Blogs from Jamaica, Central America Caribbean

3 Visions In the past two years before this trip to Jamaica, I had experienced two visions of Haile Selassie I in my dreams. This is not counting those visions that came upon me during meditation or from scripture reading, induced by plant medicines, rituals, music, or narratives. Just two natural visions in a dream, as the kind Joseph had interpreted. In the first vision, His Imperial Majesty was in New York City in 1963, approaching the headquarters of the United Nations, and I was amongst the crowd to witness HIM enter the building, but not to see HIM speak. I stood across the street from the UN headquarters building. Both sides of the street were barricaded and secured by police, with large crowds crammed behind the barricades. In this dream, His Imperial Majesty singled me ... read more

I decided to do an entire post dedicated to this restaurant and shop that we found in Ocho Rios. We did a lot of things on this trip and every day was packed with activity (what we didn't do was sleep very much). However, not everything we saw or did was worthy of its own post. This place was. Due to the fast of Ab Tsom (Great Lent) that began in February, I was eating no animal products on this trip. This can get challenging in a lot of places, but I knew that in Jamaica I'd be able to find some Ital restaurants. I've already explained what Ital food is in one of my previous blogs, also going into detail about Tsom. Essentially, Ital is natural, organically-grown food, usually consisting of no animal products. And ... read more

So many parties for this birthday girl. We'd already been out one night in Miami, and one night in Ocho Rios. Now it was our third night going out to find dinner, find music, and dance. Pretty sure we started with a nap 😂😂😂. That's how every day was going on this trip, and man did we need it. Our lives back home are so busy these days, and even on vacation we're running around like we're on fire. It would be nice to get an actual break on our "break", but that's how it goes sometimes. We did our best. Now is good time to mention that I was drinking marijuana. DRINKING, not smoking. This is because I feel that smoke has caused me too many problems--with my cardio and with my sinuses--and I want ... read more

When Bob Marley moved onto Hope Road in Kingston back in the 70s, it was a big deal. This was the rich, fancy neighborhood, the place for the politicians and business owners, inheritors of plantation-power and colonial power. They didn't like this little Rasta boy from the ghettos moving in. And it wasn't just him, he brought all his people along with him. From the stories I've read and photos I've seen of Bob Marley's house in the 70s, it was a gathering place for Rasta people and many others, including the working-class Jamaicans who weren't normally welcomed in that neighborhood. Musicians went there to rehearse and record. Poor folks went there to get a little assistance from Bob. Gangsters went there to work out peace treaties. The hip & cool set from abroad went there ... read more

Tuesday 7 February Another good night's sleep. Nothing planned for today, so we had a slow start. Ambled off to Orquidea for breakfast. My current favourite breakfast is cheese & onion omelette, from the egg station prepared at your request. Followed by one pancake covered in syrup. After breakfast we went through the reception area. The second week of our cruise would have started today. The ship is back in operation and some people are transferring to the ship. This is not an option for us due to us cancelling the whole thing and taking a different holiday. A guy in the bar last night, who had done the same as us, said they had spoken to TUI to try and get back on the cruise, but TUI said No. Then off to the beach to ... read more