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| Bus in Kingston |
Just reach back from yaad aka Jamaica...went for a funeral so it definitely wasn't all fun and games but mannnnnnnnnnnnnnn it was GREAT to be HOME! My daughter's first time in Ja and she was SO excited, especially when she hit any kind of beach water!
I definitely find myself enjoying my time even more now that I drive myself around (this wasn't my first time doing that but this WAS my first time using a Jamaican-side steering...since we drive on the left the steering is suppose to be on the right...I got American-side steering before but this time had to train my brain to handle operations in reverse!). Driving myself around meant I could stop and catch up with friends or just take a nice picture whenever I felt like.
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Looks like a postcard or a photoshop, doesn't it? Nothing at all done all natural beauty of my home country! And this is a free spot near the water imagine how amazing the paid access areas are?
Taken between Montego Bay and Falmouth |
Landed in MoBay and drove to Kingston via a detour around Fern Gully, which is closed for some kind of infrastructure project. Went to Portmore, back to Kingston, and back to MoBay (Montego Bay) via Chalky Hill and some other real bush detour which on the one hand had me reaching MoBay at night (which I didn't want because I have to go up in the hills outside MoBay and the road up has precipice and broken stone guards at some points...easy to miss your mark on the hairpin turns and never be seen or heard from again!) and on the other hand gave me a chance to see parts of Jamaica I normally have no business in. :)
Best of all was seeing family and friends...this being a funeral this meant family from as far as Namibia that I hadn't seen in 10 years or more...relatives I had never met before...and friends...the only friends I have from young that still in my life! Only in Jamaica can I find those! :) I have never forgotten them and they have never forgotten me!
Now I'm back in this rat race and already wishing I was back home. :( But, the good news is:
Some pictures...and I have VIDEO especially of that crazy detour through Chalky Hill and nearby areas, but that's coming later!
JAMAICA'S HOSPITALITY (GUESTHOUSE)
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The breathtaking view from the 2nd story of Palm Bay Guesthouse in Montego Bay!
I would definitely stay there again! It overlooks Bogue Road. |
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| Entrance to the Palm Bay Guesthouse office |
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| A view from the door of the double-occupancy room at Palm Bay Guesthouse |
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| Bathroom sink and mirror at Palm Bay Guesthouse |
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| A view of the bath at Palm Bay Guesthouse |
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| The back end of the bath at Palm Bay Guesthouse |
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Toilet area (in the bathroom not separate) at
Palm Bay Guesthouse |
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| A better view from near the door at Palm Bay Guesthouse |
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| Hm I think this picture is upside down but the door has a regular lock and a deadbolt! |
JAMAICA'S FOOD
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After serious problems with an Efay rental car (thank God I got a full refund on the spot), it was HOURS after we got off the plane before we ate...and it was WORTH it! Jerky's WILL see me again and again!
L-R: festival, salad, rice and peas, JERK CHICKEN, guava-something-something juice
Paper bags: bread pudding (the rum-flavored kind!) |
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Jerky's WILL see me again and again!
29 Alice Eldemire Drive, Montego Bay, St. James
(876) 684-9101, -9102 |
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| Jerky's WILL see me again and again! It's in the Multiplex in MoBay along with a Scotiabank, pharmacy, movie theatre, and many other convenient places! |
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Left plate: L-R clockwise: cabbage, yam, banana, ackee and saltfish and (center) dumpling!
Right plate: fry dumpling(s)
Courtesy of the on-site restaurant at Palm Bay Guesthouse (food available for purchase)
There is also a jerk hut on site! |
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| Another day, another breakfast, this time in Portmore, St. Catherine! |
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| Ackee and saltfish breakfast (more like brunch) came from this food vendor in the Portmore Mall! |
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| THE most delicious chicken patty I have ever tasted in my LIFE and it came from DEVON HOUSE in Kingston! |
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| More specifically from the Devon House Bakery! |
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| And that bakery had an endless supply of treats inside! |
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| I do mean endless! |
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| God willing, the next time I am back home in Jamaica I WILL BE trying THIS out...looks and sounds delicious! |
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| Guess what's inside the box? |
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| Bread pudding and jam pastry (tastes 3 times as good as it looks!) |
JAMAICA'S MONEY
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Jamaican money with some of OUR national heroes! From top to bottom:
Michael Manley (namesake of Kingston's airport),
Donald Sangster (namesake of Montego Bay's airport),
Sam Sharpe (a slave who led a rebellion...now, where in America will you find a slave on the MONEY!) |
JAMAICA'S PLACES
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| A street in Montego Bay (don't ask me how a car would fit in the opposite direction of this huge tanker!) |
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| A road outside Montego Bay...that sky still looks heavenly! And the solid wall of rock to the right! |
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| Resort in the Montego Bay area |
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| Another resort in the Montego Bay area |
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| A church in the hills outside Montego Bay |
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| When we Jamaicans build a house... |
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| We build a HOUSE! :) |
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| ...most likely using tools and trimmings from a store like this one in Spanish Town :) |
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| ...which can also be found in a city like this (Kingston) |
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| Now this is more like what Kingston traffic is like! |
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Sorry, I couldn't let a picture of this Honda
(yes, bike FANATIC here) in Kingston pass me by! :) |
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| One of the parishes you pass through when travelling between Kingston and Montego Bay |
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The signage has definitely improved over the years but don't be fooled
some roads and areas are still found using landmarks not names lol! |
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| This what officially separates "Kingston" side from "country" side for me: Flat Bridge over the Rio Cobre River! It use to NOT have a traffic light and people use to be crazy enough to try and overtake here to be first! smh |
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| View of the Rio Cobre after rain |
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It's not just the Rio Cobre that brings that feeling I get when I am near natural water...
What is Jamaica known for but BEACH! This was by an area known as Wiltshire between Montego Bay and Falmouth...absolutely gorgeous and we didn't even have to pay to be there, just an impromptu stop and a camera! |
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And MORE beach! Dead End beach in MoBay, basically where many locals go...
the free end of AquaSol beach . :) |
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| Sun, sand and surf...this could be a 16 x 20 poster...it just has a peaceful eloquence to it without much going on at all. Love it! |
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| Jamaica's motto is Out of Many, One People. Pepsi is cute to make it an ad! :) Spotted on the way out of Kingston . |
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| We drive on the left in Jamaica...this is an intersection in Montego Bay |
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| I got use to driving on the left before 24 hours was out! This is an intersection in Kingston |
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| I still remember my shock at seeing a huge Hummer in Jamaica...up in the hills of Montego Bay at that! |
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| Not surprised at all to see police coasting around Kingston...lol |
JAMAICA'S FACES
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| Our protective forces hard at work: Jamaica Defense Force aka JDF |
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| Our children hard at play lol from the Kids in Paradise daycare group at Devon House |
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| Jamaica's schoolboys (Spanish Town) |
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| Jamaica's schoolgirls (Mt. Rosser Primary, near Ocho Rios) |
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Another type of security hard at work: female guard at the exit of at a home goods store in Montego Bay
where I got rechargeable batteries after a big manhunt! |
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Another type of security hard at work: my daughter took this pic
of a Scotiabank guard in the Ironshore area of Montego Bay! |
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The guards aren't the only ones working hard: a TVJ station television personality
interviewing someone at Devon House in Kingston |
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Jamaica still believes in full service! You don't pump your own gas here! So relaxing!
A female attendant at the Texaco by the Multiplex in Montego Bay. |
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Grocery stores the world over start to look alike from a distance...but definitely some different things on the shelves!
A worker in a supermarket in Portmore Mall |
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Service with a smile, this is how we do it here! Cashier/server at The Catering Place (see the Food section)
in Portmore Mall |
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| Another hardworking and friendly woman at the Devon House Bakery in Kingston! |
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Our outdoor vendors work just as hard, maybe harder, than our indoor ones.
A street vendor selling food to passing traffic in Kingston...
walking among the cars selling items I'm sure is illegal in the States
but it's one way to make a living in Jamaica! |
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| And off to the side, these women stand waiting on their bus (like one in the first picture of this blog post) in Kingston |
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| A couple at Portmore Mall |
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| Two couples at Devon House in Kingston |
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| Another couple at Devon House in Kingston |
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| One of Jamaica's most world-famous residents: the dread |
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| Jamaican woman in Portmore Mall |
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| Jamaican man and woman outside of Portmore Mall |
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Yet another Jamaican (me! lol) between Montego Bay and Falmouth
and this is another picture where that scenery is a heartbreaker...
you never want to leave! |
You know we couldn't forget
JAMAICA'S MUSIC!
Everything played in rum bars, shops, open-air restaurants, and out of cars, trucks and more from coast to coast all over the island! But they play everything not just our music! Reggae run the road though! :)
Videos of some of the sights and sounds of Jamaica coming soon to http://www.youtube.com/eloquenceinc!
I bought two hot CDs that should have the latest reggae and dancehall and will see what they're worth comes the weekend!
If you're ready for your trip to Jamaica
contact Eloquence, Inc. for trip planning!
(404) 590-1882
eloquence.inc@gmail.com
It all feels 100 times better than how the pictures look, trust! I'm smiling as I type this and can't wait to go back home!
I'll drink to that!
Check out more pictures of Jamaicans in everyday settings of all kinds at Gleaner writer Amitabh Sharma's blog:
http://amjamin.blogspot.com
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2 comments:
this really make me want to move back down..thanks
whaapen king bross! I'm glad it moved you, someone else on the other site said the same thing, made him wonder why he was spending dollars in New York mortgage when he saw those blog pics...made him miss MoBay and want to build a house back there!
I saw a subdivision called Mango Walk Country Club in Montego Bay, 24/7 on site security and NICE houses in there...THAT made me want to buy a house back home right there and have my little vacation spot as well as my investment to rest myself when I'm old and no longer want to work! Sit back relax and enjoy myself in a place just like one of those houses...beautiful! If I had been there in daylight I would have taken pics!
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