, before any other visitors, and sat sipping on a breakfast piña colada and watching the pelican action on a nearby sand spit. Owner Floyde Forbes soon dropped by and told me how, when he was working as a fisherman, he founded this spot as somewhere for him and the other fishermen to hang out. It was his late friend, Peck Sinclair, who had the idea to turn it into a bar. I later learned that when a hurricane blew it down in 2004, many local people chipped in to help him rebuild. There was that word again: community.
The Pelican Bar is made from local wood and driftwood
The Pelican Bar is made from local wood and driftwood
Kingston’s magnificent 19th-century Devon House mansion
Kingston’s magnificent 19th-century Devon House mansion
Blue Mountains, Jamaica (Shutterstock)
Blue Mountains, Jamaica (Shutterstock)
Tipping the scales
My next boat trip was less relaxing, as I took a ‘safari’ up the Black River, Jamaica’s longest navigable waterway, in search of crocodiles. The boat was captained by a young guy called Andrew, who reeled off dozens of facts about a creature that had been well on its way to extinction in Jamaica until it became a protected species in 1970. Today there are around 500 still in the wild, but no one knows for sure. Andrew also had a droll sense of humour: “Don’t worry about the crocodiles. They are very friendly,” he told me. “They are on marijuana and extremely relaxed.”
Back in the late 1800s, the port town of Black River was the most important city here after Kingston and was the first place in Jamaica to get electricity. It even got the telephone before New York, I was told. This was on account of the town’s position on the river, which was used for transporting sugar and other goods from the country’s fertile interior. Some of the old warehouses from this era still stand but are now used as restaurants or bases for eco-tours.
The water was shallow and stained black with tannins. We chugged past magnificent mangrove trees, including one that was 250 years old. It was the middle of the day, so not the best time to see crocodiles or birds, but we spotted white egrets galore as well as a black-crowned night heron. “It’s known as the ‘marijuana bird’ because of its red eyes,” quipped Andrew.
Then we saw a pair of tell-tale peepers peering out above the water. “Croc!” I yelled as we watched the eyes sink out of sight, but we soon spotted another pair, this time attached to a crocodile lying motionless and near-camouflaged on the bank. On our way back we then had the best sighting of all, as a large croc passed under the boat. “Anyone want a swim?” asked Andrew.
Back at Treasure Beach, I was curious about another of the area’s iconic reptiles. The shores here are a nesting ground each year to thousands of hawksbill turtles. These critically endangered animals are often considered to be the most beautiful of the sea-turtle family, which once made them a target for their shells. Now they face more modern hazards.
“The coast is being developed and it is a big problem,” said Camar Green of the Treasure Beach Turtle Group. I had dropped in at the Natural History Museum at Billy’s Bay, which acts as an education centre and HQ for the group. Camar explained that while Treasure Beach is underdeveloped for Jamaica, construction still occurs along its shores. “Landowners build fences and clear the vegetation, but the turtles need that. They like to nest above the beach, among the sea grapes.”
Camar is having to educate homeowners and developers as to both the importance of keeping the nesting grounds and protecting the sand dunes in order to stop beach erosion. She also has to remind residents to keep their ocean-side lights off at night as hatchlings will head for them rather than the moon over the sea. Other hazards for the turtles include dogs and mongooses, as well as men who still think turtle eggs help their potency.
Camar Green of the Treasure Beach Turtle Group can usually be found at the Natural History Museum
Camar Green of the Treasure Beach Turtle Group can usually be found at the Natural History Museum
During nesting and hatching season, Camar and a group of volunteers patrol the beaches at night and in the morning. Visitors can pay to join them as they monitor nests and escort hatchlings safely to the sea. Hatchlings born in the morning are scooped up and kept safe until the evening, then released next to their nest because they have a better chance of survival that way. Camar admitted that she barely slept during the season, but that it was worth it: “For me it’s not a job, it’s a passion.”
Later, at yet another lovely hotel, the Tensing Pen in Negril, I reflected on the passionate individuals I’d met and the importance of community here. I felt that I had only scratched the surface of their world, even in the small area of Jamaica I had visited. I had already heard tell of secret waterfalls and music bars that I was itching to visit but had sadly run out of time.
Still, as mango juice dripped down my chin and I frantically looked around for something to wipe my sticky fingers on, I realised that I had at least settled on one thing: my favourite mango. Yes, Lucretia, it’s the East India all the way for me. Another Jamaican life lesson learned.
About the trip
The author travelled courtesy of the Jamaica Tourist Board and stayed at Jakes Hotel in Treasure Beach, Tensing Pen in Negril, and the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston.
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