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Introduction

 This web page is about our first family holiday spent in Jamaica in March 2000.
We stayed at the Trelawny Beach and Fun Resort Hotel on the north coast of Jamaica. But first.....

Jamaica, a brief overview.

 Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean.
It is about 90 miles south of Cuba and about 600 miles south of Florida.
The island is approximately 146 miles long with widths varying from 22 and 51 miles.
Jamaica is a very mountainous island with the highest point being the Blue Mountain Peak standing at 7402 feet.
The climate is tropical, with average temperatures between 80°F - 90°F, at
higher altitudes the temperature may be lower.

JAMAICA
The first known inhabitants of Jamaica were the Arawak Indians who came from South America.
The Arawaks called the island Xaymaca, which translates to "The land of wood
and water".

Christopher Columbus "Discovered" Jamaica on May 5th 1494.

The Spanish enslaved the Arawaks, who were eventually wiped out, through slavery, ill treatment, common european ailments and diseases.
Slaves from Africa were imported by the Spanish in 1517. In 1655 the English
took Jamaica by force from the Spanish.The English continued importing African slaves. Slavery was abolished in 1834.
After the abolition of slavery, some slaves chose to fend for themselves and left
the plantations. Indentured workers came from China and India, other workers also came from Scotland, Ireland and Germany.

The island gained independence on August 6th 1962.

The capital of Jamaica is Kingston.

The island is divided into three counties Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey, which
are divided into 14 parishes: St Thomas, Portland, St. Mary, St. Ann, Trelawny,
St. James, Kingston, St. Andrew, Hanover, Westmorland, St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon and St. Catherine.

Jamaica's income is mainly through the exporting of Bauxite, Sugar, Bananas
and tourism. It main trading partner is the USA.

Jamaica is the home of reggae music.

Jamaica has the largest number of churches per square mile than anywhere
else in the world. The Rastafarian faith started here.

Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many, One People", as the island's population is
made up of the descendants of Africans (The majority), Europeans, Chinese,
East Indians, Middle Eastern and of the mixing of the different races.

Jamaican food is generally spicy. It's influences are drawn from the different races that live on the island.
Some favourite dishes are, ackee & saltfish, rice & peas, curried goat and jerk dishes (pork, chicken or fish are covered in a highly spiced marinade and then barbecued).

It is a place of extremes. On the one hand there is the overt luxury and
ostentation of the 5* hotels and larger privately owned estates, whilst the
majority of Jamaicans live simple and sometimes poverty stricken lives.

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