I cannot tell a lie😁

I would love to say I caught this fish (a barracuda) but as you get older, it is hard to lie as you easily forget the lies you told!

So no, while I was in the boat, I never even caught a fly. This is borne out by the fact that when we pulled in the line to return home, my bait had not even been nibbled.

Two hours trolling and not even one bite😡

Fact is, 4 barracudas were caught today, 2 by my brother Bernie, one by my niece and one by the fisherman, Mustafa, who took us out.

Bernie, Mustafa and the unfortunate Joan 

My cousin Coretta buck up pon a fish🤣

Let me clarify the catch though. 

Bernie was so overjoyed when he caught an 8 pound barracuda, that when his rod was re-baited, he handed it to Coretta and immediately, she got a hit. 

Within 3 seconds!

So they are arguing over who the expert fisher person was!

I swear someone obeahed me, for very rarely do I return without anything while being in the same boat as they are.

Because of his luck today,  I told Bernie to buy the lottery. And he not only did but has promised to give me half. 

So, if you hear I am in Africa and might not return for a year or two, it's because his luck extended to the lottery today.

So oono please pray.😁

Obeah

 Have I been living under a rock?

I had been under the impression that the more educated and enlightened people become, the less they are influenced by things such as obeah, guard rings and even some conspiracy theories. 

Clearly however I have been totally wrong.

For belatedly, as I follow American News, it is obvious that belief in dimwitted conspiracy theories are on the rise. 

In Jamaica, there are far more stories now about obeah related matters. 

You know, I have never gotten the impression that Obeah men/women were particularly wealthy, but I guess they must be very smart at hiding their fortunes. 

Or is it they are waiting patiently for their time to come?

I smile as I recall how many decades ago, as I was taking a taxi from the airport into Port of Prince, the capital city of Haiti, when during the journey, the driver enquired if I wished to visit a voodoo priest. I asked him why I should, and his immediate reply was. " So you can get rich."  When I asked him how come he wasn't rich, he explained patiently that his time hadn't yet come. 😂

Anyway, this resurgence of Obeah in Jamaica is no laughing matter and in fact it is really concerning.

Look at this news carried by Radio Jamaica on the 26th April 2022, under the banner headline;.

Medical staff at CRH halt work after being threatened by armed thugs

The story began; "Doctors and nurses at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James have stopped working after armed thugs this morning entered the institution and threatened them while trying to secure the release of a male patient who is said to be a don. Radio Jamaica News was informed that the gunmen demanded that the man be released into their custody but the medical staff resisted after stating that the patient was too ill and needed treatment. The men reportedly drew guns and threatened the hospital staff."

The report further stated; "Assistant Commissioner Clifford Chambers, head of the Area One Police, confirmed that there was a confrontation between doctors and persons who took the sick man for medical treatment. The information so far, which we're trying to confirm - let me make it clear - is that the persons who took that male there to be treated are of the view that is condition was not medical in the main but that he needs to go to a "obeah man" who can better help him," the policeman revealed. 

 

He said reports indicate that the doctors insisted the man needed proper medical treatment and this led to the confrontation. "

This incident follows closely on a report that a young school boy was killed over a "guard ring" last month and the exposure of the church run by Kevin Smith, where human sacrifices and obeah practices were taking place. 

Clearly therefore, instead of many young people realizing that obeah cannot affect them negatively or positively, they seem to be going in the opposite direction.

I wonder what they would have done if they got an anonymous letter in the post, containing a single brand-new razor blade with a long strand of hair wrapped around it, as I did some years ago? (Incidentally, as the razor blade was brand new, I put it into my own razor and shaved my legs😁)

Seriously though, I really don't know what next to expect in my beleaguered country.

 Obeah - YouTube

Milk River Trek

Milk River Bath as most of you would probably know, is named after the river there which provides important irrigation for the Clarendon  plains where you find mostly cane and livestock farming.

 However, the river itself is infested with crocodiles and on our way we saw some fishermen with a small canoe and when asked what they were fishing for they laughingly said "crocodiles and fish."

 However, the bath does not get its highly radioactive water from the river, but from springs under the property itself.  And radioactive it is and warm too at a consistent 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. It is also said to have high levels of magnesium, calcium, sulphate and natural chloride which is said to help alleviate pains associated with  rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica and nerve complaints. The waters, however are so radioactive that patrons are warned to stay in for no more than ten to twenty minutes at a time, and then for no more than three baths per day.

 These baths were  opened in 1794 as according to legend, a slave, owned by one Jonathan Ludford  was brutally whipped and locked away in a dungeon. Imprisoned and severely wounded, and vowing never to be a slave again, he broke out of his chains and escaped. Days later, the man returned to the estate in full health, healed of the wounds he had received only a few days before. In an effort to convince others to run away with him, he told a tale of a remarkable salty spring in which he had bathed. Everyone who saw him was amazed at his recovery, and soon, word reached the owner of the estate who had ordered him punished. Ludford himself was astounded at the recovery, and promised to grant the slave freedom if he revealed the location of the spring. The slave led a party to the location, and Ludford promptly acquired the spring and the lands around it, and started the Milk River Baths.

 Upon his death, Ludford bequeathed all the property and land to the government and people of Jamaica to benefit all who needed them.

 I have not visited those baths for around ten years as the last time I went there it was in really terrible condition with junjo growing around the edge of the baths and the rails rusty.

In September 2015, Dr. Wyckham McNeil, Minister of Tourism  announced plans to carry out a $50-million rehabilitation project to include:

* demolition and alterations;

* upgrading of the electrical and plumbing systems, ceiling and floor;

* painting and decorating; and

* replacement of leaking and damaged roof

On this trip in November 2015, I returned with my Fun and Thrills familyWhile the real athletes rode from Kingston, a bunch of us drove to Osborne Store then headed south down to Gravel Hill primary school, parked and whiked  the 8 km to the bath.  At least, most of us walked while Ruth and Lisa the young turks jogged. My yoga teacher, Dada from Ananda Marga came to hike with us. While we waitied at the school for mthe others to arrive, a young rastaman rode up[ on his bicycle and mwelcomed us, then he and Dada got into a philosophical conversation. Before we left, Dada declared  "You know I agree with a  lot of the rastafari philosophy but I dont approve of the smoking of the herb" To which his fellow debater laughingly replied "Mi a smoke fram mi barn and mi healtier dan yu".

On the easy scenic walk, we passed a nicely decorated (private I guess) area called "Milk River Park" with some interesting paintings and signs, the most interesting being the ones calling for the legalization of Obeah and the one purporting to be a drawing of our ancestors!

Despite the governments announcement in September, not much work seems to have been done yet as the only noticeable improvement I saw that the the baths were refurbished (but the rusty rails remain)  some roofing work has been done and some areas re-tiled. Hopefully the next time I return, we will really see  $50 million improvement.!~

The bath was really refreshing and invigorating and the food was great, although about 70 persons took the trip while some 20 did not indicate they were coming and arrangements had only been made for some 50 the week before. This of course created some problems for the staff but they managed.

It was really an enjoyable day all round and of course Maurice and his ride back posse did declare they were riding back. I don't know if they did but the rest of us returned to Kingston in  comfortable vehicles with some of us even rejecting the new highway to drive through Old Harbour to get some delicious jerked pork.

Photos by David Jo and Jackie.