Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

[tigerinatrance]

I have just returned. Got back around midnight last night. I have hundreds of pictures to go thru, as well as hours of video and audio - but no worries. I am anxious to get this report out to you. So, for the time being, I will tempt you with these two. Flying into MoBay, taken from the plane (hence the glare)

And, this one. My husband took it

[Laurel]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Looking forward to taggin along -

[tigerinatrance]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

FOREWARD – Why Jamaica?

Written the week of January 24, 2005

February in the Midwest. The days are short, the roads are filled with potholes, the many inches of snow melts away to leave behind dirty speckled patches here and there, and the sun does not show itself unless the temperatures are in the teens. I’ve always said, I’d rather have hot and humid. I’d rather cool down than try to warm up. I hate it when the moisture in my lungs freezes when I take a breath, making me hurt. I hate it when snow creeps into my shoe, touching my skin, sending a chilly jolt up my spine. I’ve never screamed “F@#k!” when running from my car to the house in the summertime, but I’ve said it too many times to count in the winter.

You never hear anyone say that they are going to the Midwest in February for a little R&R, which is exactly why I always book a warm weather trip in February. This year, we settled on Jamaica. Originally we considered Port Antonio, but we were having difficulty picking a place to stay. The place I wanted to book was for sale, and I was a little worried that with a 50% deposit, it could end up being sold in the interim, and who knows, there could be some record keeping issues.

The Rasta Connection
I had never been to Jamaica. My husband (Scott) visited Ocho Rios with his family when he was in high school, and came back convinced that he wanted to be a Rastafarian. I did not know him then, but I have a school news paper in which he was featured, speaking about Rasta and his trip. I’ll have to scan it and post it here. It makes me laugh because 20 years later, he is still so much the same person. When I say he wanted to be a Rasta, I don’t mean in a cheesy way. He was full on into it. We met in college, and when we met, he had a picture of Bob Marley and Halie Selassie I in frames, in his room. He had purchased them in Jamaica. We still have them.

The cold weather wasn’t the only reason for our trip – we could have gone back to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), which we visit twice, yearly. We were turned onto Sizzla when we visited the Turks, and we bought a few CDs. That prompted us to bring out the Marley, Burning Spear and other reggae CDs. That led to more and more roots reggae CDs. We saw Sizzla in TCI, we saw Luciano.

People wondered what was going on. We were listening to reggae constantly – and not just because we liked the music, but because we liked the message, the positive vibration of it. I would laugh and say to Scott – I am not a religious person, but I am listening to religious music constantly. Always singing about Jah. I would be in my car, ****** off about something, and I would put on one of my roots cds, and feel instantly better. I knew, at that point, I had to learn a “likkle more.”

I went down to the basement and dug out the “Rastafari” book that Scott bought in Jamaica when he was in high school, and I started to read it. Things started making sense – not everything, of course, but isn’t that the nature of all “religions”? Then we started blowin’ up amazon.com with orders - “Chanting Down Babylon” “No Woman No Cry”, “Rasta Heart”, “Healing of the Nations”. We read them, and became more knowledgeable. And, 2004 was a Jah Jah Christmas – Not only did I get “Dread Talk” and “Understanding Jamaican Patois” – I got the Kebra Negast and a student bible. I told you we are into it. I am pretty sure we scared our family and that they think we are going to grow dreads and join some kind of ganga cult.

Scott and I are sponges, and we started to devour the information we had gathered . We are also very disillusioned with the current state of “Babylon”, and the promotion of “selective religion”. Neither of us had been following any particular faith for a long, long time. We always held the belief that the we are all part of a greater good, a greater consciousness, a oneness. So, Rasta started to make sense and have applicability.
The basic belief is that Jah (Jehovah/God) resides in each person, and it's up to each person to discern Jah's will. There is no church meeting house. One's body is the temple. One Love is the recognition that people are not separate from each other, but are in fact one in Jah. Rastas try not to distinguish between "me" and "you" because this distinction is merely part of the illusion that we live under. Jah is central to One Love because we are all children of a creator who gives a piece of himself to dwell within each of us.
Are we Rastas? No. Will we be? Likely not – I can’t fully commit here in Babylon – I can’t grow locks - not only is it physically impossible for me to do so, it would mean the end of my business (although I was told I need to do so when speaking with a Rasta in Jamaica, more on that later). Likewise, I have not experienced the sufferation and downpression of the Rasta idren (brethren). I would feel like a poser, frontin’. I don’t want to be taken for a wolf nor someone searching for something that has choosen Rastafarianism as the chic faith of the moment.

We are both still trying to get our heads around this. We spend time “reasoning”. We try to remember to have a Rasta heart – to be “upful and right.” I’ve actually thought to myself in an adversarial situation where my natural response would be to return an attack, “how would Rastafari respond?” Sometimes I find the right answer, sometimes I don’t.

At any rate, something good has come out of this, and we both feel that we have grown because of it. We also both felt as though we had to get to the heart of it all – and hence our trip to Jamaica . I had an idea of what to expect, and no idea at all.


My trip report will be just that, the report of my trip from my perspective. What I think I learned, and saw. Some of this might seem strange to a lot of people who don't know about Rasta, or who are very strong in their faith - and that is alright. I am not trying to preach Rasta, nor am I condeming anyone else's beliefs. My perceptionsmay be right, I may be completely off base – but that’s OK - this report is here for purposes of entertainment.

So, sit back, and enjoy, every ting' irie, mon.

A.

[Vi]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Tiger!!!!

Please, please continue! I am with you and soooo intrigue with reading your experience. Believe me, I feel your report will be much more than entertainment. I can't wait for more.

[DiamondDave]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

I'm diggin' this in a very big way, Tiger.... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] ....it's as if you've seen, and heard, right inside me....or perhaps it's just that likkle piece of The Creator that we share... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

please continue.... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

PS: how'd you do that funky thing with your fotos??

[Nanook]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Tigertrance! Love the introduction! The first photos are amazing, I am REALLY looking forward to more, hopefully you'll come back soon!!!

[Laurel]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

This is going to be such a fabulous journey!

[loops]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

tiger...not strange at all...i can totally relate to everything i just read.

this is gonna be great.

Yippee!!! Bring it on.

[KarenFrancis]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Tiger - Caught the same fever in '74 - still trying to quench it.


Looking forward to your report and pictures!

[Ja. Jewel]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

To me, the Rastafarian way of living is a large part of the whole Jamaican "experience" You are seeing what I've been enveloped by since I first visited Ja. in the '80s....I'm so looking forward to your report!!

[tigerinatrance]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Re: the questions about the photos - most photo editing programs have an "frames" option where you can select different style frames and you can apply them to your photo.

I expect to have the beginning portions of my trip here by the end of the day. I had over 1000 photos from which to choose, so this may take a while, but I want to make it enjoyable!

[ohliz]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Take your time just post as many as you can!!

[tigerinatrance]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Feb 1. 2005.

I am in bed, and I hear the faint sound of music coming from another room. It sounds like someone listening to a headset really loud. I stay there, still, and listen some more – wait a minute “Get down, get down. Get down, get down” - Is that? Yes it is. It’s “Jungle Boogie”. Where is it coming from? I stumble out of bed – its 3:30 a.m... It is coming from the dining room – from my camera backpack – it is my iPod, and for some reason, the iPod is now on, and BLASTING Jungle Boogie. I turn it off. I think “strange” but I am somewhat intrigued – is this foreshadowing?

No point in going back to bed. I am too excited. Scott gets up, and we eventually head to the airport to catch our 7 a.m. flight. It is cold – 14 degrees. There is a foot of snow on the ground. I let my car warm up for half an hour – still cold. The windows are fogging up.

There has been an accident on the freeway, and we have to take the long way around to the airport. We hand over the car to the valet guy, and as he is pulling away, Scott realizes he has left one of his bags in the car. We both stand there looking at the car helplessly, as it drives away –too far to yell out.

I get in line at the Delta counter. Great – two agents for international flights and 500 people in line. Scott goes off to make a call to Thrifty to get his bag back. Of course, the guy in my car does not have a walkie-talkie or cell phone so they cannot call him to tell him to turn around. We have to wait for him to take the long way back to the Thrifty place (accident, remember), be told to come back, and then he has to take the long way back. Scott eventually gets his bag.


What a way to start the day – stress! However, a woman in front of me has a Bob Marley back pack on. Bob sends a reminder. “Jus cool.”

My suitcases are stuffed with crayons, pencils, markers, and of course, skin care products (sun) and mosquito potions (they love me).

I get the special search in the security line because the handle of my camera tripod looks like some sort of billy club to the TSA. “This way ma’am, take off your shoes, turn around, blah blah blah.” I hate that. I know I don’t have anything illegal on me, but I absolutely hate people searching through my stuff. That whole 4th amendment thing.

He asks a bunch of questions, and I am biting my tongue – Are you on medications? (Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?)

First time to Jamaica? (Yes)

Do you go there often? (Ah, I told you it was my first time)

What are you going to do there? (I want to say - Hang out with Rastas, go see Bob, find some sweet sensi or "snow board" to be a smart azz)

Have you ever read this book before (holding up Catch a Fire) (no dummy - if I had read it, why would I lug it to Jamaica?)

Puts me in a foul mood right away - the answers to all of those things are my business.

They swab the bag – it is coming up positive for some "uh oh, possible terrorist" item. Open the bag. Open every bag inside the bag – look at everything, read all of the ingredients on the bottles and cans. “This is likely it” says the TSA guy. It is Body Shop Body Butter – has glycerin in it.

I have to sign some FBI/CIA/Homeland Security paperwork that says I tested positive for some type of bomb material. Great. Now I am on the list. Patriot Act. The feds will probably be ransacking my house while I am gone – Jah knows they don’t need a warrant. The TSA woman tells me to swab my bag with alcohol to get rid of the glycerin. Nice. I thought you were supposed to be securing the homeland – why would you give away tips?

And you thought road blocks were shady and infringe on your rights?

We make it to the gate as the plane is boarding. Off to Atlanta, and then MoBay. I read my Jamaica Handbook, highlighting the final items which I don't want to miss or forget. Scott and I listen to the iPod, selecting from the over 700 reggae songs we have loaded. Time to get into the groove.

[BlessedLadyOfZion]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Originally posted by tigerinatrance:
[qb]
And, this one. My husband took it [/qb]

Beautiful shot! :love:

Looking fwd to ur report

[tigerinatrance]

Re: Ocho Rios, Jamaica Inn, Blue Mountains, Nine Mile with photos

Your author – before I completely removed the braids. Before we went to Jamaica, I had my hur did, only because I had some synthetic hair in pink and purple that I wanted weaved in. After five or so days with synthetic hair, my scalp started to break out. Not only that, everyone in Jamaica thought I was headed to Hedonism III. The hair was a distraction. It was time to take it out. So, I did.