Salem Beach, Saint Ann

Salem Beach near Runaway Bay is perhaps not much of a swimming beach but is worth a visit if you’re dining at the restaurant which has made it popular– Sharkies Seafood. Sharkies is located on Salem Beach and what they lack in speed, they make up in deliciousness by producing seafood that’s comparable to all the great seafood eateries in and around the corporate area with which I’m familiar. Besides, if you time your visit near to sunset, the setting is glorious. With that, let’s talk about:

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle11 Comments

What Davina Bennett’s 2nd Runner-Up in Miss Universe Means for Black Women Globally

I’m not a fan of pageants. I really don’t keep up well with these things because no matter how much they scream the tagline beauty with a purpose (or is that Miss World’s), I find the world of pageantry rather trivial. Nonetheless, I tend to be aware of the Miss Jamaica World and Miss Jamaica Universe winners and I wish for them nothing but the best as they strut their stuff and represent my tiny homeland nation on the global stage. Over the years we have won three Miss World titles– first in 1963 by Carole Crawford, in 1976 by Cindy Breakspeare then most recently by Lisa Hanna in 1993. We still haven’t won any Miss Universe titles but we came very close to it last night with Davina Bennett, the closest we have come since Yendi Phillips’ 1st runner-up in 2010.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle1 Comment

Columbus Park, Saint Ann

Columbus Park is a historic open-air museum which sits by the side of the road in the north coast town of Discovery Bay. The park overlooks the expansive bay and features ruins from Jamaica’s Spanish colonization period and other relics & replicas from times past. Sadly, the park has fallen into a state of disrepair but the concept is a good one. Hopefully some improvements and repairs are made in the near future but in the mean time, let’s take a look at the park’s current state.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle6 Comments

Green Grotto Caves in Jamaica: History & Adventure Await

Named for the green algae which once covered their walls, the Green Grotto Caves in Discovery Bay blend ecotourism and history into a 45-minute tour. These caves, secret passages and caverns have played a pivotal role in Jamaica’s history– first used by Jamaica’s earliest inhabitants the Tainos for hundreds of years as a home, source of food and sacred ground, by the Spanish and later runaway slaves as a hideaway, by smugglers running arms to Cuba between the two World Wars then in more recent times as a rum barrel storehouse.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle7 Comments

Little Dunn’s River, Saint Ann

Little Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios was the last remaining span of free north coast between Portland & St. Ann’s Bay in Jamaica. Attempts have been made in the past by the government to shut it down, citing that the property was a safety hazard to patrons but really with the motive of handing over the property to private developers. In 2013, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) posted guards at the site, erected a fence with a locked gate, placed no trespassing signs on the property and mounted no parking signs on the adjacent strip of road on which patrons would park. Unfortunately, in 2022, history repeated itself and Little Dunn’s River closed to the public once more. However, as of December 2023, Little Dunn’s River is set to reopen on Sundays only for the time being.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle22 Comments

Island Gully Falls, Saint Ann

I try to demystify Jamaican off-the-beaten-path places on Adventures from Elle because usually not much useful information is available about these places online or by word of mouth. Island Gully Falls is one such place despite becoming very popular on social media and perhaps more recently popularized as Blue Hole. A detailed search turned up conflicting prices ranging from free to expensive US$ prices and its location in St. Ann was often quickly corrected by others to St. Mary. Well, Island Gully Falls is a scenic cascading portion of the White River set upstream under tropical rainforest-like canopy and it straddles the parish border of St. Ann and St. Mary. Also, there is a rate of JM$500 for locals but as to the cost they charge foreign tourists I can’t say. It seems to vary depending on whether you find your own transport there or if you come with a tour group. Nonetheless, here’s how my adventure went:

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle13 Comments