Travel Wishlist: Thailand and its Nature
Of all the places I’d like to visit, Thailand’s combination of diverse landscapes and wildlife is a definite must-see….here’s why! For anyone who is fascinated by nature – and as more and more of the world’s population urbanise, it’s important not to leave the greenery behind! – certain world destinations will always hold a special appeal. For me, Thailand is one such place whose tropical climate and diverse wildlife and vegetation has always appealed to me. I think it’s a…
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Prince Harry in Jamaica; Beats Track Star Usain Bolt
Prince Henry of Wales, popularly known as Prince Harry, arrived in Jamaica yesterday for a four-day visit, part of the international celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II, his grandmother's Diamond Jubilee. [caption id="attachment_8449" align="aligncenter" width="538" caption="Prince Harry in Jamaica, inspecting JDF soldiers, photo from the Jamaica Observer"][/caption] Queen Elizabeth II was crowned queen on June 2, 1953. She is the queen regnant of Jamaica and several other Commonwealth countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and…
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Soulful Sundays: Freddie McGregor
Freddie McGregor, aka Big Ship, is one of those reggae musicians who, although he's been in the business since the 1960s, has remained relevant. Whether its ska, lovers rock, reggae, Roots reggae, dancehall or dub, Freddie's done it. This versatility and his solid showmanship have earned him a loyal following both in Jamaica and internationally. [caption id="attachment_8437" align="aligncenter" width="399" caption="Freddie McGregor, photo from the Internet"][/caption] Freddie McGregor was born in Clarendon in June, 1956. In 1963, he and two other…
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Falmouth’s Georgian Buildings, I
Falmouth, Trelawny, has the largest collection of intact Georgian buildings in the Caribbean. Several have been restored by the Falmouth Heritage Renewal. On a recent visit, I took photos of some of these beautiful, old buildings. [caption id="attachment_8424" align="aligncenter" width="594"] Falmouth Baptist Manse, now home of Falmouth Heritage Renewal[/caption] Built in 1798 for the Athol Union Masonic Lodge of the Scottish Constitution, it was the first masonic temple in Jamaica. In 1834, it was sold to the Baptist Missionary because…
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Jamaica: Glistening Waters Luminous Lagoon
Almost everyone I talked to said I had to see Glistening Waters Luminous Lagoon but when I asked why, the universal response was, see for yourself. As we drove from Montego Bay to Falmouth, I found myself questioning my decision. I hadn’t had time to do much research so I was flying in the dark. And at 7:00 p.m., it was also dark. [caption id="attachment_8420" align="aligncenter" width="594" caption="Glistening Waters Luminous Lagoon"][/caption] We bought our tickets a few minutes before departure…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Indulgence
The first thing that popped into my head when I saw that this week's photo challenge is indulgence, was, of course, food. But there are so many other ways to indulge and fortunately, I was able to find one non-food photo that captures it. [caption id="attachment_8384" align="aligncenter" width="499" caption="Weekly Photo Challenge: Indulgence"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_8387" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Weekly Photo Challenge: Indulgence"][/caption] I really couldn't leave out a food photo. [caption id="attachment_8385" align="aligncenter" width="498" caption="Weekly Photo Challenge: Indulgence"][/caption] This is my entry…
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Soulful Sundays: Rolando Alphonso
Jamaican tenor saxophonist, Rolando Alphonso, was born on January 12, 1931 in Havana, Cuba. He was brought to Jamaica by his mother when he was two years old. [caption id="attachment_8394" align="alignright" width="221" caption="Rolando Alphonso, photo from the Internet"][/caption] In Jamaica, Alphonso learned to play the saxophone and worked as a studio musician, backing performers such as Jimmy Cliff, the Wailers, the Maytals and most of the other leading performers of the 1960s. Alphonso also worked for two of the most…
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Greenwood Great House
Greenwood Great House has the best collection of Victorian-era furniture, musical instruments, and china in Jamaica, perhaps even the Caribbean. Part of the 84,000 acre estate that belonged to the wealthy Barrett family whose relatives were the British poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her aunt, Sarah Moulton Barrett, who was also called Pinkie. Moulton Barrett was born in Jamaica and was immortalized in the painting, Pinkie, by the British artist, Thomas Lawrence. Both Pinkie and Thomas Gainesborough's Blue Boy, hang in the Huntington Gallery…
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How Greenwood Great House Is Connected to Pinkie
Greenwood Great House, the entertainment home that once belonged to the family of Pinkie, subject of the famous painting by Thomas Lawrence, looks largely the same now as it would have when she left Jamaica more than 200 years ago. Though she died of whooping cough at age 12, about a year after its completion, because of the painting's resemblance to Thomas Gainsborough's Blue Boy, she has become more easily recognizable than her famous niece, the poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Pinkie…
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Soulful Sundays: Burning Spear
I've been a fan of Burning Spear (the Spear) since high school. It was the height of the Black Power Movement in the U.S., a movement that had spread to the Caribbean and expressed itself in a growing consciousness and pride in our Africanness. The Spear's third album, Marcus Garvey, became an anthem, an indictment of the times. Marcus Garvey words come to pass, Burning Spear sang and we cheered. It was one of the first albums I bought; it almost never left…
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