This section will NOT tell you how to get to Jamaica quickly and cheaply because the only tip I have for that is: DO NOT LIVE IN WESTERN CANADA!! Period. Otherwise, I’m sure you can fly from Toronto or some major US destination on one of those $99 roundtrip specials I’ve only heard about in my dreams.
Aside from all that, there are some awesome oddities about traveling to Jamaica. The VERY first thing I noticed on my VERY first trip was the flight attendants, just before landing, went up and down the aisles of the plane spraying something. Weird. I asked about it and found out it was pesticide. And its only odd until you learn that because Jamaica is an island they don’t have all the pests North America has. Now that I love Jamaica, I’d spray bad things trying to come there too!
The SECOND thing I noticed was that there were no boarding bridges at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. This was in March 2003 and was the most “quaint” thing I’ve ever experienced?.walking off an airplane onto the tarmac. Before Jamaica, the only place I’d ever traveled was California, so this was my first time experiencing something less than LAX. I got to experience this on 3 trips before they finally got boaring bridges in 2004.
April 2004 - The last time I was ever on the tarmac in Montego Bay.
The best thing about getting off onto the tarmac is that they opened both the front and rear doors to the plane. There are 2 benefits to that. #1, you can get off the plane faster. #2, the hot, sticky air immediately rushes through the cabin of the plane, your pants stick to your legs, and the smell of Jamaica permeates the air. Usually that smell includes jet fuel and a faint smell of smoke from random rubbish burning off in the distance. Once you’ve been there, trust me?.you WILL grow fond of these smells. This is my personal guarantee.
The THIRD best thing about arriving in Jamaica if you happen to be fortunate enough to be on a plane full of Jamaicans, is the huge applause upon landing! I absolutely LOVE this! To this day I’m not sure if they’re just so happy to be home or if they’re praising the Lord that they’re still alive and the plane didn’t crash. Either way its one of the most heartwarming things to experience. The only trip I’ve never heard the applause was the one where my connecting flight was in Houston. I guess there are no Jamaicans in Texas?
My last point in “getting there” is the most unusual thing I’ve witnessed on a flight. Jamaican women on a red-eye Air Jamaica flight (red-eye meaning in the middle of the night!!) arriving at 7:00 AM, dressed in bikini tops, batty riders (SHORT shorts) and nails so long they’re poking out the eyes of the person in the seat next to them. Now, I have no clue what the contributing factors here were, or why the dress code on this flight was different from ALL the other flights I’ve taken. But it was definitely a sight to behold. I felt overdressed to say the least.
10:52 am on January 15th, 2009
LOL.. Love this. Were the scantilly clad women going TO Jamaica or LEAVING Jamaica?
If they were going TO – then I expect it was a case of “pick up bags – head straight to daggerin session”
If not, then I’m just as puzzled and curious as you!! LOL
10:59 am on January 15th, 2009
It was on the way TO Ja and I suspect it was because it was Sumfest week. But still…..we were arriving in JA at 7AM!! You’d think they have a private jet right to the VIP area LOLOL.
5:23 pm on January 25th, 2009
lol.
No, the clapping when the planes land is not unique to Jamaica, as the Trinidadians do it as well when the plane arrives to Trinidad.
Better yet, the Trinis during the Carnival season or Christmas holidays start beating bottles with folks, spoons or anything, often times singing ” we reach we luv we T&T”
Island people usually love coming home to food and sun. I have never seen Bajans meaning people from Barbados do this.
Those women in shorts go to the bathroom and change before the plane land. They are coming home in style from ” farrin” is what they need portray. It’s important to let friends know that they are doing well in ” farrin” even if it’s not really true. It is very amusing to a new person
D.