From August 24-28, 2011 The Jamaica Tourist Board hosted yet another Bloggers MeetUp. Fifteen amazing Bloggers and tweeters from North America were in the Jamaica experiencing just a taste of what the island has to offer in and around the popular resort areas of Montego Bay and Negril. The Bloggers were hosted by the luxurious Riu Montego Bay and Riu Palace Tropical Bay in Negril.
After checking in to the exquisite Riu Montego Bay on the very first day the Bloggers made themselves at home and enjoyed the spoils which included everything from a fully stocked mini bar, a swim up bar and pool, beachfront rooms (affording a stunning view of the sunset) all-inclusive buffet style and à la carte restaurants. The bloggers woke the next morning to a tour of the property before heading out on the road, eager to begin their island adventure. The day’s activities kicked off with a visit to one of the most famous and intriguing historical structures in Jamaica Rose Hall Great House.
According to local legend the Great House (built in 1770) is to this day haunted by the malicious spirit of Annie Palmer, “The White Witch”, the tempestuous widow of the original owner’s grandnephew John Rose Palmer, who eventually came to own the estate. The house has an eerie feeling to it, which the Bloggers noticed almost immediately upon entry. They marveled at the beauty of both the house’s interior and the dazzling views of the Caribbean Sea through its windows. The house boasts silk wallpapers, European antiques, chandeliers, mahogany floors, paneling and wooden ceilings.
When the tour guide began to tell the story of Annie Palmer, one of Jamaica’s most frightening legends the eerie feeling started to make sense. The legend of “The White Witch of Rosehall” begins in the year 1820, when John Rose Palmer married Annie Mae Paterson, a beautiful 18-year-old spitfire born in 1802 in England of half-English, half-Irish stock. She had moved to Haiti with her merchant parents when she was 10. When they died soon after from yellow fever, she was adopted by her Haitian nanny, who was rumored to be a voodoo priestess who educated her young charge in the arts of the occult.
After the death of her nanny the young woman came to Jamaica, husband-hunting, and the rest is history. During her reign as mistress of the plantation, Annie did away with John Rose Palmer, two more husbands and countless lovers. Her cruelty, however, came to an end in 1831, when she was found strangled in her bedroom at the Great House. Legend has it that the murderer was Takoo, a voodoo priest seeking vengeance for a curse that Annie (in a fit of jealous rage) had placed on his beloved granddaughter, which had caused her “to wither and die.”
Her household servants, as well as the overseer of her plantation, Ashman, who recorded most of the grisly events in his diary, just wanted her buried as soon as possible in the deepest hole they could dig. Fearing her return from the dead, the servants hastily burned most of her possessions, fearing that they were permeated with remnants of her spirit. To this day there is talk that lucky visitors to the mansion can catch a glimpse of her ghost wandering the halls. The Bloggers were genuinely spooked by a creepy picture of a girl with eyes “that follow you every where you go” before heading down to the dungeon for a taste of the “witches brew” (a drink made out of pineapple juice, orange juice and Rose Hall Rum). After a trip to Annie’s tomb it was time for lunch at one of the best places to eat jerk in Jamaica, Scotchies!
Smoky, juicy, flavorful and hot, Jamaican jerk is world famous. If you’re unfamiliar with the term; “Jerk” is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats are dry-rubbed with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerked food is a must-have for visitors and locals alike and if you haven’t had it yet you don’t know what you’re missing! Jerk is both a marinade and a preparation technique.
In its most authentic form, fresh poultry or pork meat is massaged with a concentrated spice rub infused with allspice (pimento), cinnamon, peppers, onion, thyme and garlic hours before cooking. After marinating, the meat is placed on raised platforms of pimento wood over hot coals to slowly roast for hours. The Bloggers not only got the chance to enjoy jerk pork, fish and chicken at it’s finest, they also got to go behind the scenes to see how the magic is made!
A quick trip to the Montego Bay Craft Market followed. With plenty of wooden shops with souvenirs for tourists this is the largest craft market one will find in Montego Bay. Everything from beaded jewelery, straw hats and bags to authentic wooden sculptures and paintings can be found here and upon arrival the bloggers were treated to some Rum Punch and some tasty Jamaican treats like gizzada and coconut drops which a few of them fell in love with. A steel drum performance drew a tiny crowd towards the centre of the market and the melody got them in the mood for the next phase of the day’s activities the Catamaran Cruise!
Dubbed “the ultimate sailing experience” the evening ended with a sunset cruise along the coast by Dreamer Catamarans. The 3 hour cruise included snorkeling in the enchanting tropical underwater world of the Montego Bay Marine Park, home to a wealth of sponges in a rainbow of colors, dozens of tropical fish and amazing coral reefs. Unfortunately the sea was a little rough on this trip so there was not as much visibility as usual but it was still great for the Bloggers to get out and take a dip in the ocean at the end of a hot summer day. The catamaran sailed to the Lagoons area of Montego Bay where the passengers were able to see up close some colourful frigate birds. In addition to the seemingly endless flow of rum drinks there was some great music playing onboard & the crew was determined to get everyone up and dancing showing them the moves to the latest Reggae, Dancehall and & Soca tunes. To see more photographs from the day visit Our Facebook Page!
Read what the bloggers themselves had to say about the day in these posts:
Tracey Nesbitt: Sweet, Sweet Jamaica.
Brendan Vanson: I’m in Jamaica… Mon, Jamaican Luxury, Frigate Bird in Flight.
Gayle McCarthy: #visitjamaica- blame it on RIU, #visitjamaica- The perfect jerk.
Tammie Reed: Montego Bay, Jamaica Day 1&2.
Zipporah Sandler: First impressions – RIU Montego Bay.
Tags: bloggers meetup, caribbean, chicken, dreamer catamarans, fish, food, Jamaica, jamaican, jerk, Montego Bay, montego bay craft market, pork, riu hotels, riu palace tropical bay, rose hall great house, scotchies, snorkeling, sunset crise, the white witch of rose hall, things to do, travel, where to stay
