Trip Schedule:
- Sunday, March 11, 2012 – Arrive early evening in Montego Bay (MoBay) from Florida
- Monday, March 12, 2012 – Half Day Trip to Historic MoBay; Rose Hall Great House Ghost Tour
- Tuesday, March 13, 2012 – Rockland Bird Sanctuary; Wedding
- Wednesday, March 14, 2012 – Fly Home
View from Resort
I’m not going to lie. When I learned that my dad was getting remarried in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and the family was invited, I wasn’t that excited. Never one to say no to getting a stamp in my passport, Jamaica was just never a place that was anywhere on my radar of places I wanted to visit. I could probably list 30 or more countries that I’d rather visit before Jamaica would even be on my list. But… in the spirit of traveling, adventure, and family, off we were to Jamaica.
But before we visited the land of Reggae, Rastafari, Bob Marley, and “ya’mon”, we first needed to figure out what kind of adventures awaited us. We’re not resort people. We’re not sit-at-the-beach-and-drink-all-day people. Lazy River? No thanks. And we’re not ones for large crowds, particularly when the majority are people who never travel. So after much research, we found several things that were appealing to us and would feed our adventurous souls.
Unfortunately, the logistics and time just didn’t allow. For those who do have time, the things that appealed heavily to us were hiking Blue Mountain Peak, kayaking the Black River, and exploring the Green Grotto Caves. I even found a coffee plantation that we could stay at up in the blue mountains. But the distance, time, and logistics from Montego Bay just didn’t allow for any of those things.
Our trip to Montego Bay was short. Really short. We also had family visit us in Florida on the front end of the trip, travel with us to Montego Bay, and return home with us after the trip. That’s a lot of family all at one time. So we kept the trip to Jamaica short, and tried not to think about the amount of money we were spending in 3 nights could have gotten us 8 or more days in a Central American country.
View from Resort
Steel Band
Our 2 ½ days in Montego Bay ended up being memorable, despite my initial reluctance. We arrived in the early evening in time to eat dinner at the resort and find seats outside to enjoy a performance by a steel band and fire breathing woman. We enjoyed catching up with some family and settling in.
Our first full day in Montego Bay was packed with visiting historic areas of MoBay, checking out the market, visiting the old fort, and taking a ghost tour at night.
Historic Area
The Dome
As seasoned travelers, we decided to take a cab to historic Montego Bay and do a self-guided walking tour that I’d found online. We’d read all about how unsafe it was outside the confines of the resorts, don’t go out alone, high risk of mugging, being raped, etc., etc., etc. But we figured it wasn’t going to be any more unsafe than some of the other places we’ve been to before, and weren’t overly concerned with danger. However, at the last minute, a couple of family members decided to join us, and since they were not-so-seasoned at traveling, we agreed to hire a driver to take us around to up the safety factor. I still say that if you’re seasoned, and aware of smart traveling, it’s perfectly fine to walk around in the real Montego Bay.
While we weren’t overly impressed with the historic areas of MoBay, they were still worth checking out, and in our opinion, better than staying at the resort.
Our driver took us on a scenic drive, giving us some history and details of the region. In MoBay, we stopped to visit the following:
- The Dome. Built in 1837, this brick building guarded the creek that supplied most of the city’s water. The “Keeper of the Creek” resided in the dome until the river shifted in the late 19th century.
- James Parish Church. An 18th century church that includes an old pipe organ, and many stained glass windows. When visiting and signing yourself in as a guest, please remember to leave the pen. It’s a church after all and there’s no need to steal the pen (see picture).
- The Cage. Built in 1806, the cage was a temporary prison for slaves and disorderly vagrants. According to history, slaves found wandering the town after 3p were locked up in the cage.
- The Fort (Fort Montego). This old fort once guarded Montego Bay Harbor, and today you can see the remains of the artillery store and a few preserved cannons.
- Craft Market. Next to the old fort is the craft market, where you can wander and weave your way around looking for a few gifts and souvenirs of your time in Jamaica.
St. James Church
Seriously… Leave the Pen
St. James Church
View of Montego Bay
We returned to the resort midday, in time for some drinks and naps. In the evening several of us went on a ghost tour of the Rose Hall Great House. The house was built in 1770, and was eventually the dwelling of a woman named Annee, who possessed “black magic” powers. She apparently had a habit of killing her husbands with her magic, as she went through 3 in total, and as dubbed “The White Witch of Rose Hall.” I probably enjoyed this tour more than I should have, and likely that was because I was doing it with my family. It was kind of cheesy at times, but the history and building itself was pretty neat. https://rosehall.com/tours/rose-hall-great-house-night-tour/
Rose Hall Great House
Rose Hall Great House
Looking for Orbs
Rose Hall Great House
Our second full day in MoBay provided adventure to Rocklands Bird Sanctuary, and ended with a family wedding. If you enjoy birds at all, Rocklands Bird Sanctuary is well worth visiting, and provides a very unique experience. It’s not the easiest place to get to, and the road you’ll travel on is quite steep, and very rugged. But just sit back, hang on, and let your driver maneuver the way. Once you’re there, you’re able to explore the grounds, bird watch, and best of all, feed wild hummingbirds and grass quits right out of your hands. Our host was great at walking with us and pointing out the various birds in the area, and we left having seen many new types of birds we’d never seen before. This was by far our favorite thing we did in Montego Bay. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rocklands-Bird-Sanctuary/102659889789115
Jamaican Streamertail Hummingbird
Jamaican Streamertail Hummingbird
Oriole, Bananaquit & and Orangequit
Jamaican Vireo
Birds Sighted: Jamaican Mango, Red-Billed Streamertail, Caribbean Dove, Vervain Hummingbird, Jamaican Woodpecker, Jamaican Vireo, White-Chinned Thrush, Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Bananaquit, Black-Faced Grassquit, Orangequit, Jamaican Oriole.
We returned to the resort in time for some exploring of the historic 18th century Rose Hall Aqueduct which was once used to move sugar cane to waiting boats in the harbor. This aqueduct is simply stunning, and made for beautiful pictures.
Rose Hall Aqueduct
Rose Hall Aqueduct
View from Aqueduct
Rose Hall Aqueduct
After exploring, we had enough time to take short naps, clean up and get ready for the real reason we were in Jamaica. It was wedding time. And I do have to say, I have one good looking family, and it was memorable to be together in the land of “ya mon” and “no problem.”
Wedding Bouquet
Montego Bay Beach
Sunflowers and Fog 