Yeh mon - Jamaica

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Some things just have a way of working out. While we were in South America we made the decision not to go to the USA, despite it being on the original ‘rough itinerary’. However, our itinerary changed and we sailed to Panama. After some investigation, it became clear that we needed to travel through USA to get to Barbados otherwise we would have to ‘retrace our steps’. So it was decided; some fun in Florida first, then a short stopover in Jamaica to enhance our Caribbean experience before arriving in ‘must do’ Barbados.

Our Caribbean experience was most definitely enhanced by our visit to Jamaica where we met the happiest and friendliest people on our journey so far – Jamaicans.

We arrived very tired from the USA and we were glad of our choice to pay extra for a room with air conditioning. We relaxed for an hour or so before venturing out to the local suburban shopping area in uptown Kingston.

While I was checking out the little supermarket Eileen was looking at the window display of a local eatery to decide what to try for our late lunch. A local man who was about to enter the shop held the door open for Eileen and indicated for her to enter. She said “thank you but I am waiting for someone before I go in”. A few minutes later we were in the shop trying to decide what to order from the unfamiliar menu and Eileen noticed the man waiting for his order. So she struck up a conversation and asked his advice about the food on offer and soon we were chatting with the retired man. He recommended that we try “patties” for our lunch. These turned out to be a Jamaican version of an empanada – different crust and more spicy. While we were eating he sauntered over to ask if we liked the “patties”. Just when he was about to leave, he came back and invited us to his home to share traditional Jamaican food for dinner the next night. It was an offer we could not, and did not want to refuse. We exchanged details and we set a time.

In the evening we opened the Jamaican Rum that we purchased at duty free on the way in and it was very nice.

On day two we slept late, which was a treat, and then we walked to the Bob Marley Museum. Neither of us are Bob Marley fans, so we decided the entry fee of US$20 each was too much to pay so we walked around the outside of the building and visited the gift shop for free. We sheltered in the cafe while a tropical rainstorm hit and I had a Bob Marley coffee. And just in case you were thinking it ... we did not sample any of the other products that were wafting around the complex!

When there was a break in the weather we walked a kilometre or so down to Devon House, a beautiful old homestead in large lush grounds. We were busted entering though the back door – but we saw enough!!!

Another tropical downpour hit so we sheltered in the gazebo in the garden and we had an ice-cream. Wow, they were huge and good! We got a taxi back to avoid getting any wetter. This was where we met Kenneth, our genial taxi driver who provided great service at a reasonable price - even though he didn’t have air conditioning in his car.

Kenneth drove us to our dinner engagement that night. Our host, Richard, is the son of the author of the most famous Jamaican cook book “Taste of Jamaica” by Enid Donaldson. He told us, with a smile on his face, “I’m a better cook than my mother!” I cannot comment on his claim but I can say we had a wonderful feast of traditional Jamaican food which clearly took time, care and effort to prepare.

Richard, a retired teacher, is a very interesting man. He has helped many troubled and fatherless youth and he describes himself as having many “sons” and “daughters”. We met two of his “sons”; the outgoing Germaine, a university student, and the quieter and younger Antonio, a high school student. Germaine’s university friend, Omara, joined us for dinner. The conversation was lively and enjoyable, and coupled with the delicious food, we had a great evening!

Day three involved a trip to Port Royal. We arranged with Kenneth to take us in his taxi and he left his spare cell phone with us so we could call him when we wanted to return. Fort Charles was famous as the main British base in the Caribbean in the 1600’s. Both Horatio Nelson and the pirate, Captain Morgan, spent time based there. The fort is a modest size and it was 'hot as heck' the day we visited so we were soon on our way walking into the centre of town.

We went to lunch at the famous “Gloria’s”. Our meal was a whole fish covered in a nice sauce. This was our first taste of the delicious “brown stew”. We struck up a conversation with a lovely older Jamaican couple, Ed and Joyce Hewitt, who offered us a ride home. During the trip back they took detours through downtown Kingston and New Kingston to show us various points of interest. Also they told us wonderful stories from their youth. It was a treat and the perfect end to a great day.

Kenneth was on duty again to take us to Fort Clarence beach; a lovely beach which has an entry fee and is mostly full of locals. We both enjoyed the water and between swims we relaxed under a shady tree. The people sitting next to us recommended we have the fried fish from the makeshift fish shop right on the sand. You select your fish and it is cooked whole (they are all gutted and scaled ready to cook). Once again, it was a delicious meal but this time eaten with your fingers, right on the beach.

The Black Caps were in Jamaica to play against the West Indies in test match cricket at Sabina Park Kingston. The first day of the match was our last full day in Jamaica. Eileen had never been to an international cricket match, so we decided to support our team.

The first challenge was buying a ticket because Kenneth, our taxi driver, did not know where to go. We avoided the touts and walked around the stadium to the ticket booth. Then back to the entry point for the North stand. The next challenge was finding our seats. None of the security staff knew where to go! Eventually we worked out that we went to level 3 in the lift for level 2 seats.

We had good seats; nicely elevated, under cover with good and much needed shade, nearly in line with the wicket, and we were able to spread out as the stand was fairly empty. There was another couple of New Zealanders in our section of the stand and we could see another small group in another stand with a New Zealand flag. My clapping and Eileen’s “whoops” for every good shot felt pretty much like a lone voice.

The Black Caps batted well for two sessions. Taylor was exciting and bludgeoned the attack while Guptill was steady. In the third session, the middle order collapsed to be saved by the bottom order. Southee scoring two consecutive sixes was a highlight. The weather in Kingston cooperated with the only shower of rain coming during the lunch break.

Following the cricket our friendly taxi driver, Kenneth, drove us to “Emancipation Park” and waited for us to walk around before whisking us home. It is a very nice park where locals go to exercise and to relax. A feature of the park is the stunning bronze statue of an African couple at one of the entry points.

Kenneth drove us for one last time as we headed for the airport. As we sat waiting for our flight to be called, we reflected on the many genuinely welcoming and friendly people we met during our stay. Thanks Jamaica!

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