Jonny Talks with Tamara Christie-Johnson from Jamaica Tourist Board

Find fun things to do in Jamaica. Experience the vibrant culture, thrilling adventures, breathtaking beaches and irresistible flavors of Jamaican cuisine.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Go Go Travel Show at the Pittsburgh Travel Showcase Johnny Hartwell,
and we have tomorrow from the Jamaica Tourist Board. So
let me guess Jamaica is just a ted bit warmer
than Pittsburgh right now.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Absolutely, it's very sunny today, it's warm, and it's the sunshine,
beachy day.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
All right.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
So when you got into Pittsburgh, what did tomorrow say.

Speaker 4 (00:26):
It it was so cold?

Speaker 3 (00:31):
If you got into the uber a taxi whatever, did
you turn that heat up? Yes?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Warm the car up, please, warm up the steering wheels
and the seat.

Speaker 4 (00:40):
I am cold.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
You know, it's not hard to convince people to go
to Jamaica when it's this cold, right.

Speaker 4 (00:47):
Not at all.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
It's always very easy just to get away to somewhere
tropical and know that you can lay out on the
beach when you know that there's snow on the ground
at home.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
Yeah. Have you experience snow before?

Speaker 4 (01:01):
Absolutely?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
I have experienced snow, and that's why I know I
definitely appreciate the warm sunshine.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
All right.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
To where did you grow up in Jamaica?

Speaker 4 (01:10):
Kingston, Jamaica?

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Okay, so have you lived in the States at all?

Speaker 2 (01:14):
I have?

Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, so I know the difference north, in the north
where there is very cold.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, okay, yeah, yeah. But of course I was in
Jamaica last week and what a blast, warm weather, very warm.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
I love Jamaica, but there's one thing I love more
than Jamaica, and that is Jamaica's Oh.

Speaker 4 (01:36):
Thank you, thank you, We love you too. Bob Marley
right now, that is wonderful. You know, last week I
visited the Bob Marley Museum.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
I never done that.

Speaker 4 (01:47):
Oh my gosh, it is such a legendary.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
See, I've never gone to Kingston. I've gone to Montore
Bay and I.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Found Sago Bay and Ocho Rios Now Churios is where
you have nine miles, which is the birthplace of Bob Marley.

Speaker 4 (02:05):
So you can do that tour and his mausoleum is there.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
So it's just beautiful. You see a wonderful cultural experience.

Speaker 4 (02:14):
You get to just take in that natural mystic.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
By the way, I got a little.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
There is what is There is a natural mystic about Jamaica, absolutely,
and I think it has.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
It all goes back to the.

Speaker 4 (02:36):
Culture.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
The culture, I tell you, the culture. A lot of
Jamaicans are similar to Bob Marley, you know, the way
they speak. They will try to impart some amount of wisdom.

Speaker 4 (02:48):
About life, you know.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
And if you go to one of the Rastafarian tours
they have one.

Speaker 4 (02:54):
They eat very healthy.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
They're all about taking care of the body, you know,
and they call that I Tell food. So that's just
one of the many aspects that make it so naturally mystical.
And then the beaches are beautiful, You're like wow. And
then you look at the plants and the flora and
the fauna. You look at the mountains, you're like amazing.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
And that's that's the thing about Jamaica. There is there
is something for everybody. Yes, if you like the chill,
you can if you want a little adventuring, want to
have a little fun, and Jamaica is Oh, Jamaicans are
open for anything.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yes, we definitely know how to party. We have or
Rebel Salute that recently concluded. We also have reggae, somefest
for parties, and we do carnival. We have our food festivals,
you know, coffee festival, Rum festival.

Speaker 4 (03:46):
A lot of great things that.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
You can do and a lot of attractions and tours
that you can explore while you're on the island.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
What is the one thing that what is a misconception
that maybe people here in the US has about Jamaica.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
I would say they would think it's extremely hot. It's
not extremely hot. You can survive. It's beach cool. You
don't want it to be.

Speaker 3 (04:09):
But if you wear you go.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Up into the mountains, and you would think that it
would be hotter, but it's you go down some of
the you know, because you have oh well, I'm thinking
dun Rivers Falls where you you know, you you're in
this kind of a like a canopy of the jungle
and you're you're shaded, and so you get the best
of both words.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
It can be a hot hot hot, yes, cool cool cool.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
And one thing about Dun's Riverfall is that a lot
of people who never visited does not know, is that
it cascades onto the beach.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
It is my happy place.

Speaker 4 (04:42):
Yes, it is, yes.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yes, because it is when you when you when you
live in Pittsburgh and you experience the weather that that
we're experiencing right now, that you've experienced, and then you
want to imagine that that tropical paradise.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
I think, yeah, stuns are a falls. I also want
to say a little wonderful place that people will love too.
Is the Blue Mountains, speaking of you know somewhere, that's.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
The best coffee I've ever had in my entire.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Life, the very best, the very best, the Blue Mountains
where the coffee comes from.

Speaker 1 (05:19):
You know, he's not kidding. I mean I had it
so fresh, and I keep chasing that high.

Speaker 3 (05:26):
It's just amazing.

Speaker 4 (05:28):
It's very, very good.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
And if you ever come across a cup of Blue
Mountain coffee, you definitely want to drink it.

Speaker 4 (05:36):
Don't pass it up.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
It's really good, but you have to get yes, and
I buy it all the time. But it's not the
same when you go to Jamaica. It's so much brood.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, absolutely, And or red stripe bear you know, no.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
Wait a minute, here's something that I'm going to teach you.
Do you know where red stripe is now brood? Well,
right here in Pittsburgh.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
Believable. Well we have something in common.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
Great, so great, Thank you so much for joining us.

Speaker 4 (06:08):
My pleasure, my pleasure.

Speaker 3 (06:09):
Pittsburgh gets warmer. Yes, it is a fabulous city. Yes,
but but there's nothing like going back to Jamaica.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
Jamaica is a beautiful place today. It's beautiful, it's warm, sunshine, breeze.
There are people on the beach having fun eating their
Jamaican and beef patties.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
Oh and they're jerk chicken.

Speaker 4 (06:27):
Oh yes, yes, and klolo. Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
You know it.

Speaker 4 (06:31):
You know it.

Speaker 3 (06:33):
I know, I don't look it. I was born here,
but inside I am Jamaica.

Speaker 4 (06:38):
Oh, wonderful tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
It's a pleasure. Good luck this weekend. Thank you so much,
and hopefully we'll see you on the island.

Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yes,