Jottings on Madrid airport

The famous term is "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." 

I have always found this to be true and just going through the airport in Madrid made a good first impression on me. 

Yes, I had spent time in  Barcelona and loved it there, but this was first and only encounter with the capital city.

To begin with, I  loved the long walks in the airport, for after hours of an uncomfortable flight to Europe, I really needed all the exercise I could get .

 (Remind me never to fly on Air Europa again as the food is lousy and cabin configuration only a tiny bit better than Spirit Airline.)😡

Anyway, just seeing the beauty of the surrounding hills at the airport, made my day.

The first thing I noticed in those hills too were the crosses perched pricariously everywhere. 

I didn't have zoom lens but at least got one cross!

How I wish I could have zoomed in on that hill in the distance.

As you know, Spain is a solid Roman Catholic country, so there are crosses everywhere and lots of places with Cruz (means cross in English) in the names of places all over that country.)

This a huge airport, reminds me a lot of the one on Johannesburg.

 For you have to walk long distances from gate to gate. 

What's great at both airports is that there are directional signs everywhere, telling you what your walking time is.👏

When going through these airports, try to have a lot of time between flights, so you can really browse and enjoy their numerous and attractive offerings inside and out.

As you know, Madrid is a bull fighting mecca and some imaginative entrepreneurs used attractive bulls to catch your eyes. 

I couldn't resist these two.😁

 Loved my first impressions of Madrid.😊

MY TERRIBLE DIET

I am not moaning about my diet because I don't eat green vegetables and it has affected my health somehow.

No, I don't and it hasn't.

This rejection of vegetables was born from I was a child and we fed the greens to the animals then ate them. 

Processed greens you could call it.

However, I have for many years, occasionally rued the fact that it cannot be civilized to be eating warm-blooded animals. 

This thought was again recently reinforced when I visited a livestock farm in St. Elizabeth.  For there was a herd of some of the most peaceful group of cows I have ever seen, tranquility roaming as they fed. Then and there I felt so bad about constantly eating members of their family that once again I made a silent promise to myself to stop eating beef. 

I think that latest promise only survived for a few days.

Maybe it is my admiration for the Buddist religion that so often directs my thoughts along these lines. For they are totally opposed to killing anything to satisfy the lust for food. But poor me, my habits are so deeply ingrained that I cannot even contemplate adopting such an admirable lifestyle.  So I comfort myself that I will keep that promise when I reincarnate.

I have often varied it slightly by saying I will shun warm-blooded animals, as in this life I have no problem eating reptiles with great relish, convinced of course that if I don't eat them first they will probably eat me! That's why I so enjoyed the crocodile tail I had in Cambodia.

But no Buddhist would ever kill even reptiles so I guess I will have to adopt the Kenyan philosophy that dictates that even dangerous animals have to preserved for prosperity, especially to educate generations to come.

I only returned to this annoying trend of thought this morning, for as I went for my regular walk, I was bitten by an insect. I don't know what it was but it itched like hell and for quite a long time too.

That's when it occurred to me that those who are promoting the eating of insects are on the right track. For what purpose do most insects serve except to create destruction and discomfort for the human race?

Further, in Asia, they have developed the tastiest methods of cooking these pests and they are also very nutritious to boot. 

Look at what Science Direct says;

"From a nutritional point of view, insects have significant protein content. It varies from 20 to 76% of dry matter depending on the type and development stage of the insect. Fat content variability is large (2–50% of dry matter) and depends on many factors. Total polyunsaturated fatty acids' content may be up to 70% of total fatty acids. Carbohydrates are represented mainly by chitin, whose content ranges between 2.7 mg and 49.8 mg per kg of fresh matter. Some species of edible insects contain a reasonable amount of minerals (K, Na, Ca, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn and P) as well as vitamins such as B group vitamins, vitamins A, D, E, K, and C. "

So weh yu seh?

Unfortunately, I am so old and stuck in my ways, that I have to postpone my nutritional transition until the next life!

169) Joan Williams, author - 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.