Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

[Laurel]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]ray: [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]ray: for sleep tonight ... not much last night - so I shall look forward to my morning coffee & a nice read -

[mountaingal]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

Originally posted by Soul Hunter:
[qb] but MG, mi still no understand how wally tip work still. if it so easy fi get the wata and jelly outta di coconut, wha mek everybody a chop e up di hard way? [/qb]

well, wally a st. bess man enuh, so maybe imma let aff a secret formerly only known to those of us from that part of JA... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img]

actually, i think it depends on the coconut and how hard it is. if you want a coconut with a lot of hard jelly, then the shell will be harder and take more chopping than a really green coconut where the jelly is just forming. that's the kind that probably the shell is still quite soft, and can be twisted out with a knife.

the thing about finding the one of the three eyes that will allow you to pierce the coconut so you can get to the water is for the really dry, brown kind (after you've taken off the husk.)

of course, as you know, the harder the jelly, the older the coconut, and the least water it has. if you want a coconut with lots of water, you would go for the greenest kind, which would then have the softest shell, and be the easiest to chop.

[Kumtecky]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

Originally posted by Soul Hunter:
[qb] The views of the smaller mountains located on the western end of the island are impressive and somebody else apparently thinks so judging by the size of this house under construction:



By the sheer size of the place, I suspect it may very well turn out to be a hotel of some sort.



[ [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [/qb]

If it is the same building (the picture is kind of dark) I was told that the man had to abandon this building because where it is built on the hill top is not stable.

[nattydreadgirl]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

what's crazy is that i looked at my notes last night, and i'm on something ridiculous like page 6 of 22

[nattydreadgirl]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

what's crazy is that i looked at my notes last night, and i'm on something ridiculous like page 6 of 22

[Soul Hunter]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

day 6 cont…

Prior to leaving the States, I had mentioned to a couple of Expressers that I would be traveling to JA and offered to bring back a souvenir. I figure today is as good a day as any to find the local cyber café and figure out whether anyone actually pm’d me with a request. I also need to pick up a 3.5” floppy to save this burgeoning report. Mom and Maggie want to come along for the ride, so we all hop in the whip and head downtown.

We hit the Island Village shopping center located at the entrance to Main Street, just after Dunn’s River. The café was originally located there, but moved in November 2004 to a location further down on Main Street. The shopping center does have a pretty cool stage set up in the center of the shops and should make for some good concerts. I decide not to break out the camera, opting instead to wait until Friday to revisit the area and snap a few pics, including one of what looks to be a decent size statute (perhaps of Bob) located fairly close to Margaritaville.

As I’ve stated previously, Maggie is an Eskimo from Alaska, Bethel to be exact, and where she’s from they eat a ton of fish. So in Jamaica she has what can best be described as fish radar. She spots a guy selling fish and she’s on it. No sooner do we pull out of Island Village than radar M goes off with a danger close eruption. Maggie’s spotted fish. So here I am, parked on the side of the street, while mom negotiates a price with the guys. Fish is apparently selling for $180 per pound and Mom shells out $2k for some very lovely parrotfish. Of course I’m in the driver’s seat so the camera is under lock, which is unfortunate. I regret not taking the pictures of these very colorful fish, some bright red, others a very royal blue.

We pile up our fresh catch in the trunk and continue on into the town. I find the cyber café, which for those of you looking to stay connected, is located in the shopping center behind the Burger King in the heart of downtown. I shell out $150 for 15 minutes of access and log on to Jamaicans.com. PM’s await me, but they are all of the “have fun” variety – with no requests! Considering I haven’t actually done much shopping, that’s probably a good thing. Time, which up until Sunday had been moving relatively slow, has now become my enemy. Hard to believe that tomorrow is Wednesday and my trip is coming to an end. I realize I better get moving on some sight seeing and beach relaxation because the closer we get to this party, the more errands I’ll be running.

[Soul Hunter]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

Mom picks up some fresh hard dough bread for our fish dinner, we make a quick stop at family friends – folks who have known Mom from her Ochi days before I was born, and then it’s back to the house.

I sit outside for a while looking up at an amazing full moon that seems to hang so low that if I really tried I could reach up and touch it. The stars are out, a cool wind blows, and I reflect on the sights I’ve seen so far. Each town in Jamaica gives off it’s own vibe, though similarities exist throughout the island. Montego Bay is clearly a tourist town – the entire city seems geared towards that industry. Ochi has a fair amount of that, and yet there’s a bustling undertow that seems oblivious to the tourism industry. Spanish Town, on the other hand, has a nervous energy that is akin to charged air. One senses, particularly as it gets closer to dusk, that something is about to happen, and it might not be good. It’s an awkward feeling for me, but it also has an unexpected side effect. Anyone from NYC, particularly the Dinkins days, remembers the reputation Brooklyn once held. Tell a cabbie you were going to Bed-Stuy, or Brownsville, or Crown Heights (my old home) and you were lucky if 1 in 20 actually allowed you to get in the car.

My clothing automatically gives me away as an American, and when people hear me speak patois they seem genuinely astonished. They immediately ask what part of Jamaica I’m from and when I say Spanish Town, 90% of the time I can sense palpable fear in their voices and I can certainly see it on their faces. I imagine someone from Kingston probably elicits the same response. Paranoia, almost, rules the land.

People are struggling, yet beneath the stress is the love of life shared by most Jamaicans. David and Patty found it difficult to believe that the recently increased minimum wage is a paltry $2400 Jamaican per week. That’s $40 US per week folks. I go through $40 on breakfast and lunch alone in the cafeteria at work on a good week. On a bad week it’s closer to $50 and that doesn’t include months like I’m having now, where I haven’t cooked a meal period. Yet people in Jamaica make it work. Frankly the figure troubles me – a vast percentage of the Jamaican population are laborers, where a price is determined through negotiations without any real hourly rate being figured into the equation. Others in the finance and hotel industries probably make significantly more than the minimum wage. How many Jamaicans are actually living on $2000 per week, even less?

I am also at a loss as to how the country can turn the corner where the economy is concerned. Tourism and remunerations continue to drive the economy, but considering the tourist industry is for the most part relegated to three cities, I wonder how far David and Patty’s foreign dollars will stretch. The guy working a roadside shop in Spanish Town probably never sees any of that business. The all-inclusives contribute to the employment numbers in Ochi, Mobay, Negril and a few other areas, but outside of that, how much of the money flowing into these huge resorts actually trickles down to the local communities. And how can I, one man, make a difference? I struggle with these thoughts until Mom shouts out that dinner is served.

I’ve gone the entire day without taking a single photograph and I’m kicking myself for it. Tomorrow I’m hoping to break free and head east out of Ochi. My plan is to drive about 30 minutes east and then turn back. Along the way I’m hoping to get some great pics of rural life along the coast, and if I’m lucky hit James Bond beach.

[nattydreadgirl]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

(((Soulhunter)))

you are truly an artist, you know that right? your words have captured the moment for me. The still photos are just icing on this very delicious piece you are serving up!

[Soul Hunter]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

As a man sow, shall he reap
And I know that talk is cheap.
So the hotter the battle,
Is the sweeter the victory…

Robert Nesta Marley - The Heathen

Day 7:

Every family has one a$$hole in it, and in mine it’s an Aunt in Florida who we’ll call Aunt H.M. She’s been calling Mama on what seems to be an hourly basis and relaying what is essentially false information about the status of Aunt T.P. The end result of her calls is that Mama is stressed out beyond belief. One minute she (Mama) will call Moms and tell her to cancel the party. Mom will make a call to Florida and find out that Aunt T.P. isn’t out of the woods yet, but isn’t exactly on her death bed as Aunt H.M. keeps telling Mama. Mama will get word of this and call back and tell Moms to go ahead with the party. Aunt H.M. will call Mama again…and the cycle continues.

Of course, all of this is ticking Moms off about the whole thing and has toned down her plans for the party significantly. The entire point of this party was to bring the family together and celebrate Mama’s birthday. Of course, Aunt T.P. is on everyone’s mind, and understandably there would be signs of that concern throughout the party. But Jamaicans celebrate life, even during death. When my grandfather died, the get-together after the party was a full-blown celebration. Not celebrating his death mind you, but his life and fond memories of his days on this earth. There was music, people playing dominoes, mannish water, and curry goat…the works. The same thing happened when my Dad passed away in 2000. My family on his side got together and we celebrated his life.

Mama’s party wouldn’t exactly be a celebration, and certainly Moms had no idea Aunt T.P., was in the shape she was in, otherwise there would have been no party. Everything was planned and essentially paid for before she hit the ground and found my aunt dying. But since quite a few members of the family have already committed to flying down for this thing, Mom is rather frustrated at Aunt H.M.’s efforts to derail the entire thing. It is a long and tiring saga, and a testament to the divisions that often arise in this family. I divorce myself from the whole affair and take a walk before Mom shouts out that she’s ready to hit the town.

Lizards are everywhere in Jamaica, and my Mom is scared to death of them. We also have a number of wasp nests that have appeared along the side of the house, so our first stop is at a pesticide place to find some sort of spray to get rid of the wasps.



Mom attempts to find something for the lizards as well, and out of some sense of pity (I’m not a fan of lizards myself, but I am civil…) I advise her that spraying a house in Jamaica for lizards is an exercise in futility. At best she’ll return to Jamaica and find a bunch of dead lizards in her home. There’s no amount of pest control that will prevent the hundreds of lizards running around in trees outside from getting into the house. Besides, it’s not like the things have set up headquarters in the house. I’ve counted maybe two in the house since I’ve been here, and once the sun drops, I never see them in the house. My arguments fall on deaf ears. Mom is determined to rid the house of lizards…




poor little youths have no idea what’s coming…

[Soul Hunter]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

We leave the pesticide spot and make a quick stop in the market to pick up more ackee (scrambled eggs in Jamaica is not the lick!), yam for dinner, and ginger for home made ginger beer! Along the way I try to snap a pic of Moms and Maggie, and inadvertently snap a pic of a beautiful elder selling her crops in the market.



She immediately takes me to task for taking her picture. “Did I tell you you can tek no pictcha of me?” she asks. I apologize (profusely!) and tell her that wasn’t my intention, but that if she wanted I would be more than happy to take one of her now. She smiles and I snap away.



As we depart the market, I seek her out and tell her that when I visit again, I’ll print out a copy and bring it for her. She smiles and I make my way back to the car. My word is my bond and I’ve already printed the pic…

Mom and Maggie have hair and nail appointments, so I drop them off and do some exploring around town. I hit a local record shop hoping to find some mixed cd’s, but this spot only sells commercial cd’s. However, the two charming ladies manning the store divert all of their attention to me, and I feel compelled to support the local economy. Thirty minutes and $50 US later, I walk out with three cd’s. One is a Universal Message cd, the other a cd dedicated to the “Lion Paw” riddim (more culture) and the third, Capleton’s latest. So three “roots and culture” cd’s later, I make my way over to the Juci Patty spot, enjoy a patty, coco bread and more coconut water, and head east out of Ochi.

I pass through Rio Nueve (where some big bashment called “Follow di Magnum” is going down soon…), then Boscobel, and into Oracabessa and within 20 minutes I arrive at James Bond beach. I’m not sure if it’s closed entirely for renovations, or just so they can prepare for an upcoming event, but there’s a huge sign up on the road indicating it is closed. I drive down the rather bad lane that leads to it nonetheless, and find a very wonderful stretch of ocean that seems lightly trafficked. I snap a few pics and speak to the guard at the gate who tells me if I want to come back tomorrow and walk the beach so I can snap some pics, that I’m more than welcome to do so. I thank him and make my way back to Ochi to pick up Moms.







The day winds down with one of Mom’s friends visiting the house, followed by Uncle E.W. who persuades Mama to continue on with plans to kill one of her goats for the party on Saturday (where else can you have this conversation...). It seems Moms had gotten so fed up with the whole thing that she had actually told Mama to forget about the goat. Uncle E.W. heard this bit of news and immediately cried holy murder and asked Mama to bring the goat. No curry goat at a Jamaican party is probably akin to having no water at a baptism. Just ain’t right!

I find some old westerns on the tele, Maggie joins me for the first time in the living room, and so goes the evening. Tomorrow I’ll try and get back out to James Bond beach, and perhaps grab lunch at the Ruins, per Napi’s recommendation. I’ll later learn that the place holds dear memories for someone other than Napi!

[TFollis]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

Soul Hunter I just had to post to let you know that you my friend are writing one of the best reports I have ever read. You say you not a writer??? I beg to differ my dear sir. YOR ARE A VERY TALENTED WRITER WITH MUCH TO SHARE.

I have found myself checking this board every few hours just to see if there is a new installment. Your family sounds like such wonderful people. Mama is definitely a precious GEM. Please do stick with your promise to yourself and make those phone calls every month. Just 10 minutes will be the World to her.

Your pics are wonderful too mi friend.

Many Blessings To You

[popcorn1012]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report



ewwww dem mek mi skin crawl.. mi did try fi kill one lizard and end up just a chop off him tail... well u kno wthe rest

[Wahalla]

Re: Coming In From The Cold...an unremarkable trip report

Originally posted by grandma2:
[qb] oh (((Wahalla))) mi hart trod....mi is shacked to see yu ova ya DWL

how yu do mi big man......yu knoh SH remind mi of yu in a lot a ways...fi real [/qb]

G2 mi nuh come dem parts yah too often.... Mi nuh feel comfortable dung yah ah tall ah tall... As deh ole joke guh... When yu guh Kingstan when yu ah cum bak ah Jamaica..... Trip reports mi cayn reconsile... wid

That’s $40 US per week folks. I go through $40 on breakfast and lunch alone in the cafeteria at work on a good week. On a bad week it’s closer to $50 and that doesn’t include months like I’m having now, where I haven’t cooked a meal period. Yet people in Jamaica make it work. Frankly the figure troubles me – a vast percentage of the Jamaican population are laborers, where a price is determined through negotiations without any real hourly rate being figured into the equation. Others in the finance and hotel industries probably make significantly more than the minimum wage. How many Jamaicans are actually living on $2000 per week, even less?

I am also at a loss as to how the country can turn the corner where the economy is concerned. Tourism and remunerations continue to drive the economy, but considering the tourist industry is for the most part relegated to three cities,

But yu know mi lub yu G2 an mi guh thru hell an high wata fi yu..... Mi ah liv deh garvey dream.... sorry fi disrupt unno sinting... But mi hafi chat tuh deh ooman wey own pease ah mi soul G2... X's sen yu luv.....