Jamaica: I Met The People

with Nina Slawek

Jamaica’s advertising promises that Once You Go, You Know.

I went, and now I know.

I know how open and genuine the people are. How seemingly effortless great service can be. How beautiful the vistas are. And, most importantly, the quiet pride of the citizens.

It may be that colonized nations grow into a poised self-confidence as a result of shedding the mantle of foreign governance. Or, that living on a beautiful island is simply good for the soul. Whatever the reason, the warm Jamaican friendliness is so easy to plug into, that upon arrival for my first Jamaican foray last week, I immediately felt unplugged! And entirely unstressed. I want to go back.

I was attending the recent Japex conference at the newly constructed Montego Bay Convention Centre and staying at the Half Moon resort. And yes, it is everything you could imagine and more. Sliding open my french doors on the first morning I was greeted by the hypnotic woosh of the ocean only a few feet from my sunny patio. Maybe I can squeeze in that extra day!

Back at the trade show, in between witnessing the frenetic buying and selling, I was privileged to be taken on 2 very special excursions.

The Meet The People Programme is designed by the Jamaica Tourist Board to allow tourists to engage with local families, artists, schools, chefs, or any number of participants who sign on to open their homes and their hearts to strangers. Since cooking is where my passion lies (not to mention eating), I was taken to the Palm View Guest House owned by Doris Morgan whose cook showed me how to make real ackee and saltfish, cod fritters, apple fritters and blue drawers (aka tie-a-leaf or Duckanoo). Ya mon. I was crammed into a tiny kitchen with our Meet the People host, Doris, 2 cooks and Travelweek’s Michael McCreesh, trying my hand and “quailing” a banana leaf. I may need a little more practice.

Needless to say, the best part was sitting down to the feast with our new friends.

But the ultimate highlight of the trip came with a visit to a Rastafarian village. Tucked into the hills near Montego Bay lies an authentic working community of Rastafari. We were introduced to their world by Michael, a young rasta man born into the community. As we removed our shoes to cross a shallow river which separates the staging area from the actual village, he said “As you feel the water, be mindful of its life giving properties, be mindful of the earth beneath the water, the sky, and the trees. These elements are what we subsist from.” The gentle philosophy of eco-culture and mind body balance came as a wonderful surprise. I knew nothing about rasta life other than Bob Marley’s single bed.

By the time the rhythmic sound of the drums reached us, I was entranced. Irie! My new friend Izi, whose long canvas coat swept the dust up from the ground as he chanted, jumped and swooped to the sacred beat, has Tweeted that a new CD will soon be available. We’re also Facebook BFF’s. Apparently technology and ecology live in harmony for those who venerate Ethiopia's Haile Selassie as the true Jah.

And it’s a good thing, too. Otherwise my being yanked from the bosom of One Love to a busy airport would have been too much to bear. But even this ordeal was made pleasant by the services of a brilliant fast track service called Club Mobay. For a mere $30 US (booked in advance) these lovely people will whisk you through security and guide you to a comfy lounge where drinks and sandwiches and great coffee are served, on tap. A big shout out to Club Mobay’s Deputy General Manager Winsome Barnes who chided me for even considering turning down the offer to test drive their VIP services.

I’m off, but I shall return. Once you know, you go back.

Crocodile Nina! At the Swamp Safari in Montego Bay