Chronicles of a Shipwreck in Jamaica, a Book Review

A short review of Chronicles of a Shipwreck in Jamaica by Kristi Keller (author).

Chronicles of a Shipwreck in Jamaica is a perfect book for anyone flying back from Jamaica with dreams of giving up a “normal” life and living in Jamaica.  While the book covers all inclusive stays in Jamaica, tours, living the local lifestyle and such, it highlights the challenges of living and making an income in Jamaica.  Having known of 100’s if not 1000’s of people that made an effort to create a new life in Jamaica and failed, it was enlightening to actually read a behind the scenes story.  While the books touches on a failed attempt to live in Jamaica, the wonderful journeys and the hint of a return make the book a positive read.

So, if you can afford the price of a beer buy the book for only $3.99  <—–it’s cheap!  If you want to read about me being the cause of the downfall of Kristi in Jamaica buy the book.  If you have ever wondered why some women have perky breasts without bra straps….buy the book!

On a serious note, I’ve known Kristi for a few years and have been following her adventures in Jamaica on a few forums, blogs and on Facebook.  She’s not the typical which pool has the warmest water, what resort has the most beach chairs, who has the cheapest beer in the tourist area type of person.  She writes from her heart, doesn’t hold much back and  haggles/bargains like a local.  I was going to make a critical comment about her driving skills but navigating a 50 degree downhill slope with a 30 degree sidewards slope in a car with maybe 3″ of ground clearance…..yeah that will get the best of anyone but I found humor in being stuck while the locals thought it was comedy hour.

Buy it now <—–click on that to preview and purchase the book.

Cave Tour in Little Bay Jamaica

Little Bay Jamaica is home to a giant rat bat cave that for some reason is under the radar of just about every tour company I know of in the area.  I knew of the cave from reading about it on the internet and because the place I was staying at offered tours so it was on my list of places to explore in Little Bay (20 minutes outside of Negril).

I was lucky enough to run into Douglas Walters a yam farmer that maintains the trail to the cave since his farm is all around it.  After talking to him and his grandson for a short time, I talked them into giving me a tour.  From the main road/school area we walked maybe 5-10 minutes until we reached the cave.  Once at the cave, Mr Walters grandson gave me a tour of the inside and I must say for such a young man he gave an excellent tour! I was amazed by how big the cave is, you could park a small plane in there!   I would go on and on with details but sharing too much of the tour will ruin some of it for you.

After leaving the cave we climbed to the top of the cave to see the two openings above the cave that look down into the cave.  The climb might be a little tough for some but the views from the top of the cave are great.  Also, while I was there I got a tour of Mr Walters yam farm and learned some history about the cave, farming in Jamaica and all sorts of things that made the tour excellent.

While the cave might not be a big enough reason to spend the travel money for a 30-60 minute bat cave tour, Little Bay has so much more to offer and can make a great day trip or vacation spot.  Along with the bat cave, Little Bay Jamaica offers:

1.  The remains of Bob Marley’s summer home.

2.  Bob Marley’s mineral spring where you can swim and chill out.

Note-  For the Bob Marley tours I recommend “Boot” as a tour guide, his contact info is on this site or leave a message for it.

3.  The “Blue Hole” soon to be resort but currently offers a fresh mineral spring swimming pool, a natural mineral water swimming hole, bar/grill and much much more…I’ll do my review of them soon.

4.  A fisherman’s beach were you can meet local fishermen, take a water tour, snorkel dive around the reefs and so much more.

5.  The local “raceway” is just a few minutes up the road.

6.  Great food, great local people, no tourist hassle like in other places and I could go on and on…..

But, I’ll add a few more, great lodging/hotels, horse back riding in the ocean or along trails/roads and farmer Debbie’s farm (review soon come).

Contact info for the rat bat cave tour in Little Bay:  Douglas Walters 876-582-0617

Contact info for the Bob Marley tour in Little Bay:  “Boot”  876-416-2292

Contact info for great lodging and my review of the lodging:  Coral Cottage Little Bay Review

Cheap Beach Rooms in Negril

A review of Miss Norma’s Rooms for Rent in Negril Jamaica

Location: Miss Norma’s Rooms for Rent is located in the “mid beach” area of  Negril.  With the ocean only a hundred yards or so away and the morass (wildlife area) only a stones throw from your room, it offers the best of both worlds.  Most of Negril’s nightlife (Roots Bamboo, Alfred’s, The Jungle and others) are all within a 5 minute walk.  All of this for just $25 a night!

Booking a room at Miss Norma’s Rooms for Rent: A simple call, email or Facebook message to Barbara (she handles the bookings) and you are good to go.

Checking in at Miss Norma’s Rooms for Rent: Very quick and easy!  I got a quick tour of the property and my room and I was checked in.  After I unpacked, I met Miss Norma (the owner), her son Delmar that offers tours of Negril and all over the island and Miss Norma’s family out front that sells cold beer and  food.

Room quality: A simple modern room with a bed, dresser, counter, tv, table, bathroom and such.  Not the Ritz, but very clean and an excellent room in my opinion for budget travelers or extended stay travelers.  Even though the other room for rent is next door, the walls (concrete) are sound proof along with all of the trees that provided sound proofing from the late night bars and in most cases the street traffic.

Staff: Since Miss Norma’s is a family run place there are not staff like you would expect at run of the mill resorts.  But….if you need something you just walk a few steps and Miss Norma, her family or Barbara will take care of your needs.

Food: If you give Miss Norma a little notice she can cook you meals or snacks.  I found the food prices below average considering the meal size plus the quality was so good I would of paid twice the price and I’m cheap!  Just remember to give her a heads up if you would like her to cook you a meal.

Security: I felt 100% safe.  Miss Norma’s family has been around as long as Negril has been on the map and they are all around her place.  Nobody is going to mess with hers rooms for rent or her guests.

Overall Rating of Miss Norma’s Rooms for Rent: I would give it a 9.8 on a 1-10 scale for staying in a local “yawd/yard” type of lodging (you will be staying in a family type of setting (kids running around and such).  This is the type of lodging I SEARCH for since I love the feeling of living in Jamaica instead of staying in a hotel if that makes any sense.  Even though your  stay will be in a family yard, your room is private and you can do whatever you want in there without interruptions.

One of the real benefits for me is being able to explore the nature area (morass) all around my room.  The hummingbirds, flowers, trees, sights, smells and sounds gave me hours of great images to capture with my camera.  Another benefit was the great conversations with Barbara, Miss Norma and “Thunder” who roasts fresh Blue Mountain Coffee on the property. And another….the beach is slow close….warm water and white sandy beaches!  And yet another….the nightlife as I said is within walking distance and a $1-3US taxi fare takes you anywhere else in town if you wish to explore.

Contact Information for Miss Norma’s Rooms for Rent:
Website: http://miss-normas-rooms-for-rent-negril.blogspot.com/

Book by phone:  Contact Barbara @ 305-904-7624(US phone number)  876-451-7099 (Jamaica phone number)

Book by E-mail: barbarayehmon@yahoo.com