Lifestyle

Port Customs

Visitors may bring personal effects into Jamaica without paying duty. Those over 18 years of age may include 25 cigars, 200 cigarettes, 1 pint of alcohol (except rum), 1lb. of tobacco and 1 quart of wine. Incoming restricted items include fresh flowers, plants, honey, fruits, meats and vegetables (except canned) and firearms.

Immigration

Visitors from USA and Canada must carry proof of citizenship and ticket for onward destination, for a visit not exceeding 6 months. Visas are required from some countries, please check with the Jamaican Consulate near you.

Electricity

The standard electrical current in Jamaica is 110 volts, AC 50HZ. 220 Volts is available in some hotels.

Water

All drinking water in Jamaica is purified and filtered by the most modern techniques and perfectly safe to drink.

Currency and Banking

Jamaican currency is decimal with the dollar as the basic unit (100 cents equals one dollar). U.S. Dollars, traveler's cheques and major credit cards are widely accepted.

Business Hours

General office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Very few offices open on Saturdays. Shopping hours vary around Jamaica, but usually run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday - Saturday with half day closing on Wednesday or Thursdays in some areas. Most shops, except in-bond shops are closed on Sundays.

Shopping

Large department stores, malls, gift shops, local and international fashion boutiques, specialty stores and craft markets abound in Jamaica. Good buys include quality wood, straw and pottery, furniture, ornaments and kitchen ware, local paintings, fine arts and crafts, local designer fashions.

Duty-free shops are found in various locations in Kingston and Montego Bay in addition to all resort areas, international airports and resort hotels. Most galleries, museums and tourist attractions have retail outlets which stock an excellent range of interesting items.

Celebrations

The Jamaican Coffee Festival is held annually each fall in Kingston to celebrate the rich, agricultural tradition of coffee in Jamaica. Java lovers will find themselves on a caffeine high like no other as farmers and merchants provide visitors with free samples of a wide array of coffees, hot beverages, and other related foods.

Heritage Fest, also held each fall, is an annual festival in Kingston that celebrates and uses food, dance and music to explore the diversity of Jamaica's population. From Indian curry to Lebanese dancing to Chinese fortune telling, Heritage Fest pays homage to all of the diverse ethnicities found in Jamaica.

The Accompong Maroon Festival takes place each year on Jan. 6, the birthday of Captain Cudjoe who defeated the English army. The festival celebrates the Maroons, featuring traditional dancing and singing, a fantastic feast, and the blowing of the Abeng horn and playing of the Maroon war drums. The Accompong celebrates a fun and exciting aspect of the cultural and historical heritage of Jamaica.

One of the most renowned Caribbean festivals, Carnival, spreads across the entire island in one huge party, featuring popular musical entertainment as well as parades. Carnival is held all over the island in the week before Easter and is one of the island's most popular festivals.

Musical Festivals

Heineken Startime takes place each winter in Kingston, Jamaica and promises to be the most significant musical event of the season. The concert features one of the strongest line-ups in each area of Jamaican music, from ska to rock steady to hip hop, and, of course, reggae.

The Rebel Salute Music Festival, also in Kingston, has been held in January for the past 12 years. The festival highlights cultural roots music and focuses more on the folk tradition than other shows. Don't expect any less of a crowd, though, as patrons of this event include locals as well as international guests who show up each year for this amazing concert.

The Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival is usually held early in the year at a different location. This amazing festival features a diverse range of musical genres but pulls all their influences toward the blues and jazz lover. From African to Cuban and reggae, this festival gives a great international flavor to the age-old tradition of jazz and blues.

International Reggae Day is a blowout musical festival in Jamaica. Usually celebrated in July, this festival hosts not only musical talent shows, but a talent search, workshops and a lecture on the life of reggae icon, Bob Marley. This concert is broadcast live all over the world via satellite television and the Internet.

Reggae Sumfest is another weeklong music festival. It takes place the first week in August each year in Montego Bay. The best in reggae are brought together for a week of sonic celebration. Visitors can purchase tickets for just one night of partying or can spend a little more and get weekend passes or a pass for the whole week. Some tickets even include backstage passes. Without a doubt, Reggae Sumfest is a great way to enjoy a week of music.

Other Festivals

The National Festival of the Arts runs through the summer, beginning early on and ending on Jamaican Independence Day. Aside from sales of arts and crafts, local competitions showcase the work of indigenous artists in dance, song, drama, speech, painting, sculpture, crafts, culinary arts, and photography—to name just a few! The wide variety of artistic media makes this festival a sure hit.

Jamaica is also home to two of the largest fishing tournaments that run in September and October each year. The Falmouth Blue Marlin Tournament and Port Antonio International Fishing Tournament are popular, and the Port Antonio Tournament is one of the most prestigious in the Caribbean.

Jonkanoo, called Junkanoo on other Caribbean islands, is Jamaica's Christmas celebration. Party-goers dressed in masquerade parade through streets in celebration of their West African and slave heritage.

In the one country there can be different styles of home life. Country people grow most of their food. In Jamaica the most important dinners are chicken and jerk chicken, run down fish with coconut milk and spices. Almost everybody in Jamaica speaks English which is the language children are taught in schools. Lots of people also speak patois especially in the hills and country areas. In the countryside you can help yourself to fruits from the trees. You have to know where you're driving in Kingston because there are no signs. In Jamaican primary schools there is an average of one teacher for every thirty seven pupils.

Life

The population in Jamaica is 2.5 million. The highest daily temperature is 32degrees C and the lowest night time temperature is 22 degrees C. Average daily hours of sunshine is 9 hours. The average number of rainy days in the year is 69.

The best houses in Kingston are on the slopes of the Blue Mountain, but there is a housing shortage and land is very expensive. Hotels are built on some of the best land. Houses in some of the poorer parts of the city often have no running water of their own. In Kingston there is a shortage of work.

Less than 3 million people live there yet it exerts tremendous creative and cultural influence on the rest of us. the flipside is that it also has the worlds 3rd highest murder rate with 2004 registering an average of 6 a day.