Montego Bay from the Air, 
jamaica
° Kingston ° Montego Bay ° Ocho Rios
Like so many tropical islands around the world, Jamaica's dramatic landscape is breathtaking, as are its forests, poinsetta trees and waterfalls flowing into warm turquoise water.
The Carribean has some of the finest water in the world for color, clarity, swimming and diving. While there is better diving, say in Indonesia or the Maldives, the Carribean is close to the U.S., short breaks are possible, and the trip worth it. Jamaica is the third largest Island in the Caribbean behind Cuba and Hispaniola, and it is the largest English-speaking island. It is approximately 4243 square miles in size and approximately 51 miles wide by 146 miles long.
Kingston
The capital and largest city in Jamaica, lies on the southeastern coast of the island. Kingston is one of the leading ports of the West Indies and one of the largest harbors in the world; it exports sugar, rum, molasses, and bananas. Other industries include tourism, oil refining, shoe and clothing manufacturing, and food processing.
The Blue Mountains, near Kingston, rise dramatically more than 7200 feet. Some of the finest coffee in the world is grown on the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, making it one of the highest grown coffees in the world. The island's size, varied terrain, rich soil, high rainfall and good drainage allow for a diversity of growing conditions and as a result an incredible variety of crops are grown on the island. Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee has been famous for more than two centuries. Coffee found its way to Jamaica in 1728 when Sir Nicholas Lawes, Governer of Jamaica, imported Arabica seedlings from the Island of Martinique. The new home was a natural and coffee production expanded. Government support and instruction in the art of cultivation allowed the industry to develop in reputation and quality.
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is Jamaica's second city in size and importance, but it is the island's tourism capital. It has a vast range of accommodations, the most amenities, shopping, great beaches and it is not isolated from the people who live there. You will hear the beautiful patois wherever you go. My brother, who is definitely not good with languages, found himself talking quite easily within a few days during our stay. The town is divided into three fairly distinct parts: The colorful and crowded city, the "hotel area," which is the mile-and-a-half strip running from the town, past the celebrated Doctor's Cave Beach and out to the Dead End Bar, and outlying hotels and villas on beach or hillside (such as those up the coast in Ocho Rios). Country folk flock in to visit markets, shops and banks. Guests from hotels and cruise ships make their way to in-bond shops and Crafts Markets.
Ocho Rios
"Eight Rivers" owes much of its fame to Dunn's River Falls, a much-photographed and much-climbed attraction. When we were there, no one else was in the Falls . . . (and a crab bit my toe, I lost my glasses, and always travel with extra glasses as a result). Fern Gully, a rocky gorge of tremendous depth zig-zags for about four miles down from the central mountain area down to the coast. Although it has become rather commercialized in recent years, it is still well worth a visit to see the profusion of tropical ferns (over 500 species) and the kind of foliage only to be found in a tropical rain forest. In the deepest parts of the gorge, only faint dapples of sunshine penetrate through the thick foliage and the temperature is about ten degrees cooler.
Reading departure signs in some big airport