Dogs in Jamaica

Roof! Roof!



Just when you thought you had seen it all, something always manages to surprise or shock you, or both. I live in the countryside of Andalucia close to a white village (Pueblo Blanco) called Villanueva del Trabuco, which is north of Malaga city 800m above sea level. Yes, Redneck country.

The village is quiet and ordinary and not a lot happens, the odd murder here and there, you know an everyday village. The villagers are nice people, very kind and pleasant but they cannot park their cars, they just stop when they get to where they are going and then abandon the vehicle while they do their business.

A dog with a head for heights!

The Zebra crossings are the best place to abandon their vehicles as the blue and white stripes are a handy landmark for when they need to extricate the car, likewise roundabouts, driveways, pavements and bridges are all great places to stop and leave your 4 x 4 for a few hours.

They never turn up for appointments, well, when I say never I mean they never turn up on time and sometimes they just “forget” to turn up. This applies to all trades, not just builders and painters but literally everyone, their attitude is “mañana – mañana” (tomorrow..Maybe)

So you see, I’m used to things not working properly, people not turning up, lorries parked next to the school crossing, the local politicians handing house cigarette lighters with their names on prior to polling and any number of daft and unusual things.

So, when I was going to the shop in the village this morning, I wasn’t surprised to hear a barking dog, the village is full of them, what did surprise me though was the fact the dog was 60ft up on a plastic rooftop in the rain and it was barking like mad at me, why? God knows but it wasn’t on a chain or rope, it was barking down from the edge of the roof.

Is it possible the dog was shouting “Roof! Roof!”? Am I now a latter day Doctor Doolittle and can understand the languages of animals or is it just another unsurprising surprise from this crazy village?

If you have a photo of a braver (stupid!) dog in the whole of Jamaica or the caribbean then I would love to see it, come to think of it, I would love to see this dog on ground level, via the stairs if possible.

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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
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Where to go in Jamaica - A Rain Forest Adventure

Zip lining through the Jamaica Rain Forest!

 

I may have mentioned on a previous posting that I am an ex – Army man? Well, I am. I was a proud member of the Irish Guards, her majesties finest soldiers. Well, in training we had an assault course that was the terror of the American Marines, they hated it, we on the other hand, we loved it. So, what’s all this reminiscing about? I saw holidaymakers in Jamaica doing exactly what we used to do; they get people to dangle you by a rope and then shoot you through the jungle tree tops as fast as a bullet!!

The Jamaica Rain Forest adventure trail.

I saw a video on YouTube whilst looking around for materiel on this wonderful and fascinating tourist attraction. The Rain Forest Adventure trail is at Mystic Mountain, Ochos Rios and it has lots of things to offer the tourists, not just being dangled from a cable and zipped through the jungle canopy at a vast rate of knots.

There is the Bobsled ride, the Canopy Zip Line (See the video) Mystic water slide and much more. If you are a Green tourist (No! I don’t mean if you are as thick as Whale Sandwich I am referring to those people who are concerned with the welfare of planet earth.) Then this is one tourist attraction you just cannot miss.

I must just add that if you are a bit scared of heights you had better give the Sky Explorer a swerve as it is a ride that takes you 700 feet above the Rain Forest on what looks like a swinging park bench. Mind you, there are cracking views of places like Dunn’s River Falls and the Caribbean Sea.

You can spend a day at this wonderful Eco tourist attraction and have the time of your life. There are also other attractions close by, such as the beautiful Dunn’s River Falls, The Coyaba River Garden and Museum and Dolphin Cove, just to name a few. Go on, enjoy yourself!

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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
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Coyaba Gardens & Mahoe Falls



SITES OF GREAT INTEREST

Here we go again folks. My plea for help in finding the best places for tourists and local people alike has Bourne fruit. Lisa from Jamaican Treasures has pointed me to a truly wonderful website for Coyaba Gardens.

The Coyaba Gardens website is a delight to read, it looks beautiful and is easy to use. There are some splendid photographs on the website as well as new features that are a must to the visitor Link.

If you visit this site and you like the look of the Coyaba Gardens and Mahoe Falls (how you couldn’t is beyond me!) and you would like to get married at the waterfalls and have your reception there, Jamaican Treasures can arrange for you to do so. Jamaican Treasures have wedding packages that cover events at Coyaba gardens and other fantastic sites.

Take a loom at the main Jamaican Treasures website for full details on wedding packages Jamaican Treasures Wedding Packages

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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
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Jamaica's Botantical Gardens

The Royal Botanical Gardens

Jamaica's Botanical Gardens

I love stories, any stories, true stories, lies even as long as it’s entertaining. In my army days (The Irish Guards) I met many a fellow who could tell tall tales, some of them were so adept at telling fables that you actually believed what they were telling you, even though the narrator looked as if he had never heard a Madonna record, never mind been on a date with her and Beyonce Knowles.

One great story comes from the time of Christopher Columbus, you know, the chap that “discovered” the Americas, much to the relief of the people that were already living there.

Well, when Columbus was asked to describe the island of Jamaica by Queen Isabella of Spain, he was at a loss to do so. The best he could come up with was to make a model of the island, using napkins from the table to illustrate the terrain (perhaps he used lettuce for the green hills and some custard for the sandy beaches? Who knows for sure?) But the main point Columbus made, was, even though Jamaica was lacking in gold it was “otherwise a paradise and worth more than gold” How nice of him.

Jamaica fact:

The Caribbean Island of Jamaica has more than 3,000 different kinds of native flowering plants, of which 1,000 are endemic and over 200 of which are different species of orchids. For this reason, Jamaica is considered a horticultural paradise.

Botanical Gardens in Jamaica

As is normal for this Blog, we like to point you to the best information so that you can peruse at your own leisure and so we advise lovers of flora and fauna to head to The Jamaica Gleaner to see a comprehensive list of all the botanical garden sites in Jamaica.

If, like thousands of others with great taste, you have booked one of the villas from Jamaican Treasures then a visit to at least one of these nature sites is an absolute must. Do enjoy yourself and if you are stuck to find the nearest nature site, please, call Jamaican Treasures and help will be at hand.

Enjoy yourself.

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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
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Nightclubs in Jamaica - Amnesia



"Wow! that's what I call a spliff!"

I was trawling the Internet, as I often do, no, as I always do, looking for items of interest on Jamaica and the Caribbean Islands. A lot of the time people will point me to this site or that and in this posting, this is the case. I was pointed in the direction of one of the hottest nightspots in the Caribbean. Where this place is and what is it called?

Amnesia!

No. I don’t have a problem recalling the name of the nightclub, it is called “Amnesia” most likely because you get so “out of it” that you can’t remember where you’ve been and what you got up to (Great in some cases!)

Getting down in Amnesia

Nightclub Amnesia can be found throbbing away nicely on 70 Main St, Ocho Rios and according to the great and the good, the music is roots but does tend to drift to international tastes at time. Judging by what I’ve seen myself, Amnesia is a place for a “lively” night and by the reviews it gets Amnesia seems to be one of those “Must see” places.

Any regulars at Amnesia who would like to add to this posting, please, fell free to do so and send in some photos while your at it.

Amnesia. 70 Main St, Ocho Rios · 876-974-2633

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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
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Tattoo Artists in Jamaica - Reasons for not getting a tattoo N01

Oh dear me! I wonder who Kirk has backed for next US election?

Optimists. I love an optimist; they bring a ray of sunshine into our lives with their “never-say-die” attitude towards anything and everything. Pessimists, now they are real misery guts types and are all doom and gloom, they are no fun to be around.

I was reading my Facebook page this morning and I saw a posting of some “optimist” having his arm tattooed with the European Champions League Cup and his team name and date as well, nothing odd there, lot’s of blokes have that tattoo, Liverpool fans, real Madrid, Barçelona, Juventus, even teams like Nottingham Forrest have the Champions League Cup tattooed on their body in varying places but with one exception. THEIR TEAM WON THE BLOODY THING FIRST!

Here we have an “optimist” who goes by the name of Kirk Bradley who has had his arm tattooed with a large image of the European Champions League trophy, the name of his team (Manchester City) and the year date (2011) and “Champions League Winners” emblazoned underneath, all in elegant scrolled lettering. What a plonker!

OK, so if Manchester City ever do with the Champions League (No! don’t laugh!), then Kirk will have a chance to rectify his stupidity but it will have to be between 2012 and 2019 otherwise he is set to look like a prize plonker for the rest of his life. Silly boy!

There is a lesson to be learnt here. Tattoos are permanent and the fact that they are with you for life should be considered, otherwise, you may end up like poor old Kirk and live with the humiliation. Are there any tattoo artists in Jamaica? I had a look around on the Internet and there “might” be two in Negril, one is a German bloke and the other is someone called Mike? It doesn’t sound too convincing now, does it? If you are a tattoo artist in Jamaica, get in touch and I’ll let everyone know. Not Kirk Bradley though, he’s fine for tattoo’s just now.



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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
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Jamaica Information Websites - Spirit of Jamaica

Spirit of Jamaica

Here it is folks! Blog post 200 and I'm happy to report the birth of a great new website for all Jamaicaphiles (That's peeps that love Jamaica)

As ever, the great and the good who run that wonderful Jamaica Villa Rentals company, Jamaican Treasures have had their heads together and have come up with a great new website dedicated to making life even simpler for the tourists to Jamaica.

People who arrive in Jamaica are here to enjoy themselves and so they need the basic information;

·         Where do I hire a car / taxi / tour bus?

·         Where are the best live music venues?

·         Can I get guided tours of places like Chucka Cove or Dunn’s River  Falls

·         Where can I buy tickets to live events / sports

·         Airport Transfers

·         Club Mobay Tickets

There are lots of places people want to see and lots of things they want to do and the quicker, the better. So, http://www.spiritofjamaica.com/  aims to provide the Jamaica tourist with up to date leisure and activities information at the touch of a keyboard button.

There will be special offers available, you can become an affiliate member, and products will be available at up to the minute prices so you can grab the bargains. It’s going to be cool.

As usual, the more input into a website or idea there is, the better the services will be and you are more than welcome to suggest a product, service or venue that will interest the general public. The www.spiritofjamaica.com website is under construction so if you have an idea, let’s hear it now.

Save the Spirit of Jamaica website to your favourites, because it’s going to become the site that everyone refers to when they visit Jamaica.

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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
Have you been to Jamaica or do you live on Jamaica? Add a comment about your favourite place  

Jobs in Jamaica - Rope holder to insane window cleaner

"Mek sure ya don start scratchin yer bum now!"

What’s the worst job you ever had? Mine was working on the railway tracks in Surrey, in England. The pay was poor; the job was very dangerous due to the very fast trains and the electric railway line. We worked all hours in all types of weather but we were happy.

No we bloody well were not! I came home covered in oil and gnat bites.

Mind you, there are worse jobs, by far, in other countries but you just can’t beat the really dumb jobs. Those mind – numbing, mundane, pointless waste of time jobs that exist all over the world, some born out of necessity, others just impromptu or quick fixes to local problems.

Take this couple of numb-skulls. Come on now, how desperate for work must you be to let someone dangle you out of a window many stories up whilst you replace a broken pane of glass? The glass was most likely broken by the window cleaner just before he fell, he was most likely also dangled from the same window (by the same guy, he looks like he is a regular at this type of work.)

Hey-ho! Anyone else got anything stupid to share



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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
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A Beach Villa - A Beach Villa in Montego Bay, Jamaica

Wish you were here? You could be...

I have an enquiring mind, I suppose it helps to have one if you spend, as I do, most of your waking hours rummaging through the Internet search engines. I come across many puzzling and unusual things.

A Beach Villa. If I had a beach Villa in Jamaica, what would I call it? Dunroamin? Dunworkin? Maybe, maybe not. There is such a place called A Beach Villa, it is a magnificent place in Montego Bay, A Beach Villa has a great infinity edge swimming pool that makes it look as if you were swimming in the Caribbean sea and not a very posh villa's pool. Take a look at this place, it really is beautiful and then let me know what name you would have given to it. http://www.beachvillajamaica.com/

Uncle Ian wonders if you ever have? Been here, that is.

My auntie has a holiday cottage in Dorset. It’s a nice little place Shitterton.

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Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
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Cannon Cottage - Villa Cannon Cottage, Silver Sands, Jamaica

Cannon Cottage, Silver Sands

BLOG UPDATE: 17/12/2011

I would like to remind all you dear readers that Villa Cannon Cottage is on the list of Jamaican Treasures "Villa Specials".

This is a comprehensive list of luxury villas in all parts of Jamaica that have either Price reductions or special offers, such as “Stay for 7 nights pay for just  5 nights” and other great offers. You could also contact Lisa direct to see what other up to the minute bargains are available.

305-767-2596    lisa@jamaicantreasures.com

I am often seized with inspiration whilst gazing out of the window (searching for inspiration!) and today was no different. I was meandering through http://www.myluxuryvillas.com a sister site to Jamaican Treasures, the best villa rentals company in the Caribbean, as you know already. Anyway, whilst perusing the My Luxury Villas website I came across this amazing place called Cannon Cottage, which is at Silver sands in Jamaica. Cannon Cottage? What a strange name for a villa in Jamaica, or so I thought.

Fancy a dip?

Cannon Cottage gets its name from the couple of old cannons that still decorate the grounds. Give Cannon Cottage its due, the views are extraordinary and the beach is golden with fine grained sand. The swimming and snorkeling off the beach at Cannon Cottage is magnificent and if peace and quiet is what you crave, then you have it here in this luxury Jamaica villa.

The bedrooms at Cannon Cottage

Cannon Cottage is beautifully decorated, the bedrooms and villa are done in shades of blue, green, yellow and it is very pleasant on the eye. The staff at Jamaican Treasures loves this place and it is definitely one of the top 5 villas with them.

This villa is a must for anyone wanting to hold a wedding reception, honeymoon or family holiday in Jamaica. Go take a look from their very own Cannon Cottage website http://www.cannoncottagejamaica.com/


http://www.jamaicantreasures.com
Email lisa@jamaicantreasures.com
Have you been to Jamaica or do you live on Jamaica? Add a comment about your favourite place