JAMAICA    DIARY  3

From the north and Diary 2, I now work my way down south.

10. Again, I head west, and without long, I pass Montego and start on unknown territory. I stop at some nice coves and rivers. The only new I see, is the base of two old windmills. Here start to be slightly drier, and the forest is more a green savannah.

In Lucea, I turn inland through the low and very green mountains - kind of a shortcut to the south coast. Some of the trees are huge and overgrown with epiphytes. Some meadows look like they once was sugarcane fields. A few are still grown, and a six wagon tractor-train crosses in front of me.

I reach the southern coast at Savanna la Mer, and head west again. I have to stop at Manning's School; an old wooden building. Then I reach the large tourist town of Negril. Huge hotels, fenced up beaches and nothing to make me pull over. I reach the most western part of the country, but have a hard time getting out to the water. I succeed at a bridge, mainly because here are no sand, but ancient coral rocks.
I eat my lunch at the coast, with a great view to the sea, frigate birds, brown pelicans and large kingfishers.

Back through the hotels at Negril, and then over the coastal plains with remains of cane fields, old wooden sheets and a bit of mixed cattle. When I reach the sea again, I find a restaurant, serving tea: Peppermint-tea or coffee-tea? Well, peppermint is normally not my first choice, but I make an exception. I sit right next to the sea, and relax, till the tea is cold.

The landscape turn even dryer, although the vegetation is still grassland. Here are quite some cattle, and some of them are real skinny, despite their grass is lush green. Around ten kilometres before I reach Treasure Beach, at Black River, I turn down a little, badly sealed road. It follow the coast, and passes a few nice houses. It actually turn real questionable, and I start doubting I'm on the right road. On top of that, the sun have called it a day, and some dark clouds have taken over the sky.

Then it meet a slightly bigger and way better sealed road, and I am in Treasure Beach. Here are a lot of private summerhouses, tiny hotels and small restaurants. Everything situated between the lush swamp and the nice beach. I find my hotel, and catch-up on internet, while I observe the extremely tiny ants: Less than one millimetre.
Then I make a stroll along the beach, and have a cup of tea at a bar, while I chat with Roger, who was borne nearby. However, he have lived 50 years in Canada.

Another long stroll bring me further on through the scattered settlement and the swamp. I am looking for a vegetarian restaurant, which should be a few minutes drive from my new home. The dark clouds eventually make me return, but not faster, than I can make some pictures of the vegetation. Here are actually quite some familiar plants, mainly from Bonaire - or the botanical garden. Here are several cacti, but considering how few of each, I doubt they are indigenous. I had read this area should be semi-desert, but it is way more lush than I had expected; quite a disappointment.
Just before I'm back, I check a large restaurant at the beach. They have a vegetarian pizza; good to know. Their beach connects to mine, and in-between sit a great looking tree at the ancient coral rocks on the beach.
I get the car, and head back in the persuade of the vegetarian restaurant. It is huge - and closed. Pizza it is. I sit and watch the sunset at the beach - except it is behind the dark clouds. Back to work. Western Jamaica.

11. I head around the corner to get yet some more pictures of the great looking tree on the cliffs. It is a quite famous Buttonwood Tree; Conocarpus erectus. Next to it is another old tree, with a great stem, but in the shadows. While I try to capture that, I find a gecko: Jamaican Croaking Gecko; Aristelliger praesignis.
Then I get a nice cup of tea on the other side of the road, and sit and look at the map while I sip, and come up with what could be some interesting locations nearby.
The coastal area is kind of isolated, as the main road head inland from here. This is my chance to explore this semi-desert area.

I start quite close at a large lake. A little gravel road leads into the savannah with grazing cattle and this big lake. Here I find several cacti, some familiar from Bonaire. Here are some dark green flowering bushes, reminding me of Convulvaceae, but with white sap. The Jatrophas, being Euphorbiaceae does not have white sap: Strange place!
I follow the trail for quite some time, partly in the shadows from the Acacias and other small trees. Then a kind of gate lures me into the field and the scattered cattle.
I follow the cattle-trail, and end up at a huge Lotus-covered lake. I follow the water, and encounter some of the cacti, which might be indigenous? Some are the characteristic Melocactus macrocanthos, others probably Stenocereus griseus. Here are some slimmer ones, some epiphytic ones and some Opuntias with yellow flowers.
After a long walk, I find my way back to the gate and then the car. On the other side of the road, a cove is completely abandon. But I have another one in mind, and drive a bit further east along the coast.

I pass the vegetarian restaurant, but now, it is closed on Mondays! A little supermarket have a bun in a sealed bag and a slice of cheese along with a bottle of juice: That will have to do. The next beach seems to be popular at least in the summer weekends. Now, it is a bit deserted.
I find a vacant shop, and sit in the shadows, eating my lunch and watching the pelican get their. In one end of the beach, the ancient corals are forming some cliffs, and I climb them. They are extremely pointy and sharp, but the views to the sea, the Agavas, cacti and other vegetation worth the effort.
I find a narrow red trail, leading into the cliffs. Here are even more plants, including Aloes, which for sure is African. But like the other plants, they have been growing wild here for centuries. I find a few of the "telegraphline-Tillandsias" at a reachable height.

From here, I head around 35 kilometres inland, over some low mountains. Here are more agriculture than I have seen elsewhere, mainly vegetables in small fields: Tomatoes, cabbage, beans and onions. The roads are a patchwork of minor roads, and here are only one larger town.
Then I make it to Alligator Pond; A little fishing village. Here are a lot of tiny stands with thermo boxes along the single road, leading down to the beach. A fisherman is cleaning his trash bucket to great delight for the flock of seagulls and brown pelicans. The Frigate birds wait until their dinner is brought up to them. 
I try to capture some of the birds with the camera, despite it is not really made for that.
I guess I have gotten sun enough for one day - and too many photos, and I head home. It is a bit tempting to stop in the larger town: Junction, but I had a plan about sitting at watching the waves for a hour or so at home - just to try it. As so many other times, a mongoose crosses the road in front of me. These invasive animals are way too smart to be the victims of cars - in contrast to the cats.
Back at home, I do some laundry, and start working. In the late afternoon, I get to see the waves for a few minutes. Then I remember the great looking trees, and try the evening sun.  The savannah, the hills and Alligator Pond.

12. I am in no rush to leave this paradise, but after a cup of tea at the cafe on the other side of the road, I set the GPS. I have found a series of waypoints, leading me through the small roads in the low hills at first.
It is a lovely drive in the fertile and rather thin populated countryside. I pass Junction in another direction, and end out in some real small, unsealed roads. This is red-dust-country.

I follow the network of  small roads to Mandeville. This is a bit of highland with real fertile bush land and huge trees. I meet some huge trucks with sugarcanes, but I don't see many fields.
Despite the roads are still rather vacant, there start to be some fruit stands along it. The local delicacy (from Africa); the Ackee, also known as Ackee Apple or Ayee; Blighia sapida is found on the road. It is a bright red fruit, much like a tomatoes, but it contains three black berries.

Here start to be a few larger towns, but in-between, the wilderness take over. I stop at a gas station to fill the car and myself. It is a Juici Patty, and I chooses three of their vegetarian ones. I had not expected to be stuffed for US$4, but I am! The car is way more greedy...

I skip the toll-road, and the old road is surprisingly enough through more green areas, till quite close to Kingston. The last bit is a rough neighbourhood, and I kind of hope my guesthouse is NOT here. But it is. It look like a South African township, and not one of the better ones.
The entrance is through an alley I wouldn't walk, but the room is quite nice, and so is the host. I share the dorm with a lady I'm told, and we get a curtain for the toilet "door". It seems like it is just coming together, and the craftsman is still working.

It is only three, and I head downtown. I could do with a bit of luxury cafe-life by now. I head for the central square and the marked, hoping to find a nice cafe with latte and sandwich. I thought I lived in the worse area, but it get worse and worse on the 1200 metres downtown. Not a single house look nice, most look like ruins. Wrecked trucks, garbage, lack of sealing and ruins in general.
It does help a bit the last 200 metres, but then I reach the Downtown Market. I have not seen anything as desperate and poor since Port Moseby in Papua New Guinea!

When I make the first picture, a guy in a stand behind me ask rather aggressive for US20. I'm not in the mood, as I have just discovered my sunscreen have emptied it self in my pocket. And getting it back in the little bottle is not that easy. I am covered in greasy sunscreen, and I still haven't found out how to clean my only pans... And then he want money for a photo of someone else. He don't get it, and I think he will be a bit more careful before asking another time.

The market is waste, and here are a lot of people. Most are not that eager the have their photo taken, and the shadows from the rather flapping plastic does not help. I see no other pale people, and I try to find the nicer part, but it is only get worse. Then I reach the central Parade Square, and walk through the green area, and then around the square. Here, the Ward Theatre and The Coke Memorial Methodist Church are the only dominant buildings. The closest I get to a cafe is the Mother's Patty, a local Burger King-like diner. They do serve tea, but it was not exactly how I planned to spoil myself.

I do a few more rounds in the centre of town, but I still fail to find just a bit nicer area. I head back through the nearly endless market area, till a lady say: "Turn around, they will rob you down there". I'm not a chicken, but I'm not stupid either. And I have not feel safe, since I entered Kingston. I'm glad I have a car and don't have to spend three days here!

I head home by Oxford Street, hoping it will be nice. It is not! Most houses like like the loosing part of a war, hens are walking the street, and it is even worse than where I live. On the other side of the street, my host have a little sheet, selling vegetarian food, and that is where I eat. Or get my food from. I have not seen anything tempting since the square, and I don't feel like walking back in the dark! And then I get robed anyway: A thin smoothie and a wrap with a few steamed vegetables for US$10! The south and Kingston  and Kingston Special.

13. I get a great nights sleep, and my roommate never turned up. But in the morning, a loud quarrel take place in my alley. It is packed with mainly massive women, and it does not exactly add to a great atmosphere. Then someone get beaten up, and when it quiets down a bit, I flee in my car. I only have two sights in town; Port Royal on the long peninsular outside of town, and Hope Royal Botanical Garden.

The peninsular is narrow, but it have room for a rather wild coast, a lot of cacti in the middle and a mangrove on the inside. I pass the airport and then reach Port Royal, once thought to be the richest town in the world, due to the English pirates plundering of the Spanish gold ships. It have lost its glory! Here are only a few worn-down wooden houses and Fort Charles. I had thought it would be teaming with tourists, but I have it to myself.
I do the tour around without finding anything remotely interesting, not even a cup of tea.

The Hope Botanical Garden is on the other side of town, but here are little traffic.  It is yet another one of these Once Was-botanical gardens. It is mainly a huge lawn with some scattered big trees. Some of them flowers lovely, other have some huge fruits like the cannonball tree, the flame tree, the bread tree and the sausage tree. I see the Chinese garden, mainly consisting of white marble and a muddy pond.

I passes a almost fancy shopping area, with gates for the entrance, and returns. Here, I find a huge salad at Wendy's and a large latte at Starbucks. The drizzle finally turn into massive rain, and I take my time. Then I find some interesting spots along the 55 kilometre of the south coast, I haven't seen, as I was in the Blue Mountains.
The road mainly runs in the low and very green hills, and only a few times, I see the water.

At one point, I buy a coconut and get access to a great looking cliffs and beach. Then I see a little waterfall, landing on the road. A huge river crosses underneath the road, and the savannah and the mountains behind is fantastic fertile, and hardly cultivated. I turn around in Morant Bay, and get home right after sunset.
My home have been invaded by a Norwegian and two Polish men. Great company, but I have work to do. Port Royal, Hope BG, the south coast.

14. I don't really have anything on the program, so I chat with the Norwegian till he drive to the airport. Then I set the GPS for the backside of the Blue Mountains, and head up in the greyish mountains. The views are fantastic, especially when the sun breaks through from time to time. Unfortunately, the photos tend to look alike.
The lower parts have some huge bamboo, the middle part different flowering bushes and on the top, the pines dominate. One height have quite some Spanish mosses in specific trees, while others are covered in long lichens along with different larger Bromeliads. A bit further up, some huge Begonias are flowering.   I stop a lot of times, and do some walking along the road.
Here are scattered houses, some quite nice. I suspect most of the best looking plants are renegades from former English gardens. The first part of the road is nicely sealed, but higher up, it have quite some pot-holes.

I find a nice little cafe, and are in luck; they do have tea. When I want to pay, I get a postcard and are told: The tea is a Valentines Day present. I had not seen that one coming! While I sip the tea, I enjoy the great view and the absolutely awesome Doctor Bird, the swallowed tailed hummingbird: Trochilus polytmus.

As I get higher, the clouds start to form on the peaks, but I make it pass the military training camp and the pass, without getting wet. I continues on the northern side of the Blue Mountains, but the vegetation does not really change that much. Here are some more ginger and tree ferns, but that is about it. Some parakeets are real noisy, but I fail to get a good look at them, while they are munching the fig fruits in the top of the trees.

I find a real nice spot to eat the bun and cheese, I have brought for lunch, before I returns. I drive a bit faster back, and get to enjoy a large Chai Latte before the supper-pizza at the nicer shopping area. A great way to spend the last Jamaican dollars. Then the last ten kilometres home take almost two hours! I have not experienced much traffic in Jamaica at all, but this is insane. And when I almost make it to the coastal main road: Spanish Town Road, the big road I'm in vanished. I follow a police car for a real long time, despite his blue flashing lights are annoying, but it brings us through.
Home alone, and I get to do the usual work and program the GPS for Haiti. The Blue Mountains and even more Blue Mountains.

15. I get up early and drive to the airport to deliver the car and wait for my Miami flight. I rather sit and work in the airport, than sit at the room and then in a traffic jam, missing the flight
Jamaica was actually not as exiting as I had expected. Treasure Beach and Reach Falls was without a doubt the highlight, and the Blue mountains nice. I have only taken 1820 photos (HIGHLIGHTS 116), but driven 1407 kilometres. It have been quite more expensive than what I had expected:
 

Next stop: Haiti