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!

A Big Surprise

Simone , Stephanie, Lauren, Alma, Sharlene, Damit. Back l-r Robert, Peter 

Yesterday, Labour Day and thus a public holiday in Jamaica, I got a great, big, pleasant surprise as members of "World Explorers Riding Club" surprised me with a lovely, delicious (belated )  birthday cake. This was at Donnie Bunting's home at Longville Park in Clarendon.

While I am a member of Fun and Thrills riding club, they were not going anywhere new yesterday and Donnie had long been insisting that I visit his farm and taste some of his delicious lamb recipes, (he is Jamaica's foremost sheep farmer and lamb supplier).

So when Damit,  his close friend and organiser of World Explorers and a former Fun and Thrills rider, told me that that on  Labour Day they were riding to Donnie's  place, you know I had to be in dat...... And I am so happy I did for it was wonderful day all round, not just the food but the new friends I made, the ride itself and the great camaraderie.

The plan was for me to meet the World Explorers at West Kings House road at 5am and would you believe that as I got on to Upper Waterloo Road, my stupid chain came off ! Anyway the area was well lit and I never saw anyone lurking around and with the bicycle just having come from the repairers, it was easy to get it on back on. (Unlike on previous occasions before it actually broke off, when getting the chain back on was living hell!)

As I was early, I did not bother to go to the meeting spot but rode along Waterloo Road hoping to see them coming. At first I saw three young men and enquired it they were with Damit's  group and when they replied in the affirmative I rode on until I saw Damit himself riding alone.

We regrouped at Dunrobin Avenue and it was discovered that one of the riders, Alma, was missing, so  Damit rode back to meet her. They eventually caught up with us at the rest stop by Jose Marti High School.

It was for me an easy enough ride to Clarendon as it is a flat route that I have done many times before and although some of the World Explorers were doing a long ride for the first time, they all did well and most importantly, without there being  any spills. 

We reached Donnie's home much earlier than anticipated but he was not fazed and some of us were immediately recruited to become farmers by assisting to herd sheep!


We were then treated to the most delicious lamburgers and fishburgers, carefully prepared by the chef extraordinaire himself, then to my surprise, a beautifully decorated chocolate cake was placed in front of me followed the by the robust singing of "Happy Birthday". You could have bowled me over with a feather but it was a pleasant surprise indeed and the cake was really delicious.


Later the city slickers were given a tour of the aquaculture section of the farm where they saw how the fish they so love to consume, were raised and fed.

L-R Audrey, Joan, Donnie, Alma

Donnie and Audrey were the  consummate hosts, not only opening  up their home for us to enjoy and satisfying our palates, but also Donnie went to another section of his farm  and filled up one of his holding tanks with clean, fresh, water, so the city slickers could have a nice, enjoyable, swim before the ten of us squeezed into the pickup driven by Robert, for a the return trip and very heavy rains in Kingston.

It was a truly wonderful day all round.

Photos; compliments of Peter Knibb.