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Many many years ago, I attended high school at Munro college in St. Elizabeth.

For those who do not know, Munro college a  boarding/finishing school for boys which was established in 1856. So this is why my statement that I attended Munro is always met with consternation, but no, I did not have a sex change.

As it happened, I attended Hampton girl's school from forms 1-5 and those where the worst days of my life. Then redemption came as we did combined classes with Munro for 6th form.... boys at last... those  were the best years of my high school life and unfortunately it led to be earning the notoriety of being the first girl to be suspended from Hampton!

You see Hampton at the time, had mostly old maids as teachers and their life's ambition was to make all the girls in their own image and it was always ours, to outsmart them. So when I got my driver's licence at age 17, the opportunity came as we planned that one half term, I would transport my and my friends' beaus from Munro to Hampton for a party.

It was easy since my father had a white VW bug just like the headmaster's, so on the appointed day,  I was brazen and boasy enough to drive right up the the quad and pick up the boys.

All went well and we looked forward to a wonderful day of dancing as the music room at Hampton had a record player. I don't know if word came from Munro that some funny movements had taken place, but within half hour of us settling down to have a wonderful day, who appeared  but one of the old maids, a Miss Brown. That is when we discovered how courageous and upstanding our beaus were, for as she appeared, they all jumped out the window and ran away.

Being the transportation co-oridinator, I of course got the book thrown at me. I can't even remember what happened to the other girls, order marks I suspect, but boy did I get it from both the school and at home. In fact, looking back, I am lucky to be still alive!(lol)

It seems some of the boys did have a conscience after all and it still bothers them, for occasionaly when I need the professional services of those in Jamaica, they never charge me!!!!!

I have never returned to Munro (or Hampton for that matter) after completing high school until  Friday 16th November 2012  when I had to do an outside broadcast (OB) for "Justice" on Power 106.

I tell you the truth, I really did not recognise much there except the chapel and the quad for the place has grown by leaps and bounds, expanding from just under 200 boys to over 1400, but the boys are still as well mannered, disciplined and focused as they were in the old days.  (I hope they are more chivalrous though!) 

We had a lot to  boast about on Friday as the Rhodes scholarship for 2013 had just been announced and Munro's Vincent Taylor was winner, making Munro the institution here that has produced the most Rhodes scholars.

After the OB, I had to drive over the hills through Newmarket to Bethel Town on  some of the worst roads in the world, to Windedown at Silver Sands, Trelawny, where my brother Bernard (Bernie) was having his annual big bash. 

To get to Munro for the OB, I had left my home at 6 am and never got to Winedown  until after 6pm....a long but reasonably nice day.

Bernie and daughter Whitney at Silver Sands on a previous occasion.

Of course Saturday was a big bash as usual, dominoes, food and liquor galore and of course great music and dancing  Unfortunately I ended up getting 12 love, although I changed partners and did not even drop one 6 love. But that's life in Ja..

On Sunday morning at the beach we saw a south African crew filming a reality show named Tropika. ........they had come all the way to Jamaica, flying for some 16 hours, to capture the beauty they had heard about but that some of us do not even appreciate.

Not to worry though, for as to me and my people, we revel in it at every opportunity.

The Fabulous Cinchona gardens

Chincona Gardens has not changed that much but what has changed, is the road from Mavis Bank to get there. For that has deteriorated badly since the last time we traversed it. Its a shame, for the scenery along that route is so breathtaking.

Those were the thoughts that crowded my head as 19 of us from Fun and thrills Adventure club wended way slowly up through the dangerous circuit of break aways and potholes on our way to St.Peter’s from where we would hike to Cinchona.

I had been to Cinchona many years before but via Westphalia and Halls Delight and this way via Clydesdale seemed steeper to me but just as scenic as the vast colourful mountains loomed protectively around us all the way while the lush green flora and fresh cool mountain air took all tiredness that thought of creeping in, away. So despite the steepness, the two and half hour trek was not all that tiring

At Cinchona itself we had snacks and messed around, taking in the beauty of the trees from eucalyptus to cinchona trees (from which quinine was made to treat malaria in the olden days)and the colourful ferns, lilies cannas etc . We also explored  the two Bamboo walks  with  their velvety moss floor.

As we hung around,  we saw a lone white man hiking towards us. As usual, Charles in his hospitable style, started to question him and we soon discovered that he was from Montreal and this was the twelfth country he was travelling around by all means possible. He had come up from Mavis bank on the back of a bike for $500 and hiked to Cinchona. This was after hiking up to the Blue Mountain Peak the day before. We offered him water and food and soon he was one of us, gratefully accepting the offer of a ride back to Kingston.

On the way back, we stopped at a small stream and waterfall just above Clydesdayle but only after my freezing toe told my brain to resist any effort to put any more of my body into that icebox. 

I retreated but Charles, Howie, Thomas the Canadian guy Jeff and Lisa were not as timid however and all seemed to have a whale of a time.

On our return to St. Peters wer were grateful that Charles had had the foresight to order red peas soup, one with fish base and the other with chicken, for the weary hikers.

We headed back around 3pm but took instead the route via Silver Hill, and Section to Newcastle, a far less treacherous corridor than via the Content, Mount Lebanon side. 

It had been a really fabulous day interspersed by discussions on every subject but mainly homosexuality, while the photographers, professional and point and shooters, had a field day.

For more photographs, see:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151043323386823.484803.763366822&type=3

Reaching Reach Falls

Yes we did reach Reach falls, as impossible as it looked due to the heavy rains. And it turned out to be a great day as the sun shone brilliantly once we had arrived.

On Sunday 12th September 2010, just under twenty riders left headquarters just before 5am for the long ride to Portland. It was absolutely exhilarating riding in the early morning , first in the dark then in the wonderful , cool, fresh dawn as the sun rose gradually. I think I could ride around the entire island any time if the days just stopped at dawn or that type of climate lasted all day.

The ride to Morant bay was not at all exhaustive for me since it was probably the third time I had done it. I saw Damit briefly at Harbour View and never again until we got to the falls!

Did you know that the Salt Pond at Yallahs is a fantastically beautiful sight in the early morning? All the vegetation around it is in a slew of shades of green and almost uniform while the water is still and glistening. So the reflection of the flora shows up magnificently in the water. It was like a painting........ one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen and I could have cried as I did not have my camera. Barry had been one of our support drivers and I had asked him to get my green knapsack out of Michael's vehicle for me to get my sun glasses. That's the bag that also had my camera. He rushed back and brought a green bag, but alas it was not mine. You see Andrew had given us all bags from "Dunns electric" and most of them were green. So I told him that my bag had a pair of slippers on top. So he rushed back and brought me another green bag, but alas and alack, again it was not mine as obviously he did not bother to look inside. So I never got my bag with the essentials- dark glasses and camera until we got to Morant bay and I retrieved it myself. Men, they can't look for anything!

Charles, Sharon and Richard had left out earlier than we did with Chris as their backup driver but we found them in Yallahs as Charles had a puncture and rim problems after dropping in pothole and had to wake up a man who operated a bicycle shop to help him out.

At Yallahs I took off before the others reached as I am a slow rider. So did Sharon and Richard but I passed them quickly. However I was soon passed by Maurice, Gary and Orrel and never saw them again until we got to Morant bay. There we regrouped, collected for breakfast sent Barry off to collect it but after a long wait, everyone had not arrived as Michael was with a very slow rider so up to when I moved out (early again) they had not arrived.

In Morant Bay we were joined by Michelle and her brother Cary who rode from there. Charles and I left out together from Morant Bay but I left him and was ahead until Gary, Orrel and Robert (a professional rider who had not ridden for years) passed me. I tried to keep up with them but I never even saw their tail light again after a short distance. On the way, I saw two young professional riders speeding in the other direction towards Morant bay and assumed they were going to Kingston but when they turned back and caught us up later, they said they were from a racing team in Port Antonio and had ridden to Morant bay and were on their way back home.

Just after I passed Prospect Beach it started to rain and the that was most welcome as it really cooled me down. By the time iIhad passed the turn off to Perra beach however I was dead tired and was just hoping I could see Barry coming but it seemed like forever before he appeared so I got in and happily gave up riding for the day.

While Iwas in the van I was holding some of the breakfasts in my lap and my phone started ringing. However, I decided I couldn't bother to put down the food to get to it but because the calls were so persistent, I finally did. It was a near frustrated Sharon who told me that Michelle had fallen after hitting a pothole and we needed to turn back to help out.

Shortly after we passed Golden Grove we saw some of our party gathered around her. Fortunately the damage was superficial . She was in good company in "kicking puppa lick" for although I missed it, I hear the professionals Maurice and Robert also had a similar fate after dropping in potholes. You see when it rains (and it was really pouring in some areas) sometimes when you see puddles of water, they are really large potholes in disguise and this is what often leads to our demise. Anyway those falls damaged only their pride as no one was badly hurt!

After Amity Hall we came up on a major flood as the Savage river broke its banks and was rushing across the road. By then we had been joined by Tara and her mom and Stefan and family who had decided to drive all the way. Tara was very worried that her car could not make it through the flooded roadway but it looked far more ominous than it was.

By that time I was starving and when we stopped shortly after, the pickup would not start so it gave those of us there the perfect opportunity to dive into the breakfast. By the time we got to Reach Falls, Damit, Maurice, Gary, Robert and Orrel were already there. Howie and Cary would have reached too but they had stopped off at the turn off to the falls to direct us.

A number of persons went back to Kingston shortly without ever enjoying the falls. Most of us stayed however. Te sun was out and we had a wonderful swim and went in and out of the cave to get a wonderful water massage's to boot. Although Penny is some seven months pregnant and looked like she could deliver at any minute, she had a ball climbing the rocks above the falls.

In conversation, the life guard told me how deceptive the area was for on one holiday alone, they had to save 14 people. That's quite a record! Anyway, he said they have never had a drowning there, which is comforting, considering how daring we Jamaicans tend to be. He even told me about one guy who he had to save twice in one day and had to tell him that if he wanted to commit suicide he should go elsewhere!

We left after 3 pm and being happy but hungry, stopped at the first shop we saw and bought out all the stock of bun and cheese. At Yallahs, we bought the most delicious chicken foot soup I had ever had in my life. So comfortable was my stomach by then that I didn't even pay the jerk pork man any mind that day!

Then it was back to Kingston just after 6pm. Barry had to admit that he was tired although her never rode, so you can imagine how the rest of us felt, especially poor Howie who developed a very painful cramp after the ride. Anyway I am sure if you ask him he would tell you he never regretted a minute of the the entire expedition.

For more photographs, see;http://www.facebook.com/album.phpaid=245355&id=763366822#!/albumphpaid=245355&id=763366822&fbid=468238651822&ref=mf