Travel / Jamaica

The Best Thing About Living in Jamaica

It’s not the Jerk Chicken, though that is the driver of it.

I have lived in Kingston, Jamaica since June of 2021. Coming here from a large, chaotic, hot city in a developing country on the coast of East Africa, this place sometimes feels like a relief. But Kingston is also described in the same way, sometimes — excluding the East Africa part — but definitely including the traffic part.

I love living here and am starting to write about it a bit, as a non-Jamaican who has only scratched the surface of the place.

Here are the nuts and bolts of living life as an expat here.

Here are some realizations that have occurred to me about the difference in motivation, experience and expectations in being an expat and being an immigrant, after 7 years living abroad in different places.

Jamaica has long been marketed to North Americans as a tropical paradise and certainly if you are booking an all inclusive week at a hotel on the North Coast of the island, you can have that. Brightly coloured cocktails in plastic cups, aquasize classes, endless buffet tables can all be yours. Steel drums too, which is odd, because steel drums come from Trinidad.

I’m not knocking it, tourism is a key industry in this country. But most people who come to those places will never leave the gated compound, owing to warnings about crime. It’s too bad that this is the message they hear, but I get it.

Boats are safest when they are in harbours, but that’s not what boats are for. This could definitely be a Jamaican saying.

And so Jamaica will not throw its arms around you, begging you to love it, like it may seem that it does in one of these hotels. No, outside of those places, Jamaica is very much “what you see is what you get”. It is a beautiful place that is makeshift at times, with a proud culture and people that feel it. They’ll make you feel it too, if you let them. But you have to find them and be openhearted about it. They won’t come looking for you.

One piece of advice that I remember getting shortly after arrival from the owner of Acai Cafe in Long Bay, Portland Parish (possibly one of the most beautiful and less touristed parts of the island) was, “Every time you get a chance, every weekend, you must get in your car and just drive out of Kingston”. He was from there and he knew how hectic the city can feel.

So that’s what we do, and it doesn’t take all that long to get somewhere that no one on Trip Advisor has ever written a review for. That’s the part of Jamaica that I like best.

You really don’t need to go that far either. Here’s an example of one off the beaten track place and what it feels like to be there.

About 10 minutes north from where we live in Uptown Kingston, the city rather suddenly comes to a stop and you start heading into the hills. The road gets a bit tighter and throws more curves at you, there are more stray dogs on the road and you can feel the air get cooler. It might be raining a bit, while it’s sunny in the city. About half way between Manor Park and the community of Stoney Hill, you come to a big 180 degree bend in the road.

It is here, in a spot to the right (if you are going uphill), that you will find Chateau 7 Jerk Center. This is the spot alright.

If not for the many cars parked out front and the people parked in front of the order window, the place would be inconspicuous.

Patra, one of the owners (‘longside Donahue Jarrett) deals with the customers. There is a warmth to her that is difficult to describe. She is genuinely happy to see you, even if it’s been a month. She’ll take your order but will deftly steer you into other things you hadn’t considered. There is a joy that she emits that infects the other customers too. Conversations begin with normally reserved Jamaicans, asking where you are from, how did you find out about this place. You begin to feel like maybe you belong here.

She’ll offer you roti, but don’t ask for Festival. “Festival is not sexy”, she’ll tell you. She’s not wrong.

Next door is where the cold Red Stripe is, so that’s where I go while we are waiting for our food. I’m still working on establishing the same friendly relationship with the proprietor of that place, but one thing at a time.

The food comes out and by now you are sitting in the picnic table area and not once has it arrived without something a little extra for you. And not once have we been there and not gotten into further conversation with local customers.

Everyone is happy. Why? Is it the food? Is it the place itself? Is it the rainforest location? What is the cause of this vibe? I’ll get back to that.

Alright so the food. I eat Jerk Chicken every chance I get. I am by no means an expert, but I know what I like. I make my own jerk sauce for grilling at home (but don’t tell any Jamaicans that, I’m not ready for that yet). My partner tells me it’s the best she’s had, but don’t tell them that either.

This stuff is good. Tender, juicy chicken and pork. Smoky, hot, sweat inducing but not blow your head off heat. Not delicate either, but multi layered and flavours happening at different points in the mouthful. Exactly my speed. No rush and a great way to fill an hour or two on a weekend afternoon.

Not done yet? How about a lobster soup? In a styrofoam cup. With a lobster claw sticking out of it.

By the time you are done, there is a feeling of fullness. But not just because of what went into your mouth — rather, also a fullness of heart, to go along with the smile on your face. That’s the vibe that exists there and that’s what we always leave with as we head back down the hill into the city.

You only get that at places like this. Miles off the beaten path.

It’s as though, yes, maybe you are new here, maybe you are still finding your spots, maybe you are still figuring the place out. But, after finding a place like this and having such a good time, that maybe you might even belong here.

You can’t put a price on this sort of thing, and that’s the best thing about living in Jamaica.

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