An overview of Montego Bay
Greetings! Hope you are well! For this article we’re profiling the beautiful Montego Bay, the capital of St. James parish in northern Jamaica. I recently made a trip to this region, and will be sharing my experiences with you. Let’s do this!
Brief History and Economy
Montego Bay was originally inhabited by Taino Indians from South America, who welcomed Christopher Columbus in 1494. The name Montego Bay is believed to be derived from the Spanish name “Bahia de Mantega,” due to the large amounts of pig lard exported from the region. Montego Bay was later occupied by the British from the 15th century till Jamaica’s independence in 1962. During the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Montego Bay was known for its vast sugar cane plantations, and many of the Africans forced to leave their homes were sold here to work on these plantations. Some of the worst atrocities of the slave trade era happened in this region. Jamaica also had some of the strongest armed rebellions to European oppression during this period, including the notable Baptist War slave rebellion led by the legendary Sam Sharpe, one of Jamaica’s national heroes.
Today Montego Bay carries the lions share of Jamaica’s tourism revenue. Chinese and Indian immigrants own much of the retail in the city, while many of the locals work in the myriad of hotels and resorts that fuel Jamaica’s tourism sector.
Some fun facts about Montego Bay:
- Bob Marley was born and buried at Nine Mile, in St. Ann’s, about 2 hours away from Montego Bay.
- Montego Bay is the second largest city in Jamaica next to Kingston.
- Part of “Live and Let Die” in the James Bond movie franchise was shot in Montego Bay. In fact Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond adopted Jamaica as his winter home and penned many Bond novels in this region.
- Usain Bolt when to school in this region.
My Montego Bay Experience
I spent my trip at Montego Bay staying at the Hotel Riu Montego Bay, an awesome beachfront property with very friendly staff, an awesome freshwater water swimming pool with multiple bars, tons of dining areas, nighttime entertainment and beach activities.
The hotel’s beach was also pretty awesome, and I had the chance to do some pedal boating and kayaking in the ocean, play soccer/football on the beach and eat some great grilled jerk chicken and sausage by a grill master named Chop Chop.
One great attraction in Montego Bay is the White Witch of Rose Hall Haunted House. Legend has it that there was a manipulative, evil, crazy lady called Annee Palmer that practiced voodoo and murdered all her husbands to maintain control over a beautiful estate (pics below). The legend also has it that she slept with numerous slaves, and murdered scores of men and women. Her reign of terror ended when one of her lovers strangled her on her property. In recent years this story has been alleged to be fiction, but whether or not its true, it does go in line with the atrocities that happened during that era and makes for a great place to visit (would also make for a cool movie).
I also got the chance to check out Montego Bay’s downtown area. As we drove around I found there to be a lot of similarities between this location and the downtown areas in cities like Accra and Lagos. I saw the same kind of local buses, the same types of architecture, even the building construction process using cement and bricks is exactly the same.
It was pretty chill that the ocean was always in view no matter where you drove:
I also did some hiking through a location known as Spring Hill, which is a trail that leads to a freshwater spring funneled downstream which many of the locals use to wash their cars and collect water for storage.
While hiking I stopped by a friend’s family home, where I got the chance to try some Jamaican apples plucked right from the tree, and was introduced to a fruit called “Sweet Sop,” which supposedly has many health benefits.
My favorite beach during this trip was actually not at the hotel beachfront, but at a beach off the main highway called Burwood Beach. This beach was used by more locals than tourists, and is one of the cleanest, relaxing beaches I have ever been on. The water was a clear, perfect blue, the white sands were soft, the waves were just right, the water the perfect temperature and it was awesome meeting some of the fishermen bringing in the catches from the ocean. I could have stayed at this particular beach forever.
Can’t forget the Wray & Nephew rum I sipped on while relaxing at Burwood Beach, which made the experience all the better. Wray & Nephew rum I was told is the preferred rum among many locals in Jamaica.
Off a major highway I had a coconut, and was taught how to use the chopped off top of the coconut as a scooper to eat the coconut flesh.
I spent my last evening in Montego Bay having dinner at an amazing beachside bar and grill called the Appleton Estate. Our dining area was right on the water which was pretty awesome. I had a grilled parrot fish which was delicious, and their goat curry is also amazing.
Conclusion
Montego Bay and its surrounding areas are absolutely beautiful. Due to tourism being the main export, it almost seemed as if everyone there had a spirit of service, and every single person I met there greeted me with a warm smile. It’s fascinating that all the beauty on the island is steeped in a dark history stained with the evil of racism, but even with that fact in play, there was a defiant and proud spirit with the people that hit me as soon as I landed on the island (for example at the Montego Bay airport pictures of resistance leaders like Sam Sharpe greet new arrivals).
Another observation I made was how similar human beings are, no matter where you go. For example, Jamaican patois and pidgin English (West African, Hawaiian and so on) are very similar. Both forms of vernacular originated from the slave trade eras, and both forms involve intermingling English with local dialects.
Even lifestyles are similar across regions (e.g. the same peddlers/traders you’ll find hawking products on the beaches in Jamaica you’ll find on the streets of Nigeria, Ghana, South America, Brazil, India, even in major metros like New York (take a walk through Times Square and you’ll get the picture). We are all so similar as humans, which is why travelling and taking the time to understand people is one of the best weapons against ignorance.
I made some good friends on this trip, and got some much needed rest and relaxation. If you’re looking for a great spot to chillout for you or your family, Montego Bay is highly recommended.
I’ll leave you with the below video I shot after eating at the Appleton Estate. Enjoy.
If you want to see me getting into some martial arts on Montego Bay, click HERE to check out that experience on my martial arts blog, Martial Arts Around the World.
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