Entertainment & Cultural Information

Politics:

The legal age to vote in Jamaica is 18 years old. General elections for the position of prime minister occurs every 5 years.

The current Prime Minister of Jamaica is Andrew Holness, 50 years old.
Holness is the youngest elected Prime Minister in Jamaican history, and he was elected March 3, 2016.

Geography:

Jamaica’s northern region is known for the water and white sand beaches. The southern region, inhabited by German, Indian, and African populations, is known for its mountains and wild life.
Jamaica is home to an array of wildlife creatures including animals like geckos, snakes (although there are rare sightings), 3500+ species of birds, and the yellow tail butterfly, which is the largest butterfly in the Western Hemisphere.
Jamaica is also home to about 7,000 different species of trees.
- The island is always green because not all trees shed their leaves in the fall/winter months. In fact, it always feels like summer throughout the seasons in Jamaica.
There are two parishes in Jamaica that are currently using recycled water: Kingston and Saint James.
- Montego Bay is an area in Saint James Parish. Some people call it MOBAY for short,
On the island, gas is very expensive. It was about $9 per gallon when I visited in August 2022.

Food:

Jamaica is a tea country as a result of British rule between 1655 and 1962.
Typical foods in Jamaica include: bananas, yams, rice & beans, chicken and goat curry, and dumplings,
Jamaica is the #1 top chicken consumer in the Caribbean.
In 2004 there was a fast food restaurant epidemic. McDonald’s and Burger King are everywhere now, and there are more franchises.
- Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, Popeyes
- KFC (a.k.a. Keep me From Cookin’; Keep the Fat Comin’) Watch Part 2 for a view of the Mobay KFC. The line was so long!
There is a ‘special tree’ in Jamaica with leaves that taste like an all spice seasoning mix when you crush them up and use the spice in baked foods or when seasoning meats, oatmeal, rum, or rubbing alcohol.
- Here’s my reaction to just a tiny piece of the leaf.
Restaurants I did not visit, but were recommended by a Hotel RIU staff member:
- Rick’s Cafe, Plantation Smoke House, Sharkies, Ultimate Jerk Centre, Scotchies

Night Life:

Spots I loved!
- Pier 1 (My favorite, see it in my Jamaica Travel Vlog!)
- 27 Lounge (See it in my Jamaica Travel Vlog!)
- Margaritaville

Music & Language

The people listen to quite a few genres or types of music in Jamaica — Dancehall and Reggae being a very popular two.
National anthem — “Jamaica, Land We Love” (Our tour guide sings it to us in Part 1 of my Jamaica Travel Vlog!
Jamaican Patois (a.k.a. Patwa or Jamaican Creole), is the most widely spoken language nationally. Jamaican Patois is a type of English creole that arose during the trading and enslavement of African peoples. (Watch Part 2 to see me visit an old slave plantation in Hanover).
A funny poem about self enjoying in Jamaica:
- “Eat until the belly full, the belly full you go boo boo and eat again. Drink until the bladder full, the bladder full you go pee and drink again. Smoke until you high, you high you give Jesus a high five.”
A funny saying in Jamaica is that jail is the free hotel!