Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Our last stop in the Caribbean is Jamaica. Another small island, but one that packs a big punch.

We docked at Ocho Rios, on the north coast of Jamaica. My Spanish is good enough by now to know this means 'eight rivers', which turns out to be a misnomer. (Like Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande in Brazil, neither of which is a river.) There are not eight rivers in Ocho Rios. There are only six.

Before we leave the port area, do you recognise this grain elevator? It featured in the first James Bond movie, Dr No. Bond runs along this very elevator in pursuit of the villain. There's a stronger Bond connection with Jamaica than that, though. Ian Fleming lived in Jamaica after the war and wrote all the James Bond books from his home called Goldeneye. GoldenEye (yes) is now a luxury resort, so you can stay in Bond's birthplace if you have a spare US$800 per night.

Our guide Roxion tells us that Jamaica is known as 'the land of wood and water'. It's a very verdant, lush island, with huge limestone reserves and plenty of fresh water. Which is why it was so popular with the explorers and colonists!

Christopher Columbus claimed the island for Spain (and was forced to live there for a year after a shipwreck) in the early 1500s. I love this statue of him with the tree growing out of his head. That's what it's called locally — the statue with the tree growing out of its head.

By 1660 the English had captured the island and set up government. As a plantation economy — sugar, coffee, cotton (same story as Brazil) — both Spain and England brought slaves to Jamaica from Africa. Many slaves escaped and set up their own independent communities called Maroons. Over the next few centuries Jamaica became a hotbed of rebellion, both by Maroons and slaves, and a breeding ground for pirates.

Add to that its location in the Caribbean, which means hurricanes and earthquakes, and things were pretty volatile in this corner of the world.

Enter that era of political change, the 20th century, and the rise of Marcus Garvey, who campaigned for better conditions for workers and political independence. He also founded the Rastafari religion in Jamaica. Garvey is a contentious political figure today (he declared himself the Provisional President of Africa at one point and shared some views about separatist politics with the KKK) but he remains a hero in Jamaica.

Jamaica became independent of Britain in 1962, but is part of the Commonwealth. Jamaica is divided into three counties (Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey), each of which is divided into parishes. St Ann's Parish is famous for being the birthplace of Harry Belafonte, Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley and Usain Bolt.

Jamaica's population is less than 3 million people, but it's had quite a cultural influence on the world, no?

Our very entertaining guide Roxion amused us as we drove through the parish of St Ann's. Some things I learned from Roxion:

• The first post office anywhere in the world was in Jamaica. Jamaica had running water installed in the island before New York.

• Jamaicans' favourite spice is jerk, a mixture of spices and peppers, with the key ingredient being allspice (Jamaican pepper). It's used to season all types of meat: chicken, goat, beef. 'I don't mind being called a jerk,' said Roxion. 'Mmmm. Hot and spicy!'

• On passing a speeding driver: 'That's another CJ,' she said. 'Crazy Jamaican. You need to be a PhD to drive in Jamaica. A Pot-hole Dodger.'

We drive up a very steep and windy road, through luxuriant tree ferns and tall trees with their roots gripping the limestone precariously. This road was built on an old riverbed, a gully where water used to pour down the mountain. The government employs local women to sweep the road every morning to remove all the damp foliage that has fallen overnight. I assume that this is a safety measure to ensure the road isn't slippery.

All of a sudden, a strange figure steps out onto the road, in front of our vehicle. It's Jack on the Beanstalk! says Roxion. Our vehicle has to stop and we have to tip Jack before we can proceed. Roxion notes approvingly that Jack embodies the Jamaican spirit, where people create their own jobs.

Tourism is a major source of income — one in four Jamaicans work in tourism. I doubt that the locals are subject to a Jack-on-the-Beanstalk toll.

Having paid our dues, we head for a rainforest park and one of Jamica's 32 waterfalls, the Konoko Falls.

The family in the photo below, who were also in the park, told us happily that they were from London. They'd got married 10 years ago in Jamaica, in this very spot, and now they had returned with all their children to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. They were so happy to be here! Lots of photos planned in their white outfits.

A few interesting exhibits in the small park museum ...

... and a few very interesting local animals including these whopping iguanas. The Jamaican iguana is critically endangered. It's one of those familiar stories. The Asian mongoose was introduced to Jamaica to control snakes. Unfortunately the mongoose really, really liked to eat the iguana hatchlings and in 1948, this animal was thought to be extinct. Then up popped a couple of iguanas in 1990 and there was much excitement internationally. (Reminds me of the 'extinct' stick insect on Lord Howe Island.) Captive breeding and eradication of feral mongoose have now saved the species, although iguanas in the wild are still threatened by deforestation. Hang in there, handsome fellas!

Konoko Falls is a series of limestone steps and pools. I would have liked to see them from below, as in this brochure ...

... but we ended up at the top of the waterfall, looking downwards. The limestone has been polished so smoothly by the water that it looks like artificial rock, but it's completely natural.

And then off to a local hotel for Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and banana bread.

Roxion was deeply approving of this roadside vendor below. He's called the moving store man, and is another Jamaican who has created his own job. Lots of green, black and yellow souvenirs to buy from the other entrepreneurial Jamaicans at the market, but all I succumbed to was some Jamaican jerk spice and sauce.

The biggest surprise to me was how much I enjoyed reggae music. We heard it everywhere. I wasn't a huge fan before our trip, but I am now a convert. We had a wonderful Caribbean band called Zennhitt on board the ship, too. There's just something about the sound of reggae in the heat of the Caribbean ...

Yeah mon.

Next, we're back in Miami, and our visit to the Florida Keys.