Episode 5: On Backpacking Jamaica in 2017

So I decided to spend five weeks in Jamaica. Why Jamaica?

1) I adore Jamaican culture and hoped to experience it fully

2) I wanted to see if it’s possible to safely explore on a budget

There’s little information out there for backpackers so here's my two cents on how to get the best from your time on this amazing island.

CLICK HERE to meet Rick from Arizona

Sorry if you found Rick upsetting, I confess he’s something of a hero - driving past Hedonism II was a special moment. Love him though I do; he’s emblematic of the 'Resort Tourism' that thrives here.

Hedonism II (as infamous as the name suggests) is one of numerous 'All-inclusives' - luxury hotel complexes that have carved up the coastline beach-by-beach...where men like Rick enjoy the rippin' and the tearin'...and women too - Google ’Rent-a-Rasta’ for further info ;)

Other touristic hot-spots Ocho Rios and Montego Bay dock on the daily with some of the world’s largest cruise ships...offloading thousands of half-day visitors - fanny-packed and sun-lotion-smeared with dollars to burn.

These (largely American) tourists ride the 'Jamaican Resort Theme Park'... Bob Marley souvenirs, Jerk Chicken and Red Stripes served by minimum-wage workers; well trained to smile wide and reassure that ‘Jamaica no problem, mon’...a popular phrase reserved for tourists.

But Jamaica does have serious problems- in fact the saying has a particular irony amongst natives who feel that life is only problems for them.

Estimates put 20% of the population below the poverty line, with stagnant economic growth and expensive imported food/fuel ensuring a hand-to-mouth existence for many...compounded by high youth unemployment (30%) which fuels gang violence, most notoriously in and around Kingston.

And so Jamaica can be seen as two countries to explore- the artificial, Americanised bubbles of Resort Jamaica...and the rest of the country- Real Jamaica.

Understanding this duality is central to making the most of your time on the island.

For instance, the national currency is the Jamaican Dollar, but in Resort Jamaica US$ are mostly spent by tourists...often paying inflated sums.

And so the worst thing about backpacking Resort Jamaica (aside from the added expense and inauthenticity) is how every other Jamaican (man) is on the hustle.

As a backpacker, I’m ever on the lookout to make new friends, but being seen as a cash cow to be milked limits my chances.

Therefore I advise you to minimise your time in Resort Jamaica.

If you go, check out these great budget hostels with beds for $15-20 per night:

Ochie Rios Reggae Hostel

Montego Bay Togetherness

Negril Judy House

If not Resort Jamaica then WHERE?

#1 PORT ANTONIO

Hands down the best place in Jamaica. Amazing food, paradise beaches and friendly locals. I reccomend Porty Hostel run by Stefano, a lovely Italian guy who set up shop here a couple of years ago. If you have two weeks in Jamaica enjoy a week here along the east coast.

#2 BLUE MOUNTAINS

I only spent a day in this sacred mountain range, touring a coffee plantation. Next time I'll trek the peak via the famous guesthouse Whitfield Hall. A little expensive, but totally worth it from what I hear.

#3 KINGSTON

Stay with Syl Gordon at his Dancehall Hostel, where international dance students come to learn and party with Jamaica’s most talented. Take a private lesson and then join the entourage to hit up Kingston’s livest sound systems - 7 nights a week. You will see some things.  

Other important advice:

# You will never be as cool as a Jamaican...but at least you can try....learn the thumb-click handshake...at all times be ready to declare ‘Respect’ ‘Bless up’ ‘One love’ or ‘Wagawan’ ...and never, ever be in a rush.

# Never charter a private taxi...master the local ‘Route Taxi’ transportation ASAP. It’s a fraction of the price and a great service. Tourists can pay $40 for a journey that costs $1 for those in the know.   

# Use mosquito repellent; nothing chilled about a Jamaican mosquito -they’re big, fast and hungry!

# Use sunscreen - the sun is serious here - I’ve seen some terrible lobster-red burns!

# Cannabis is decriminalised, ubiquitous and dirt cheap. If you partake it's 150JD ($1) for a few joints’ worth or 500JD for a decent bag of 5 grams or so. So I'm told.

# Try Spice Bun an’ Cheese and Aunt Bessie’s Wheat crackers, but try not to get addicted like me :)

Thanks for reading - hope it helps and you have a great time if you visit. For more advice on accessing the Real Jamaica check out this excellent (aptly named) website...realjamaica.org

Episode 4: Taking some downtime off the highway

Today, heck, maybe even for most of this week, I’ve felt depressed.

It’s not easy for me to admit that, for two reasons:

1. Guilt/shame- I’m currently travelling with the rarest freedom to go where I please and so should surely be having the time of my life. I’m in Jamaica for Jah’s sake.

2. Ignorance. Full disclosure: I can sometimes be disconnected from my feelings, especially negative ones which I tend to block.

Managing to observe and examine this process is highly valuable- so how did I come to be this way?

In adolescence I spent several years in poor mental health. A diagnosis of clinical depression at 18 stalled my university ambitions. Three years of imbalance followed before reaching rock bottom with an acute psychosis and a couple of months in a psychiatric ward.

Who knows why...brain chemistry, personality, life. Whatever the reasons, it happened and it shaped who I am today...and I’m grateful.

“What makes you comfortable can ruin you and only in a state of discomfort can you continually grow.” (Bill Eckstrom)

During those years of discomfort I often felt bitter. As a schoolboy I only knew to measure ‘growth’ by academic success...B’s to A’s...A’s to A*’s. As friends were graduating with university degrees and commencing their journeys into adulthood, I was a drop-out - dependent on my parents for care and on drugs to cope.

Nevertheless growth was occurring. Growth that would never be validated with a grade or a piece of paper. No, this was a subtle, translucent growth. The foundation of what has now been over ten years of good mental health.

For me, the Greek aphorism ‘Know Thyself’ (seen above) is the definition of good mental health.

Depression is a deeply introspective state. Life, with its all-absorbing momentum, is halted. You’re thrown off the ride and when you land…’you’, whoever that person was, is gone. Who you are now is unclear, but one thing’s for sure...it feels fucking terrible.

I don’t know if I’ll ever revisit that dark place. The prospect used to terrify me, hence my reflex to block negative feelings. For me, being ‘down’ feels synonymous with Depression and therefore not to be tolerated.

And so ironically, as I run from Depression in such a way, with intolerance and denial, I’m actually running towards it, feeding its potential re-manifestation. For if good mental health is ‘know thyself’ then bad mental health is ‘ignore thyself’.

For the past two months I’ve been intensely absorbed and fulfilled - backpacking around Colombia. You can check out my last post on the lessons I learnt here.

Now for the first time on this trip, the ride has slowed. I am alone...far from home…existing in the bubble of my own being...my heart heavy with a sadness I do not understand.

Please do not wish me better or hope that I cheer up soon. Instead celebrate and be grateful with me that I am simply aware. I welcome this spell of sadness as a teacher bearing a lesson of self-knowledge- an opportunity to grow and learn.

Wherever you are on your own journey I wish you patience and tolerance. Whatever you’re going through it will soon pass...everything does.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Episode 3: Lessons learnt after two months Backpacking in Colombia

Today marks two months away from London...officially the longest time I’ve been away from home, ever.

I’ve spent this time in Colombia...experiencing the country as a backpacker...learning how to cope with, and embrace the transient lifestyle of utter freedom, bewildering novelty and solitude.

Hereby written...with the help of a few Columbian anecdotes...are my top five pieces of advice for the new backpacker to be...

Lesson #1: Make pancakes for Strangers

Toned and tattooed; the young Frenchman deftly served a stack of crepes with a bountiful selection of accoutrements...including a bowl of crushed Oreo cookies.

‘Take one man!’

Being English, I politely declined...'You're too kind...no thank you.'

Generous and perhaps experienced in the subtleties of English manners, the Frenchman insisted; 'Come on man...don't be polite, have one!'

And so I did. And so we became friends. And so I learnt the culinary masterstroke of a crushed packet of Oreo cookies...surely the finest of pancake accoutrements.

It was a valuable lesson...a valuable recipe in fact:

Pancakes* + strangers = new friends.

(*One cup of flour/one cup of milk/one egg...mix/fry/serve with accoutrements and a smile)

And when you’re alone in a hostel far from home who doesn’t need a new friend?   

In my case it was pancakes, but I’m sure there are many ways to break the ice with your fellow anonymous travel-mates; over some small act of generosity. Otherwise it’s all too easy to sit amongst each other in silent isolation, glumly gazing a smartphone screens.

Your new friend might be a veteran of the region and only too happy to share their best advice. Or else you might really hit it off and have a new companion for days or weeks to come. Either way, I believe that you receive what you give...so be generous and positive!

Lesson #2: “No dar Papaya”

1.30am and I was homeward bound from the salsa club, having witnessed various men and women move their hips in hitherton unimagined ways.

My hostel was a short walk away here in Poblado, the well-lit and well-policed upmarket neighbourhood of Medellin, where all of the backpacker hostels are based.

At the next corner I happened upon a young, immensely well-built blonde man. I recognised him from the club though now he stood frozen, gazing into the middle distance.

Interrupting his reverie, we soon struck up a happy conversation over our different paths. He, Theoretical Mathematics Professor at MIT...I an actor.

A few street corners later and it was time to part. ‘Let me take your name...I’ll add you on Facebook’. Alone on the suburban street it felt safe to take out my phone.

Alas it was not...before I had written his surname (I got his first name...Simon)...a passing moped pulled to an abrupt stop beside us. I returned my ‘papaya’ to my pocket.

A man and a woman each took off their helmets. The man aggressively advanced towards me ...the woman for Simon. Instinct took over and I ran...my hostel was less than 50 metres away. Ashamedly, I can’t say what happened to Simon...I never looked back. He was built like a brick shithouse so I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t kidnapped.

This was an attempted crime of opportunity. Had I not made the mistake of showing papaya perhaps it wouldn’t have occurred. Papaya is a valued fruit in Colombia, hence the expression ‘No dar Papaya’ to be interpreted as ‘don’t be flashing items of value and therefore attracting trouble.’

It was a very close call and a timely reminder of just how careful I ought to be. Time and again in the past weeks I’ve met others less fortunate. The lesson...stay vigilant...and then some. DON’T SHOW PAPAYA.

(I’m aware that my story contravenes the common wisdom that in a theft situation you should give up your valuables without resistance...no personal possession is worth being harmed over. I absolutely stand by that advice...my decision to run was perhaps foolish...yet alas it wasn’t a decision so much as an instinctual reflex...brave warrior that I am. Every situation is unique and you’re gonna play what you’re dealt)

Lesson #3: Escape the backpacker bubble

After weeks of bumbling along the gringo trail and ticking off the ‘must-do’ leisure activities I was ready to move into a new phase of travelling..to work, to learn, to try to get away from the tourist trail in the hope of learning something deeper of Colombian culture, something beyond the distorted membrane of the backpacker bubble.

Shortly thereafter, it was my great fortune to meet two wonderful women; yoga teachers, healers and experienced travellers...Ruth and Caitlin. (Check out their blogs by clicking on their names.)

Aside from hours of utterly enlightening conversation they furnished me with instructions to a hippy-run farmhouse, remotely nestled in the sacred Sierra Nevada mountain range. They don't advertise or take bookings...the owner’s philosophy is that you will come if you are called. I was called.

Indeed it was a special place...spiritually and artistically centred. I took it as a good omen that one of the two long term volunteers, Izzy, shared the exact same birth date and year as me.

Though perhaps the most magical element was that the household’s next-door neighbours were a large family of the indigenous Kogi tribe. The Kogis had escaped Spanish colonisation by fleeing to these mountains, thus preserving their traditions and bloodlines dating back to the pre-Columbian era.

Now on my first night I was introducing myself as several family members visited the house to watch a DVD on Izzy’s laptop! The next morning I was drafted to help on their farm...digging a large hole for a vivarium...breeding fish to feed the family.   

In the local national park, visiting tourists pay good money just to pass through and see the Kogi people. Yet there I was...shovel-in-hand-in-hole...working alongside Augustine, Santiago and Clemente...making them giggle uproariously by repeating naughty words in their native language.

I felt a special contentment surrounded by nature and a timeless way of life...Grandmother quietly digging up yukka...baby crying for attention by the mud hut...birds of prey circling overhead...mountain valley stretching out below towards the coast.  

Going forward I’ll be keen to find more moments such as that. If you want to guarantee this kind of experience in your own travels then I recommend using a volunteer placement service such as...
Work Away or WOOFING.

Get off that beaten track...connect and learn something real about the culture of where you’re visiting. As an added bonus, being surrounded by locals will likely fast track your learning of the language and the customs.

Lesson #4: Keep Calm and don’t sweat paying ‘Stupidity Tax’

I don’t know about you, but I hate that feeling of being ripped off...perhaps you’ve failed to haggle and paid too much for something or just been the victim of some kind of con. When you’re travelling on a budget and trying to be careful with your cash then this hurts all the more.

I have a little name for this kind of occurrence…’stupidity tax’. It’s a tax you as an inexperienced traveller...because in your first-time ignorance you didn’t know better.

Yes it sucks and yes you can let it spoil your day...turning it over in your mind...considering how it could have gone differently...or you can choose not to. As my close friend advised me in those moments of stress…’breathe and let it go’. Then think about what you can do differently next time.

Breathe and let go...a sunset awaits you

If you’re buying something expensive...don’t rush! If you can speak the language maybe ask a local what something should cost. Shop around and get a couple of prices for comparison. Enter into the spirit of haggling with a playful energy. Try walking away - salesmen hate losing the sale so threatening to leave is a great tactic to see if they will drop the price.

Furthermore, try to understand the value of money as a local...not as a tourist. For example consider the price of a bus ticket or the price of a basic street lunch. Yes back at home you might be happy for a sandwich, crisps and a drink for £6...and yes you will find options catering to tourists for this price bracket too. But some of the best meals I’ve had have been from local canteens...‘typico’ dishes for £3.

Lesson #5: Be a Jellyfish

I encourage you not to make plans and embrace the flow of wherever your intuition guides you. Cultivate awareness in the present moment. Embrace the idea that within every new situation lurks a lesson to be learnt...provided you can approach it with sensitivity, patience and an open heart. Adopt the attitude that each and every person is a potential teacher, having lived a lifetime of different experiences.

Trust in the way and for further info click here to read my earlier post on this subject!

Lots of love and Happy Travels!

Episode 2: On the importance of being a jellyfish

London 7am Sunday the 14th of January 2017 and the door of my apartment closes behind me. One simple intention: fly to Panama and thereafter spend 5 months in Central America/Mexico and 3 months in the USA. 

Beyond that loose outline...nada. No schedule, no itinerary, no plan. Not even a bed booked for my first night in Panama. Not even a room booked? No! It certainly makes for an anxious moment here and there...but read on to understand the method behind my madness!

SIDEPOINT: Why fly to Panama? 

As you can see from the map it’s on the southernmost tip of Central America and so a perfect starting point to wind my way north along the ‘Gringo Trail’.

Panama is considered an expensive country by Latin American standards - not a place to hang around as a backpacker, but an excellent platform for travelling through. My flight from London (via Toronto and Newark) cost £350/ $440 (I found it on Google Flights...a fantastic tool!) 

Why so cheap? Panama is famously a tax haven with a large expat community of wealthy Americans. As such their infrastructure is well developed...Panama City’s airport is the largest in Central America... 

6am (EST) Monday morning and it’s time to get to work. The job for the day: where on earth am I going to stay? 

We’ve landed and the lights flicker on. The young guy next to me stirs from his slumber. We share a smile and strike up a conversation. ‘Hermes’ has acquired an apartment in the city and will spend the week taking meetings with estate agents to decide whether to sell or rent. 

By passport control we’re getting along famously. He was raised in Venezuela but spends little time there due to its ongoing crisis. He’s happy for me to share his ride from the airport to his hotel. The driver is also Venezuelan...evidently a great many people have been displaced. 

At the hotel I have to wait a few hours for a room to vacate. I pass the time being bitten by mosquitos and getting to know ‘Sonia’ the receptionist. She’s Columbian and is actually flying to Bogota the next day to visit family. Am I going to visit Columbia she asks...well, no, but...how much is the flight? We have a look together at the front desk...

And so Day 2 and I’m Bogota-bound with Sonia! I hadn’t planned to go to Columbia, in fact I had reckoned on heading north from Panama as I’m ultimately USA bound...and here I was heading south...

I ended up spending a week in Bogota, the following week in Medellin and now the past week here in Cartagena. I won’t go into any details for now, but needless to say...Viva Columbia! And to think...if I had planned ahead and booked a hotel...I wouldn’t have met Hermes, Sonia and so on and so forth. 

Now you could argue that I would have had an equally amazing time meeting different people on an entirely different path...and I’d agree with you...but being conscious of that is important and often overlooked. 

So I hereby recommend my travelling philosophy to you...be as the jellyfish...soft-bodied and free-drifting...open to the flow... 

Pros: 

• It’s exciting...I’m completely open to the unknown and unexpected - who knows what opportunities will come my way 

• Depending on locals/other travellers makes for excellent information - more up to date than any guide book...and therefore better decisions for your health and your bank balance

• Making friends is important, which means that I’m generally very present, open and positive 

• It’s great to partner up with other travellers who are more organised (and hopefully speak the language) and ride their ‘slipstream’ 

• There’s no pressure to get to the ‘next’ place so you can take as much time as you want to explore ‘this’ place...be it for a week or a month...and thereby reach a deeper understanding than other travellers who pass through in a flash...again this tends to make me more present and observant

Cons: 

• It can be nerve-racking at times, especially if you don’t speak the language #

• Life can feel slow and you can feel envious of other travellers who are packing a lot of planned activities/excursions in 

• Sometimes you feel like you’ve wasted time - wondering if you should have stayed less in a particular place that didn’t really catch your interest

So there you have it. My case for Jellyfish living. I can’t claim to have invented it...it's closely inspired by a current interest of mine...Taoism. If you’d like to learn more I recommend this blog post which gives an introduction of some of the key principles. 

And by the way you don't need to be travelling to #jellyfish - next time you have a day off and want to do something fun...don’t plan a thing! Just catch a bus/train somewhere interesting and see what happens next...be present, be observant, smile and chat to people...trust in the flow! 

Episode 1: So you want to go travelling in 2017?

The decision has been made, the flight has been booked and now a bag must be packed. A bag that you'll be living out of for several months ahead- 8 months in my case. Packing light was my key focus...I hate to be burdened with unnecessary baggage...emotional or otherwise ;)

It's been two weeks on the road here in Columbia and I'm feeling pretty good...haven't needed to buy anything else yet other than sunscreen and a second pair of shorts. When other backpackers see the size of my bag they tend to lose their shit. Then wonder why they packed so much shit!

This really is my bag for 8 months

How many pairs of socks to take? What travel insurance policy? Which gadgets to bring? Vaccinations? How many spare cash cards to take? (Apparently Latin American ATM's can swallow your card leaving you stranded if you don't have a back up!)

Now I realise nothing's life or death here...you're not going to the moon. If for instance like me you forget to pack a universal power-plug adapter, you will be able to find one. Though if possible, one would rather put in a bit of work now, to save inconvenience (and money) whilst on the road. One believes.

And so without further ado...here's my key checklist of travel considerations and decisions that I made. If you're also heading off this year then perhaps you can save yourself some time and hassle by following my well-researched advice! :)


1. Choosing a Travel Health Insurance Policy

Yawn. What a boring, necessary chore, but falling foul in another county is no joke. Private hospital treatment whilst abroad can be very expensive - a good policy will cover the costs - including the price of flying you home, if required. You also get access to a 24 hour helpline for localised advise according to whatever ails you. And so without further ado, here's the company I recommend...Alpha Travel Insurance (N.B. If you want gadget cover you'll need to buy the 'add-on')


2. Managing your money

This article by experienced traveller Ted Campbell was hella useful. Following his advice I organised various back-up money cards, in preparation for loss, theft or the ol' ATM gobble. Indeed I have five in total:

Two FairFX 'Everywhere' Cards which are universally accepted and reportedly good value when it comes to exchange rates/ATM fees. You 'load' these cards with cash via their well designed smartphone app...a handy feature that gives you a clear picture of how you're utterly failing to budget :)

One credit card - useful for buying anything really big such as a flight or a guided tour...in which you might want the security of credit card protection. (A good thing to know about!) I specifically got the Barclaycard Platinum Travelcard because it incurs no fees at all, provided you pay it off right away.

Two debit cards - my standard cards that I use at home...good to have just in case.  On Ted's advice I also carry a stash of around $200 cash as an emergency fund.


3. Vaccinations

Be prepared for the cost of exotic destination jabs...I paid £200 to get myself up to scratch!

Your local GP will likely have a nurse in charge of vaccinations. What you'll need will depend on where you're visiting. In some Latin American countries they reserve the right to refuse you entry if you don't have a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination certificate!

Try to get this sorted a couple of months before your departure date as some vaccinations are given across several weeks. I didn't leave myself enough time to get a Rabies vaccine...no monkey business for me on this trip then.


4. Gadgets

At first I didn't want to take any; in our everyday life our gadgets often separate and distract us from connection with each other and the natural world. On my travels I'm intending to do the very opposite! On the other hand...gadgets are so fricking useful! My trusty smartphone helps me get from A to B, take great photos and keep in touch. My kindle saves me having to carry the weighty 'Lonely Planet Guide' for whatever county I'm in. My laptop allows me to write and browse without needing to find an internet cafe.
So there you have it...gadgets won. Specifically here's what I chose to bring:

SMARTPHONE:
Motorola Moto G4 Plus 16GB
(Value smartphone that does everything you need with a great 16mp camera)

LAPTOP:
Acer Chromebook R11
(Chromebooks are the JEEP's of laptops...aka Just Enough Essential Parts...great battery and very light at just over a kilo...perfect for simple browsing, youtube etc.)

E-READER:
Kindle 2016
(With instant access to most books available in existence...its...erm...pretty good)

BACK-UP SMARTPHONE:
Motorola E 4G
(This was my phone at home but I upgraded to have a better camera)

PORTABLE RECHARGER
Anker
(Great in case you're off to some place where there's no mains power)

UNIVERSAL ADAPTER
I forgot to get this and had to buy one in Bogota airport for $20.
(Essential if you want to charge your devices in different countries!)

HEADPHONES

ONLINE BANKING PIN SENTRY



5. The rest

I'll refer you to another article by Ted Campbell  and also a blogger called Marek who wrote this article. Both were really useful in helping me pack light.

For your reference here's every item I decided to bring, aside from the aforementioned gadgets:

Clothing:
5 x underwear
4 x t-shirts
3 x socks
1 x swimming shorts
1 x trousers w/belt
1 x fancy shirt
1 x wolly jumper
1 x scarf
1 x all terrain trainers
1 x flip flops

Other stuff:
Microfibre Travel towel
Draw string bag (useful as a daybag/for laundry)
Toothbrush/travel toothbrush holder/Toothpaste
Citronella Soap/travel soap holder
Tiger balm (good for mossy bites)
Antiseptic cream e.g. Savlon (good for dog bites)
Combination code Padlock
Insect repellent 
Crystal Insect repellant Deodorant 
8 months of contact lenses + solution (monthlies)
Spectacles and case
LED headlamp (great for packing up in a dark dorm!)
Mala Beads
Passport/Vaccination Certificates

So there you have it. 8 kilos of zen goodness. With the added bonus of cheap flight travel...my bag counts as hand luggage so I never need to pay extra to check a bag. Hope this is helpful when your hour of departure draws near. Please get in touch if you have any questions or to let me know how your zen bag pack went! Hasta luego! With love from Cartagena!