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29 March 2024
Rita & Bob Marley.

Whilst I was on holiday in Jamaica I took a trip to Kingston for an overnight stay. When I was there I went on a trip around Bob Marley's house & met his wife Rita Marley there.

Rita Marley.

The house is now a museum for Bob Marley but his family still lives there. After we had been shown around upstairs we were walked down a set of stairs towards the front door. Opposite the door to a recording studio on the right was an open door & we could see the Marley family in a large living room.

Next to Rita Marley on the settee was the barman from the hotel I was staying at back in Ocho Rios, he had told me he was visiting as he was friends with the family. When he saw me he waved & I waved back. Next to him was Rita Marley & she turned to him & asked who I was, he told her that I was on holiday & staying at the hotel he worked in. Rita turned to her daughter, who had a record in the UK top 40 charts at the time & told her to bring me in to meet her. As she led me through the door & shut it behind me, the rest of the tour was left waiting & wondering what was going on.

Rita Marley then asked one of her sons to make me a cup of tea & asked me to sit down on the settee with her. Her son soon made me a cup of tea & I sat with Rita & her daughter chatting about my holiday, where I had been, where I was going & what I liked about Jamaica. She was very nice and we chatted for around 25 minutes. Worried that the coach may leave without me I mentioned it to the barman from my hotel & he told me not to worry as the coach driver was a friend & was waiting for him as well. After drinking my tea & finishing my chat with Rita Marley & all of her family, I got back on the coach with the barman from the hotel & we were then asked by everyone else how we managed to get in to see Rita Marley. The barman explained who he was & that he had gone to school with Bob Marley's children & quite often came into Kingston to see them.

It was great to see Bob Marley's house & was made even better by Rita Marley inviting me to have a drink & to meet her family, another unforgettable story.