Wedged between the confines of the Blue Mountains and the world's seventh-largest harbour is the island's bustling capital city. Kingston is the center of the country's commerce, culture and government, museums, dance and theater. Lively and vibrant, Kingston is the heartbeat of Jamaica, rocking to a beat all of its own.

A striking sculpture of late reggae king Bob Marley welcomes you to the National Gallery of Jamaica on Ocean Boulevard. You'll see works of prominent Jamaica artists, including artist and sculptress Edna Manley (matriarch of Jamaica's cultural arts), and other soulful artwork such as that of Carl Abrahams and Barrington Watson.

History buffs can read all about Jamaica's rich past and culture at the Institute of Jamaica on East Street. News clippings date to the 18th century.

The 600-seat Little Theatre in New Kingston is home to modern dance, plays and folk concerts year-round. Performing there is the National Dance Theatre Company, practically an institution, having dazzled audiences for more than three decades.

The annual Jamaica Carnival, a festive musical extravaganza at Easter time, culminates in Kingston with colorful pageantry during a Road march the Sunday following Easter. Reggae, the music most synonymous with Kingston, resounds from everywhere, and there is a myriad of exciting entertainment to choose from at most hotels.

Kingston has the widest range of shopping available in Jamaica. More than a dozen plazas and modern malls allow visitors to shop until they drop. The multileveled Sovereign Shopping Centre has restaurants, designer clothing and movie theaters. Christar Villas is located two minutes walking from the above shopping center. You'll find stores with clothing, fashion accessories, arts and crafts, and gifts. Plazas are spread out along Constant Spring Road.

Duty-free shopping sparkles, with fine crystal, watches, jewelry, porcelain, handbags and perfumes at reduced prices. Bijoux Jewelers offers duty-free shops in New Kingston and Norman Manley International Airport.

More than 20 fine art galleries abound including Chelsea Galleries on Chelsea Avenue, which offers fine Caribbean and contemporary Jamaica art and native wood sculpture. Local arts and crafts, hand-woven baskets and wood carvings are displayed both downtown and at other locations, including the Craft Market on the waterfront and Devon House.

Jamaican, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian and seafood restaurants serve up unique delicacies. Fast food junkies can find satisfaction in burgers, chicken or pizza.

Fine Chinese cuisine can be enjoyed at many restaurants throughout Kingston, including Jade Garden in Sovereign Centre, where visitors will discover good atmosphere, service and food. Dragon Court, a Chinese restaurant at Dragon Centre in Kingston.

PORT ROYAL & THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE

hThe Historic Triangle of southeast Jamaica is the passport to four centuries of our island's fascinating history. Encompassing the archaeological relics of Spanish Town, the sunken city of Port Royal at the end of the Palisadoes Peninsula, and the vibrant capital city Kingston, "The Historic Triangle" echoes the glories of Jamaica's past and heralds limitless possibilities for the new millenium. Rich in colonial architecture, museums and historical sights "The Historic Triangle" recaptures the romance, glamour and splendor of our exotic past.

Sizzling with the spirit of its swashbuckling past is colorful and archaeologically significant Port Royal at the tip of the finger-like peninsula stretching to the entrance of Kingston harbour. The harbour was once home to pirate ships and buccaneers preying on West Indies trading routes. The emporium of all that ill-gotten wealth, Port Royal was known as the "wickedest city in the world," and richest spot in the universe.

Jamaica's very own "Pompeii of the Caribbean," Port Royal boasted a wild era of wine, wenching and song! These were the days when the buccaneers roamed the Americas robbing and plundering Spanish ships on the way back to Spain with their golden treasures from the west.

Never again to return to its former glory, Port Royal's hopes sunk when a June 7, 1692 earthquake changed the course of Jamaican history. Several thousand residents died and 35 acres of the city slid into the sea. Folklore has it that the church bell tolling from the bottom of the sea can still be heard by fishermen today.

Pirates may soon return to the sunken city. At Chocolata Hole Bay, plans are underway to restore a 17th-century docking area, naval forts , garrison buildings and dockyards. Visitors will be able to shop, dine, visit museums and mingle with actors dressed as pirates. The Port Royal Heritage Tourism Development project seeks to showcase Port Royal's cultural richness by transforming the modern-day fishing village into a cruise ship port and major heritage tourism site by mid-2000.

Port Royal's points of interest today include the Giddy House, an old artillery store which tilts on a 45-degree angle resulting from the 1907 earthquake. Nearby are 16th-century Fort Charles, adjacent Maritime Museum, and the Port Royal Archeological and Historical Museum, which contains salvaged artifacts. Norman Manley International Airport is on the cactus-studded sliver of land, the Palisadoes, that gives Kingston its unique harborage.

Arrange a trip to sun-drenched Lime Cay, offshore of Port Royal, where clear waters, bleached sand, swimming and snorkeling await visitors. Pristine mangroves support a host of marine life, fish, birds and even saltwater crocodiles.

At Least a half a dozen dive sites can be explored offshore of Port Royal (recreational diving of the sunken city is off limits). Colorful reefs are within reach. A popular site for advanced divers is Texas Wreck, an American Naval Ship that was sunk in 1944. It is situated southeast of Morgan's Harbour in the main shipping channel. Divers will see an abundance of black coral and the wreck's gun placements. Offshore trips to cays, mangroves, and beneath the waves can be arranged from Morgan's Harbour Hotel through the Buccaneer Scuba Club.

SPANISH TOWN

Spanish Town, former capital of Jamaica, is about 20 minutes of Kingston. It's the second settlement built by the Spanish after Seville Nueva. Trappings of Arawak Indians, Spanish, English and early Jamaicans are explored by curious visitors.

Historic buildings include remains of Old King's House, the Old Hose of Assembly, the Rodney Memorial and the Cathedral Church of St. James, first Anglican church outside of England. The White Marl Arawak Indian Museum houses replicas of Arawak huts and artifacts.