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

[Shezuk]

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

tiger, it was great seeing all those places, again. I really didn't take any pictures of Ochi. All mine were of the family. I do regret that though. Well, now I know for next time.
Hope I can get some great shots like you. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[tigerinatrance]

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

Thanks everyone- those are actually screen captures from my video. I would just put the camera on the dash and let it go as we were driving. I have the whole fern gully drive, much of the drive to the Blue Mountains, and a lot of the drive to Nine Miles. Of course, doing that just gave me one more thing to work on. I have been editing a Nine Miles video now for weeks.

Here are some random shots. These are the crocks around the driveway to Jamaica Inn. The grounds were really well maintained, and on Tuesdays and Sunday the head gardner will give a tour and show you all the different plants, and their names and uses and so on.



OK, so I have like what, 900 pictures of the orchids at Jamaica Inn? Part of that is because I really like orchids - I can't keep them alive for anything, and I really admire people who can. Of course, in Jamaica, they are in a perfect environment. The orchids at the reception area were outstanding.

The other reason I have a lot of orchid and flower shots is because I use them for my wedding invitation business. Big hit with brides!



More orchids - these deep purple red ones were fantastic. I have not seen those very often where I live:



More flowers. Our housekeeper would make flower arrangements in an ashtray. The ashtray looks so much nicer with flowers in it, rather than cigarette butts. I had to remind myself that people can smoke wherever they want. Here, there is no smoking in any public place.



Can you tell I am dying for spring and some color? I went to Kroger, of all places, the other day, and picked up two potted orchids (which I am sure I will manage to kill) - I am so much in need of blue skies, green leaves, and flowers.

This trip report is taking forever, huh? It never ends. I have to kick it into gear this weekend, I promise to get it done.

Here's a teaser of the most beautiful flowers on the island:



This is the three year old class at Retreat Basic School in Retreat, about 7 miles from Ochi.

[Laurel]

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

Luving your shots of all the flowers!! Bring them on!!

Especially loving the shot of the Islands most beautiful pickney flowerz!! Mine turns 9 tomorrow ... of course I am pouting cuz I don't get to wrap my arms around her on her birthday -

Summer soon come -

[wandaweberg]

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

I can hear five different songs playing in the distance – one Bob Marley song coming from the gift shop, loud and somewhat muffled. Another one might be coming from to my left – maybe in the bar – the Bob Marley video? There are at least 3 other songs being played at various places – some from the parking lot, I think. Almost all of them were Bob Marley. I heard some Sizzla in there too, from the parking lot. Listening to different parts of different songs added to the atmosphere. I would focus on one song for a while, and the next thing I know, I am listening to Exodus, and I have tuned out the other 4 songs – until I switch to a new one a minute later.

Quoting TIAT

This is one of the things I LOVE about JA!

[tigerinatrance]

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

Sunday February 6, 2005.

Bob is 60 today. Happy Irthday Bob. We get up and head up to the dining area – and there is our table, waiting for us once again.



I order the Rasta Ackee- the special on Sunday. Come to find out that had I wanted it during the week, all I had to do was ask. I definitely would have had it again. It was basically Ackee, without the fish. Really good.

We decide that we must go into town to get some gifts for the folks back home. I am generally not very good at shopping while on vacation unless it is for some handmade jewelry or art. But, we have requests for Blue Mountain Coffee (surprise) and we saw a few things here and there that we want to pick up.

We take a cab ride with a different taxi driver. His accent is thick, and the patois is flying. He asks us questions about our trip – where have we gone, more importantly, who took us there, and where are we from, and so on. I manage to carry on a conversation, and I have to be honest, I was surprised.

Everytime he would ask me a question, and I would answer, and the next question would come, there is Scott with me in the backseat looking at me like “since when did you start speaking patois?” Scott could not follow the driver’s questions, but knew where we were from my answers.

As an aside, being around this board, obviously, helps. At least it did for me. There is no way, as a first timer (as has been pointed out repeatedly) that I would have been able to work through those questions without understanding the sentence structure. Reading patois helped. The only time I get to listen is when we are in the Turks and I am talking to a Jamaican. We spend a lot of time in The Turks and Caicos Islands, and although there are a lot of Jamaicans on island, there are more Haitians and Belongers (the citizens of TCI), who have more of a Bahamian accent – then start mixing in the Creole at breakneck speed, and we are talking a whole different language.

A digression – some TCI love for you (and because who doesn’t love pictures?):

[tigerinatrance]

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

So, the driver drops us off. We are way too early for anything at Ocean Village to be open, and everything in Ochee is closed. No one was asking us if we needed a cab, or our hair braided, or anything. We went into the store attached to Reggae Explosion, and Scott bought some T-shirts, most of which have shrunk in the wash and are now my size.

We stroll on down and I take a few shots near the restaurant, someone help me with the name – Anyway – here is one of the “outhouse” – gives you some good ideas for tile work.



We run by the Trading Post, and I am looking for Don Lorenzo Mango Rum for my sister. I blew it and got Cruzan Mango rum – what do I know about rum? (obviously nothing – Cruzan is from Miami – and I lugged it home, why?)



I am waiting for Scott, who is still in the cigar store. I sit down on one of the benches across from the cigar place. This cat comes up – starts his cat moves, rubbing against my leg (which I know means, I am marking you, not being nice) and we strike up a conversation. As you can see: (Here we were talking about what a nice picture this will make)



This is the cat called - “The Meanest” [img]/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

So, we are talking some more, any I get brave and start petting the cat. Stupid, I know. If I had a dollar for every dog bite case I’ve seen where someone was petting a strange dog – and I think, what a dummy. Well, here I am, one of those dummies, petting this cat.

Which went well for quite some time, until "The Meanest" decided he wasn’t living up to his reputation of biting people (which I learned later, not sooner), and he frickin’ CHOMPS down on the palm of my hand, on the meaty part below the thumb. I mean, this guy takes some skin with him – one puncture wound, one straight bite of flesh. Then he has the nerve to hang out some more with me.

So, some Jamaican guy walks by and sees me looking at the cat (thinking in part, "you little Meanest", and in part, "I deserved that for being so stupid") and this guy says “those cats bite” – Yeah, thanks, I know – personal experience. A day late and a dollar short my man. Where were you 5 minutes ago?

[tigerinatrance]

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

So, I go to the bathroom and wash off my wounds. We then go back to shopping – I figured, hey, what are you going to do? If it starts to get all nasty and puff up and ooze, I’ll be home in 2 days – I’ll take care of it then. We walked into the Hemp store, and I asked if they had a band aid, and the guy said no, but he had some rubbing alcohol, which I thought a strange response, because I didn’t show him my hand or say I was just injured, but he knew I needed rubbing alcohol. So, anyway, he gets it, and I douse a tissue and get a good cleaning going. Everything worked out fine, and I have some visible scarring on me from The Meanest, but it’s cool – hey, look what I got in Jamaica.

We went into a “potion” type shop and bought a couple of books. We then went into a clothing shop where they had the radio blasting and the same song playing over and over again – Jesus is my something (it changed every verse – Jesus is my doorway, Jesus is my lifeguard, and so on) – the young woman working at the shop danced and sang every single time the song came on again, with the same excitement as if she hadn’t heard it in ages. I bought a really pretty blue wrap, with beading on it. I wished I had it from the start of our trip, because dinner outside at JI got to be downright chilly a few nights.

We also went to I Scream and got some enormous cones of something – I know I had mango and something else. This is at like, noon. We sat there for quite some time and watched the soccer and volleyball (?) players, Marilyn’s little angel being one of them.

So, I am watching the people play, and watching little angel, who is quite good. The security guard comes over and is talking to me, and says “you like that little man there?” and I said “oh yeah, he is the cutest” and he says “I’ll go get him for you” and I say “no, it’s Sunday – he’s playing, let him play” and the guard agrees, and steps to the side. A few seconds later, a woman comes up and I hear the guard say “she likes that little man there” and then he takes off for the little man.

I felt terrible. He has no clue who I am, nor why he is being “summoned” to me – he was into his game. He probably thinks he is in trouble.

So, I say that I know Marilyn, that I am a friend of hers (which is not really true – I don’t know Marilyn aside from Marilyn as a person on a bulletin board) but I knew the little man from her trip reports and her GFT website.

So I ask him if he knows Marilyn, “no” he tells me. I describe her (from the pictures I have seen, – sorry Marilyn, I know that I did you justice, however) – he is still telling me “sorry, I don’t remember” and meanwhile, the guard is saying “yeah, I know who you mean” and he is now questioning the little man – “you know, don’t you remember” and so on. What a disaster. Poor little guy. So, I say that it is nice to meet him, and Marilyn sends her love (cause I know she would)

And he runs off, back to his game. I can’t believe he does not remember Marilyn. I am thinking that he was not going to give up the ghost and say “yeah, I know Marilyn” because why should he? Who the heck am I and why am I asking? Respect, little man.

Here is a picture of one of the buildings

[Laurel]

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

Cute PussNBoots ... too bad he packed such a powerful chomp!

Marilyn has a cute little Rasta Angel in Negril as well she has photo'd and posted ... my last two reaches he has spent alot of time playing near us ... I have been tempted to capture him on film and scoop him up for a hug and tell him I 'know' him thru Marilyn - but I have hesitated, expecting that same type of response. I'll bet he indeed did remember Marilyn - and if you see him again - he will remember you as well.

[Tamarind]

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

Originally posted by tigerinatrance:
[qb]
[/qb]

These colors are amazing!!!!!

[Tamarind]

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

Great report by the way - i am enjoying it all

[Rose]

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

Yes, I too, am very much enjoying your report. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

It sounds like Jamaica has gotten her teeth into you so to speak.. (hehe) Love the cat photo!

[Marilyn]

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



But it looks so sweet and innocent.

[Laurel]

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

Rosie - that is the best one so far!!! BRAVO!!

[Rose]

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

Maybe that sweet looking cat's name is really "Fang".

[tigerinatrance]

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

Yeah, keep a lookout