Helping the Kids in Jamaica

So, you are going on a vacation to Jamaica and you want to bring something along to help out the kids in Jamaica. If so, there are schools all over the island looking for donations and kids all over the island that would love some gifts. With some of the airlines still offering 2 checked bags for international flights and the fact that as a tourist you want your second bag empty so you can bring back gifts, how about packing it with gifts on your way down to Jamaica?

Most of us live around “dollar stores” where they sell all sorts of art supplies for around $1.00 each. In the picture below, all of these art supplies cost $1.00……added up the total for all 60 items was a little over $60 with tax. If each kid gets 2 of these items, that extra suitcase can bring a big smile to 30 kids. If the items are donated directly to a school, the smiles will extend to many more kids.

If you want to hand out school or art supplies directly to local kids just head away from the tourist areas and you will find plenty of them.  I would suggest asking a taxi driver where there are kids in need and he will take you on a short drive to find them.  Another option is using the internet to find schools in Jamaica that have a “wish list” of supplies that they need.  Here are a few schools and their wish lists:

Treasure Beach Schools in need of donations <— Click on that link and scroll down to see all of the stuff that the schools need.

Project One Love <— These people not only collect supplies for schools in Jamaica, they actually go to Jamaica and help to build schools!

Since this article is a work in progress, please leave a comment if you know of any other schools in Jamaica that need donations.

Ackee in Jamaica

Jamaican Ackee, a great tasting food that is part of the national dish (Ackee and Saltfish).   Ackee is very cheap to eat in Jamaica, but fill up while you are there or be prepared to pay $12-$16 a can in the US!

In this first picture you can see what Ackee looks like before it naturally splits open and once it is ready to harvest.  Eating it before it splits open can make you sick and in some cases it can kill you!

Pictures of Ackee

In this second picture you can see what you actually eat (the off white stuff) and the seeds (the black stuff <don’t eat them>).

This is what Ackee looks like when you buy it ready to cook at a local market.

This is how Ackee looks when it’s served in a meal.  In the middle of this plate is a serving of Ackee and Saltfish along with some of the other ingredients that you will find in a “Jamaican breakfast”.

Pictures of Jamaican Money

Pictures of Jamaican money also known as JMD if you are looking at foreign exchange rates.

Notes:

Jamaica has added a $5000 bill since these pictures were taken and I will add some pictures of the new bill when I return to Jamaica in 2 months.

Jamaica is in the process of introducing round coins to replace the irregular sided coins shown in some of the pictures here.

To view current Jamaican exchange rates <—click there.

Sam Sharpe Square

Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay Jamaica is a nice place to stop for a few minutes while enjoying a patty from the store in picture #3.  For more information on Sam Sharpe and a map of Montego Bay so you can find the square please visit:  http://wikimapia.org/1815705/Sam-Sharp-Square

Originally known as Charles Square, it was named after Admiral Charles Knowles who was the Governor at the time the square was laid out (1775). At various other times it has been called The Parade, Court House Square, or simply The Square. On October 17th 1983 the statue of Sam Sharpe was unveiled to mark Jamaica’s 21st year of Independence. The square was renamed in his honour.

The Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe (1801 – 1832), National Hero, was the leader of the week long Christmas rebellion which began on December 28, 1831 and spread rapidly throughout the parish. He was a Baptist deacon and freedom fighter who paid the ultimate price, his life.

The Ruins Ocho Rios

The Ruins at the falls is a restaurant and a great place to tour some beautiful waterfalls. While they are open for lunch and dinner, I would recommend going for lunch so you can spend an hour or so exploring the water falls, flowers, trees and everything else it has to offer.

The lunch at the Ruins is served buffet style with beer and wine included in the price. I think we paid around $15 US each and while the food was okay, the beer and wine were both horrible. So, don’t go for the free booze, go for the waterfalls! After reading a bunch of their dinner reviews I’m not going to risk spending $$$ on food that sounds no better than what we ate for lunch.

Pictures of the Ruins and Waterfalls