I love going to Ocho Rios, or “Ohcha” as the locals call it. This is my relaxing place and I love to spend time here soaking up the sun, Jamaican rum, and delicious food. The only warning I would give is to understand that the most of locals will try to hustle you when buying from the street vendors. This is how they make their money and live and they will know that you are not from there from the moment they see you, pay only what your willing to pay and if you are using JMD then do your currency conversions via google if you don’t understand the conversion rate. Had a guy trying to charge me 20,000 JMD for something that wasn’t worth $30. 20,000 JMD doesn’t seem like a lot when you can go to an atm and pull out 150,000 JMD easily.
Stopped at Pete’s Truck Stop unable to continue driving due to high winds. Went into store to get a few items and was watched the entire time by staff. Just made me feel judged in a way. Got to the counter to pay for my items and the guy asked if I was paying with food stamps off top and looked surprised when I pulled out my debit card. I smirked to myself to keep from raging and shook my head. Took my stuff and left. Don’t know if the whole town is like this. This is just my experience at one place. Definitely put me on alert though being that I can’t go anywhere until the weather gets better. As a trucker that travels this country in some of the most remote and unpredictable locations, I always have a companion or 2 on me. Stay safe and eyes wide.
I love going to Ocho Rios, or “Ohcha” as the locals call it. This is my relaxing place and I love to spend time here soaking up the sun, Jamaican rum, and delicious food. The only warning I would give is to understand that the most of locals will try to hustle you when buying from the street vendors. This is how they make their money and live and they will know that you are not from there from the moment they see you, pay only what your willing to pay and if you are using JMD then do your currency conversions via google if you don’t understand the conversion rate. Had a guy trying to charge me 20,000 JMD for something that wasn’t worth $30. 20,000 JMD doesn’t seem like a lot when you can go to an atm and pull out 150,000 JMD easily.
Stopped at Pete’s Truck Stop unable to continue driving due to high winds. Went into store to get a few items and was watched the entire time by staff. Just made me feel judged in a way. Got to the counter to pay for my items and the guy asked if I was paying with food stamps off top and looked surprised when I pulled out my debit card. I smirked to myself to keep from raging and shook my head. Took my stuff and left. Don’t know if the whole town is like this. This is just my experience at one place. Definitely put me on alert though being that I can’t go anywhere until the weather gets better. As a trucker that travels this country in some of the most remote and unpredictable locations, I always have a companion or 2 on me. Stay safe and eyes wide.