From Diary 1 and the
eastern north coast, I now head up the Blue Mountains once again.
I reach Buff Bay in-between showers, and
stretch my legs. Here, one of the typical old British churches are found, along
with other old buildings. I find lunch - that is what I call the little bag
of coconut cookies I find. The rain pick-up, and I head on. I can only keep
the windows clear, using the air-con, but I sure need the vision!
I only do a few stops to photo plants and views, due
to the rain. Never the less, it turns quite late before I returns. The
higher parts are covered in clouds, and the deep potholes filled with water:
Not the most relaxing driving. Despite I fail to get any good pictures, it
have been a real nice drive. I have seen so many beautiful views and a few
interesting plants too. Buff Bay and Blue Mountains north. 8. I head west ,on the north coast to Buff Bay and additionally 75 kilometres to the big town: Ocho Rios. It is mainly a coastal road, sometimes build out in the surf, other times way up and into the dense forests. Here are a few cotton fields, coconut plantations and banana fields. Despite everything look this fertile, the agriculture seems real light.
I make a short stop in the little fishing village;
Annotto Bay. Here, the old market is still alive. Lots of local
vegetables and fruits, but from few sorts. Outside town, I make one of
many stops at the coast. Here, a real beautiful lagoon holds flowering water
lilies. Out at the sea, the sand is real dark for once, and the waves quite
wild.
I reach the rather large town of
Ocho Rios at noon, and deposit my bag at the guesthouse, in the dead
centre of the town. I start looking for a good restaurant, and end up paying
a local hustler to show
me one. A real good vegetarian restaurant in a back-street, on the
second floor, serve me samples of their entire menu: Eight courses. I
stumble back to get the car!
At many of the intersections,
young men in blue T-shirts are real insisting: They want to show me the
Blue Hole. It is that annoying, I consider cancelling it, but it should
be the
highlight? I finally get to it, but without a guide, and then I have to negotiate
the entrance fee!
Back through the centre of the
town to the botanical garden. It look like the neglected garden of a large
hotel, and might be closed? I head back and drop the car at my new home, and
walk next door to the huge souvenir area. Here are a lot of small
shops with colourful items. In some of the shops, local men sit and chop
wooden statues, paint or sleep.
At early dusk, I flee, and find
another restaurant on a second floor, serving some good vegetarian food. Then I
head out to the local Turtle Beach. It is around 1000 meters of bars and
restaurants, next to a 25 meter sandy beach. And the beach is closing now!
Well, I head home, make a mug of tea and start working.
9. I'm up a bit early,
but I'm not going to wait for the six young girls I'm sharing room with, to
use the single bathroom! I continue along the northern coast towards
Falmouth. It is a bigger road than I'm use to, and the area is more
developed. Here are even some big hotels, a golf course and some leisure
horses behind white fences.
Despite
I have been driving real slowly, I reach Falmouth at nine. Right
outside town, a Saturday market is found, and I do a tour around. Mainly
home-grown vegetables and some fruits, but also clothing and food in plastic
bags.
I
set the GPS for Greenwood Great House. It is unique among plantation
houses, as it survived the 1831 slave rebellion. Most of the interior dates
back hundreds of years, and here are some amassing objects. A
young girl
give me the full tour (while another follow us), explaining the origin, year
and use of most objects. Here are quite some mechanical music robots, driven
by disk with holes, plenty of ancient china and old furniture with secret
rooms.
It seems like most guests only visit Montego Bay - and I
ought to find out why! I park at the harbour, which have room for several
huge cruiseships. Here is a large souvenir market, but only with the common
things. Back in Falmount, I drop the car and head down to the water. Another nice beach with fishing boats on, and then a monstrous huge harbour for cruiseships. I manages to get into it, but as here are no ships, it is closed, and I have to find my way through a fence and a construction site, to get to the town. When there are no cruiseships in town, the city is isolated from the water!
It
is Saturday in Jamaica, and everyone are paid by the week: Shoppingday!
The old part of Falmount is located around the Water Square, where the old
market, the courthouse and alike is found. I do most of the streets and find
a
fault-tasting cup of tea in a diner. Here are real busy: Shouting people,
cars with speakers on the roof, horns, engines and people in general. |