Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica....

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

Thanks Nina, I'm glad you're enjoying. I was successful in getting the scanner working again, and I'll be back in a few, I just need to upload..

[Scarlet]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

(((IM))) Oh, goodie! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70458-applaud.gif[/img] Can't tell you how excited I am to be reading this report. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70371-jump.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70371-jump.gif[/img]

I think we both took our last trip to Jamaica far too long ago, so nice to come along with you on this ride. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

We ditched the blanket and decided to take a walk up the beach and see if we could find this Little Ochie place where we heard we could exchange money, and maybe even find something to eat.

There wasn’t a soul to be seen since it was a Sunday and people weren’t so eager to jump up and out of bed at the crack of dawn and we walked for a very long time before we came across anybody moving about. Houses dot the shoreline near the beach but not too close to the water or each other and the expanse of the beach was wide and a couple of miles or so ahead of us was the huge curve of rocks that went towards the sea, the “Alligator tail”. Behind us we could see the loading docks, a sight very familiar to me seeing as I live in a shipping port, a sight so familiar to me that I didn’t look in that direction much, for it didn’t seem as though I was far from home when I did peek over that way.















There's more walk on the beach but I've got to go back to the business of scanning and uploading, little more...

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

Ahhh, Scarlet, you're more than welcome to join me on this journey, and yes it's been too long, I haven't been back since the time I met you at the Donkey Races!

This is so nostalgic for me, the memories flooding back as I browse through the photos and reminisce, it's the next best thing to being there!

[Scarlet]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] That was the last I've been back as well IM. Enjoying every minute of this as you relive it. You might have inspired me to do some scanning of my own. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]

[Jamaicamiss]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

What fun IM to relive your trip and to share it with us. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70459-hugs.gif[/img]

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

Thank you Jamaica Miss I'm happy that you're coming along on my journey!

I'm trying to post one more segment but the board started to give me trouble. One more try....

[BND1999]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

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I LOVE all the photos... but especially this one... Now this is Jamaica!!!

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

Thanks Nina, I'm glad you're enjoying. I tried to finish the early morning stroll portion of the story but I'll have to try again later, I'm having a problem with the photos all of a sudden.

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/70367-help.gif[/img]

[pattywattup]

Re: Alligator Pond & A Decade Of Loving Jamaica....

<font color="green"> Thanks IM! This is SO good!!
Can't wait for more! more! more!

</font>

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond &amp; A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

Hi Patty, welcome to my dream, heheh. Thanks, and I'm gonna go try to post the rest of the morning walk now, I hope it works, I don't mean to leave you all hanging on the beach not knowing which direction you're going!

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond &amp; A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

After walking the beach for awhile we came upon Little Ochie Pub, but too early, the place was boarded up and nobody was stirring so we continued on our walk, thinking someone might be around when we were making our way back in that direction. The shoreline was dotted with colorful fishing boats that had colorful sayings painted on them such as “Whom Jah Bless No Man Curse”.



The terrain began to shift from flat with wide beach, to narrower by the yard, the steep hills reaching closer and closer to the beach, and houses sitting higher up and then soon, no houses at all. A small little terrier style mixed breed dog soon joined us on our walk in spite of my attempts to send him back towards home. Before long, from another yard a whole pack of small terrier style dogs descended upon us and were following us too, and by now they’ve numbered around 10 or 12 little four legged escorts. I'm sure the reason is, I happen to be a dog magnet, ever since from when I was small. I tried in vain to make them go away and when we ran out of beach at the Alligator Tail and climbed the rocks and made it around the corner and out of sight, I figured they’d just head back down the beach towards home. You can see some of the dogs in the first photo below, but that’s the only photo I took of them because taking pictures of dogs is not the way to get rid of them! I mention this because the dogs come in to play a little later in the story…










We did some more exploring past the point for awhile before we decided to head back towards Little Ochie, the terrain was getting much less foot friendly. When we reached the section of beach past the rocky point, the pack of small dogs was there waiting for us, wanting to be our escorts. As we passed the areas from which they came I tried in vain to send them away. I hollered and yelled and tossed small sticks in their direction to no avail.


When we reached Little Ochie the joint was jumping, there were people all around, some cooking, some hanging out, and Blackie, the owner, was behind the bar and more than happy to exchange our cash and set us up with a cold Ting but he and some others had some words for me, and I could tell they were not very happy. “Carry him come bring him home” was the first ever phrase I heard in Jamaica and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the meaning was, for everyone’s attention was fixed on the pack of dogs that didn’t belong on the beach in front of Little Ochie, and they were there, because they followed ME . I started in vain to explain my plight concerning the pack of dogs but it was readily apparent that it was "I" that needed to send the dogs home so I went out to the beach and pointed in the direction from wence they came and sternly told them they BETTER GET HOME and just like they understood me, away they went down the beach like a good little pack of dogs and when I walked back into the Pub everyone had been watching me and gave me "Big Up's", and then I resumed my position at the bar visiting with Blackie and some others and taking in the funky and wonderful paint job inside Blackie’s Fish restaurant.





The hot mid afternoon sun had started to beckon us on a return journey towards the Sea Riv and our traveling companions. The walk towards home was much different than the desolate stretch of beach we had trekked at dawn. People from Mandeville and other surrounding towns would come to the beach for Sunday afternoon so when we arrived at the river just before the hotel there was full fleged partying going on. Parents and children were frolicking in the fresh water of the river and some more slapping dominos or imbibing in freshly cooked food and drink at Brownie’s and Penny’s and Bunny’s little riverside shops, but most of the party left out to towns such as Junction and Bull Savannah and Mandeville about an hour before dark.


Little Ochie is very popular Sunday drive from Kingston too, and made for a very colorful mix of people for my favorite sport of people watching. In this case, however, most of the people watching was directed towards us, as we were the only tourists we saw all week and we were ultimately popular if not for that. I am Stephanie from the Bold and the Beautiful, my partner was James Bond. I forget what names Peggy and Roger were called, but Roger was also known as the 13th drowning man that was saved by Penny who had a little shop closest to the Sea Riv. Penny had just saved another man recently but some others were not so lucky. After Roger’s near drowning incident I knew to be careful in those waters off the South Coast and I stayed close to shore and for that reason it was nice to have that fresh water river right there for our use too.
Well that was my first day in Jamaica, the rest of it was just nondescript hanging out and learning to play dominoes and getting into the relaxed groove that inhabited our souls for the duration of our trip and into the coming weeks until it became apparant that the only way to maintain this state was to go back to Jamaica or at least it helped knowing you had a trip in the near future.

I've got more photos and stories but I have more scanning and uploading to do first. The photo sizes will be less consistent because some of them I had scanned previously and I didn't want to have to do the extra chore of resizing them again, so they are what they are.

I wish I was doing THIS right now!

[jaith]

Re: Alligator Pond &amp; A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

thanks for the trip IM....you made the sun come out here...

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond &amp; A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...

Your welcome Jaith, I'm glad I could leave your day a little brighter!

Ok, I'll go try to post the next part again. No luck last time!

[Nanook]

Re: Alligator Pond &amp; A Decade Of Loving Jamaica...



The white shop next to the road where it ended at the river was owned by Bunny, a fun guy with the best music. His shop is where most people that drove there stayed...



Then there's Brownie's place, remember this is where we went that first night after navigating the old rickety bridge...



The place we spent most of our time was Penny's place. I had been looking forward to meeting the hero that saved my friends life, and Penny was every bit as fun as I had heard. he taught me to play domino's and it wasn't many games before I was whopping his butt....



The photos show the faces too dark but it's just as well. I have several photos of penny but we never discussed the internet, so....

From the river you can see what makes Penny's place so inviting, the huge Seagrape tree next to it lends to some serious cooling off and idling time. That's Penny's thatch roof under the tree...





The phenomonon that struck me the strangest was how the skies would turn from sunny to thick black clouds that would stop right at the top of that hill. We could see the sheets of rain falling so near, but they never once reached the beach where we were sitting in the hot sun. That's why this is a desert like area, with tall cactus and thorny bone macca all around.

See the dark skies above but yet our beach area is still sunny...



I was going to take us on a stroll to downtown Alligator Pond next, but since we're down by the river maybe we should go for a ride up the river in the red canoes instead. Soon come....