Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast?

Athletics is Jamaica’s favourite sport. Our love for athletics is inculcated from the primary school championship level to watching international meets on TV while banging pot covers to support, to watching the races at the corner shop bar or even in the middle of Half-Way-Tree. You can’t not love athletics as a Jamaican. Track and field is an immeasurable source of national pride at every major meet and we have produced the world’s fastest man and woman alive. For that reason, people often wonder why do Jamaicans run so fast. Ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, here are five secrets behind Jamaica’s global excellence in athletics.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle31 Comments

Dine & Climb Waterfalls ‘Pretty Close’ to Kingston

Known as the Land of Wood and Water, Jamaica is home to rich biodiversity and over 100 rivers. These rivers create lovely recreational opportunities for swimming, fishing, bamboo rafting and riverside dining. Many Jamaicans enjoy cooking outdoors on woodfire or coal stoves as this old-fashioned means of preparing Jamaican dishes results in better taste. Cooking outdoors by the river is great but eating by or in the river is even better. Pretty Close 1876 offers an authentic Jamaican riverside kitchen and dining experience in Gordon Town, St. Andrew, and I couldn’t recommend it more. I’m also pleased to announce that they’ve reopened in January 2026 since the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle27 Comments
Girl looking at llama

9 Ways Peru Reminded Me of Jamaica

My favourite thing about traveling to a new country is being able compare their culture to my own. I’d done this for Trinidad in 2020, and now I’m doing the same for Peru. This time, I decided to compile a list of nine ways in which Peru reminded me of Jamaica (and five differences). This lighthearted post is written from my own observations after a week in Peru, so I hope not to offend anyone. Despite the negative features this post may highlight, I must say that I truly enjoyed my time in Peru and I appreciated the genuine warmth, curiosity and love that the Peruvian people expressed for Jamaica.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle19 Comments

Seven Annoying Things Bloggers Do

A lot takes place behind the scenes when creating a blog, vlog or even an Instagram post which non-creators may never fully appreciate. Thus, there can be a bit of friction and eye-rolling from non-creators when they are around creators in their element. Over the years, I’ve met and interacted with dozens of different personality types that coexist in the blogosphere and some interactions are better than others. Also, since I often travel with non-creators, this means I’ve probably been the annoying blogger to someone else too, ha! A bit of introspection is good for the soul. Here are the seven annoying things which bloggers do.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle26 Comments

‘Cyaa Stall’: A Jamaican Dancehall Art Exhibit

Kingston is the capital city of Jamaica, located on the island’s south-eastern coast on one of the world’s largest natural harbours. This vibrant city is home to the most recording studios per capita in the world, and gave rise to six distinct musical genres– namely ska, mento, rocksteady, dub, reggae and dancehall. For this reason, Kingston was awarded UNESCO Creative City status in 2015. Kingston has famous museums which immortalize the origins of our musical genres but our music does not stop there. The Rastafari religion, reggae music and its raunchier cousin dancehall are intimately tied to the fabric of the Jamaican culture and its people. Named for the lyric in artiste Vybz Kartel’s song Dancehall (2015), Cyah Stall is an exhibit which narrates Jamaican dancehall as a musical genre, aesthetic, language and resistance. Here’s why you should catch it if you can.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle19 Comments

Folly Ruins & Lighthouse, Portland

Isn’t it magical that everywhere has a story to tell? Tales of romance, tragedy, wickedness, bravery, cowardice etc. If you’re familiar with my travel posts, you’ll know that I love to give a historical perspective. That’s because the past explains the present– how did a place get its name, why does it looks the way it does now or even just for general knowledge and appreciation. However, history is sometimes the only thing that entices people to visit a place. That, my friends, is how I found myself at the old Folly Mansion (Folly Great House) on my way back to Kingston from the Portland Sea Cliff Resort & Spa.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle25 Comments

The Sea Cliff Resort in Portland, Jamaica (Review)

Portland is easily the most beautiful corner of Jamaica. The parish is home to unspoilt beaches, cliffs, mountains, rainforests, rivers and waterfalls. For an island which thrives on tourism, Portland has been spared from mass tourism by some miracle. The all-inclusive hotel model was introduced to Jamaica by local hotelier John Issa in 1978, but to date, there are still no all-inclusive hotels in Portland. Instead, the welcome alternatives are luxurious waterfront villas, rustic wellness retreats, intimate bed-and-breakfasts and secluded boutique hotels. Before now, my only trips to this parish had been via daytrips which limit the number of places and activities one can accomplish each trip. Thus, when a special occasion came around last December, I traded my usual daytrips for a weekend stay in the parish. Here’s how the Sea Cliff Resort exceeded my expectations.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle19 Comments

Kingston Reggae Garden, Saint Andrew

I’m a city girl with a love for the country and thankfully in Jamaica, the country is never too far away. A short drive of fifteen minutes can land you in lush peaceful 360° greenery, seemingly far away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Every time I visit the country and admire the slow laid-back pace of life, I can’t help but think that this is how we were meant to live. I’m happy to report that I’ve found a new chill spot near the capital city of Kingston, Jamaica for us nature-lovers to unwind and reset. Kingston Reggae Garden is a restaurant, bar and oasis in Golden Spring, St. Andrew which opened in May 2021.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle14 Comments

SIGHTSEE JAMAICA: My Debut Book

Happy New Year! I’ve been alluding to exciting stuff on the horizon for my blog and brand, and I’m excited to finally share the first one with you. The title gives it away– I’m publishing my first book this month on January 23! SIGHTSEE JAMAICA is a brief travel guide and gigantic checklist to every place worth seeing in Jamaica to the best of my knowledge. Some of the places I’ve included have never been published in a Jamaican travel guide before, because this guide is 100% local written. We’re now accepting preorders so go ahead and secure your copy.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle25 Comments

A Guide to the Two Turtle Bays of Portland, Jamaica

Portland is my favourite place in Jamaica as the parish is home to some of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. This northeastern parish has been spared from the gigantic all-inclusive hotels and over-commercialization of our other resort towns. I find it amusing (– and confusing) that they named two places Turtle Bay in the Manchioneal district of Portland, and they are ten minutes apart from each other. This trip, I visited the two Turtle Bays of Manchioneal so read on for more details and pictures of these delightful destinations.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle19 Comments