Bucket List Jamaica 2018

With 2017’s bucket list being my third most viewed post this year, I thought it fitting to conclude the 2017 roundup series with a similar list. Last year, I bit off more than I could chew with a 17 in ’17 so certainly there’ll be no 18 in ’18 for 2018. This is the year I become a final year medical student too so 2018 I need to resume putting out my A-game. It’s a good thing all my adventures were already day-trips because I’m gonna be worse pressed for time this year. I will be M.I.A. a lot and it hurts me as much as it’ll hurt you (lol will it?) to neglect Adventures from Elle again. Rest assured I will post every chance I get to experience something blog-worthy because the travel bug has become an omnipresent feature in my life and I LOVE IT.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle26 Comments

What One Woman Spent Travelling in 2017

As a self-proclaimed budget traveler, it felt fitting to include a travel receipt of sorts in my 2017 roundup series. Travel is all fun and games until we have to face our wallets (…or purses or bank cards). Hopefully it sheds more light on my travel costs this year, helps to guide your own Jamaican adventures or merely serves as inspiration for your own travels. I include 8 universal tips for how to save on sightseeing at the end so feel free to skip ahead.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle7 Comments

Fleet Street, Kingston

Fleet Street is the pearl of Downtown Kingston which breaks down barriers and breathes hope into disadvantaged communities. Downtown is a bustling metropolis featuring the headquarters of leading Jamaican businesses, stores, government offices and the House of Parliament. However, for my entire life I’ve heard my mother say she doesn’t go downtown if she doesn’t absolutely have to and when she did, she rarely took me along. Why? Downtown has been plagued for decades with many socio-economic issues, troubled inner-city communities and now as a result harbours notorious gangs and garrisons which led to the city once being labeled as the murder capital of the world. Political corruption has severed communities, led to the stark increase in crime and now our leaders grapple with reining in the monster which they have created. Nonetheless, as we say in Jamaica “wah nuh dead nuh call ih duppy” (literally translated: if it’s not dead, don’t call it a ghost). And that’s what Downtown Kingston is– a reawakening city and perhaps the most colourful part of that renaissance is located on Fleet Street.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle13 Comments

2017 Year In Review

2017 has been quite a year for me, laced with ups and equally as many downs. I felt as if the weeks kept passing and my mind was always playing catchup. A lot of what has happened to me or what I actually did and accomplished this year still hasn’t fully sunk in yet. The fact that 2018, a brand new year, is here in 4 days hasn’t really sunk in either.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle6 Comments

10 Lessons from Chasing Waterfalls in Jamaica

What’s not to love about water putting on a grand display? My island home of Jamaica is blessed with over 20 waterfalls hidden in its verdant rugged mountains. Our cascades are small making them interactive and fit to be climbed, stood under, swam in and enjoyed unlike the world’s largest falls which can only be admired at a distance. Waterfalls are my favourite feature of nature and since 2016 I’ve been trying to see them all. I’m now at 8 and counting, 6 of which were off the beaten path.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle9 Comments

A Guide to Public Transport in Kingston, Jamaica

You’ve entered Kingston, Jamaica at the Norman Manley International Airport, been met by your airport transfer charter and taken to your lodging. Now what… You’ve just come up from ‘country’, wherever that is, to the big bad Kingston… Or, you’ve lived in Kingston all your life but never taken, rarely use or haven’t used public transport recently… Or even used it all your life and just want to read my take on it. A lot of my earlier blog posts feature public transport since I started this blog as a mere walk-foot gal wanting to see Jamaica. Recently, it dawned on me how daunting it must be to use public transport on your own for the first time in Kingston, worse if you stand out due to colour, language etc. For travel to be budget-friendly, one has to master getting around via the cheapest means possible. With that said, let’s talk about public transport in Kingston.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle18 Comments

Discovering the Hidden Beauty of Tacky Falls

Life is quite unpredictable and I’m learning to roll with the punches more each day. Earlier this year I’d set out to visit this waterfall’s smaller cousin, Kwame Falls, but the public transport in Kingston decided against that plan. Thus, I was most excited when a high schoolmate of mine who is now studying abroad came out for Christmas and organized a few trips to discover more of Jamaica, perhaps inspired by his own overseas adventures or this blog 😅. Tacky Falls in Islington, St. Mary was on his itinerary and that’s how it came about that I visited the harder-to-find St. Mary waterfall first.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle13 Comments

Devon House Tour, Saint Andrew

Ranked as National Geographic’s fourth best place in the world to eat ice cream in 2011, Devon House is already a favourite for residents and visitors alike. However, Devon House is so much more than stellar sweets. Sitting on 11 lush acres in Saint Andrew, the Devon House mansion was the home of Jamaica’s first coloured millionaire George Stiebel. Born to a Black Jamaican mother who was a housekeeper and a German Jewish father, Stiebel had a relatively privileged upbringing and was able to earn his fortune from investments in Venezuelan gold mines. He returned to Jamaica and purchased what was originally a 51-acre property to construct his Georgian-style mansion in 1881. Years after his passing in 1896, the house changed hands through two families then became property of the Jamaican government. Today, Devon House is a well-preserved national heritage site open to tours. Its former stables, kitchen and other buildings now host some of Jamaica’s finest restaurants, confectionaries and souvenir shops.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle10 Comments

Liguanea Art Festival, Saint Andrew

Aptly called the artbeat of Jamaica, the annual Liguanea Art Festival (LAF) is the Caribbean’s largest. This festival showcases upcoming talent alongside local veterans in photography, painting, ceramics, jewellery and sculpture since its 2005 inception. Hosted by June and Tony Wong, a Jamaican couple which shares a passion for the arts, LAF has evolved into a household name with 2017 being its biggest yet. This year featured more than 110 artists, some of whom are widely celebrated and have traversed the Jamaican and international art landscape.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle4 Comments

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