Mitzie saved the day/Cousin Delroy.

 The greatest fishermen will tell you that often, they go and spend hours at sea and come home without any fish.

Well that didn't happen to the big fisherwoman, Mitzie, but the rest of us returned empty handed.

Her's was a Silver Snapper 

Oh yea, I got a bite and was bringing in a little one, but alas just feet from the boat, it jumped off and took off like Bolt.

And Bernie got a bite too but his fish did not tarry long at all.

Regardless, we had a wonderful day meandering along on the long, impressive Black River, with its beautiful scenery and serenity.

Quite a big croc

We never saw many large Crocs this time, but a few babies were in the hatchery.

And did you know that the 26,000 acre Black River Morass had natural gas? I certainly didn't but when we saw the smoke, the fisherman explained that on hot days, the sun ignites sections of the morass that are shallow and dry. 

Successive governments have decided not to exploit this reserve though, as it's too important as an environmental resource.

I agree totally.

 As I always say, if I don't learn something every day, it means I am dead. And I ain't, as I am enjoying life.😀 

The only slight disappointment on this trip was that we had heard about this restaurant called Miss Lou which was famous for its delicious curried crab. It's in a district called Slipe. We heard the road to get there is terrible, but we didn't have to drive to get there, as it's right on the river!

In case you never heard though, sections of Jamaica were badly damaged by the terrible hurricane Beryl about 3 weeks ago. 

And while where we are escaped,  almost the  entire island seems to have lost electricity and it is being restored very slowly. So many small businesses people are having serious financial challenges.

Well Slipe still has no electricity so Miss Lou cannot cook her crabs.

Really hard on her.

Slipe bridge

Miss Lou's crab place.

PS. ( August 26, 2025.)  As we had in St. Elizabeth, we took a quick trip to Munro to visit our cousin Colonel Delroy Ormsby who had managed the Silver Sands properties for decades.

We had been unable to get him by phone for weeks so journeyed to his farm where he lived after retirement from Silver Sands.

Glad we did, for although he looked well, hardly had we returned home to the US before we got a message that he died.

Today, 08/26/2025, which incidentally was the birthday of my late mom Madeline Marshall, is the 1st anniversary of his death and I was happy to get pictures and videos from his widow Blossom, of his funeral and memories. I am storing them right here!

His daughter's wedding 

A painting given to him by his squad in the Jamaican defense force.

The late Delroy's son Simon and granddaughter Raquel.

My late dear cousin Delroy's memories.🥲

Below are other fishing memories🙂.

The would-be fishermen below.

 😁

What a beautiful, serene environment!

Captain Kai

Not even this almost empty cooler can spoil these memories.😁

Jottings

 As I sit in the airport waiting on flight to Livingstone, Zambia, I have been thinking about some things I learnt in Cape Town.

This beautiful building is a mere pizza place

This city is full of fabulously designed buildings built by backbreaking slave labor but because history is written by the victors, most of the Black people give the colonial/slave masters credit for them.

I got angry with a tour guide who kept thanking the British, so at a stop, had to pull him aside and read him the riot act.

His commentary changed after that but mental slavery will probably take centuries to be eliminated.😡

And did you know that when Rhodesia got independence and became Zimbabwe, whites born there could move to South Africa, be granted citizenship immediately and given access to all the privileges whites automatically get here?

I didn’t!

Even now, this country has so far to go. For example, no matter how rich a black person becomes, to get a child into what had been a private white school, they must go on a long waiting list while white children are immediately accepted. (Education is supposedly free up to high school but there are private schools which offer better facilities).

And although the white population has shrunk from 20% to 8%, they still control commerce. With unemployment among blacks at 18% the exploitation of workers is sickening as those who have a job must accept anything to hold on to it.

 Working and living conditions are still in the pits for blacks.

On a more pleasant topic, our Usain Bolt is so loved that a taxi service to compete with 

Uber was established using his name. While Uber is popular with tourists, Bolt is popular with locals.

And my personal favorite, the late great Peter Tosh was given special credit at the slave lodge, for his militant songs decrying oppression. 😊

I was a bit miffed when South African after South African kept telling me that Jamaica is in America though, until someone explained that it means we are in the Americas just like how the island of Mauritius which is in the Indian Ocean, is considered Africa.

A bit upset still but understand the complications of geography better😊.

I was quite surprised to see so many mixed race people, having read Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime.” 

As interracial sex was a crime, in public his mom had to pretend to be his nanny not to get arrested!

His Swiss father was never in any peril though,  I suppose because sexual exploitation of black women by white men was part of their perks under apartheid.

Many people are upset because the South Africa today supports Russia in the Ukraine affair. We must remember though that the USA ‘empowered apartheid‘. When  the UN called for sanctions against the apartheid regime in 1962, the US resisted until the late 80’s😡

Memories are not short!

On a lighter note; 

South Africa is the only country in Africa with nuclear power and I was intrigued to discover that you can buy your electric service at the corner shop where you buy bread. 

All you need is a pre-paid meter and the shop transfers power supply from its meter to yours. And it costs no more, as the shops are agents of the power company. 

Neat eeh?

To get to Zambia we took Airlink, one of the 3 South African owned domestic carriers. We had to fly through Johannesburg and would you believe that although it was only an hour and half we got breakfast?

The beautiful box in which breakfast was served on Air Link

We could fly for hours in the USA and even internationally to Jamaica and those darn airlines would not even give you a bottle of water!

My wandering thoughts😏