Return to Jamaica 2018

L-R, Taureans Hector, Joan, Kippo, Delroy and MC Audley

Although I have been residing in Florida since my retirement from radio, an annual May visit to Silver Sands will always be on the agenda. For you see, my brother Bernie is a party animal who never needs a reason to host one, so my birthday has been hosted there, compliments of he and his wife Judy,  every year for around eight years now.

Coretta looks fabulous in her bikini

This year was no exception. The pleasant addition though was having my niece Coretta from Canada, joining us there for a week.

Others in-house for the week too were Bernie's friend from days at school at Cornwall College, Howard Johnson aka Kippo and his wife Joyce.

The usual Taureans were in attendance except for my good friend, Michael James who had some health issues. Delroy and Hector, the other regulars, cut the cake along with a newcomer Kippo. It was quite funny though, for in calling up the Taureans, MC Audely forgot his own daughter Kim, another Taurean, who was very much in attendance!

She, therefore was out of the cake cutting this year.

Coretta and I pose at Noisy River

As usual, when we hang out at Silver Sands, despite the fabulous beach which is always inviting, we do go out touring.

We were all therefore extremely disappointed on the Labour day holiday when we drove all the way to St. Elizabeth to visit YS falls, only to find it closed. It seems to be the tradition in St. Elizabeth to close their attractions on holidays, for we drove over to Appleton to do the rum tour and that too was closed.

The magnificent Good Hope great house in the background

As we were near to Middlequarters where my grandparents had lived, we visited their old home, a place about which I have fond memories. Their old house was sold and is so beautifully remodeled that no one would recognize the place. The Moravian church built on land which my grandmother donated is still there though as are the tombs of my grandparents, their two daughters who died in infancy and my uncle. Coretta has land there so we got lots of papayas from the gentleman who looks after her place.

We also visited Noisy River which is always open and saw them setting up sound equipment for what would no doubt be an exciting day of frolicking for the thousands who often flock that venue for a swim and general lyme later.

Bernie relaxes at Good Hope. One of the former slave quarters is in the background

We did not tarry there, however, instead headed to the popular Bluefileds beach in Westmorland only to find it jam-packed.  In fact, it was so crowded that we could barely maneuver our way back out to the main road after driving down to the beach.

Bernie and Judy enjoy the fabulous view

What we discovered on Labour day was that there is an ackee shortage in western Jamaica. It was really shocking for we traversed four parishes, St.James, Trelawny, St. Elizabeth and Westmoraland but although everyone was looking out for some,  we could not find one vendor selling the main ingredient in Jamaica's national dish! That is extremely abnormal, for it is customary to always find people selling this popular product on the sidewalks.

We later learned that there is no similar shortage in the eastern side of the island though for we easily found some in Kingston and heard that in places such as St. Thomas, it is always available.

On another trek, we visited Good Hope great house in Trelawny from where you get a  scenic view of our important national treasure, the Cockpit Country.

Everyone believed the washerwoman was real!

This was once a brutal slave plantation but today it is operated as a small hotel and there are numerous attractions on the grounds. Of all the attractions, my favorite was this carving of a washerwoman. It is so lifelike, that when I posted the picture of me standing beside the carving on Facebook, it fooled everyone into believing she was real!

We also went over to Negril to visit friends there.

Hanging out at a rest stop on  the way to Negril

Boats anchored at Negril beach

Later, we journeyed to Kingston (minus Coretta who had to go back to Canada), to attend my former in-laws' family reunion. By then, my daughter Michele, granddaughter Maddy and daughter in law, Michelle had already flown into Kingston to attend.

 This is the second occasion on which I attended such a gathering,  for although I have long divorced my ex-husband, his family remains near and dear to me.

No one believes aunt Gladys is 90 years old!

In fact, his mom, Hazel has been my best friend and alternative mother for decades.

Posing with my friend Hazel

She is now 96 years old and extremely alert although she cannot move around by herself due to having a stroke some years ago.

She is well taken care of by her son Chully who ensures that she lacks nothing and can live out the rest of her life in peace and comfort.

Her sister, aunt Gladys also attended the reunion. At 90 years old she looks phenomenal, not a day over 60 and I hear she still drives when at home in Canada. Her family was well represented too as some 15 of them, including children, their spouses, and children, traveled to Jamaica for the event.

After the reunion, my daughter, granddaughter

Overlooking Montego Freeport

 and I went to Montego Bay for a few days at what she describes the Pirate hotel there, for it really caters to children.

It was another unforgettable vacation at home, spoilt only by the fact that we have an extremely lousy member of parliament in Kingson, one DelroyChuck, who has made no effort to fix the roads in the area where my home is.

Here the potholes have become so large and disgraceful that some of them have even taken on distinctive shapes......like the one below which is shaped like a heart.

In this case, the heart is definitely not the symbol of love!

Reggae Falls and Barren Monuments

No matter how many times we ride to Reggae Falls,  I can never be tired or disappointed with the outing, for it just get better each time.

This Easter Sunday was my fifth trip to those scenic cascading  falls and the ride seemed so easy this time I had to wonder if  had really come off my bicycle and pushed over the first hill outside of Seaforth town, the first couple of times we rode there.

Despite the obvious drought as reflected in the  brown hills  towering over Hillside Valley, in the valley itself, it was quite lush and I guess because I was not over stressed on this ride, I noticed the huge Serge Island Milk factory just above the falls, for the first time.

What made this ride especially pleasant was the fact that it drizzled  during the entire journey from we passed the turn off to Stony Gut, so we had no blaring sun to deal with at all.

However, once we got tot he falls the sun kept appearing intermittently, allowing us to frolic in the cool water without any discomfort.

Shawn and I entered the Johnson river from a different path this time for when we went to the usual entrance we saw that some kind of sand mining must have been taking place as sand was piled u all over the place. So we followed the dirt path which headed west and entered the river much higher up. That's definitely a better entrance anyway as you have far less river to wade through.

The Stella Maris posse

This trip was not just the usual crowd from Fun and thrills, but also the Chuck's who along with Charles Simpson provided the delicious meal of curried goat, barbecue chicken and franks with an assortment of salads including delicious breadfruit salad, brought guests from  Stella Maris, mostly the members of their famous steel band Stewart brought along a couple of yoga instructors and Charlene had her group of photographers.

The "washer people" of Reggae Falls 

The scene of the day was a demonstration in effective clothes washing in the river by Charles the 1st, Fatman and Rose.....and the winner was Fatman.

It was  a cool gathering and as the white rum and vodka flowed, the comedy hour began with each contributing their favourite jokes. I agree with Barry that the Logic joke is unbeatable.

Of course there  had to be dominoes and after boy scouting graduate Chuck set up a canvas covering, the table and dominoes came out. Unfortunately, although many of us have folding chairs, we forgot to bring them, so it was stand up and play.

Anyway I got my usual quota of 6 love (just one this time!) and even took on some local fellows who thought we looked like a walkover.

Chuck the scout

Chuck ordered some east indian mangoes and a lady brought 2 dozen, red juicy ones which we grabbed up at $100 each. Fatman dsved into one of the juiciest looking ones immediately and when he reached halfway, he saw two fat worms begging for mercy. He tried another, same picture.

 I took mine home and relaxed to enjoy them, same problem just different worms. I therefore decided to eat the other one after dark!

It was a great day all  round  of fun, antics, liquor and great food but as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Only Mark and Shawn rode back from the river while Chully, Charles and Chuck jumped on their bikes at different sections after clearing the hill leading from Hillside valley.

Each time we head to Reggae falls, I have wondered what the monument to honour Paul Bogle at Stony Gut looks like, as we always see the sign pointing the way. So I convinced Chris (the driver) to detour from following  two cyclists to take a look at it. It is about 5 miles from the main road and the road going there is

The bare monument dedicated to National hero Paul Bogle

extremely well paved and you get a beautiful view of the seashore in the eastern section as you ascend.

 The monument itself is quite attractive, however there are no signs or any type of information  once you arrive there and the place looks bare and desolate. The only sign we saw was a "no trespassing" one and it is covered with weeds, typical of how we treat important monuments in this our fair land.

 Anyway, while I am sure the courageous members of the A team who took on a  two day cross the island ride are nice and sore from riding by now, I am certainly well refreshed after a wonderful day with like minded fun lovers who made the far more pleasant  trek to one of the most beautiful places in the island, Reggae Falls in the Johnson River.

Bob Marley Beach

Today I discovered Bob Marley Beach. Oh yes, it has been around for a long time and lots of people knew about it, but I discovered it today. Discovered  it like how Columbus discovered Jamaica,  America etc. Lots of people have a problem with the statement about Columbus discovering far flung lands as they correctly ascertain that there were other people living in those lands when Columbus got there. But the dictionary  meaning of discover includes ".....to see, get knowledge of, learn of, find, or find out;......" so he did indeed discover these lands. So I too discovered Bob Marley beach.

It is  located in St. Thomas just pass the police station in Bull Bay. Charles Simpson discovered it before we did and he took us there this morning after the ride and breakfast. We were scouting it out for a ride next Saturday and luckily I was able to borrow a bathing suit from Betty for I would have had a fit if I did not have the opportunity to swim.

In terms of South eastern St. Thomas beaches, it is by far the best I have ever seen. To begin with it, it was calm and unlike those around Copa and Brooks Park etc it was not rough and does not have a current. Also, unlike th beaches along that strip, it is really shallow, no moving from 2 feet to 6 feet drops immediately like those other beaches.

Down there  you see quite as few fishing boats and fishermen who are ready to cater meals. Best thing though, they have bathrooms and wash off facilities for a  small fee. When I asked how I could "capture" some land around there, I was told that the area is actually owned by a Mr. Chin who  they say was a contemporary of Bob Marley  (so am I!) and they claim he has papers and has done surveys in the area. I still think it looks like government land and a public fisherman's beach but who am I to start contradicting those whom live there and are making a living from the sea!

Anyway, next week we will be riding there, having breakfast and swimming in those clean, calm,unpolluted waters and hopefully I will have pictures to post to show the world my latest discovery.

Eat your heart out Columbus for I too am in the discovering business!~

Talk Jamaican: Bob Marley Beach - YouTube

Talk Jamaican: Bob Marley Beach - YouTube

Great Off Road Riding

As usual we left out late but it ended up as one of the best outings that I have been on with “Fun and Thrills" despite the fact that some of us had done the route before.

On Sunday 25th November 2010, some 25 riders drove to Bowden Wharf in St. Thomas which is now under the control of the Coast Guard, so in order to enter and leave the vehicles there we had to solicit the permission of the the commanding officer . This was done via a soldier who was in charge at the base but there was no problem.

As usual, as soon as the bikes were unloaded, the impatient ones including myself and Charles could not wait for the laggards to get ready so off we went up the ultra steep hill which leads to Old Pera….an unspoilt beach area on the cusp of the Holland Bay Nature Reserve. This nature reserve is the home and breeding ground for crocodiles, and other endangered species and the ponds are a key layover spot for birds migrating from the northern cold during the spring and late summer.

From Old Pera we rode along cane intervals belonging to Duckenfield sugar factory. This was an excellent off road ride with unpaved roads and large portholes full of mud.

As It turned out, us early riders had taken the wrong route as Maurice who is an extremely fast rider was sent to chase us down. When he did catch up with us he said He had been riding at full speed for 1/2 hour before he caught us. The hilarity of the situation is that he was sent with a message that we should turn back to join the A team which had chosen a less steep and more rugged route and were waiting for us at some intersection! Naturally there was an instant rebellion as we certainly were not about to turn back so Maurice defected and stayed with us, so we ended up with two distinct sets of riders, ours being the B team.

Although we stopped and waited for them frequently, they never caught up with us. There were two spills....... nothing serious, and none that I witnessed, but I understand that Sharon who was with our group did fall as did Michael Williams of the A team.

The ride was just great and when we got to the intersection which we could either take to Duckenfield or go straight to the beach at Rocky Point, we had an intensive debate as some of us wanted a little longer ride while others wanted to go straight to the beach. The "beachites" won and I wasn't too sorry for as usual it was inviting, calm, serene, warm and beautiful . And guess what, the sand flies which had feasted on us on the last ride there, were missing in action so we had a really great swim. Of course Barry did create some excitement at one point jumping suddenly and claiming he had been bitten by a crab. While I dismissed it as just a Barry trick, when I returned for a dip just before our departure, I saw a lot of crabs and a fisherman shouted to me to be careful as they bite. My apologies for disbelieving Barry!

We had conch soup with sea puss and it was absolutely delicious. Those of us who ordered chicken and festival were fine while there seems to have been a shortage of fish which is what the vast majority wanted.

All seemed well fed in the end however and I enjoyed a game of dominoes on the beach with Fatman as my partner against Michael Chuck and a gentleman from the area. Chris also joined Chuck to try and beat us, but they didn't. In fact I got a rare "heinkin" bow.

As some of us took an long ago took an oath never to ride after eating (niggeritis and all that) Charles the drive organizer in chief, arranged for some drivers to go in the support vehicle back to Bowden Wharf and bring back some vehicles. By the time we got back a fit ones had ridden off and Tara went straight back to Kingston with Lisa Chen and her friends who came out with us for the first time and had a whale of a time.

When we got to Bowden Wharf the riders had not yet reached but we had a wonderful time swimming and diving there. The only problem there is the strong smell of fuel for this a a coast guard station and I guess as lot of fuel gets spilled in the water.

My only regret is that we did not get to see the dolphin. I hope he is ok and has not been killed by the fuel in the water. A soldier told me that he comes up to feed when he is ready so I hope that is really true.

On the way back we stopped in Yallahs for a repeat of the delicious chicken foot soup we had found there on our return journey from Reach Falls, but unfortunately either we bought from the wrong person or the standard had fallen for this soup was not as good. But what the heck, it filled a gap and brought an excellent day of fun and camaraderie to a great end.

For more photographs, see; http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=299898&id=763366822

Cuna Cuna Trail etc.

Ever since we went to Millbank and had that delicious Maroon food consisting of turned cornmeal and janga run dung, some of us Fun and Thrill members have been dying to repeat the process ...no the food. 

So, when our environmentalist Kim who does a lot of work in the Rio Grande valley suggested we do a hike along the Cuna Cuna trail and end up at a maroon village where we would again be treated to that super appetizing gourmet delight, I have been raring to go.......

The Cuna Cuna trail is an over five hundred year old trail that the maroons established on a ridge between the Blue Mountain and John Crow mountain ranges (the Blue Mountains are to the west and John Crow to the east) first, to escape from the British who wanted to dominate them and later to transport runaway slaves that they captured for a bounty, between the parishes of Portland and St. Thomas . 

This was then an arduous trail which the British soldiers with all their training could not maneuver for not only was it heavily forested but also there are lots of caves and other sections where the Maroons could hide out and ambush them. 

Also, it has an abundance of springs with fresh life giving water which allowed them to hide out for long periods at a time.

In them old days when there were no cell phones, the Maroons had their own means of communication, the abeng. This is an instrument made from cow horn and it can send various predetermined signals depending on how they blow it. 

The sound of the abeng could easily carry through the silent, ominous hills from one parish to the other. They also used drums to send signals for religious ceremonies. Drums are made form goats' skins....... the one made from the female goat is called a Bange and has a high sound . The one from the ram skin is the Cass and has a deeper sound. 

These tools are still being used by the maroons who live in villages between Hayfield in St. Thomas to those at the headquarters at Moore Town, otherwise called Maroon Town but for ceremonial purposes, not guerrilla warfare.

It is significant that the opportunity that we got to hike the 5 mile long trail through the spectacular, undulating mountain side was on the eve of the annual National Heroes day. Of course, Nanny, the maroon leader who led her people to victory, is our only female National hero, though she is somewhat of a mythical figure as she was alleged to have the power to catch bullets being fired by the British in her bottom and fire them back at the enemy.

Just before 7 am on Sunday 17th October, 26 of us headed out in 6 vehicles and drove to Hayfield, a village of around 200 person just above Bath in St. Thomas. Like most country roads, it was narrow and in poor condition but since we had commuted in SUV's is was not difficult.

On the way up into the district, Howie, with whom I was travelling, saw a little boy between 6 and 8 years old, with a large lighted spliff in his hand. Horrified he drew up beside him told him to hand it over, but he refused and got ready to run away. As we went further up the hill we saw a man a and reported to him that a young boy was coming up smoking a big spliff. The man just laughed so we were shocked thinking it may have been a tradition in the area , but thank heavens when we joined up with our guide "Shaggy" and related the incident to him, he said he had never seen kids smoking ganja in the area so it was not a tradition.

I had made the arrangements for the trip with Ms. Wilkes who Kim and connected me with and it turned out that she has been the Chief of the Bownden Pen Maroons for some twenty years. How the villages work is that each one has its own maroon Chief and they all sit on the council at Moore town under the chairmanship of the overall Chief who is elected by the democratic process. The Maroons look after their own internal affairs although things like infrastructural work is done by the Government of Jamaica. However they deal with their crime problem except murder and criminal activities in their villages are far below the Jamaican average.

Although the cost of the journey was quite expensive, $500 to use the trail and $300 each for the guide, when we saw how well kept the trail was it was worth the money. This is an extremely treacherous area with lots of break aways but they have put is cement bridges and bamboo railings all along the way. And the path is not at all overgrown despite the high level of rainfall in the area. Fact is it is the best kept trail I have ever seen in any part of Jamaica, even having two nice rest stops with bathroom facilities and benches so that hikers can rest their weary bodies for a while.

Anyway the role of the guide was greatly exaggerated as I was told he would give us all the historical information as we went along but it turned out that Shaggy knew very little more about Maroon history than we did! He was pleasant anyway and it turns out that he is the father of "Papcaan" that rising DJ who along with Vybes Kartel made the popular and catchy tune "Mi Clarks". Shaggy proudly told us how his son got 80 pairs of Clarks shoes from the company whose sales in the Caribbean has risen over 300%, since the song became a hit! Anyway he seems to be doing well otherwise as he is now on a tour of Europe. 

Happy for him.

Anyway back to the trail . The area is absolutely beautiful...... lush, green and picturesque. The view from all angles is really awesome and the climate cool and pleasant. Shaggy did point out a few plants like the "Catchman Fig". This is a parasite but it grows into a huge tree. The one he pointed out had two huge trunks with a passage between and we walked though it on the trail. We were also introduced to the cabbage Wood tree which he said is very tough and they use in construction. A fruit I had never heard about is the Mammee which is brown and round. They say it tastes like a mango and Desiree says they have it in Guyana. 

Of course, the trail has a wide variety of ferns including the Giant Tree Fern and he did name several varieties for us. Also, brightly coloured lillies popped up just about everywhere and the profusion of palms was ever so pleasant. A funny moment was when one of the hikers asked him which road was close by as she had heard a car blowing its horn. Shaggy informed her that it was a bird called the Shine Eye! He also pointed out to us the feeding areas of the Blue dove which seems to scratch out large areas on the ground as it searches for insects. Although he promised that we would find some edible fruit to pick us up, we were not lucky enough to see and fit guavas or jack fruit that were accessible. Quite frankly in all my days of hiking I have never seen deeper ravines so I can't figure how they can get any of the fruits growing on the edges of the trail anyway.

After about three hours, we got to the cottages operated by the Bowden Pen Maroons and were met by the chief Mrs. Wilkes. Although the had told me on the telephone that we might not be able to get any janga for when it rains they are washed away, a super disappointment was that she forgot to do the turned cornmeal, the lame excuse being that since they usually eat that with the janga, it had slipped her. The food was great anyway especially the wild boar. I don't know how non pork eaters survive. Wow!

After lunch some of the macho people went to the Rio Grande River for a swim, but although I was dying for a bath to cool down, after a full belly, I wasn't going anywhere but back to the vehicle.

The walk to Bowden Pen had quite an effect on some of the participants who are not accustomed to long arduous hours of exercise. Among them, was my neighbour Verleta. 

By the way, Betty had turned back from we started the trail and Charles had gone back to the car with her then caught up with us when we got to the cottage. Well would you believe he was able to find a taxi in the middle of no where!!! For you have to understand that the road just below Milbank had broken away about two years before so they have only one or two cars in the Comfort Castle/Milbank area and passengers have to walk pass the breakaway and get other cars on the other side to get to Port Antonio.

Well somehow Charles found one of the cars and invited person s to ride back. Within minutes the deportee had eight former hikers including Verleta who really had a challenge coming down and Grace who had lost her shoes and had determinedly continued hiking in her socks from way up the hill. After they got to Port Antonio they took a minibus to St. Thomas and linked back up with us at the Bath turn off just after Port Morant.

The rest of us walked back up the Cuna Cuna trail and it was really an easy hike for the highest point was just around 2,500 feet above sea level, just over a third the height of the Blue Mountain peak and we got back to Kingston just after 8pm after an arduous but pleasant day.

Since we had nothing planned for the National Heroes Day holiday next day, Damit had asked me what I was doing and I had told him I was going to take a short ride and see how far up Mountain Spring road I could go up . Would you believe that he called me at 5.30 am! Anyway we linked up at about 6.30 am by Burger king at Barbican road and were riding slowly up the hill.

When we almost got to our regular meeting point at Widcome, we saw a number of riders and I asked Damit who they were as I couldn't believe they were Fun and Thrills riders as we had no arrangement to ride on Monday. Well it truned out to be Orrrel, Michael, Maurice and Howie . It was almost an absolutely impossible coincidence! They the are A class riders and they had decided among themselves to also ride up Mountain Spring the very same route and time we had!

After we all had a good laugh at the turn of events, they rode off leaving Damit and I behind. My granny gear was giving problems however and just as I passed over the fording my chain fell off.

 Anyway, determinedly I got back on and was doing ok until we passed where the Rasta man sells the fruits and two women walkers took over the good side of the road, forcing me into the sand. I nearly fell and had to push over the ridge until I got to the flat area where I again mounted.

By then Damit had abandoned me and I did ok until I got to the next steep section . That's when I gave again up but having passed where I had given up on my first try, I did not all at all feel badly.

However it is only when you are dead tired that you realise how heavy the damn bicycle is, for pushing it up to wailing wall was a super challenge. After resting there a while I again mounted to try out the real steep part of the the hill but by bicycle kept doing the wheelie as the front wheel kept lifting up. Again I dismounted and pushed with great effort over the super steep section.

The only thing that kept me going was the fact that we had ordered breakfast from Howie and he had kindly been voluntered by us to find us something to eat! After the super steep section I again mounted and almost reached Peter Phillips' back gate then again gave up again, being totally out of breath. Just then, my phone rang and it was Damit telling me not to go home as they were coming to rescue me. To make him feel bad for abandoning me, I told him I was already at home so not to bother and I kept on punishing up the hill. Anyway as I broke the corner I saw Maurice and Howie walking down to rescue, me trailed by Michael, Damit and Orrel. Maurice and Howie took turns pushing the extra heavy bicycle up to Howie's home so I could finish the journey with a little dignity (not puffing and blowing like an overworked train).

We were served delicious brewed coffee and breakfast followed.

What had started out as a mere leisurely ride which I had planned to abort the minute it became hard, turned out to be a tiring but a wonderful start to the holiday morning.

The camaraderie and just sitting on top of the hill looking down on the beautiful, peaceful city, invigorated me to the point that I was able to sit down and do this long boring blog without even stopping to think for a minute. I guess it is obvious that I didn't think!

Easter 2010

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Easter holidays in Jamaica are always a time of great fun and frolic and this year it was no different. While the “A team” of “Fun and thrills” decided to show their machismo and ride around the island, doing 8 to 10 hours in the saddle and the blazing sun, on Friday, the rest of us rode to Morant Bay in St. Thomas. We left around the same time as they did and some of us kept up with them up to the cement company gate.

Michael Chuck is a real Trojan, for while his family waited for his return, he rode with us only to assist in taking back some of the bikes in his pickup. That’s the type of dedication to the group that makes it one big happy family.

After the pleasant and not too strenuous 32 mile ride to Morant Bay, we loaded up into several vehicles for a day at the beach at Long Bay in Portland. That beach is known for its huge waves and is thus a surfers dream, but for swimmers it is simply no fun. So we had our meal there, played some dominoes and drank some liquor. We were honoured to be paid a “rest” visit there by “round the islanders” Heather, Michael and Orrel.

The original plan had been for us to got to Reach Falls, but unfortunately because it was a sacred public holiday, it had been closed by the operators. The Long Bay alternative was only plan B. 

Luckily for us, the Trinidadian environmentalist, Kim, who knows more about eastern Jamaica than most of us, had ridden with us and was able to suggest a great swimming area at Drivers River. Incidentally, Drivers River is the same river that forms Reach Falls at the top, but where the excellent section for swimming is, is at the bottom of the road. It was actually the local people who were in the shallow section washing their cars and a truck, who directed us to the perfect spot.

There, the water was cool and fresh and quite deep in certain areas. As a result the adventurous were able to go up to an overhanging cliff and jump off into the water without even touching the bottom. We spent a wonderful time there before driving back to Kingston.

On Saturday, only Charles and I rode, me up the hill as usual and Charles around UWI campus. After that we took the boys from the National Children’s home for their usual spin.

On Sunday I rode alone and in the afternoon, four of us, Nicole, Fatman, Charles and I went to Mandeville to join the “round the islanders “ on the last leg of their journey.

Michele and her mom were perfect hostesses, providing an excellent meal for all and accommodation for some of the cyclists. On Monday, we started the ride back to Kingston ahead of the A team. It was quite pleasant for me up to Old Harbour as the morning was cool and the traffic was limited. Damit passed us near the toll bypass in Clarendon. We never saw the rest until we got to Inswood in St. Catherine.

By then the sun was really pelting down and I couldn’t wait to jump into one of the support vehicles. Charles and Fatman finished the entire journey from Mandeville and Michael, Damit, Howie, Orrel and Heather returned to Kingston after riding around the entire island without incident.

We are really going to miss Heather, our real inspiration. She is a foundation member of “Fun and Thrills” and the role model for all female riders, for she has never wavered to undertake any challenge that the men come up with and has surpassed them on many occasions. Unfortunately, she has to go abroad to join her husband Johnnie. After riding around the entire island for four days, she flew out on Tuesday 6^th April 2010. But not before we threw a farewell party for her on Monday night. Stefan and Penny were the hosts and all went well.

Who will be the new inspiration for fun loving women in “Fun and thrills?” Anyway, as Francois Rabelais said, Nature abhors a vacuum, so I guess the position will soon be filled.

Walk good Heather.

For more photographs, go to; http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#!/album.php?aid=199350&id=763366822&ref=mf

Morant Bay Ride

For some time now, a few ambitious members of "Fun and Thrills" have been toying with the idea of riding to Negril, Westmorland, some 140 miles from Hope Pastures. Now it seems our toying days are over as the date has been set for Sunday October 18th and based on a resolution adopted on top of some hill, we have started to do long endurance rides.

So on Sunday 13th September we had our first endurance ride to Morant Bay, St. Thomas, a distance of 34 miles according to our top sprinter, (the Bolt of Fun and Thrills) Barry. Well departure time from Hope Pastures was set for 5.30 am to beat the sun, but having arrived on time many times and having to wait on the latecomers, I have slowly been becoming a latecomer myself! So I arrived at 6am only to find everyone on board. Winston drove the support vehicle accompanied by his son Zackaria.

Actually, it was a pretty non-exhaustive ride to Yallahs, (Barry tells me that a rasta man told him the real name for Yallahs is Ayallah,but the English colonial masters could not pronounce it and therefore corrupted it to Yallahs). So mi get it so mi give it and since rastas don’t lie, I believe it!)for apart from a small section in the Bull Bay area, it was level riding. I was actually feeling so comfortable that when I saw a number of my colleagues resting at Albion, I didn't feel like stopping. On hearing that Andrew had gone ahead, I decided to try and catch him up.

Now that was probably my gravest error for unbeknownst to me, Andrew stopped in Yallahs. So there I was killing myself to catch him up , long after he had stopped! By then the sun was in full swing and extreme heat was coming up from the asphalt, but I was determined not to stop until I saw him. Then thank God I saw Barry and Darragh (a young Irishman who is so fit that he has competed in the Ironman triathlon although he smokes!) at a shop where thy had stopped to buy a cold beer and Guiness and give Darragh an opportunity to smoke a cigarette. So I got a little rest before they took off like Bolt and I did not see them again until they had reached Morant Bay and turned back to "Washoff" where there is that little waterfall by the road.

So on I plodded by myself and in the hot sun, still determined not to stop until I caught up Andrew. On approaching Whitehorses, there is quite a challenging hill and I heard a bike coming behind me which changed down to first gear as the hill was so steep. That's when I knew I was crazy to be using woman power to get up that hill when no one was paying me to do so!

 The irrationality of the situation was further reinforced when I saw a man ahead of me pushing his bicycle up the hill. Aha I thought, if a man has to pushing his bicycle up this horrible hill the so can I. Then it occurred to me that maybe he had a puncture. As if to tease me, he then jumped on his bicycle at that very moment, then after pedaling for about 30 seconds, he dismounted and started to push again. That was all I needed to dismount too, but my conscience said to me that I ride up Long Mountain every week and he doesn’t so I should not get off. So I obeyed and on I toiled. That's when Howie, who had stopped in Albion to wait on the others, flew past me. That’s about when I finally reached the top and saw the lovely downhill ride and the clear, inviting, blue, sea which seemed to be calling out to me to jump in and cool off. All that seemed to have been sent by God as a reward for my perseverance !

 As the downhill section finished, I had arrived at "Washoff" and there to my delight, sat Howie and Damit at a stall drinking cold coconuts. Boy was I ever happy to join them, especially since my water had been exhausted and I had been becoming quite thirsty. There we stayed in the shade till Andrew who I had stupidly been chasing,, arrived. Then came David, Charles, Michael, Grace and Renee (not necessarily  in that order).

 Next, we saw Darragh and Barry coming back. Well those of us who thought that we could have called it a day, were in for a disappointment as team leader and dictator Michael mandated that we must finish the ride. So after a while it was back in the sun for another five miles to the round about.

We all got there within minutes of each other and started to ride back to find the support vehicle. Luckily Winston came within view very quickly and Renee and I gave up our bicycles immediately for a ride in the van. Then we saw Betty arrive in an air-conditioned vehicle and Winston was immediately rejected! At one point we thought mad Michael followed by naive David were planning to ride back to Kingston but when we got back to "Washoff" they too jumped into the vehicles.

 Then it was on to 'Survival" for a delicious breakfast of ackee, mackerel and callalloo with wonderful food and fried jonnie cakes. That was around 11am and only after that did I begin to feel normal.

Well as we of "Fun and thrills” like to finish a day’s expedition with a swim, we headed for Grants Pen beach (in St. Thomas). But bearing in mind the frequent reports about crime in that area and seeing how narrow the road was, making it difficulty to make a quick getaway if necessary, we decided to go to Cable Hut beach in Bull Bay instead. That was a wise decision as the sea was unusually calm. Barry, Renee and Darragh who left us after breakfast, missed the best part of that ride!

REGGAE FALLS, ST. THOMAS, JAMAICA

On Easter Monday, 13th April 2009, "Fun and Thrills" organised a family fun day at Reggae Falls (called Dam Head by the local folk) in St. Thomas in the form of a not too difficult ride and picnic. As usual, we planned to leave at 6.30 am and as usual, everyone except Donna, Andrew and Joan were late. 

Anyway, that's the way we run tings in Ja! However we were all on top of the world as we set out to have a wonderful ride and picnic by the river. We drove for about an hour to the outskirts of Morant Bay where we started the nine mile ride through Seaforth and near the famous Stony Gut to Reggae Falls.

Young Blair Henry was a new recruit, but she rode a good 5 miles before the sun did her in. The veteran Tashna took a spill while riding through a dry river bed just as we passed the district of Hillside and although adequately attended to by nurse Betty, packed it in. It was a wonderfully scenic ride as the view of the valley is absolutely breathtaking as are the mountains surrounding Reggae Falls. 

Unfortunately we have been having a prolonged drought island wide so the surrounding hills were not as green as I remembered them, neither were the falls as robust as when the river is really roaring, but the water was invigorating. 

Reggae Falls, is not a natural water fall but in fact the water from the Johnson River was dammed many many years ago to make a hydro electric station. No one can tell me why it was abandoned, but I did learn that in the 1980's there was talk of resuscitating the power generating system but for some reason it did not happen (I guess oil price was too low!). 

However these scenic and magnificent falls and rapidly flowing river now provide another excellent place for us God blessed Jamaicans to hang out and have a wonderful time. Yes we did and unlike last year when we had to abort the picnic because Chadwick, (a neighbour of mine) dived off a rock and broke his jawbone, this time it was accident free and wonderful. See the pictures at; http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102612&id=763366822&saved