Ryan and I debated for a long time as to what was the best way to get home from Peru. Flights directly to Canada were insanely expensive, plus we felt like we were due for some R&R before making our way back to the “real world”, whatever that is. Needless to say, we ended up finding a reasonably priced 4 day yoga retreat in Jamaica, and decently priced flights in and out of Jamaica. Sold! We took the red eye flight from Lima to Fort Lauderdale, arriving at around 6am, groggy, sleepy and in no mood to deal with the US border agents. After a grueling 7 hours in the Fort Lauderdale (with an hour and a half of that spent going through security), we were on our way to Montego Bay!
We arrived safely in Montego Bay, and upon stepping out of the airport, we were greeted by the intense heat and the humidity. It was in the mid 30’s, which we hadn’t experienced since Brazil a few months ago, and within minutes I was covered in a slick layer of sweat. We were picked up by a Rastafarian named Shayne who smiled warmly at us with crooked teeth, dread locks, a greying beard, skin black as night, and a fresh coconut. As we drove an hour outside of Montego Bay in the direction of Negril, Shayne told us all about the island and the culture. As we wound our way across the island, we were surrounded by the shimmering aquamarine sea on our right, and the lush greenery making it’s way up the mountains to our left. Between the “no worries” nature of the people and the scenery, I was immediately in love with Jamaica. With a population of approximately 3 million people, Jamaica doesn’t feel crowded, but the people definitely have an in-your-face attitude, which makes it a bit more intimidating than perhaps it needs to be. Despite being in an english speaking country, Jamaican is a whole different type of english that is quite difficult to understand. After 6 months in Latin America, I am fairly used to not understanding the locals talk to one another, so this wasn’t foreign to me. I am definitely adjusting to not saying “gracias” anymore though…. and remembering to throw my toilet paper in the toilet and not the garbage. Woops!
Upon arriving at Yoga Bless, we were introduced to Maki who would be our instructor and retreat leader for the next 4 days. She was an eclectic Czech girl who is married to a Rastfarian, and ran her business out of the guest house we were staying at. We took some time to get settled and then jumped into the sea for our first swim. It was refreshing and amazing all at the same time. After that, we had our first yoga session, which we did outside, under a lovely tree with the ocean only a few feet away. If this isn’t bliss, I don’t know what is. Following yoga, we had dinner with Maki, and then headed to bed to catch up on the sleep we had missed the night before.
The next 3 days went sort of like this: kundalini yoga practice in the morning, followed by breakfast, lounging in the sun, swimming, reading, lunch, siesta, more swimming, more sun, more reading, hatha yoga practice, and then dinner and good conversation to end the evening. Although it may not be everyone’s idea of a perfect trip to Jamaica, it was most definitely mine, and it was most definitely what I needed. On our final day at Yoga Bless, we set off to explore the Negril area with Shayne. We drove about an hour to a set of waterfalls where we swam, climbed on rocks, and jumped in pools. It was a refreshing and fun experience, and our guide was hilarious. I am pretty sure he was half monkey, as he climbed up to the highest branches of trees, launching himself off and doing multiple flips into the pools. He was also big into taking photos of Ryan and I, so we have some fairly awkward (some may say cute) photos of us. From there, we drove to the town of Negril and went to the famous Rick’s Cafe, where tourists can do cliff jumping from various heights. We were fortunate enough to see one of the Rick’s Cafe staff members dive from the highest point possible, much higher than guests are allowed to go. After Rick’s Cafe, we made our way to another little restaurant for some of Jamaica’s famous jerk chicken. After 3 days of eating only vegetarian food, the chicken was amazing. Jerk chicken is hard to describe, but it is basically really well roasted chicken with a bit of a spice to it. It came with Jamaican spinach, rice and beans, all of which were super tasty. Once we had finished our late lunch, we made our way back to Yoga Bless, chatting with Shayne a bit more about the rasta culture. He told us all about the ganja production in Jamaica, the “one love” philosophy and some of the history of Rastafarianism. It’s pretty insane to think that there was a time when the world thought that Bob Marley, his music, and what he stood for was actually doing harm. Personally, I’m digging the one love philosophy!
Upon returning to Yoga Bless, we had an evening yoga session, followed by a light dinner, and then were off to bed (we slept a lot in Jamaica). The following morning, we did our last yoga session, before packing up our bags and spending one last morning sea side in the sun. After lunch, we bid Maki a fond farewell, thanking her for an amazing last 4 days. Throughout the retreat, Maki helped us to connect with ourselves and with nature a little bit more, which was a refreshing change of pace. As well, we had the opportunity to taste most of Jamaica’s fruit, including Jamaican apple (like a pear), sour sop (like nothing I’ve ever had in Canada), mango, papaya, watermelon, pineapple, coconut, and banana. We also had the chance to try some of Jamaica’s specialty dishes, including ackee with salt fish, and some sort of delicious spinach dish. Needless to say, I would come back to Jamaica strictly for the cuisine!
Later in the afternoon, Shayne picked us up and drove us about half an hour towards Montego Bay to our next accomodation. This time around, we were staying at a family guesthouse up in the mountains. The family consisted of 2 English women (mother and daughter), a Jamaican husband, and 2 teenage English/Jamaican girls. Although staying at someone’s house is always awkward, it was a lovely place, with a nice pool, and a beautiful view of the mountains. On top of that, it was insanely quiet, which was exactly what we were looking for for the last 3 days of our trip. Our first evening spent there we caught a ride into Montego Bay, where we walked along the Hip Strip, which is basically a tourist strip with a few hotels, restaurants, and a ton of tourist shops. I have to say that the last 6 months has really changed my view of tourism, and this is not how I like to travel anymore. Despite this, we made the best of our time there, stopping to get some more jerk chicken, and to have a smoothie at the famous Margaritaville, while watching the sun set.
In order to get back to where we were staying, we had to walk about 15 minutes away from the hip strip and catch a taxi, which actually turned out to be a jam packed collectivo. It was a pretty overwhelming experience finding the right collectivo, and it wasn’t until a lovely older woman befriended us and assured us that she would get us home safely did I feel comfortable. Or as comfortable as one can be in a mini van packed with 35 locals and Ryan and I. People had warned us that Jamaica was quite dangerous, but I felt comfortable and safe throughout my time there, and I felt as though people were friendly and wanted to help. Perhaps coming from Latin American, where we had to fend off countless scams in Spanish, we were prepared for the worst! I really to believe that if you open up to the people in a country, they will open up to you as well, and this makes for a much better experience.
After 20 minutes in the collectivo, and a 15 minute walk, we made it back to our quiet little paradise and called it a night. The following day, we had a leisurely morning, sipping Jamaican coffee, enjoying a lazy breakfast, and sweltering in the sun. In the early afternoon, we headed to a horseback riding place, only to find out that the tour was fully booked and that we were going to have to come back the following day. This wouldn’t be a problem, except that getting around in Jamaica is not easy on your own. The taxis have weird route laws and private taxis that you can take are crazy expensive. Fortunately, we were able to catch a public bus into Montego Bay to grab some lunch, before heading back to Misty Valley, where we were staying. The afternoon was sweltering and a dip in the pool, followed by a siesta was definitely in order.
Our final day in Jamaica was spent at Chukka adventures doing horseback riding. It was Ryan’s first time on a horse, and my third, so we were both pretty nervous. The horses were well trained though and I didn’t have to do much except enjoying the stunning views of the island and the beautiful weather. After an hour riding (who am I kidding, the horses were walking!) through the jungle, we made our way into the sea, where we were submerged up to our waists. It was pretty difficult to balance, but also really fun. The only downside was the horse poop that swept up against our legs whenever a horse decided it was time to do its business. Nothing like connecting with nature…
Following the tour, we headed into Montego Bay for one final jerk chicken, before making our way back for one final relaxing evening. Over a backpacker dinner of apples and trail mix, we discussed how amazing the last 6 months has been, and how bittersweet it is to go home. Leaving home is never easy, but neither is coming home. For me, it is hard to step back into a world that feels so different after having so many life changing experiences. Nevertheless, I am excited to see my friends, and catch up on the last half year, as well as to eat some of my favorite foods in YYC. Plus, I just ran out of toothpaste. I think it’s a good sign that it’s time to head home when you’re out of toothpaste! 😉