Kingston Travel Guide 2017 Is it safe to travel to Kingston?

There is no doubt that Kingston is beautiful. Some people say that Kingston is a slum, but after a trip there, I did not feel this way. The people there may not be very rich, but the people there are friendly.

Kingston is a city full of surprises, it is so full and vivid: rich colors, noisy streets, hot weather...but at the same time it is so relaxing and Lazy. This unique quality fascinates me. Hello! Kingston

Our plane landed at 8pm, and the first feeling after arriving was: a little bit at a loss. After exiting the airport lobby, we were suddenly surrounded by countless people asking if we wanted a taxi. We looked around and didn’t see any TAXI signs. We were a little panicked for a moment and rushed into the canteen. We wanted to buy a local phone card to contact the landlord first, but there were only The recharge card does not sell numbers. The person at the canteen told us not to panic. There are regular taxis outside. Just take one and someone from the airport will come to register. We were relieved and went out to answer the first one that came. The driver called a uniformed airport employee, wrote down the address we were going to, quoted us $80, and gave us a receipt. There was also free wifi in the car.

After getting in the car and setting off, the driver turned on the radio, and Dennis

Brown's Revolution flowed out of the speaker and lingered in the car. The boss said to me with satisfaction: "Here Don’t worry about not being able to listen to good music!”

The host and his wife were on a business trip. At night, our little daughter Lola, who was only over 1 year old, and her aunt Cenenchar, who was responsible for taking care of her, were waiting for us. The guest room we stayed in was a It is a small detached house, more than 100 meters away from the owner's house. It has its own living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, which is very comfortable. The host also thoughtfully prepared various drinks and fruits for us. We were very tired from running all the way and fell asleep early.

I woke up early the next morning and opened the door. Oh my God! The view is incredible!

This is the view from our house. The one on the right in the photo is The owner's big house.

This is the view from the terrace of the owner’s house. The picture quality on the mobile phone is terrible. You can see the whole of Kingston from here!

The owner has two dogs, both of whom are very affectionate. And obedient,

This is Lily.

This is Snoop.

Lola, the landlord’s daughter.

Mimies at home. Then one day we witnessed them flying up a rock wall more than two meters high to catch a gecko alive and then share the food together. Their great skills and half of the gecko still struggling in its mouth made me and Laohou exclaim. Cenenchar ran out in panic to check. After learning the reason, I was so happy that I felt happy. Bob

Marley Museum

We did some research and found that hiring a local driver to travel in Kingston for these three days is the most convenient and affordable way. Through the local driver recommended by the landlord (Because I was busy) I hired another driver, Birdy, recommended by my master. I called Birdy and said he could pick us up in half an hour. We made breakfast at home and the boss kept urging me to eat quickly. Eat, don't wait for us when the master comes. Half an hour later, I was pushed to the door of the yard with bacon still in my mouth. I played with Lily and Snoop for 10 minutes. Birdy still hadn't come. I called him and said there was something a little busy on the way. It would take another 10 minutes to get stuck, and then another 20 minutes... Birdy called and said it was almost there. I said let's start walking down by ourselves. You meet us on the road. I'm Chinese. The mountains and forests are so beautiful, and the air is so good. People passing by smiled and greeted us, as well as the sheep.

We strolled around taking pictures for half an hour and passed...

I saw one or two cars driving towards us from a distance. The driver leaned out the window with almost half of his body while driving and waving to us. This must be Birdy. When the car arrived, I saw that the door on one side was wrapped with transparent tape several times. The big smile on the master's face instantly dispelled our little dissatisfaction. We jumped on the car and we asked him to guess where we were going. He Without even thinking about it: "Bob

It's the Marley Museum!" Let's walk!

We entered the city and arrived at our destination in about 15 minutes, because we wanted to walk around as much as we wanted. I told Birdy that there was no need to wait for us and we would make an appointment later.

The museum is also the former residence of Bob Marley. Photography is not allowed inside. There will be a tour guide to take you around and explain to you all kinds of interesting things about that year and how Bob wrote songs to rebel against his neighbors. , he is a Rasta (believing in Tafarian) vegetarian and does not drink alcohol. He only drinks fruit and vegetable juices every day. The doorstep is where he smokes marijuana and relaxes every day. Along the walls covered with classic posters, you enter the recording studio that only his children are allowed to enter, and the bullet holes left in the wall when the killers shot him have not been repaired. Everything is very well preserved. Listening to Bob

Marley's classics one after another, it feels like you are really going back in time and getting an immersive glimpse into the master's life.

At the end of the visit, we came to a screening room and watched a documentary about Rafari, telling people to love everyone and the people around them.

After the tour, the tour guide taught everyone some pronunciation tips for the Jamaican accent. You must know that the Jamaican accent is extremely popular in Europe, especially in the UK. Finally, we were reminded to say goodbye to each other after paying the tip.

When I left, I saw the uncle in the middle of the picture below in the yard. His name is Bongo

Herman is a musician who also appeared in the movie Rockers. His current job They sell CDs and records in the yard. They are super funny and interact with tourists all the time. The old man picked out a piece of vinyl and asked for a price of 20 US dollars. He wanted to bargain, but the uncle couldn't even get a word out, so he had no choice but to hand over the money.

The next stop we planned for the day was Devon House, home to the first black millionaire in Jamaica - George Stiebel

's residence. And the ice cream at the door is known as the fourth in the world! It is less than one kilometer away from the Bob

Marley Museum, but the weather is too hot (really, I am a person who is not afraid of cold at all and I like sunbathing) , but the sun in Kingston was so poisonous that I could see the streets being distorted by the hot air.) So I discussed with Lao Hou: "How about we hail a taxi?" Unexpectedly, he refused. : "I can see what kind of car I'm driving at this close!" I breathed hot air directly over my head, shook him off and walked straight forward. This guy followed silently behind me until he got there and then he came to pull me. I turned away angrily. I was about to scold him when I heard him exclaim: "Baby, why is your face turning purple?!" I felt the heat was unbearable: "It must be hot! I'm going to have heat stroke! I have to go." Anywhere with air conditioning!" The old man panicked and pulled me and told me to go directly to the KFC across the street. As soon as I opened the door of KFC, a wave of heat hit me! I looked closely and saw that people waiting to order food were lined up at the door, let alone trying to find a seat. So we walked forward and entered a fast food restaurant selling fish dishes with a small family.

I spread out on my seat and sent the waiter to order some drinks and food. After drinking ice coke and tasting fried shrimp, I didn't know what spices were added to it, but it went straight to my forehead, and it actually pushed out the heat in my head. I finally came to life.

The street vendor in front of the fish shop. When I went out, I complimented him on his style and spent two yuan to buy a pair of headphones. But when I took a photo, he even asked me for one. (USD)

This should be the center of a town. Both sides of the road are crowded with vendors selling their stalls loudly to passers-by. It’s very noisy. I felt a little uncomfortable at first, but I found that everyone looked at me. Everyone I interact with smiles, and no one tries to force me to do anything, so I quickly feel relaxed.

But after almost suffering a heat stroke, I can’t go anywhere today. We called Birdy to pick us up. He said he would be there in 20 minutes and asked us to go shopping in the supermarket opposite and wait for him. An hour later... Birdy came to pick us up.

Birdy’s car.

After I got home, I turned on the air conditioner and lay on the bed. The heat in Kingston overwhelmed me. The last time I looked at the time before falling asleep was 6 pm...

The next day I woke up early and learned my lesson. I had two Huoxiang Zhengqi (my mother stuffed them into my bag before the trip). Yesterday I made an appointment with Birdy to pick us up at 9 o'clock. City, Lao Hou went to stand at the gate at 9 o'clock. I went to lie down by the swimming pool and asked him to wait for the bus to arrive before calling me. I told him that I would bet you 100 yuan that Birdy would not arrive before 9:30. He looked at the sky and thought 5 Seconds, you don’t dare to bet with me. I came back at 9:30 and lay down by the pool. At 10:10, we got in the car and set off.

If I were to use one word to describe Kingston, it would be colorful. There are no high-rise buildings here. You can see some modern buildings in the new town, but most of the houses are older. Each house is painted with different colors of paint. Palm trees and colorful flowers are planted everywhere.

When we arrived in the old town, Birdy told us to hold on to our phones and be careful with our belongings. I asked nervously: "If someone robs me, do I use a knife or a gun?" Birdy happily told me: "No one They will rob you. On the contrary, when people see you as a tourist, many people will offer to help you. However, the old city is still relatively backward and the security is relatively poor. Petty thefts happen from time to time. The most serious thing may be to seize your mobile phone. Just run." After hearing this, I felt relieved, just don't hurt me.

After visiting the old town, we came to Studio at the request of Laohou

One, the first recording studio in Jamaica and a very famous record label, people call it Jamaica Motown, many famous records were recorded here, such as Ernest Ranglin's Surfin, Bob Marley, the Skatalites, Tools and the Maytals, etc. all recorded here.

StudioOne is located in Orange

Street, which is a famous music street in Kingston. There are many recording studios and many music-related shops here. A must-visit for fans of reggae music.

We then went to Plaza de Espa?a. In the past two days, I noticed that there were many Asian faces in Kingston, not just tourists.

Birdy told us that Chinese immigrants began to immigrate to Jamaica in the mid-19th century. They and some of their descendants intermarried with locals, so there are many Chinese and locals with Chinese ancestry in Kingston. Lao Hou told me that he had seen a documentary about the Chinese influence on reggae music. Many of the musicians mentioned in it were of Chinese descent.

The heat in Jamaica is really unbearable. It was just 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I felt dizzy. The effectiveness of those two Huoxiang Zhengqi has been completely exhausted. I told Lao Hou that I have to go home. : "Can't have dinner again?! Can we still go up the stairs tonight? At least go to a restaurant." When I got home, I went straight to the swimming pool and had jerk chicken from a small restaurant in the village for dinner. It was delicious! By 8 o'clock I had fallen asleep. Pirate Island - Port Royal

On the third day, I made an appointment with Birdy to meet at 9 o'clock. We got up at 8:30, had breakfast, played with the cat, swam, and walked the dog, and went to the gate to feed the dog at 10 o'clock. After a while, Birdy's car arrived.

The sky changed as soon as we got in the car, and dark clouds suddenly covered the sky. Birdy proposed to take us to Pirate Island, which is Port Royal. It is next to the airport and separated from Kingston by a piece of sea water. It was originally the same island. A piece of land, in June 1692 a series of very serious earthquakes caused sea water to flood the land between the towns on the island. This was once a paradise for pirates and was once called "the most evil city on earth." It probably didn’t rain there, and we had no plans anyway, so we happily accepted the proposal and set off towards the Pirate Island.

When we arrived at the airport and looked across the sea to Kingston, we could see the large dark clouds pressing down.

We don’t know much about the history of Jamaica, so we asked Birdy if he could tell us about Pirate Island and Kingston. Birdy said don’t worry, I’m not good at explaining it, I’ll find someone to tell you. When we got to the town and parked the car, Birdy said, I will take you to find Rasta

Man. He has lived here all his life and knows the history very well. We found the canteen opened by Rastaman, but because we didn’t tell him beforehand, It was agreed that only her daughter would be here to look after the store. We just walked around and waited for him.

After a while, RastaMan came back.

What a stylish person!

Looking at me taking pictures of him, he said, wait, come on, let me put down the dreadlocks that I have had for 38 years and take pictures for you. 38 years old, I should have gone bald long ago.

What I admire is not only the 38-year-old dreadlocks, but also the fact that he doesn’t wear shoes! He said he didn’t remember wearing shoes, not to mention whether he had his feet pierced or not. The key is the sun in Kingston. The ground temperature is definitely enough to fry a steak! I remember that I went to the bathroom that day, and I was soaked because of the heat. After I went to the bathroom, I couldn’t pull up my denim shorts. After struggling for a while, the three of them even found an aunt. Come in and see if anything happens to me.

Rasta

Man took us to visit the church and the port museum, and told us about the luxury and depravity of the pirates in their heyday, as well as the earthquake that buried 2/3 of the city under the sea. , its glory disappeared overnight. It is said that as the city was buried under the sea, there were countless treasures. To this day, the search for the treasures of Port Royal continues.

This colorful house is RastaMan’s canteen. If you go to Port Royal one day, you will definitely benefit a lot from chatting with him for a while.

We had a delicious fish stew together at the port restaurant. Later, I looked at me with dull eyes and asked, "We can't have a party tonight, right?"

It's a pity that we didn't go to the party. In the evening, we were by the swimming pool with Cenenchar and the gardener of the house. Chatting with the guys, they told me that the parties in Kingston are great. People from all over the world enjoy music together, and in recent years, many Japanese and Chinese music fans can be seen at parties. Alas, only next time. Blue Mountains

The next morning, Birdy picked us up and headed towards Kingston, heading towards the Blue Mountains.

We stopped for a cup of delicious Blue Mountain coffee.

Soldiers training, this weather is really hard.

We continued to set off, and after a while, the Blackstone Inn arrived! We hugged Birdy goodbye and were very happy to have his company these days. However, Lao Hou and I have a good rapport, and I still don’t dare to ask him out again when we go to the airport.

This photo was taken from my airbnb. It is really a paradise on earth. The owner Sheryl lives in the house in the middle. There are ten wooden houses around it. A small stream flows down from the mountain. Passing through the inn, we swam in the creek every day, listening to the sound of running water and the chirping of birds, and breathing in the smell of the forest.

After throwing away our luggage, we couldn’t wait to run out and wander around. It was off-season when we came, and we were the only two residents at the time. It was so comfortable. When we walked across the wooden bridge over the creek, I saw a group of ducks. After playing in the water, I walked up the mountain and followed to have a look. I followed the duck to a wooden house. When I looked up, an old man covered in blood suddenly appeared with a big knife. I was so scared that I screamed and sat on the ground. . The uncle and Lao Hou Le behind me were leaning forward and backward. It turned out that this was the small farm of the inn, and the uncle was killing chickens to prepare lunch for us two. After reacting, I was also happy for a long time.

Drink a bottle of local cold beer by the stream!

I can’t wait to jump into the water to cool down.

Open-air bubble bathtub

We didn’t arrange anything for the next day. We just swam in the inn, basked in the sun, and entertained the ducks. A little goat came curiously into our house. Come say hello.

On the last day, we hired a local guide to take us on foot to Rasta Camp on the top of the mountain. About thirty years ago, a group of believers climbed to the top of the mountain to avoid the city and set up camp. , established their own small village. In recent years, they secretly connected wires from the mountain to get electricity. Of course, there is no Internet or TV. They have their own Rastafari church and their own vegetable plot. Everyone is self-sufficient, and at the same time, it is also friendly to tourists. Opening to increase some income, more than 300 people currently live there. Children in the village will go down the mountain to go to school, and when they grow up, they can choose to stay or leave the village to work in the city. The bartender of our inn

Jay is the son of the leader of RastaCamp. He came to the mountain to find a job when he was 18 last year. Several of his brothers and sisters have left the mountain.

Our guide Jason met us on time at eight in the morning, and the three of us set off to the top of the mountain together. We passed several coffee plantations on the way, and saw coffee trees and fresh coffee beans for the first time in our lives.

We passed several small villages on the way. The children greeted us warmly. The road conditions were good and bad, but they were surrounded by green trees, various plants, flowers, hummingbirds gathering nectar, and small streams that we had never seen before. After about an hour, the road where cars could pass had come to an end. Jason told us that we needed to go now. It was getting a little harder. I looked up and saw that the top of the mountain was still far away. The next road was really hard for me. Many times I asked Lao Hou and Jason to help me, one pushing and the other pulling to climb the hillside. People loudly encouraged me to jump over the river. Finally, after another hour, Jason said: "Listen, the music is playing, it's the weekend party in the village, it's almost here!" I sat on a rock and gasped, "This is it." There is a school on the mountain next to our inn. The children in the village have to spend two hours every day to go to school and come back after school. They don’t live in the school either?” Jason replied: “Uh... you have to crawl. More than two hours, the children here only need less than half an hour with us..."

Oh...I really need to start working out when I get back!

Finally arrived! The ticket for tourists to enter the village seems to be 20 US dollars. The church in the village was praying, and the little girl who received us told us that we could go in and visit, but she asked me to put on their robes and their hats. Moreover, it costs $1 to take a photo and $5 to record a video. We didn’t record a video, but we took a lot of photos. The church was very casual, with several people taking turns to teach. I saw people coming in and out at any time. A few boys around me felt particularly unfocused. One kept making faces at me, and the other kept distracted.

From Zhaizi leader.

Although it was a hard journey, we felt it was very worthwhile to be able to understand the Rastafari life so closely. It was not easy for me to go down the mountain, and it took almost two hours, so I gave up on the coffee plantation I was going to on the return trip.

Back at the inn, I saw a lot of cars parked. It turned out to be Saturday, and many people came from the city to spend the weekend. A group of people were practicing yoga on the terrace next to the restaurant, and there were also a few people in the creek. The older girl is swimming with the ducks.

We had an early morning flight the next day and made an appointment with Bartender

Jay took us to the airport at 6 o'clock. We dragged our luggage to the door on time and saw Jay already waiting for us and got in the car. , he said that I would play some music for you. Lao Hou was looking forward to it. As a result, American teen pop music came from the speakers. We secretly sighed that we experienced the primitive life of his father in the village yesterday, and the young man This generation is already absorbing the new culture and trends in the outside world.

Goodbye Kingston, looking forward to seeing you again next time! Itinerary plan and main expenses

I didn’t do enough homework before coming. Historically, it served as the base camp for pirates in the Caribbean. , was once notorious and known as "the most evil city in the world". A lot of information on the Internet also made me feel that the public security environment in Kingston is very bad, so when choosing accommodation, I chose outside the city. Facts have proved that I was completely over-worry. The security in Kingston is not as good as that in Beijing, but I think it is better than many places in Europe, even better than Paris. I will describe it in detail later.

We flew from Aruba to Kingston, stayed for 6 nights, and then flew from Kingston to the Bahamas.

Aruba-Kingston: Insel Airlines, Curacao transfer ***4 hours, 1713RMB/person.

Kingston-Nassau: caribbean Airlines, 1521RMB/person.

Accommodation for the first three nights: an independent house for guests to stay in a large manor on the mountainside booked on airbnb, ***3108RMB.

Accommodation for the next three nights: a cabin in an inn on Blue Mountain, ***3374RMB. Daily consumption

Exchanging money: The US dollars we brought could be exchanged at the bank for almost 1 US dollar for 120 Jamaican dollars. But you can basically use U.S. dollars directly everywhere in the city, but the exchange rate is much different. In better places, you can get Jamaican dollars at 1:110, but most of them use 1:100.

Travel: The distance from the airport to your home by regular taxi is almost 2.5 times that from the airport to the city center, and costs 80 US dollars.

From the second day on, we hired a local guy to drive us everywhere, and it didn’t cost more than $40 a day. Note that Kingston is right-hand drive, the opposite of us.

Eat: We only went to mid- to low-end restaurants, with each meal ranging from ten to fifty dollars.

Tipping: 10%-20%, people in many places will remind you not to forget.

Communication: I’ve been putting off writing my travel notes for so long and I can’t remember clearly. I think I used a Chinese card to make calls. Neither China Unicom nor China Mobile have daily caps, so we turned off 4G. Yes, just use your home wireless connection.