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EXPLORING THE ROCK - JAMAICA TOURIST ISSUE 12
There are many ways to explore Jamaica; on a tour bus, in a ‘red plate’ taxi or with your own rent-a-car. However, with a road network of nearly 21,000 kilometers, getting around this beautiful piece of land has not always been that easy. Although the infrastructure is nearly of international standards, finding your way can be confusing once you get off the main thoroughfares. But don’t let that put you off! Here are some helpful hints for your driving adventure:
1. When you need a directional sign the most, there might not be one, especially in the countryside.
2. Several island parishes have a village or town with the same name. Bamboo is one such case. This frequently used name can be found both in the parishes of Hanover and St. Ann. Additionally, there is a ‘Bamboo Village’ craft market in Trelawny and the famous ‘Bamboo Avenue’ in St. Elizabeth; and who knows where else?
3. People in the countryside may not know the directions to the next village, as it is possible that they have never been there. Even though your destination might be less than a kilometer down the road, they may not be able to help.
4. If you ask three people standing at a street corner for directions to the same place, you might get three different answers.
5. Although road signs and most speedometers are in kilometers, people are still used to speaking in terms of miles. “It nuh far”, meaning “It’s not far” is also a very popular way to describe the length of the journey ahead.
6. The instructions might be lengthy and Jamaicans love to gesture, so you should have several blank pages on your note pad, a good working pen and perhaps a camera when taking directions from a Jamaican.
7. Here is an example of how directions might be given: “Go down the road, nuh far, take a right at the bright blue shop, drive for about 1 mile, and take a right at the big mango tree. Go up the hill and pass the old church. When you see a man in a red shirt, take a sharp left, then look for the tied up goat and then take the third left, down a gravel road until you see a big gate.” And remember; “It nuh far.”
The above is just a little taste of how your driving adventure may turn out without a rent-a-car from Avis. While the local version of GPS, JAMNAV, was officially launched in March 2009, the system has been tested with the help of the car rental giant, which is currently offering the GPS navigational devices as an addon to their car rental packages.
With convenient and user-friendly GPS (Global Positioning System), visitors will get reliable directions to restaurants, shopping, banks or attractions and drive the length and width of the country without getting lost.
First developed by the United States Department of Defense, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a global navigation satellite system, and the Jamaican version of GPS has been made possible by a small team of geo-informational scientists who have diligently developed the mapping data to be used with GPS navigational devices for Jamaica. During the past two and a half years, these bright minds from the University of The West Indies’ Mona GeoInformatics Institute, have mapped out nearly 15,000 kilometers of roadways and over 10,000 points of interest have been arranged into 69 categories and mapped across the entire country so that drivers can have an in-car GPS system that allows for a real-time digital road map. Says Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee, the MGI leader who has spearheaded the project, “GPS will revolutionize the Jamaican experience for visitors by giving them greater access to all corners of the island and ultimately greater control of their vacation.”
Pointing the way to a host of attractions, banks, gas stations, hotels, shopping plazas, restaurants and much more, GPS navigation will no doubt make maneuvering Jamaica’s highways and by-ways a whole lot simpler.
To learn more about JAMNAV contact the Mona GeoInformatics Institute at the University of the West Indies. Tel: 977 3160-1, email info@monainformatixltd.com or visit www.monagis.com.
1. When you need a directional sign the most, there might not be one, especially in the countryside.
2. Several island parishes have a village or town with the same name. Bamboo is one such case. This frequently used name can be found both in the parishes of Hanover and St. Ann. Additionally, there is a ‘Bamboo Village’ craft market in Trelawny and the famous ‘Bamboo Avenue’ in St. Elizabeth; and who knows where else?
3. People in the countryside may not know the directions to the next village, as it is possible that they have never been there. Even though your destination might be less than a kilometer down the road, they may not be able to help.
4. If you ask three people standing at a street corner for directions to the same place, you might get three different answers.
5. Although road signs and most speedometers are in kilometers, people are still used to speaking in terms of miles. “It nuh far”, meaning “It’s not far” is also a very popular way to describe the length of the journey ahead.
6. The instructions might be lengthy and Jamaicans love to gesture, so you should have several blank pages on your note pad, a good working pen and perhaps a camera when taking directions from a Jamaican.
7. Here is an example of how directions might be given: “Go down the road, nuh far, take a right at the bright blue shop, drive for about 1 mile, and take a right at the big mango tree. Go up the hill and pass the old church. When you see a man in a red shirt, take a sharp left, then look for the tied up goat and then take the third left, down a gravel road until you see a big gate.” And remember; “It nuh far.”
The above is just a little taste of how your driving adventure may turn out without a rent-a-car from Avis. While the local version of GPS, JAMNAV, was officially launched in March 2009, the system has been tested with the help of the car rental giant, which is currently offering the GPS navigational devices as an addon to their car rental packages.
With convenient and user-friendly GPS (Global Positioning System), visitors will get reliable directions to restaurants, shopping, banks or attractions and drive the length and width of the country without getting lost.
First developed by the United States Department of Defense, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a global navigation satellite system, and the Jamaican version of GPS has been made possible by a small team of geo-informational scientists who have diligently developed the mapping data to be used with GPS navigational devices for Jamaica. During the past two and a half years, these bright minds from the University of The West Indies’ Mona GeoInformatics Institute, have mapped out nearly 15,000 kilometers of roadways and over 10,000 points of interest have been arranged into 69 categories and mapped across the entire country so that drivers can have an in-car GPS system that allows for a real-time digital road map. Says Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee, the MGI leader who has spearheaded the project, “GPS will revolutionize the Jamaican experience for visitors by giving them greater access to all corners of the island and ultimately greater control of their vacation.”
Pointing the way to a host of attractions, banks, gas stations, hotels, shopping plazas, restaurants and much more, GPS navigation will no doubt make maneuvering Jamaica’s highways and by-ways a whole lot simpler.
To learn more about JAMNAV contact the Mona GeoInformatics Institute at the University of the West Indies. Tel: 977 3160-1, email info@monainformatixltd.com or visit www.monagis.com.
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