St. Bess - The Return

[Sinco01]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CEW</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Q.K</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
So which church in TB? Which bay??

Come den wid di pickcha sah!! </div></div>
Treasure Beach (Calvary) Assembly of God. Wonderful people allround More pictures to come, but since today is my birthday, I'm taking the rest of the night off </div></div>

Blessings ..
Give Thanks for this accomplishment ..

[R00TS]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

Nice birthday gift to us CEW

[applepie]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

Loving this report and pictures

[Diplomat]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

<span style="font-weight: bold">Sinco, R00TS, Nan, applepie:</span> Thanks for stopping by and for the birthday wishes. Sure hope you guys can stay around for the ride.

[Diplomat]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

After our '07 trip, we went back and raved about some of the places we have been. Of course, coming back to JA meant those who were with us wanted to see some of the places we raved about. That was only fair, but for those of us who had been there before, it could become a bit redundant. The Black River Safari was one of those places, and we headed out there on Tuesday. I go everywhere with my camera, and the challenge for me was to see the Safari experience, and capture pictures, through a different pair of eyes than I did last year. Quite the challenge indeed, but I relished it.



Alligator Eggs


All that's left of this guy


The Black River Bridge. Found out that this was 'end' of the River and quite the commercial area back then. It was also the beginning of the shipping port where the goods that were shipped along the River were warehoused for sale or for export.


White Herons/ Egrets /Gawlings


There's something about the flag, especially when fluttering in the wind, that provokes a feeling of pride. For whatever reason, it reminds me of the resilience of the Jamaican people; they may bend but they'll never break.

[Diplomat]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

Legacy from hurricane Dean. Our Captain, Cornell, was an extremely funny guy and he said that when Dean passed the island and went on to hit Mexico twice, they figured it was because Dean &quot;inhaled&quot; too much weed on its way along Jamaica's coast and was &quot;high&quot; by the time it got to the Yucatan Peninsula


Baby alligator sunning on the log. We found out that they can stay in 'safe' areas such as these for up to five years. Even at a young age, they are territorial but could also be eaten by older alligators, if found.






Bulrushes. For those familiar with the Biblical narrative of the baby Moses found in a basket in the bulrushes, this was probably what those bulrushes looked like.


My seat 'partner' along the tour. If I recall correctly, she was also visiting the island.

[Diplomat]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

Captain Cornell. I was looking forward to having Peter, who we had last year, but I was told he was now living in the States. However, five minutes into the tour Cornell had won me over. But for the familiarity of some of the places, his commentary made me feel it was my first Safari experience.




Before we got to this spot, Cornell said there were bears in Jamaica. I thought &quot;What?&quot;, but he was laughing then pointed out the hornet's nest.


From a distance, one could easily be fooled.


Jerry, the gator below, had migrated to a &quot;safe&quot; area because he was in a vulnerable position. Gators are very territorial, and in a fight with another gator, Jerry lost a couple of his teeth which left him unable to adequately defend himself or his territory. Notice you cannot see any incisors(?) protruding.

[Diplomat]

Re: St. Bess - The Return







I love the blown down trees in the background, as they seem to add a lot of character to the view.


Lily Pads. We found out that in some countries, a yam-like vegetable(?) is found under the pads and serve as a source of food for natives.


Shortly after this picture, we stopped before heading back. I recalled the tranquility of our '07 stop and the sound of the water kissing the side of the 'boat'. This experience was different, primarily because Cornell loved talking. His humor was contagious as he tried to get everyone on his tour involved. All the chatter could not disrupt my inner silence. Lost in my stillness, embracing the sunshine while looking across the waters, the words of an old hymn came to mind:

<span style="font-style: italic">Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side / Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide / In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend / Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.</span>

A moment of stillness, at the right time, can certainly refresh the soul.

More later...

[StarGirl]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

Nice report, please keep writing.

[Laurel]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

{{CEW}}

Simply Divune ~

[jamaica_dreamin]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

Hey Cew! I have eaten at the Chinese place It is good!
I have only driven by Junction guest house. It looks nice.
Keep the photos coming PLEASE!

[Jamaicamiss]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

Nice report and pics. I havea gone over the bridge several times, but never made the tour, so thanks for taking me on the tour with you.

[Diplomat]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

<span style="font-weight: bold">Jamaica Miss, Laurel, StarGirl, jamaica_dreaming:</span> Thanks for stopping by; good to have you along. I'm glad you're all enjoying my reflections and the pics.

[Diplomat]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

I'll have to post pics from home, but in the interim, I'm taking a detour from our day activities to share a bit of the church side of things. As some of you know, for me there's nothing quite like a worship service in Jamaica. The North American experience in its air-conditioned buildings, soft padded chairs, overhead projectors, professional sound boards, expensive musical instruments, and everything else, seem to often pale in comparison to the sounds of tambourines, guitars, drums, hand clapping, foot stomping, and the occasional off-key singing coming from the worship leaders. There is a richness in the worship that not only fills the soul, but is very hard to explain.

Regardless of their station in life, these people loved to worship. Choruses had them moving in ways that rivalled any of the 'clean' moves seen at a reggae concert. They knew the hymns by heart so the voices rose with hardly anyone looking in a hymnal. The mode of dressing intrigued me. Yes, there were the broad hats and some of the ladies were dressed to the hilt but then there were those who came in what they had. Simple dresses or blouse and skirts, flip flops, tied heads, all kinds of T-shirts, and I loved it. In some of our NA churches, they would be out of place and probably wouldn't feel comfortable, but here they were in their element, all coming together to praise and worship. Then it struck me - regardless of what they were wearing, the females were all modestly attired; nothing hanging out, nothing too revealing. It was refreshing to see

Then of course, there were the testimonies, perhaps the most &quot;dramatic&quot; part of any service. The first person up didn't disappoint me: &quot;Praise di Lawd, saints&quot;, &quot;Praise di Lawd&quot;; &quot;Let's praise Him again&quot;; &quot;Praise di Lawd&quot;. It was priceless Nothing like a heartfelt, emotional testimony delivered in patois How about the man who could swear like a sailor, but had given his life to Christ? He stood, mike in hand, searching for the right words before finally saying, &quot;Pastor, God damn good to hell yu nuh.&quot; Laughing spoil, as that one simply cracked me up , but I had to give him a lot of respect I'll remember that one for as long as I live.

Ah, Jamaica. More on the service side of things later in the report.

[Laurel]

Re: St. Bess - The Return

a tru dat!!!