Jamaica: The Don'ts of Visiting Jamaica

NFL travelers mark you with Walter Cyril today we're here in a Cheerios in Jamaica for the Downs of visiting Jamaica and I gotta tell you the first time I have for you when you come to Jamaica is don't get in a hurry no matter what you're doing have a lot of patience when you're going through passport control when you're going through customs when you're waiting for your taxi when you're waiting for your server your bill your red stripe you gotta have patience when you are here it's very much a laid-back atmosphere and you have to have that mentality I mean I'm here no cheerio so there's actually two cruise ships in here right now while we're here and you can see the frustration or people like hurry up hurry up I'm like you can't hear you right there you gotta have the right attitude when you come to Jamaica it's just laid-back nice friendly atmosphere okay so that's the first thing second thing when they tell you is don't think that their friendliness isn't real Jamaicans are actually insanely friendly and insanely helpful people I mean that's been our favorite part of Kona Jamaica is just the people in general because they're awesome the thing is a lot of tourists sometimes feel that it's over-the-top like oh it's fake friendless they just want my money now if someone's asks you for something say nah man I'm good thank you but you have a great day they usually like hey respect and move on because you're showing them respect it works really well that way so just realize you might make some really good friends when you do come here because the people are really awesome and friendly if you need directions they will help you with directions too okay now my third don't for you is don't get overwhelmed when you go to a market or you're on the beach with all the touts and salespeople and stuff like that because I think that's one of the things that people get really upset about like when you read about Jamaica they're like oh people wouldn't just leave me alone I just want to be left alone why they keep asked if I want to buy sunglasses or something else and that kind of obsessed people but I'm gonna tell you right now if you like it just said if you come hey no thanks I'm good I already got some back at the hotel it's all good thank you but respect I appreciate it you have their stuff a great day that's how you kind of deal with it cuz you said no I don't want anything or leave me alone of course people are gonna get upset what do you get upset if someone did that to you when you're trying to make your living so do have a heads up for that remember patience and friendliness goes a long way here in Jamaica and the thing is when you talk to the locals don't be surprised if you don't understand everything they say because Jamaican or patois you know with the Mon kind of stuff you'll hear look just slow down take some time to like think about it you'll catch on everything they're gonna they're pretty much saying should be okay that way but don't expect you're gonna understand everything and it's okay to ask people to repeat things it's no big deal all right but you know English is the official language here so you're fine with that but the Jamaican kind of hotspot language sometimes throws for the tourists off but it is kind of a fun thing I mean you'll still get by just fine remember patience everything will be fine and speak of that llaman kind of stuff I would say is don't overdo that llaman with the locals kind of thing that is one thing I noticed I always talk to the locals like a normal kind of person like how I usually talk but it's kind of funny because sometimes they'll stop and then they'll like put a Midwest accent back at me they'd be like hey well you have a nice day today sir be well and I like laugh it like all kinds of stuff and I'm like you're totally pulling my leg here because a lot of tourists come here and they're just like yeah man yeah you'd be good man yeah yeah me all right man they like you they'll overdo it with the locals and it's kind of rude I mean think about it if you're in Germany and someone comes up to you in Germany like yeah I think this is good would you like that or when someone comes up and does a southern accent to you from the US or something you don't really usually appreciate that I mean locals here pretty laid-back so though they'll make sure you go higher and they'll make sure you're like Yama they'll get you to say those things but just maybe don't overdo it with that because that can come off wrong and one of the things with the people here you'll notice every store you go to every shop you might go to market style restaurants stuff like that everyone's always like hey good morning good afternoon good day good evening good night this is very much a part of the culture here so don't forget whenever you go in and you see people at a store you see people maybe your condo or wherever you always want to say good morning good day always greet people because that's a thing they do here and if you don't do it it's really seen it's kind of rude so make sure you're being polite it's seeing hi those people you come in saying that good morning hey you have a good night we'll see you later you know your thumbs up and kind of stuff it really goes a long way to help you kind of bond with the locals here now when you are coming here I know a lot of people come on cruise ships they come here they go to resource and stuff like that they're like hey do I need to get any money when I'm here well don't worry you don't have to exchange money when you come to Jamaica they do take the US dollar as well as the jamaican dollar when you are here it's pretty much easy to do anywhere you go I mean the exchange rate will fluctuate by stall I would say or by location so do have a heads up for that but you can pay with US dollars no problem now one of the things I always recommend for tourists is don't drive when you're in Jamaica if you don't have to and I don't mean don't drive around Jamaica I mean don't you personally drive here you can but man driving here it's like white knuckle why are people passing so close there's not enough room there that trucks gonna hit them oh my god what's going on here why are they honking at me why are they blinking at me look it can be quite stressful driving in Jamaica so we recommend is actually hire a driver when you are here that will take you around and they'll know how to drive they'll know when they're supposed to honk when they flash the lights when they're gonna pass when things are these kind of things it really makes life a lot easier and a lot less stressful so you can enjoy the round and the red stripe and the other fun stuff that's here and let them do the driving for you I know we hired a company called holiday services their driver Michael he's been taking us around last week and like he's become part of our family we just really love him and it's just such a great thing cuz the driver helps you connect with the locals and gives you more background so instead of you driving around to figure things out they're explaining stuff to you while you drive around and it really makes it for a much better experience another thing I'm gonna say what the driving is if you do Drive don't freak out with a honking and the flashing lights that's because when people are gonna pass you during the day they honk that they're gonna pass so you need to move over a little bit and when it's nighttime they'll flash their brights at you like from behind and then you move over and they can pass you because it really is tight passing when you are here also don't forget they drive on the left here this is a former British colony and they drive on the left so if you're gonna cross the street when you're walking make sure you look right I would look right left right the cars here are crazy and they're not necessarily always looking out for the pedestrians so do be careful I'm also when you are driving around don't worry about those goats and cows you see on the side of the street you will see ghosts and you will see a cow or two anyway thinking are they lost no no people own those goats it's ok they wander home at night for dinner don't worry about them I've seen some concerned tourists about the goats are like don't worry they're all good all right they're taken care of now another thing if you are gonna be driving around to make a lot of people like to kind of get an idea of how long the drives gonna be before they go so they look on Google Maps or ways or whatever it kind of gives you a model say oh it's 40 miles to this place Oh 40 miles 40 45 minutes no no don't think a short distance equals a short amount of time when you drive in Jamaica because the traffic and the roads especially for going in the mountains and the hills and stuff like that it will take you a lot longer think about it this way 40 miles is probably gonna take you an hour and a half something like that so do have a heads up for it if you do want to cut a lot of time out of driving if you want to go through a Cheerios to Kingston which we've done it was a beautiful Drive I mean it's beautiful you go through there Kingston's was really cool to visit the Bob Marley museum all the trench town and the Devon house and the ice cream that's there that was a really cool experience to go there but we took the toll road there and one would tell you right now is don't think that toll road is cheap it was about 25 us one way so I put $50 in tolls going back and forth and their exchange rate they give you there is horrible okay so do have a heads up for that but it will save you an insane amount of time and headache by taking the toll road versus the back roads to get to Kingston from Ocho Rios so I just want to give you a heads up for that one now I noticed as I said don't drive when you are here you're probably taking the buses when you come here and my don'ts for the buses here is don't think that all the buses are the same think of it this way one bus is a sardine the other bus gives you Wi-Fi because there are definitely two different classes of buses when you go here if you get kind of a local bus it's you'll see the tinier buses on there people packed in not a lot of room but it is dirt cheap to take otherwise you take like the fancier buses which have the Wi-Fi and the sign seats kind of stuff and the comfy seats and a TV screen and water bottles and stuff like that there are definitely two ways you'll go on the buses so you do want to check those out okay so just think jeepers and a more expensive will also work in your favor in terms of comfort okay you'll you pay for what you get when it comes to the buses now the next stunts I have yours that's gonna be for your accommodation at your hotel one thing I want to tell you right now look Jamaica is definitely an all-inclusive resort country especially on the north side of the country and I'm going to tell you right now don't forget to do your research on your all-inclusive or the resort you're looking to go to because there's so many options here there's ones for families there's ones for singles there's one for couples there's one for adults only heck there's a nudist one here too there's all kinds of different resorts here and you really need to do your research otherwise you might end up one that doesn't do it for you I mean we're not seeing a resort right now but I mean I just saw a resort tour ago a bunch of college students for spring break kind of something I remember those days that's fun but I got my little kids that was something a little more relaxed you got to make sure you do your research to pick the right one for you another don't I have for you with the all-inclusive Xand the resorts don't think the all-inclusive the resorts are going to give you a traditional Jamaican cultural visit okay because they're all-inclusive the food the entertainment this kind of stuff usually not super local so make sure you're asking hey um if I'm at the buffet ask the workers there hey which thing is traditional Jamaican oh the jerk chicken over here and then for breakfast you won't have the Aki and saltfish looks it's a food that looks like scrambled eggs I'll talk about later or try this over here I mean they'll let you know because that's one thing I told you about the locals are super friendly and helpful so you just ask they'll be glad to help you out okay but just know your hotel not the most you're making parts that's going to tell you the next thing is don't be afraid to sign up for a tour to leave the resort now the resorts will have probably stuff they'll help you sign up what I usually find better is look online find a tour company that will do stuff for you and maybe you only use them a couple days on your trip or three or four days on your trip however long you're there it's nice because we had a resort days when we were in Montego Bay and now we're here exploring more of the more Ocho Rios area so we went to the Blue Hole and the Dunn's River Falls and and we've gone all over with them and stuff like that it's been nice because it got us out of our like complex our resort so we can see more of Jamaican we really fell in love with it because a lot of people when they come here they get upset with Jamaica because they only see the port and then the shopping thing by the port and then the huge lines that go along with the cruise ships so don't let that be your only experience when it comes to Jamaica also when you're looking at your hotel if you're staying at a hotel if they give you an advice on security don't skip it they're giving you that for a reason so don't forget if you're at you know you're on inclusive you got your wristband don't forget to put your passport in the wall and stuff like that in the safe because you don't need it while you're there lock it up so you don't even have to think about it another don't at your hotels or resorts don't lose that wristband otherwise you might have a huge huge fee to replace that because think about it you just gave away free eats and drinks to somebody that has that wristband so make sure you don't lose that okay I've noticed mine actually got ripped off so make sure you're like oh it's starting to rip just take it Tuesday hey can I get a new one this one's ripping off make life a lot easier and a lot cheaper on your visit so my next set of don't actually gonna deal with you go to the beach because I'll be honest you're gonna want to get into the water when you are here and lay on the beach because the beaches and the water here are gorgeous and my first don't for you is don't forget to apply that sunscreen early and often I mean I know I'm pretty red here and I've been applying multiple times a day you do need to bring some good stuff with you because it is a little pricey at the resorts and at the pharmacies so don't forget to use that sunblock and reapply also don't forget to bring the bug spray too because the little midges and the mosquitoes and stuff will eat your ankles alive when you are here and as they said my son Liam has sweet sweet blood and they've really eaten him alive so do have a heads up for that another thing I want to tell you is don't think the beach is just the water and the beach there's all kinds of great outdoor stuff to do when you are here parasailing you can go kayaking you can go on a catamaran out there you can go snorkeling there's reefs here so you can go snorkeling you can go scuba diving you're certified and stuff like that there's a lot of stuff you can do there's some cliff diving you can do oh I should tell you a dump for that if you're gonna be in a grill to 7 mile beach and you go to go down to Rick's Cafe which a really popular place for people to go and there's cliffs people can jump off of I'm gonna tell you right now don't do it without thinking beforehand because somebody like oh I'm just gonna jump look you got to make sure you jump right because we have a friend of ours she busted her teeth when she jumped off there cuz she can went down a bunch and heard it another buddy of ours hurt his tailbone you got to be careful when you're jumping out those things so don't just jump think about it before you do that how the plant asked them what's the best way to do it okay and when you're thinking about the beach I mean that's usually people only think about what Jamaica my next don't 3u is don't think Jamaica is just a beach I'm gonna text you our first thing I talked about in our shocks of Jamaica video was it's more than just beaches because I know like I said in the other videos when people talk about Jamaica and tourism they all make it sound like it's just a beach and that's it there is so much more the waterfalls you can go to I know I talked about Dunn's River Falls here and the Blue Hole you can go to here by Ocho Rios but the thing is there's there's mountains and hills in the inland part of Jamaica and it's so cool hiking the Blue Mound to watch the Sun Rise or or maybe you want to go to the you know like I said a Blue Hole but there's other blue holes that are here going hiking there's so many things you can do when you're here that's not Beach related that could be nature related or for culture stuff I mean we really enjoyed going to some of the the great houses you know the plantation houses around here cause a lot of history and those things I know we went to the Rose Hall house and had the Rose Hall and it had like a ghost a ghost thing at night if you get little kids don't little tiny kids don't do the ghost tour at night at Rose Hall go during the day for the normal tour cuz it is a little spooky when you are there just letting you know but honestly I just want you to know is don't think Jamaica is just this there's so much more to it and that's one thing we've really loved is the people and the food and just all the other great stuff that's here and I'm telling you about the don'ts of the food one don't forget it's not just your chicken here there's a lot of really great food when you are here yes a jerk jerk chickens great in the trick port fried chicken barbecue fried chicken you're gonna have oxtail which is really great with some beans in it oh man some butter beans those big beans in there you might have curried goat with rice oh it's so good the patties that are here it's kind of like you're a take on the British pies you'll have here a pop pie kind of thing you'll get to grab and go there's so many good things to eat when you are here the fruit is amazing oh my god the rum is also really good too you have a really great time with the juices of the food when you are here so don't feel that you have to anything else but the local stuff when you are here another Dona have for you with the food those specialties I mentioned it earlier before don't think that the scrambled eggs with with fish in it it's actually scrambled eggs when you see it at the buffet in the morning it's actually a national dish called ackee and saltfish and a key is actually a fruit that when you cook it it looks like scrambled eggs and they put the salt fish in there and you eat that I don't think it's that bad Liam was not a fan of it but a lot of tourists go up there they think it's the scrambled eggs at the buffet and it's not so make sure you read to make sure to the scrambled eggs or Aki and saltfish okay and also what's nice is you don't have to worry about the tap water you can drink the tap water here in Jamaica no problem so you'll have maybe iced water waiting for your red stripe to come or when you have your rum punch and stuff like that which is really nice so you can just knock back the water and if you're traveling here one thing I'm going to tell you is don't expect this to be a cheap place so having free tap water and free water on the table can save you a little money when you go out to eat because man I've been surprised how expensive it is and I'm gonna finish off with some safety don'ts when I am here and the first safety don't I have for you is don't think that Jamaica isn't safe because Allah things I read online before I came here I was getting worried reading up on these things like is it really that bad I'll be honest we've gone from Montego Bay to Negril to in the mountains okay and then hreus and then Sur Kingston and honest we just have been to Port Antonia me is basically we've seen a lot of the country and we haven't had any issues now I can see where people feel like there can be issues I'm not gonna lie to you about that but it's not as dangerous as people make it sound okay so don't let your fear of oh no it's dangerous place stop you from coming here now I'm not gonna say it's a completely safe place though so don't forget your usual travel since if there's towns you're not supposed to go to you like Spanish town you don't go there okay there's certain parts of Kingston you don't go to certain parts so to Rios you don't go to ask your property if you're gonna go off where should I not go because believe me they'll be glad to tell you where not to go and they'll also tell you where to go where are good restaurants and things like that other simple travel things you make sure you're doing you know you don't wear bling when you're here this is very much a laid-back place so you wearing laid-back clothes when you're going out you're not wearing your gold watches and rings and stuff like that why make yourself a target okay I just want you to know is it's not as bad as people make it sound but there are things you got to think about okay so just be smart about it and you'll be fine okay and you know what if you're on the road and you're exploring don't worry about eating at a jerk Hut those are the the huts on the side of the road where they serve the jerk chicken because I believe me they're gonna be awesome and you're gonna be fine eating there cuz oh my god it's so good to go to those so definitely check out a jerk hut when you are wandering around or when you're driving around you want to grab a bite to eat cuz man they are good eating there so we can't come to Jamaica and make a video about what you should know without addressing ganja marijuana is a thing here it is not taboo it's just part of the culture and you should be aware of that many people seem to think that it is legal it is not is decriminalized so as its decriminalized for tourists that means you can have up to two ounces and no more and you can be pulled over you know and your car can be searched and things like that so if you choose to have it please adhere to the maximum of two ounces and don't go thinking that you can sneak it out of the country between your pimento leaves or anything else because they have dogs and the dogs will catch it and then you will go to what they call problem hotel in Montego Bay which just means Jail so be aware of these things and enjoy yourself when you're here and I think the last safety thing I want to talk about is hey if someone does try to rob you or take your stuff just let them just like anywhere in the world it's not worth fighting over what it's your cameras your wallet you know you get more money you can come back to Jamaica again and get those pictures all over again it's okay let them have it so you don't have to worry about it alright I know I finished off with this kind of safety stuff that kind of worries people I'll be honest we're here it's me my wife my two kids we've had a fantastic time meeting wonderful people I'm getting goosebumps thinking about how wonderful a time we've had here honestly we're talking about coming back to stay here again because we loved it so much so I hope this helps you feel better about coming to Jamaica and we just love helping out other travelers like you so have a great time travelling and I'll say bye from Jamaica

Channel: Wolters World

Views: 955,710

Keywords: travel, europe, mark wolters, wolters world, travel advice, tourist attractions, travel vlogger, honest travel, fat travel guy

Id: IANc9GH45fg

Length: 18min 37sec (1117 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 05 2020