T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

[mollyss]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

I just tuned in, so I got a big dose at once, but I am still anxious to read more. This report definetely makes PA a must for my next trip...haven't been there yet.

Magic - I stayed at Blue Harbour last time in JA (a pitiful year ago now) and saw that magical view from Firefly. And I concur with the banana statement...as with any fruit or veggie, nature intended them to ripen on the tree. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[J'canGirl]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Magic..

Very interesting so far..Now when I go on my vacation later this year, I will have to go explore my homeland some more rather than going abroad.

I can't wait to see what you're going to write about here (Kingston)..I am very interested to see your perspective on Kingston.

[Q3210]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Magic, you literally lifted pieces of Jamaica and put them here for us to see.
I have recorded in my diary, Happy Hut and Scotia House and found their phone #`s for future ventures whenever I wish to escape Kingston.
Firefly has always been intriguing, without actually going there.
There`s so many place to go in this land of wood and water. Thanks to you Bill Accompong Evans, Sienna and others like Libby and Chef and others who always come with some interesting part of Jamaica never seen by me.

[Magician]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

The road A4 westbound out of Porti has some construction. You can tell construction in Jamaica because there will be an individual with some sort of flag stationed just prior to the diggings. The individual is usually dressed in street clothes, sometimes a pretty dress that distracts the driver..hhhhhhm... and the flag is sometime company issued and sometimes it just whatever is available. Since my selective vision always thinks its my turn to go it was the responsibility of my friend to see and interpret the flag. A good stretch of the road to and through Hope Bay is torn up and a pipe put in the middle of the road. Even though the pipe is in place, the resulting trench in the middle of the westbound lane is a new addition to the challenges Jamaican roads otherwise offer. There are two ways to tackle the problem. One, you can go on top with the trench between the wheels and hope you manage to stay in the middle the whole time. Way two involves driving on the other side of the road and thus avoiding the whole trench altogether. The thing about option two, however, is that there's oncoming traffic that for some odd reason claims ownership of the other lane! Since the wheels of our Daewoo are really small, and the bottom of the vehicle resides a mare few inches over the road, this indeed was a predicament. So my solution was this. Drive on the right side as long as possible. Preferably behind some crazy young guy in a good wide deportee that will scare away all oncoming traffic and therefore clear the way for us. When is was necessary to let the oncoming traffic pass, I switched back to the over the trench routine. The unidentified sounds that came from the undercarriage that accompanied the "switch" fortunately resulted in no (visible) damage.

Upon reaching Buff Bay, we made a left turn in town and onto road B1. I got really excited for this road was new to me. So far we're been to places and traveled roads I already knew. And even though I've been to Kingston before, it was always on the A3 which runs from Annotto Bay and Castleton. It's the main road from KIN to the North and is to the west of B1. A3 is scenic but busy. There are a lot of trucks and even though it runs through the foothills of the Blue Mountains, it's nothing like B1. The reason I never used B1 is because it's always been in really bad shape. Washed out with potholes that could swallow a Daewoo whole. I found out recently that it's been repaved, so it was time to try it out. And boy was I glad I did!

I know it's going to draw some critics when I say this, but B1 must me the most beautiful road on the Island. From Buff Bay you begin to climb alongside the Buff Bay River. Gently at first. The road it in excellent condition. Not a single pothole and smooth. Its a little narrow, maybe 1.5 car widths, but if is was any wider is wouldn't be so beautiful now would it? Every now and then you pass a quaint village. Charles Town, Rose Hill. A house down by the river has a clothesline spread all across the yard. With multicolored fabrics drying in the warm morning sun. What a great way to dry your clothes. A dryer just burns them up. Some houses are perched on cliffs, and unbelievably supported by poles making the viewer wonder not "if" the structure will collapse, but rather "when". Of course it survived many a storms so far, and probably will still stand there years from now. The mountains are getting big! We pass a village called Tranquility. Gee, I wonder how they came up with that name?!?! Simply by looking out of their house's window, probably. The mountains surround us. They're covered with a dense forest here. A bush there, a coffee farm on the other side, and grass on another slope. Another mountain offers all shades of green, ranging from almost brown to deep green almost black with parts of the slope drenched in sunlight. Bright red spots punctuate the slopes where some sort of flower is blooming. Some yellow there, and blue there, and trees that grown on slopes as steep as this slash: / that look like they should have tumbled down into the valley along with that house long time ago. And the sky. Blue with scattered cumulus clouds taking on shapes of just about anything your mind can imagine. Where am I? I start saying "This look like..." and trying to compare it so some other place I've been in this world. But there is nothing that comes close to it. This is Jamaica's Blue Mountains! The narrow road now clings to the side of the steep valley. We stop to take pictures. One wrong step and you're going down. All the way down. Good thing I could count on the fingers of my hand the amount of cars we passed, since passing here can be tricky. Left, right, left, right, the road meanders up and up towards The Grand Range. That's the main crest of the mountains. Along the way all the coffee plantations around remind me that my mother said she will disown me if I don't bring a respectable amount of Blue Mountain Coffee. So we stop in Section and find some coffee. I negotiate a price of 200J's a pound (unground, my mother likes the smell when she grinds it, and says it tastes best when freshly ground) this is higher than I wanted but my friend kinda mashed up my negotiations by taking out his money and paying the 200 rate so I had to settle. Compared to what you pay at a store or in the US, its still a bargain. With a bagful of coffee in the trunk we clim the final ascent onto the great range. The air is significantly cooler now that you are nearly 5,000 feet up. It's a great feeling when you pass right over The Grand Ridge. You're used to looking up to mountains, and now you're right on eye level with them. Just the skies above. And then, and then, from behind the curve in the road, it's face softened by haze, appears a breathtaking vista of the Nation's Capital nearly a mile below.


(To Be Continued ...)

[Magician]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

BND: We realy didn't spend too much time on the
road as it may seem. And like yourself, I
love to stay in one place for a while before
moving on. Sometimes you just have so much
time and so many things to do and you cant
spend enough time everywhere. In fact I've
estimated I need 9 years to SEE the whole
Island. And in regards to the lenght of my
trip. I tell you what I tell everyone
else....Not Long Enough!!!!!

IM Scotia Guest House in PA has a bathroom
with sink and shower in the room, unless you
go for the cheapest option and then you have
to share a bathroom.

J'cangirl and Q thanks for the kind words.

[ohliz]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Thanks you Magic, I can almost see it with yoU!!!

[honey35]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Magic your report is great!!!!
Though I have come and gone since you started your report...you are taking me back again...thank you.... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[brcworks]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Keep it coming...

[Tami]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

oh, this is sooo good [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

It is like a good novel "I can't put it down"

keep it comin

[Sienna]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Magic, living here now, island travel is no longer an option, but I am so glad to both 'rediscover' and see as a 'first timer' what is out there. Thank you for taking the time to put this together for us to read.

[Magician]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

On top of the Grand Ridge we abandoned the car roadside and got out to inhale the view. It was so quiet here, one would never think there's a bustling city of a million people below. You can see the outline of the city, then the harbor and a thin smudge of land cutting into the sea which is the Palisadoes with the airport and Port Royal. Spectacular. No time to waste, jumped back into the Daewoo for out final descent. To prevent the brakes from catching on fire I had to keep the car in low gear. The road steeply descends with endless turns and switchbacks.

We reach Newcastle. The town is home to the Jamaican Defense Force training camp. That much I knew. What I didn't know is where it is located. I found real quick, as the road lead us straight into the middle of a marching exercise lot. We stop. Everywhere around us are soldiers. Some lined up in lines, others marching in groups. All have guns. I figured it might not be a good idea to take pictures. A drill sergeant stops a brigade and lets us pass. On the others side of the plaza the road divides. I go left. Someone is running behind us hollering. Asking if we're going to Kingston. We say yes. We're directed to a different exit. A mile down the road there's another squadron of soldiers running down the full width of the road. They're dressed in full uniform, carrying all kinds of riffles, backpacks and other heavy gear. In the 88 degree heat and high altitude I know they had to be in pretty good shape. And if not they will be in good shape when this little run is through. After a few minutes they all get to the side so we can pass.

After we pass Industry Village and Cooperage we make a right onto Skyline Drive. Uphill again. No more of the good road. The potholes get big and many. But gotta see it. We reach the first viewpoint area. The whole city comes through a lot clearer now than from up high. Just below the very green Hope Botanical Gardens and the pretty houses of Beverly Hills and Linguanea. To the right the hustle and bustle of Halfway Tree and New Kingston. Out in the distance Downtown and the harbor. A small speck of white on the horizon turn out to be a plane landing at Norman Manley Airport. Bright sunny day, 88 degrees, a few white puffy clouds above. Time for a picture. My friend doesn't want one! I say "Bway yuh musi last yar mind noh?!"

As I said earlier my friend's fiancee's family is Jamaican and they told him under no circumstance should he even think about getting near Kingston. And therefore he doesn't want pictures in Kingston so that there is no evidence of his presence here. And why are we going since they said is so dangerous. So I tell him. Kingston has it's bad parts like any city. For as long as you stay away from them it's just as safe as any other big city such as New York or even New Orleans. So sit down, say cheese and click, there's a picture.

We drive continue driving on Skyline. The nice houses and mountains on the right, the city below on the left. I'm debating if I quit Northwest and got a job flying for Air Jamaica and be Kingston based, where would I want to live. Maybe here, maybe there, so many beautiful places to choose from. Of course I'd have my house at Firefly too.

We make a left and go down into town. Don't really know where we are, but I like to get lost sometime and then found and lost again. I figure for as long as we keep on going down, we'll reach Barbican Rd. and then Hope Rd. eventually. And we do. I didn't really have an itinerary planned for Kingston so I go whatever comes to mind. Since we're on Hope Rd. now why not stop by the Bob Marley Museum. I gave tourist places but this is a must see. It's tricky getting into to parking lot. It's behind a locked gate right off Hope Rd. and the first time we drive right by it. On the second attempt you slow down but not too abruptly since there's a whole bunch of traffic right behind you. Pull in, and sign up for a tour. There are maybe 5 other people there, but that's until a school bus arrives with 40 or so elementary school children. We start the tour before they get off the bus.

Bob's house is very homey. Inside are tons of awards, posters, and newspaper clippings that take you through a journey though his life. Then on to another building where you see a movie with some famous interviews and concerts. Namely the One Love concert where Bob had Seaga and Manley shake hands onstage to stop the election violence that took the city hostage. Outside there are more pictures, and instruments, and other things on display.

Afterwards we stop at a gas station to fill up, and then grab some lunch. Then just drove around town. Kingston has some really beautiful neighborhoods. With the Blue Mountains as the backdrop, and the city streets sloping down to the harbor, its got a charm that a few cities have. Unfortunately the few bad parts give it a bad reputation and that's why a few tourists visit. Other than the couple tourists at the museum, we didn't see any the rest of the day. Our wondering takes us downtown and since we're both pilots of course the airport's magnetism pulls up onto the Palisadoes. We drive by the airport admiring Air Jamaica's new Airbus 340 parked at the gate. The 350 passenger, 600,000 pound colossal bird can fly nonstop for 8,000 miles and is the star of Air Jamaica's fleet. It's used for MoBay/Kingston to London Heathrow services.

Since I've never been to Port Royal and it was just a stone's throw away that's where we went. The town was a major center of commerce until in 1692 a massive earthquake submerged 9/10ths of it under the Sea. What remains today is one fort, and a few other historical buildings. The residents of Port Royal are entertained by a large sound system in the center of town blasting reggae. We go the fishing boat pier. A hundred feet in the water, a lamp marks where the town used to stand. The sun is low in the western sky now, and with the colorful fishing boats and birds flying low, augmented by the Kingston skyline on the opposite side of the harbor, AND the magnificent Blue Mountains behind it...........another Kodak moment.


(To Be Continued....)

[brcworks]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

OK, Magic, I'm starting to get a little impatient. I know, I was the first to compliment you on your slow style, and I know, I've been known to stretch out a trip report a little myself. But, how long has it been now? Do you intend to finish this before you go back? It sounds like you went everywhere on this trip, so this could end up being the Great American Trip Report, but only if you actually finish it...

[BND1999]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Ok Magic.. this slow method has finally worked with me.. At first I checked daily for a new installment... now I forget to check and it's more "soon come" for me.. which now is sometimes a week between peeks... glad you are finally to kingston.. While the BM museum was a bit touristy I thoroughly enjoyed it.. especially the room with all the black and white photos.. Maybe you will make it on to Negril before I get there myself... Our trip is set.. ready to go

[JudgeNot137]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Magic...thouroughly enjoying your report...

I've always found the image of Bob with Manley and Seaga to be very poignant....as Neville Garrick once said, it's " like Christ on the cross between two t'ieves".....

Peace! Dave

[Guest]

Re: T R I P R E P O R T : Ochi, Port Antoni, Kingston, MoBay, Negril

Originally posted by BND1999:
[qb]Ok Magic.. this slow method has finally worked with me.. At first I checked daily for a new installment... now I forget to check and it's more "soon come" for me.. which now is sometimes a week between peeks... glad you are finally to kingston.. While the BM museum was a bit touristy I thoroughly enjoyed it.. especially the room with all the black and white photos.. Maybe you will make it on to Negril before I get there myself... Our trip is set.. ready to go[/qb]

The Bob Marley museum is a place I hope to get to eventually. (Maybe this time?)