Jamaica: Local Life, Unexpected Adventures, and a Little Luxury

A $1 taxi ride that was briefly going to cost us $20. Mosquitoes that had to be electrocuted before bedtime. People flying over our heads on a rope swing. A buggy ride that ended with a full 360. And a Japanese cooking performance I never intended to give.

Welcome to our Jamaica trip.

We were house sitting outside Ocho Rios, which gave us a chance to experience Jamaica a little differently from the visitors coming in on cruise ships or heading straight to the all-inclusive resorts. We lived in a neighborhood, bought groceries, rode the local taxis, and made friends. We also found time for an off-road adventure and an overnight stay at a resort that was just plain wonderful.

Two very different kinds of Jamaica. Same trip. We wouldn’t have wanted to miss either one.

Our House Sit: Apparently 96 Degrees Can Still Be Cooler

Our house was in a small gated subdivision outside Ocho Rios. Don’t picture an enormous entrance with security guards and a long palm-lined drive. Think maybe ten homes close together, shared clotheslines, and neighbors who recognized one another. Before long, they recognized us, too.

The house wasn’t luxury, and we knew we weren’t booking a resort. But we did have a fairly standard set of questions we asked before accepting a house sit. One of them seemed especially reasonable for Jamaica: Was there air conditioning?

The homeowners’ answer was, “We’re up on the hill about 2,000 feet above sea level. It’s cooler.”

That’s an interesting answer to a yes-or-no question.

I suppose they were right. Cooler than 96 degrees can still be awfully hot and sticky, though. There was no air conditioning, so at night we opened the balcony door to get some air moving through the bedroom. The view from that balcony, looking out over the jungle, was gorgeous. The mosquitoes apparently agreed about the accommodations.

And these were some of the biggest mosquitoes we have ever heard. That’s right. Heard. They were that loud.

We had a mosquito net over the bed and an electric bug-zapping racquet. Every night we’d climb into bed, tuck ourselves under the net, and start swinging that racquet around inside it.

Pop. Sizzle. Pop.

We didn’t stop until we couldn’t hear any more pops or sizzles. That was our all-clear signal. Only then could we go to sleep, reasonably confident we were alone under the net.

Romantic Caribbean getaway, right?

The funny thing is that we loved that house sit. Maybe not every minute between sundown and the last mosquito, but the neighborhood and the people were wonderful. We met neighbors, ate at little local restaurants, and got to experience ordinary life in a place most tourists only visit for a week.

And the people we met changed the trip far more than an air conditioner would have.

The $1 Route Taxi and the $20 Tourist Fare

Getting around Ocho Rios was part of the experience. We used Jamaica’s route taxis, which are a little like a city bus system operated with cars. They follow designated routes, pick people up along the way, and take you in the direction you’re going.

We learned to recognize the black-and-white checkerboard markings, because depending on whether we wanted to go toward town or head home, we’d stand on the appropriate side of the road outside our subdivision and wait.

There was just one small problem. We looked exactly like two Americans who had wandered away from their cruise ship and now needed rescuing.

A driver would pull over, take one look at us, and quote $20 to get back to town.

At the time we were there, the route taxi fare was $1 per person.

Quite the exchange rate for looking confused.

All we had to do was remind the driver that we knew he was operating a route taxi. His expression would change, and suddenly the fare was a dollar each. Funny how that worked.

Now, a dollar bought transportation, not personal space. That driver would stop for EVERYONE waiting beside the road. Just when you thought nobody else could possibly fit, somebody else did. Eventually we were cheek to cheek, top and bottom, sharing a very small car with a very large portion of Jamaica.

FUN!

My favorite ride happened after a grocery-shopping trip in town. Ocho Rios has a route taxi station where you find the line for the direction you’re heading and wait your turn. We found ours and climbed in with our bags.

By the time we left the station, we were squeezed in with five Jamaican schoolgirls heading home from school. Five schoolgirls, two American grocery shoppers, our bags, and the driver. As we went along, we dropped each girl at her home before finally getting back to ours.

We’d gone out for groceries and ended up sharing the afternoon school commute.

That was Jamaica for us. Not a sightseeing attraction. Just another day in somebody else’s everyday life, and one of the things we still smile about.

Spanish Bridge: Our Neighbor Knew Where to Go

Shortly after we arrived, our next-door neighbor introduced himself. One day he called over to say he was going to Spanish Bridge with his eight-year-old son and asked if we wanted to come.

Of course we did.

So there we were, two American tourists arriving at a local swimming spot in our Jamaican neighbor’s car, with his son along for the ride. Whatever we might have looked like in our bright, unmistakably American bathing suits, we’d come with someone everyone knew. We were welcomed right in.

Spanish Bridge was beautiful. The water was clear and shallow enough for us to sit and soak while people around us enjoyed the river. We were having a wonderful time when we noticed the entertainment overhead.

People were jumping from the bridge with an enormous rope tied to a tree on the far side of the river. The rope looked about a hundred feet long. They’d swing out over the water, sail right over our heads, and let go at what appeared to be the very last possible second.

From their point of view, this was apparently a perfectly normal afternoon.

From ours, we were sitting in the river cringing each time somebody came swinging toward us, thinking they were about to land in our laps. One mistimed release and the afternoon would have taken a completely different turn.

They knew what they were doing. We were just happy to watch.

Quite the show with our soak.

And what stays with me is how we got there. Our neighbor didn’t have to invite us. He could have taken his son and gone about his day. Instead, he brought us along, and we got something no resort brochure could have arranged quite the same way.

Locals are fearless. We were soaking and nervous.

Yaaman: A Buggy (UTV) Ride, a 360, and a Whole Lot of Mud

We also booked the Yaaman Buggy Adventure and Secret Blue Hole River Tour. Before choosing our day, we checked the cruise ship schedule for Ocho Rios and picked a day with no ships in port. We figured we’d have a better chance of avoiding the crowds.

That part of the plan worked.

The weather, however, had been working on a plan of its own. It had rained for a couple of days, turning the buggy trails into a swamp. It wasn’t the kind of off-road ride where you’re admiring the scenery while bouncing over a few harmless bumps.

These trails were so slick that at times we honestly didn’t know whether the buggy was about to slide toward a tree or another vehicle. Linda did a LOT of screaming. I did a LOT of laughing. We were having an absolute blast, even if steering and forward momentum didn’t always seem interested in cooperating.

Toward the end, we managed a full 360-degree spin. A complete circle. Pretty much the perfect ending to that ride.

I’m fairly sure somebody started calling me “Crazy Matt” behind my back. Fair enough.

Linda screamed. Matt laughed. Mud won.

Linda screamed. Matt laughed. Mud won.

But we weren’t finished. Not even close.

The Secret Blue Hole: Our Own Little Jungle Spa

The second part of our Yaaman adventure took us to the Secret Blue Hole River.

After the buggy ride, we parked our vehicle and climbed aboard a jitney, a small tram pulled by a tractor, to reach the river.

Yes, a tractor.

We had just spent part of the day sliding around on muddy trails, and now we were riding a tractor-pulled tram into the jungle.

You have to love Jamaica.

The river itself was beautiful. Narrow, tucked into the jungle, with waterfalls and rushing water moving over the rocks. Some of the sections had what I’m calling rapids, because that’s exactly what they felt like.

And remember our decision to visit on a day without cruise ships in port?

This was where that little bit of planning really paid off.

The place felt almost like our own private excursion.

We weren’t sharing the river with a huge crowd, and we could simply enjoy being there. After the noise and excitement of the buggy ride, it was an entirely different experience.

The water was wonderful. You could stand in the rushing current and let it wash over you, giving you what amounted to a bath and a massage at the same time.

Think about that for a moment.

We’re in the Jamaican jungle, surrounded by beautiful waterfalls and rushing water, getting a massage from a river.

And nobody is standing there asking whether we’d like to upgrade to the deluxe spa package.

Jungle spa. No appointment needed.

It was one of our favorite combinations of the trip. First the messy, ridiculous, laugh-out-loud buggy ride. Then the chance to relax and enjoy a beautiful river tucked away in the jungle.

Two completely different experiences in one excursion.

And we loved both of them.

Jungle spa. No appointment needed.

One Night at Jewel Dunn’s River, Almost Two Days of Luxury

After the house sit, the local taxis, the swimming hole, and the buggy adventure, we decided to do something completely different.

We booked one night at Jewel Dunn’s River Resort.

The wonderful part was that we arrived early on the first day and stayed late the next, enjoying the resort amenities before check-in and after checkout. One night in a room gave us almost two full days of beach, pool, food, and someone else taking care of things.

And holy cow, did we enjoy it.

The beach was stunning. The pool was everything we’d hoped for. The staff made us feel like we were the only people there, and the food was outstanding. After a hot house sit that involved preparing for sleep with an electric racquet, it felt pretty good to trade the mosquito net for a resort stay.

No apologies. We love that side of travel, too.

My favorite moment came at the Japanese teppanyaki restaurant. I’ve always loved watching the chef prepare dinner on that big grill right in front of everybody. It’s dinner and a show.

This time, though, a few sake bombs showed up.

For the record, I did not ask for them.

After a few of those unexpected sake bombs, the chef let me do some of the cooking. So there I was, at a beautiful Jamaican resort, putting on a Japanese cooking show of my own.

I’m not sure a few sake bombs qualify as culinary training, but apparently they were sufficient for the occasion.

We’d booked a room to enjoy some luxury. We got that, and I got a story I’m still telling.

An important update: Jewel Dunn’s River was redeveloped and reopened as Sandals Dunn’s River in May 2023. Our experience was at the former resort, so today’s amenities, restaurants, and guest policies may differ.

Nervous system reset. No guilt.

The Jamaica We’d Go Back For

When I think of Jamaica now, I don’t remember one hotel or one excursion.

I remember the balcony above the jungle and our nightly pop-and-sizzle routine. The five schoolgirls riding home beside our groceries. The neighbor who took us to Spanish Bridge and the people flying over our heads while we soaked in the river.

I remember Linda screaming as the buggy spun around, the rushing water at the Secret Blue Hole, and those completely unrequested sake bombs.

The beach and resort were wonderful. So was everything that happened outside them.

HELL YEAH, THAT WAS A HOUSE SIT! 🇯🇲

That’s the Jamaica we’d go back for.

And that’s what we’d encourage you to consider if you’re planning a trip to Ocho Rios. Enjoy the beautiful resorts, wonderful food, and Caribbean beaches. But give yourself a chance to experience some of the ordinary life and unexpected adventures beyond them.

You might discover that the best part of the trip wasn’t something you originally planned.

For us, sometimes all it took was going grocery shopping.

And if you’re wondering how house sitting made this kind of travel possible, our House Sitting 101 article explains how it works, what it costs, and what we’d want to know before accepting a sit.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.
With love and laughter,
Matt & Linda

---

Another island that surprised us: Aruba Beyond the Beaches