Practical Information

ATM Machines
Cash advances can be made on credit cards if you have a PIN number or at the bank if you do not. Note, however, that this can be a slow proposition. We ran out of cash in Negril recently and spent close to two hours obtaining a cash advance from the local bank. There are better ways to spend your holiday.

Banking
Banks are open 9am-2pm on Mondays to Thursdays; 9am-12pm and 2:30pm-5pm on Fridays.

Crime
Crime can be a serious problem in Jamaica. Use the same precautions you'd exercise at home and then some. Don't leave money on the beach while you swim; don't leave cash and valuables in your hotel room. Use your hotel safe. Don't go out for walks on lonely stretches of beach or on quiet roads after dark. Crime is particularly a problem in Kingston, as in any metropolitan area. Use big city precautions and heed advice to stay away from downtown, especially after dark.

Currency
The Jamaican dollar fluctuates with the market. You'll find that most establishments welcome US and Canadian dollars, however. Throughout the island, prices are often stated in US dollars (especially in resort communities.)

Credit Cards
Major credit cards are accepted around the island but don't count on using your ATM card at the local bank.

Drugs
Marijuana, or ganja as it's known locally, is illegal throughout Jamaica. Drug penalties are becoming stiffer, and drug prevention measures more stringent in many countries. Customs carefully screens bags (using dogs in most cases) both when leaving the island and when returning to the mainland.

The come-ons to tourists vary from vendor to vendor but expect to be approached by friendly young men who introduce themselves by name, shake your hand, and ask "is this your first time to Jamaica?" Other approaches include "remember me from yesterday?" and "I met your friend down the beach." From there the offers extend from motorcycles rides up to see ganja fields to attempts to sell "party stuff" or "stuff I grew myself." Young travelers (especially males) are prime targets for ganja salesmen.

Like dealing with market and beach vendors, dealing with drug entrepreneurs also just requires firm politeness. "No, thank you" will generally end the transaction. Stay cool, move on, and realize that these businessmen are just out to make a buck, which on this island is not always an easy proposition.

We also caution vacationers not to return home with any packages that they have not personally packed. We have been approached by locals asking us to mail packages for them once we arrived in the US. The requests may have been legitimate, but the risk is too great.

Electricity
Throughout the island, you'll find 110 volts/50 cycles. At a few hotels, 220 volts is used. Standard American plugs are used.

Entry Requirements
US and Canadian citizens can enter on a passport or a proof of citizenship, such as an original birth certificate with a raised seal, a naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship along with a photo ID (all documents must bear the same name). You'll also need to show a return or ongoing ticket.

You'll be issued a visitors card on the incoming airplane. Complete this before you land to speed up your trip through immigration (lines can sometimes be long at the Montego Bay airport so scoot on out there as soon as you can).

A travelers' tip: Be sure to complete your visitors card in either blue or black ink. Anything else will cause you to go back to the end of the line to fill out a new form. (We learned this little tidbit the hard way after coming in on an evening flight in Kingston and completing our card in green ink. Bring along a blue or black pen.)

Harassment
Jamaica is one of our longtime Caribbean favorites, but not everyone shares our enthusiasm. For some, the beauty of Jamaica is overshadowed by the sometimes incessant demands of vendors selling everything from hair braids to necklaces to marijuana.

What's the best way to deal with hassling vendors? Firm politeness. "No, thank you." If you don't want to buy, don't look, even out of polite interest.

Sexual harassment can also be a very real annoyance for female travelers. Jamaican machismo runs rampant and more than one "beach buddy" makes his living "escorting" lonely tourists looking for local action. Deal with sexual innuendo firmly but politely then move on.
Our advice is to look beyond the beaten path to the Jamaica that the Jamaicans enjoy. When you've had enough hassling, head to a restaurant enjoyed primarily by locals or hire a driver for the day and leave the resort areas for the quiet communities that most visitors rarely see. We've spent days away from the resort areas and never seen another tourist (and also never been approached by a single vendor). Jamaica beyond the resorts is quiet, dignified, and proper.

Immunizations
No immunizations are required unless you have visited on the following areas within the past six weeks: Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad or Tobago. If you have visited one of the locales recently, check with the tourist board prior to your trip. We once came to Jamaica after a trip to Bangkok. We were told by the Jamaican consulate's office that a nurse would give us a card with symptoms to be on the look out for and a number to call if any medical problems arose, but on arrival in MoBay we were not stopped at immigration.

Internet Site
The official web site of the Jamaica Tourist Board is www.visitjamaica.com. Check out the Internet appendix at the back of this book for more Jamaica-related web sites including many with culinary information.

Language
What's the official language of Jamaica? English, spoken in a more proper manner than most Americans recognize.

What's the language of the streets? Patois. If you feel like you're hearing a foreign tongue, it's probably the local patois, a combination of English, Spanish, Portuguese, African phrases and a good dose of Jamaican slang all in one. Spoken in a sing-song style, the result is as exotic as any foreign language. Jamaican patois is a fascinating use of the language. With patois, "You get more mileage out of your tongue," one Jamaican explained to us.
Here's an example of some patois you might hear on the streets:

a go foreign: to leave Jamaica
bendung maaket: a sidewalk market, a place where you would bend down or "bendung" to shop
boonoonunus: wonderful, beautiful
duppy: ghost
irie (eye-ree): all's well, good
mash up: sickly, tired
nyam: eat
wagga wagga: bountiful
winji: sickly

Photography
Don't take photographs without permission. We often buy a small trinket and then ask for permission for a photos; we have rarely been denied.

Telephones
As much as we love Jamaica, we must admit that this island is one of the worst places in the Caribbean from which to make a telephone call. The reason? Most American telephone companies will not accept credit card calls from Jamaica. Due to the high volume of fraud from this island, credit card companies will refuse calls from the island. The solution?

• Find out if your cell service will work in Jamaica.
• Dial direct from your hotel and have it charged to your bill. This is the most expensive solution. If you do this, call home and have the recipient call you right back. Calls made from the mainland to Jamaica are far less expensive. Hotel markups are hefty so this will be a very costly route.
  
• Call home collect. This is less expensive than a direct call but pricier than our next option (and it also requires someone on the other end to accept the call.)
  
• Buy a JAMAICAN phone card once you are on island. We found out the hard way, after buying an "international" calling card in Miami that it wouldn't work in Jamaica. Wait until you get to Jamaica and make a stop at a local grocery store to buy a calling card. They come in various denominations.
  
• Fax service is available at just about all the resorts and is another good way to keep in touch. Many charge nothing to receive a fax and only a few dollars to transmit.
  

Time Zone
Eastern Standard Time is observed year around. Jamaica does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

Tipping
You'll find that a service charge is often (make that usually) added to the bill at most restaurants but if not a 10-15% tip is customary. Remember that tips are part of the package at many all-inclusive resorts; check with yours. Tips are generally not expected for short taxi rides.

Water
Water is safe to drink throughout the island.