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

[Marilyn]

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

Now look a here, since there was no mention of returning to the airport I am to assume that this trip report is not yet over. What do you expect me to do at work everyday if there is no new installment? Get to writing Magic.

[BND1999]

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

Me too Magic..I am trying very hard to be patient but I want to continue on this trip with you..I did the oppositie exact trip last April.. hurry home from whereever you are flying and knock out a few more entries.. please... this board is dead boring.. your trip report is all that makes me come back for at this point

[Magician]

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

We press on. Leaving Port Maria behind, pass Buff Bay, Port Antoni-bound. It's time for a snack. Some coconut cookies from a grocery store, another beef patty saved from before and Ting, of course. But how to eat when you have to drive? Simple. In aviation we call it CRM. Crew Resource Management. Here's how. Place your left hand on the steering wheel. Place the food in your right hand. Drive with the left, eat with the right. Gears you say? No problem! When you feel the need to change gears (which if done properly while driving in Jamaica is often) depress the clutch and call out the proper number. Your friend in the copilot seat will then select the correct gear. Should a rare situation arise when both hands are needed to navigate the car, give to food to friend. Same procedure applies to drinking. The right hand is also used for honking the horn between bites. Should you encounter a cheesy part that requires prolonged chewing, use the left hand to sound the horn while controlling the steering wheel with the right knee. Remember that honking your horn cannot be compromised by other activities and it the first priority. Should you need to consult the map while driving, use your ....... (just kidding).

We finally reach, the sleepy yet vibrant Porti, P.A., Port Antoni, or Port Antonio. As you probably already know, I like views, I like to see things from the top. I like to see the bigger picture. It's one of the reasons for becoming a pilot. So we head for Bonnie View Hotel. Perched high above PA, it's supposedly the best view in town. Finding Bonnie View Road, however, turns out to be no simple task. Especially with me at the controls. See, I'm no tourist. And I do not try to act like one either. My roommates pleas for slowing down to he can see the road signs were unanswered. I will not look lost, and I will not be passed on the road by a high number of cars a normal tourist would be. This is not only in Jamaica. It's a condition that prevails everywhere I go. Most men suffer from it.

So we do find the small steep road finally. And I mean steep. The Daewoo had to give all it had. If we stopped at any point of the ascent, we wouldn't be able to start up again. After a few minutes we reach a dead end. The hotel is there, not a soul there. Good. The view.......spectacular. The turquoise waters blending with darker shades of blue that make up the Caribbean Sea, are met by lush greens ranging from light to medium and Fern Gully shade of green with blatant red flowers blooming here and there, light blue skies with white clouds and our little blue car that looks like it will roll all the way down to the peninsula on which Port Antonio is located hundreds of feet below. So I park the car sideways. We go up on the hotels balcony, nobody there to chase us away, and I take some of the most beautiful pictures from the trip there. I sit there and think to myself, how come this is such a breathtaking place, and Memphis/Detroit is so unattractive? No, that's not what I was thinking. Memphis or anything else north of 18 degrees Latitude north of the equator didn't even cross my mind. My mind was free like the wind carrying the scattered puffy cumulus cotton clouds in the sky.

From Port Antonio around every bend there is another unique bay. Frenchman's Cove, Blue Lagoon, Dragon Bay. We drive down to the blue lagoon. The water so clear that you can see where it gets really deep. And all the colors! It came out best on the pictures. All taken from the same place, and the lagoon is a different color in each photograph. From clear to turquoise to blue to green to almost black. And it changes with the suns position too.


(To Be Continued......)

[Marilyn]

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

Magic you amaze me. If being a pilot doesn't work out, try being a poet. I have not made it to Port ANtonio yet. SOmething always goes wrong. the last time I was there, Michelle had washed out the bridge. It's ok though, gives me something to look forward to.

[MNap1]

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

Ok Magic - own up it was you who nearly knocked me down in Porti when I came out of Coronation bakery, eating my pattie and sipping my juice.... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Oh this brings back memories. I am so pleased that you liked my part of Jamaica.

Wonderful report, keep it coming....

[BND1999]

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

Yes we are finally in Port Antonio.. That place is magical.. the blue lagoon was amazing..the color so intense.. where did you end up staying?? I loved the town life there.. I guess because there are so few tourists.. did it rain a lot.. waiting .. waiting... waiting... waiting..

[brcworks]

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

Magic...you are the best!

I haven't been permitted to drive in a left-handed country since I made the mistake of taking my wife on a scooter in Bermuda ten years ago. But now I'm going to print out your instructions on driving, and honking while driving, and eating while driving... I'm sure once my wife sees that I've been taking lessons...

Well, maybe not...

Anyway, I know you don't require constant praise in order to continue your report (unlike a certain L.B. trip report writer I know), but I have to tell you that I look forward every day to reading more of your exploits. I've already written a list of places I have to visit next time...thanks and keep it coming!!!

[Magician]

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

Sorry for the delay. When I got back from work some personal issues arose that I had to take care of. And today had to do my taxes. But here's a little more for you....

[Magician]

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

By now it's well into the afternoon and it's time to hit the beach. So many options, so little time. First I was thinking Dragon Bay. The site where Tom Cruise's movie 'Cocktail" was filmed is one of the nicest "large resort" places to stay. With the classic pool right on the beach and the giant checkerboard with villas on a sloped green hill it's a very nice location. The beach is small but cozy. However, I decided that I don't want too many tourists around and need some peace and quiet so we headed for Winnifred Beach. Since it's not operated by any resort and close to a residential area, WB located a couple miles east of Dragon Bay has very little if any tourist and the only people there are local residents and not too many of them either. The beach is nice. To get to it you take a dirt road steeply going down from A3, then pass a small residential area before you descent into the beach where you can park you car in the shade of the trees and walk to the beach. In the East corner there's a creek that runs into the ocean. The surf is not too bad.

To me there's nothing more relaxing than swimming in the warm Caribbean Sea. You do a little breaststroke, a little freestyle, then on your back. Then just tread water. Dive under, jump in, roll around. Yes, very nice. And when you get tired (or get grandma hands) you lie down on a towel on the warm sand and think of absolutely nothing. That's until you get hungry and then you unpack a snack.

With the sun getting lower on the horizon, it was a sign to look for lodging for the night. I would have loved to stay at Dragon Bay, but budget is budget and that was not an option. We drove into town and headed up the hill on the peninsula to Queen's Street, where there are a number of guesthouses. I checked out a few of them and finally settled for Scotia Guest House. Rooms are basic but the price is irresistible. The rooms inside the wooden house are 400 Js and outside with bathroom and a separate entry door 500J's. For US11 its definitely a bargain, and totally sufficient.

After leaving our belongings in the room the sun set and destination Boston Bay selected. I told my friend that's where the best jerk on the Island is found. By now I remembered all the streets around town and getting onto the road to Boston Bay was a breeze. Even though it was already dark and a weekday, there were still a lot of people out walking about, and considerable traffic. The warm breeze from the ocean during the day now blew from the mountains.

By the time we reached, I was ready to eat. There are quite a few choices in BB and we went to the one right across from Mr. D's. I decided to get chicken with rice and peas and festival my friend pork. I wanted a Stripe too, however since it was already night and my friend (who doesn't drink) said he doesn't want to drive at night, so I got a Ting instead. I saw that the guy fixing my plate was putting a "tourist amount" of sauce on, and had to remind him that the regular amount is requested. The only change I noted from five years ago is that before you used to get your meal wrapped in today's copy of The Gleaner, and now it's been upgraded to aluminum foil! I'm afraid in another five years it will be paper plates! Yuk. The newspaper will do just fine. :-) After you eat at Boston Bay, you know where the term "finger-licking good" came from.

In the middle of the night another downpour. It seemed as though God had a bucket of water and poured it straight onto the roof of Scotia Guest House! All the rain on the Island during the stay was between the hours of 1am and 3 am. This is the schedule I like. You need rain to keep the vegetation lush green like it is. But you don't need rain during the day. And that's exactly what you get this time of year.

We got up early that morning. Packed up our Daewoo and drove to the gas station on West Street. We left the car there and went to a small restaurant just east of there to eat. I don't remember the name of it, and if it did have a name it was written in very small print because its very easy to miss. For breakfast I had some saltfish with ackee and fried bananas and some other good stuff. A copy of the Gleaner was laying on the table so I read that while the food was being made. I was careful not to turn to the International News page. It was none of my concern while on vacation. What's happening in Jamaica was.

After breakfast we got into the roadtrip spirit and drove on back west. Today we're going to Kingston.


(To Be Continued.....)

[ohliz]

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

That's wonderful Magic, thanks!!!

[BND1999]

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

Ok Magic man.. I am still with you.. so just one day in PA? are you getting tired of hitting the road every other day? I loved moving places but I think I needed more time to linger..how long in all was your journey... not that you are near done with your story... are we on day three at this point...still enjoying it... keep it coming

[Sienna]

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

Magic, Scotia Guest House was the first place I stayed in Port Antonio 8 years ago. Do you know the price for a room has only increased $1US in all that time?! As you said, quite basic, but the price was/is unbeatable, and the family who ran the place was nice - you just melded in and became one of them if you wanted, or did your own thing....

[Marilyn]

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

Lord help me this man is singing to my heart.

[Nanook]

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

Yow Magic you are killin me with all this good stuff, I just tuned in tonite so I don't have to suffer the wait as long as some fo the others, but I had to laugh everytime you mentioned the Daewoo, I rented a gold one for New Years week, it was a hoot, had to use 1st gear to get up de hills dem. I will be in Port Antonio in May for my birthday, I will have to make note of Scotia House, you did say the rooms had bathroom facilitles? I don't need much but I need that! Lookin forward to more!

[Guest]

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

Shooooooot!!!!!!!! I did a trip report, and now I'm going back, for more, before Magic even finishes his first. DUH!