2018 Travel List & Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Can y'all believe that its 2018!? Because I didn't properly welcome in 2018 on my Jamaica post I want to do so here. I know its been a while, and please forgive me. I have been working on my Youtube channel, because I want to expand my brand. I am not giving up on my blog. Just know that I will have more content for you guys in 2018.

I made this post to update you on my travel plans and goals for this year. If you didn't see my previous travel list you can view it here: 2017 Travel List. Out of the 10 locations on my list, I made it to 4. BUT, I also hit some spots that weren't on my list at all. I've learned through doing these travel lists that sometimes you hit them all, sometimes you don't. I have never been able to cross off every city on my list so I didn't make one this year.

As you all know, I hit Jamaica already this year and I will be going again this summer. I am preparing for a Mexico trip as well. I've decided this year that I am going to go where the wind takes me. Or where my friends and family plan on taking me lol. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself to travel to 10 or 20 locations when I know that isn't realistic for me and my budget.

This year I want to scale back a bit on traveling. Save some money and focus on some things that are important to my near future. I am working very hard on things this year and for 2019 and I cannot wait to share them with y'all. 

I have a very extensive personal 2018 goal list. It ranges from weight loss to a stronger connection with God. So I will be taking this year to work on myself. I am not giving up on traveling, but I don't want to focus my year and happiness on where I've traveled. I want to focus on being happy whether I leave the country or not.

I am very confident that 2018 will be everything I need it to be and more. I have already claimed it! I hope you guys are optimistic about this year as well. Comment down below one of your main goals for this year. Be sure to work on yourself as much as you can this year. Be nice to yourself as well. I've learned recently that being nice to myself can make all the difference in my attitude and my motivation.

Be sure to check out my YouTube Channel  and I will see you in my next post.

Peace&Love,

Janisha  

Welcome to Jamrock!

Welcome back! Happy New Year. I know it has been a hot minute since I last updated my blog but I am really working on some things with it. I want a new look and to add some more perks to it. So please bare with me while I am in the process of reseraching and updating the look

I went to Jamaica for my friend's birthday and it was a really amazing trip. When I left Maryland it was snowing so I was more than happy to leave and go to Jamaica where the sun and sand were awaiting me. The weather temperature was nice in Jamaica but it rained pretty much our entire trip.

First off, our flight was delayed over an hour because of issues with the plane (fuel, de-icing, etc). We legit sat on the plane for about an hour and a half. The pilots did their best to get us there as fast as they could. We landed a little later than we were supposed to but it wasn't over an hour later, so I was thankful. Customs was a breeze BUT I didn't get my Jamaican stamp. Luckily I am going back this summer and I am going to make it my mission to get that passport tatt!

After a veryyyyy long bus ride we finally made it to our resort. We stayed at the Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay Resort. It was very similar, I believe the same company, to the resort I stayed at in Dominican Republic. All inclusive, same open concept. They had live music and shows, etc.

You're greeted with a glass of champagne when you check in. The first night we went to dinner at the resort and we went to Margaritaville with Julious our tour guide. I will have a whole section dedicated to Julious later. Our first day was short because we didn't get to the resort until around 5PM. So we didn't really get to enjoy the sunlight. 

The next day we had breakfast at the Jazmin Restaurant on the resort, it was buffet style. The food at the resort was really good. They had so many options. Everything from omelets to shrimp cocktail for breakfast and anything from pizza to lobster for dinner.

We were supposed to head out on boat party this day but the weather was terrible. The waves were crashing and the company told us that they wouldn't be able to take us out on the boat that day. We weren't able to reschedule for another day either. So unfortunately the weather did ruin one of our excursion plans. 

After breakfast we went to the Ocho Rios to sight see. We got to take pictures at the Ocho Rios sign(for some reason I thought I took a picture there but I didn't). We went on this long  narrow road up a mountain so that we could get to one of the most amazing views. The entire view of Ocho Rios was breathtaking. 

That night we went out to a local club. I will have to say that the locals in Jamaica are very sweet. Most people could obviously tell that we were tourist and they wanted to make sure we were having a good time.The hospitality from the people off the resort was amazing. You never really know what you're going to get from people who aren't being paid to be nice to you lol.

Just to keep everyone informed, right now there is a travel advisory in Jamaica. While I was there Great Britain sent out an advisory for their residents not to leave their resort. Later, the US put out a similar advisory. I didn't see the advisory until I got back home to the states. The advisory has been updated, you can leave resorts but they tell you exactly what locations not to visit. US Travel Advisory. 

I didn't have an issues while off the resort and I did not witness any violence. It was exactly the opposite. But we did not go anywhere without our tour guide. That was something that was very important to us. We wanted to make sure we had a local with us at all times.

Usain Bolt's Bar

 Our tour guide, for the majority of our stay, was a guy named Julious. He is located in Runaway Bay, JA. He was really nice, down to earth and very knowledgeable about the island. He took us sightseeing in Ocho Rios and to the hottest clubs. We got in touch with him at our resort. He was right outside waiting for anyone that needed a tour guide. You can look him up on Trip Advisor: Julious Tours. Julious' Tours is rated in the Top 5 things to do in Jamaica. I HIGHLY recommend him!

After Margaritaville Julious took us to get some street food, some reallllllly good, super authentic jerk chicken. He also took us to a restaurant called Scotchies, they had some really great authentic jerk chicken too. I did not get really good pictures of our food BUT you can check out my friend Ashley's Instagram page where she shares all of the food she had and the restaurants we visited. @BuddingFoodie.

There was a lot of rain but we didn't let that stop us from having a good time. We visited the Irie Blue Hole. That was a workout and an adventure all in one! It took a lot of walking through trails, man made bridges, and puddles of water and mud(due to the rain) to get there. After walking what felt like walking for 40 days and 40 nights we finally made it to the body of water. So here I am, thinking that the workout is over. LIES. We then had to climb rocks and fight water to get to the place to jump off cliffs. I have a few videos that I will put down below from this excursion.

After leaving the Blue Hole went to Sharkies Seafood Restaurant. The food was amazing! The food is freshly caught and made to order. I think everyone should go to Sharkies if they are staying on that side of the island. One thing I will say is the wait time for your food is long. All of the reviews on Facebook will tell you the same thing. But like I said before, they offer fresh, made to order food. So you should expect a bit of a wait. Party size also plays a big part in wait time as well. The restaurant is normally quite busy but we actually went during a storm, so it wasn't as busy as it would have been on a day with sunshine and clear skies. 

One thing I would recommend, if you plan on visiting Sharkies, exchange your USD to Jamaican Dollar. It will benefit you. Otherwise they will charge you an exchange rate to use your American dollars. The entrees are between $15-30. That doesn't include any drinks (including water) you may want to have with your meal.

Overall you guys, I had a great time in Jamaica.The people are nice, the food was amazing and I had the time of my life at the Irie Blue Hole. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and you are inspired to travel to Jamaica if you have never been. I will be returning to Jamaica in the summer for a wedding. I am not sure if I will make a blog post for it or vlog it since it is someone's wedding. But I will keep you guys updated. 

Thanks for sticking in there with me. And make sure that you are following me on all of my social media platforms:

Instgram 
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Peace&Love,
Janisha