Grass Roots Jamaica

Jamaica's shores are forever immortalised by Ursula Andress in the James Bond film Dr No and like the actress, are truly beautiful. But I wanted to explore all the hills and dales of this tiny verdant Carribbean Island and for that I had to go inland.

Just 24 hours into my visit and already I found myself swaying to the reggae rythms that float through the air from all directions. It’s part of the culture in the same way Jerk chicken is on every menu and roadside stalls appear at every turn creaking with fresh oranges and mangos. Locals use them as sweet shops, stopping to snack on sweet Julie mangoes whenever the fancy takes.

Reggae blairs out from passing cars, simmers through open windows of homes, and pumps out from handheld ghettoblasters as youngsters sway past. Even the old women go about their business as if they have Bob Marley in their veins.

And who can blame them. Bob Marley made Jamaica world famous with his own brand of music, crooning over social ills and giving Jamaica a voice and a much needed identity. Six hundred years of colonial domination, firstly at the hands of Spain then seized by the British 150 hundred years later provides a lot of lyrical material.

Independence didn’t come to Jamaica until 1962 and of course Colonial reflections are all around. I went to see where Columbus came ashore in 1494 to make his claim on the now sleepy coastal fishing village of Port Royal. Life looks so innocent you would never know that it once had the reputation of being ‘wickedest and richest’ city on earth – a legacy of the swashbuckling action of buccaneers who stole, looted and womanised. Port Royal (whose 3000 residents I was told, refer to themselves as Royalists) has a fabulously preserved military base at Fort Charles. Impressive canons protrude from various orifices behind which is Giddy House a building that once housed a 28 tonne cannon, but now has the indignity of being plummeted halfway into the ground courtesy of the 1907 earthquake.

Probably the most amusing remnant of British rule is the changing of the guards at Kingston’s National Heros Park where Jamaica’s prominent men and women are revered with affected tomb stones and sculptures including one of Queen Victoria. Stationed at the front of the park are two sentrys (similar to those in front of Buckingham Palace) standing tall and without so much as a flinch of movement in the sweltering heat. They are foot guards dressed in the same red tunics and black trousers as their British counterparts, but no doubt to their immense relief, the bear skin hats have been replaced with lightweight caps. The hourly changing of the guards is executed with impressive British style pageantry.

Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, is also home to Bob Marley’s home and recording studio now turned museum. It’s an interesting if short tour of the house and all the rooms are wall-papered with news clippings and awards and pride of place is taken by the mixing console as used by the King of Reggae himself.

But to really get a sense of who Bob Marley, a visit to his birth place at Nine Mile village on Sugar Hill (renamed by Marley to Mount Zion) in the parish of St Annes, is a truly entertaining experience. Marley’s cousin Curtis, takes the tour showing the various inspirations for his songs; for instance his bedroom gave birth to his song ‘Is this love that I’m feeling?’ Curtis (aka Crazy) even gives some well sung renditions of Marley’s songs. The tour ends with a visit to Marley’s tomb - shoes off of course, and you are encouraged to walk around the coffin where a piece of tapestry reads ‘I asked god for a friend and he sent me you’. (Yes, I know).

Of course, a visit to the island’s beaches is a pre-requisite. A popular cruise stop-over is Ocho Rios. In season up to 12 cruise ships a week deposit 3000 visitors a piece and the locals make sure there’s enough Jerk chicken, day-trips tours and fast love to cater for all needs in this built up resort. A nearby shopping centre offers souvenirs that tantalisingly hint at what the curvaceously hilly Jamaican landscape has to offer and a slightly cheesy but entertaining Bob Marley museum interactively shows-off their most famous Rasta Farian.

For me the pearl of Ocho Rios resort is the Dunns Falls waterfall. The water streams downwards over a natural rugged staircase of rocks that ebbs out onto the beach. The water falls at a pace that is fast enough to be exhilarating but not so fast as to be dangerous and the sounds of falling water is compelling. Cameraderie among strangers united in shared excitement develops instantly as climbers hold each others hands at precarious moments while lovers steal kisses in secret nooks. Getting wet has never been so much fun.

This tiny island is actually one huge valley where hillside living is a way of life. Nestling within the dales and vales are small villages hidden by the landscape, quietly alive with close knit communities glued together by their respective churches. It comes as quite a shock when negotiating a turn or bend to see the amazing greenery at times blighted by run down shacks called homes albeit with a hell of a view.

Three thousand feet above sea level are the hazy Blue Mountains, a hefty mountain range that truly earn their name, for there are times when they were almost as blue as the sky. The vast misty mountains are not easy to see in detail from afar and it was probably this mystery, hidden valleys and remote plateaus, that caused many to choose to be marooned here. It was a choice taken by imported Africans who saw this as a better fate than being enslaved by the Spanish settlers. These runaways became known as Maroons – a Spanish word meaning ‘wild’. As more and more African slaves were brought in so the Maroon community grew. Many years of fighting for freedom led to treaties that created self-governed Maroon towns where every 5 years a new Colonel and Captain is elected. Anyone with a bent for culture and social history, should absolutely put a visit to the fascinating Acompong village on their agenda. Visitors are welcomed with open arms and as with any struggling society, tourism helps keeps their way of life possible.

The area is also a spectacularly lush region that claims to produce the best coffee in the world – Blue Mountain Coffee. I stopped over on a plantation at Forest Park where accommodation overlooks splendid scenery ideal for trekking and bird watching. Al fresco dining at the plantation’s restaurant is an exquisite lunchtime experience. The noise of birds and general mountain top widelife is exhilarating. Dr and Mrs Lyn run the plantation, hotel and restaurant. Harvesting the coffee beans, they explained is a time-consuming process as each bean is picked by hand. The result though is medium French roasted coffee with a delicate aroma and pleasing flavours. I’m told it is a terroir thing and the mico climate at such high altitudes. But it comes as a price. To put it into perspective, Colombian coffee per lb is $1 whereas Blue Mountain Coffee costs around $25 a lb. Coffee anyone?

Bob Marley Museum
56 Hope Road
Kingston 6, Jamaica
Tel: +(876) 927 8152
marleyfoundation@cwjamaica.com
Entry Fee US$10
Open Monday to Saturday 9.30am-4pm
Tour lasts 1 hour including a 20 minute video presentation
The guided tour takes you through the complex including the house, exhibition hall and theatre to see murals, pictures, mementos and historical events. The air conditioned theatre shows vedios of Marley's concert performances.

A Typical Jamaican Meal

Jerk Chicken: Cubed chicken, seasoned with jerk sauce consisting of pementoes, spices, and then grilled on a wood fire.
Festival: Flour and a bit of sugar and salt forms a roll and fried. Tastes a little like bread.

TOURS AND ACCOMMODATION

Authentic Caribbean Holidays can arrange cultural, acitivity and island tours. They can also arrange accommodation from ?28/$50 per person.

Authentic Caribbean Holidays
US Toll FREE 866 978 4436
UK TOLL FREE 0800 097 0869

22 September 2006