While waiting in the immigration line at the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay a few years ago, I heard the unmistakable sound of a mento band. They were playing a familiar tune, Take Her to Jamaica, and as I waited, I tapped my feet lightly and hummed along.
The singing got louder as I exited immigration on my way to pick up my luggage from the carousel. By now, I could see the musicians – three or four of them. One was playing a rhumba box, a percussion instrument that I hadn’t seen in years.
Rhumba box
The rhumba box is a two foot square wooden box. It has a hole in the center to which is attached five metal strips that are tuned to different pitches. At that size, it’s also a seat for the musician and allows him to reach the metal keys.
The rhumba box originated from the African mbira, or thumb piano. It made its way to Cuba, where it’s called the marímbola, then to other countries. In Jamaica, it’s synonymous with mento, the folk music that is a precursor to ska and reggae.
Sitting on the rhumba box, he strummed the metal strips to hold the rhythm for the guitar and the maracas players as they belted out the words to another song, This Long Time Gal.
I watched many stoic faces relax and smile as they heard the music. I was still humming to myself as I walked out of the airport.
Click here to listen to the sound of the rhumba box and here to hear a mento version of Amy Winehouse’s Rehab by the Jolly Boys.
I’m linking this post to the weekly photo linkup, Travel Photo Thursday, at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out other photos from locations around the world. Enjoy!
I never made it to St. Thomas, located on Jamaica’s southeastern coast, until I was in high school. As part of our graduation celebration, our teacher organized a day trip around the island that brought us not to Morant Bay, its historic capital, but to Prospect Pen to view the Jamintel Earth Station* that had opened some years earlier. I still have the grainy photo of us posing primly in our navy school uniforms with part of the satellite station in the background.
St. Thomas, the 9th largest parish on the island, is bordered on its northern end by the Blue Mountains. Its diverse landscape includes mountains and wetland areas. The island’s only east-west river, the Plantation Garden, is located in the parish.
Plaque at Bath Fountain
St. Thomas was established in 1662 and named for Thomas, Lord Windsor, who was governor of Jamaica at that time. It was known then as St. Thomas in the East. The name it was shortened to St. Thomas around 1866 when the number of parishes was reduced from 22 to 14.
St. Thomas has been home to the indigenous Taino Indians, Spanish, British and Maroon communities. Archeologists have found remnants of Taino settlements, dating to 650AD, in several locations in the parish.
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Today, Jamaica celebrates her 51st year of Independence. There have been many changes in the country since 1962, notably in the way we eat.
Take rice and peas, for example. (Rice and peas is affectionately referred to as the Jamaica Coat of Arms, though I haven’t been able to find out why.) When I was growing up in rural Jamaica, we had rice and peas only on Sundays and on special occasions, like Christmas or Easter. Now, there’s rice and peas on almost every restaurant menu every day of the week.
The Easter bun and cheese that we had only at Easter is just as commonplace.
Sunday meal – rice and peas with vegetables and meat
Back then the patty, a meat-filled turnover, was our main fast food and a popular lunch item for school children. With international chains like KFC, Burger King and Domino’s, along with the homegrown chains, Island Grill, Tastee, and Juici Patties in almost all fourteen parishes, we have a variety of fast food restaurants to choose from now.
Sundays still are special. For most of us, it’s the day we pause, bring family around the dining table to share the meal.
But it’s not always rice and peas. I’m no longer wedded to the Jamaican Coat of Arms on Sundays because I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. But I wouldn’t plan a Christmas or Easter dinner without it on the menu.
How has your eating habits changed in the last twenty years?
How to Make Rice and Peas
Ingredients
3 cups of rice
2 cups of fresh red kidney beans (or Pigeon peas or a can of kidney beans)
5 cloves of garlic
1 can of coconut milk
1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
3 scallion (spring onions)
3 sprigs of fresh (or 2 teaspoons of dried) thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Preparation
Wash and soak peas overnight or put to boil in a medium saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Add garlic and a little salt to taste.
When peas are soft, add coconut milk and seasonings – thyme, Scotch bonnet, 2 sprigs of scallions, black pepper, and remaining salt, if needed.
Let cook for a few minutes then add the rice.
Cover and cook until the rice is tender and there’s no more liquid.
Plate and garnish with remaining scallion. Serve with your choice of meat or alone.
One of the best things about the tropics is the profusion of flowering plants. They spill out from gardens, line country roads and overhang private walkways, and paint my surroundings in vibrant red, yellow, purple, and white.
During the past year, I’ve written several times about the tropical flowers I’ve been reacquainted with and those I’ve been introduced to, and I’m still finding more new (to me) flowers. Here are a few:
Tropical Flowers – Queen Achmea Bromeliad
Queen Achmea Bromeliad
If you make only one flower in your lifetime, like the Queen Achmea does, it would have to be your masterpiece. Don’t you agree that this is?
I discovered the Queen Achmea bromeliad at Ahh…Ras Natango earlier this year. Tamika, one of the owners, had posted a photo on their Facebook page. My eyes popped open when I saw it. I thought initially, that she had tied a pink ribbon on the plant. When I clicked the photo, I noticed that the ‘ribbon’ was part of the plant. I called Tamika right away and told her I wanted to see it. The beauty of this flower left me speechless. I stared at it for a long time… Although it can take a year, when the plant finally blooms, it lasts for up to two months.
Note: Bromeliads include the pineapple.
Tropical Flowers – Torch Ginger
Torch Ginger
The color is what drew me to this torch ginger, which grows in the backyard at my stepmother’s. I was fortunate to see this slightly opened one and then later to get a photo of one that was fully opened. The torch ginger is known by several different names and also comes in pink. They are used in floral arrangements and, in south-east Asia, used in salads.
Torch ginger
Tropical Flowers – Jade
I noticed this flower at the home of family friends. She’s the gardening enthusiast. (Their entire yard is a blanket of flowers – from hibiscus to orchids – several varieties – to bromeliads and impatients and lily ponds. There are even benches that encourage you to stop and contemplate the beauty around you. I could have done a few posts entirely from the flowers I photographed in their backyard.)
Jade Flower
The jade plant I’m used to is the one commonly called the money tree. It’s a succulent and has thick shiny leaves. They make great house or office plants. I had one for many years. This jade flower is used to make leis. Can you imagine the beautiful it makes?
Tropical Flowrs – Night Blooming Cereus
The night blooming cereus blooms once a year and only at night when it attracts a special moth which pollinates it. When that happens, the flower begins opening slowly around 10:00 p.m. While its blooming, it perfumes the air with a gentle fragrance. I took this photo around midnight on the night it bloomed.
Double Night Blooming Cereus
By dawn, it will be wilted. This is how it looked the next morning.
Wilted night blooming cereus
This week, I’m linking to Travel Photo Monday. Be sure to check them out for more photos from around the world.
Hope Botanical Gardens or Hope Gardens, as most Jamaicans call it, is a popular spot especially for those who live in Kingston and surroundings. It’s where they go to relax on Sunday afternoon, or to enjoy nature.
With the nearby Hope Zoo, Hope Gardens is also a favorite destination for school trips – it’s on almost every school’s excursion schedule.
Entrance to the lily pond
Hope Gardens sits on 60-acres of the Ligunaea Plains at the foot of the Blue Mountains. The property, originally part of Hope Estates, was acquired around 1881 and experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, assisted in laying out the formal gardens. They introduced several varieties of endemic plants, rare flora and exotic species.
The gazebo
I’ve read that Queen Elizabeth II was so impressed by the Gardens that she gave permission for it to be called the Royal Botanic Gardens, Hope.
Part of the gardens
Through a series of unfortunate incidents, including devastation from hurricane, vandalism, and mismanagement, Hope Gardens fell into disrepair in the 1980s. It is now nearly back to its former splendor.
Blue Mountain forms a beautiful backdrop to the gardens
Hope Gardens has a lily pond, sunken gardens, orchid house, bougainvillea walk, and other attractions. It’s a great location for bird watching. Several species, including doves, egrets, Jamaican mango, yellow- and black-billed parrots, and different varieties of the hummingbird (Jamaica’s national bird) can be seen in the park.
Hope’s expansive space and lush environment make it a popular venue for weddings, reunions, picnics, festivals, yoga classes or a leisurely stroll.
Hope Botanical Gardens Particulars
Hours: Daily from 6:00 a.m. except on Labor Day and Hero’s Day.
Current Entrance Fees: Adults $5, Children (3 – 12 years) $3
Today, I’m linking up with Travel Photo Discovery‘s Travel Photo Monday. Be sure to check out other photos from around the world.
This week’s Friday Focus visits with Kristi Keller, a Calgary native who fell in love with Jamaica and has visited the island about twenty times since 2003. Kristi has also spent months at a time in Jamaica.
Kristi relaxing on the dock at Pelican Bar, Black River
1.Tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. As a youth I was a dancer and a country girl, spending most of my time riding my horse. As an adult I spent my time being a single mom and working for a communications company, and then for the municipal government. My corporate time totaled roughly 15 years. Life was pretty normal and uneventful and I just blended in….until I started traveling.
2.What brought you to Jamaica?
In 2003 I won a trip to Jamaica through a local radio station here in Calgary. Before that I had never considered traveling abroad at all. Travel was not on my radar other than visiting family in the USA.
Kristi at Blue Hole waterfall, St. Ann
3.What were your first impressions of the country and how did those match up with what you knew or had heard from others?
Since I had never experienced a foreign country or a different culture EVERYTHING about Jamaica struck me from the very first minute on the ground. Landing at a tiny airport (back then), stepping off the plane onto the runway, the amazing greenery and palm trees everywhere I looked, and the heat. In that first week on the island I was part of an organized group and had to stay with them and participate in the excursions they took us on, but I distinctly remember wanting to get the hell off of that bus and go explore! I wanted to know everything and everyone! From that first trip I knew that I hadn’t even seen or learned a fraction of what Jamaica is all about. Staying in resorts and spending time with an organized tour group doesn’t let you learn anything except how to eat, drink and shop a lot.
4.What made you return, how many times have you been back and how long, on average, do you stay?
I returned to Jamaica 2 months after my initial trip and the reason I went back so soon was because I received an offer I couldn’t refuse by a Jamaican police officer I briefly met. He said that if I ever want to come back to Jamaica he would show me what the island was REALLY about. It was a done deal and I went back, stayed at a home in the countryside and toured the entire western half of the island. I went to places that tourists don’t normally go, shared a yard with a family of donkeys, met people I would have never met if I had been staying in a hotel, and just absolutely fell in love with the island.
I’ve been to Jamaica twenty times (and counting) since 2003. My trips evolved from 7 days, to 10, then to 14 and eventually I quit my job and left Canada for months to stay in Jamaica. I’ve done that twice now.
Crashing waves in Hanover
5.What does your family think of your visits?
For that second trip where I flew back to hang out with a complete stranger, my mother thought I was on crack. She was very worried about my safety, knowing that Jamaica has a bad/dangerous reputation. Now, after all these years and trips I think my family just doesn’t care anymore. My mother wonders how I can just keep going back to the same place every single time and wonders why I don’t want to discover something new. But what she doesn’t understand is that every single trip IS new. If you do Jamaica the way I do Jamaica there is no sameness in any trip. I drive around the island solo and discover something new every trip. I stay in local guest houses (not hotels), experience new things to do, meet new people and learn something new every single time. Continue reading “Friday Focus: Kristi Keller”→
I’ve written about Devon House but only recently returned to do a tour of the Georgian style house, which is located in Kingston. Devon House was built in 1881 for George Stiebel on a property that was known as Devon Penn.
The fountain
Popularly described as Jamaica’s first black millionaire, Stiebel, the child of German and Jamaican parents, was a carpenter, shipper and gun runner. He struck gold after he invested in a mine in Venezuela and made a fortune, returning to the island a rich man. Stiebel got involved in politics and business, bought 99 properties — it was illegal to own 100 or more – and built Devon House.
VestibuleVestibule with wing backed and planter’s chairs
The house features classical Georgian lines – simple form, detailing and symmetry. It was built entirely of brick and wood with high ceilings, carved transoms over elegant doors, and ample louvered windows that circulate air efficiently throughout the house. The furniture is a mix of Jamaican, English and French antiques, and reproductions. The large 35-foot ballroom is, without doubt, the mansion’s showpiece with its Broadwood piano, Wedgwood ceiling and English chandelier that Stiebel bought.
Palm Hall, with partial view of the living roomDining room with Chippendale dining table
Stiebel married Magdalene Baker in 1851 and had two children Sigismund, named after his father, and Theresa. When he died in 1896, the mansion passed to Theresa, then Theresa Jackson, the only surviving child. It was later sold to the Melhados in 1922, then to the Lindos, who lived there until 1965. Devon House was turned over to the government of Jamaica. Today, the mansion, which sits on 11 acres, is known as one of the premier destinations in Kingston to enjoy culture, art and heritage, the lush grounds, and its very popular “I-scream” (ice cream).
Master bedroomPart of the master bathroomA room for gamesSewing room with fainting couchThe 35-foot Devon House Ballroom with Broadwood piano
The mansion has been restored several times, the latest in 2008. Many of the old buildings from Stiebel’s time are still in use. For example, the Grog Shoppe was the horse and carriage stable and blacksmith’s shop; the Courtyard Shops were servants quarters, and the current Devon House Bakery used to be the kitchen. When I visited recently, workers were replacing the wooden shingles on these buildings.
Entrance to Devon HouseDevon House lawn
Devon House Particulars
Tours run on weekdays only with the last tour at 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $10, per person, includes ice cream.
Devon House is located at 26 Hope Road in Kingston.
This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.
My father loved steamed fish. It seemed to me that he had it all the time, that it was his favorite breakfast meal. With green bananas or yam. I think this habit of his of eating this way for breakfast was because he grew up in rural Jamaica where a substantial morning meal was common.
I was never a big fan of steamed fish. I prefer my fish fried as crispy as chips so that the bones snap when I bite into them.
Fast forward several years later and I’m dating. The guy I’m seeing – T – goes on and on about the steamed fish at Little Ochie. At first, I thought he was talking about someplace near Ocho Rios since, locally, everyone calls it “Ochie.” Then he explains that it’s a restaurant that has the best seafood in Jamaica. What could be so special about this particular restaurant, I wondered. I mean, any halfway decent housewife or chef knows how to steam fish. It wasn’t rocket science so I wasn’t impressed.
Early one Sunday morning, T took me there. Used plastic cups, utensils, and food-streaked styrofoam plates had been tossed carelessly over the beach area fronting the restaurant. That and the large black speakers that were hoisted on stands at either end of the beach said that a dance had taken place the previous night. The staff was busy putting things back in order.
T strutted straight to the back, as if he had shares in the restaurant, to where the fish were kept in buckets filled with ice. He then explained that I had to pick the fish I wanted. I chose a lovely red snapper. When the chef asked, I told him I wanted it with bammie, a flat bread, like Pita, that’s made from cassava. (On its own, bammie’s pretty bland. It can also be chewy but it’s a great accompaniment to fish – it’s typically eaten with escoveitch fish. It also stands out when combined with steamed fish, with its soft texture, mix of spices, and delicious gravy, though it will absorb the gravy.)
T wouldn’t hear of the bammie and talked me into having my fish with Excelsior Water Crackers, a hard cracker with a dent in the middle that has been a staple of the Jamaican diet for more than 100 years. Unlike the bammie, Excelsior Water Crackers stand up well in everything from gravies and jam, to butter and meats. I’d never had it with steamed fish before but decided to give it a try.
Back at our table in a thatched covered boat, we waited for the meal to arrive. It did, about 30 minutes later, covered in transparent wrap to protect it from sand and spills.
My eyes bulged. This was not my father’s steamed fish, not in the least! The fish, cooked whole and laid out on a large plate, was almost covered by strips of carrot, chopped okra, and slices of potato and cho cho (christophene or chayote). Crackers lined the plate like an embroidered collar.
All the ingredients were cooked together, allowing the juices from the fish and vegetables to mix with the scallion, thyme, peppers and onions. Pimento (allspice) berries, with its mix of cinnamon, clove, pepper, ginger and nutmeg, gave it a nice warm, almost woodsy, flavor. The vegetables were soft but not mushy, the fish firm and succulent. I ate everything, including my words, that morning. I had to admit, it was the best steamed fish I’d had.
Steamed Fish with potato, carrots, okra, bammie
I’ve been back to Little Ochie several times since then and, except when lobster’s in season, it’s the steamed fish I order – sometimes with crackers, other times with bammie. It tastes just the same as it did that Sunday morning.
Steamed Fish, Jamaican Style
Ingredients
1 large snapper, scaled, gutted and cleaned
A few okras, chopped
1 cho cho, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
1 large onion, sliced
2 stalks of escallion
1 sprig of thyme
Crushed pimento grains and black peppercorns
1 tbsp margarine
Fish seasoning to taste
Salt to taste
Excelsior Water Crackers (optional – I noticed that it’s available on Amazon!)
Method
Slice the cleaned fish and season with black pepper, salt, and fish seasoning.
Add to a large pot roughly a cup and a half of water (or more if needed) just enough to cover the fish.
Next add all the other ingredients and cover the pot tightly.
Simmer over medium heat until the fish and vegetables are cooked (approximately 20 minutes, it all depends on the thickness of the fish, so eyeball it).
Add crackers at the end.
Note: I modified this recipe that I found on the Jamaica Observer site.
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I’m fascinated by churches, especially their design. Sometimes they’re simple, almost stark, other times elaborate.
If I have my camera and can stop, I’ll take photos or I’ll get my camera and return later.
Whatever their design, however, churches inspire reverence.
St. Agnes Cathedral, Rockvile Center, NY
As I waited at the Rockville Center station for the train to Long Island a few years ago, I saw this church in the distance. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it looked but I couldn’t get close enough without missing my train. Interestingly, the first mass was celebrated in a blacksmith’s shop with an anvil serving as the altar. St. Agnes has come a long way since then, hosting Mother Theresa in 1986.
Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventist, New York
I used to stand on the corner opposite Ephesus in Harlem and stare up at the steeple. At 37 stories, it seems as if it could touch the sky. After doing that on several different occasions, I went back specifically to take a photo of it.
A fire in 1969, damaged the original steeple. It was replaced 35 years later with a new one which weights 7,000 pounds.
Second Reformed Church, Hackensack, NJ
I spotted this church on a side street in Hackensack, NJ. It wasn’t the one I set out to photograph but I liked the quiet elegant look of it. Researching it later, I discovered that the stained glass windows in the sanctuary were designed by Tiffany.
Capuchin Monastery, NY
I’m not sure how many times I walked pass this monastery near Penn Station, New York before I noticed the sign. Except for the statue, little else about the building says religion.
When I got home, I Googled the name and discovered that the Capucin Monastery Church of St. John is an Order of Friars that arose in 1520. It is part of the Catholic church.
This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox organizes. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.
Portland Jamaica is probably the island’s best tourist destination you’ve never heard of. It’s got beautiful beaches, soaring mountains, a network of caves, romantic coves, shimmering waterfalls and dramatic coastline. Because of its location, Portland also records the most rainfall of any parish on the island. It is lush and infused with rugged beauty.
Portland, a combination of the old parishes of St. George and part of the current St. Thomas, got its name from the Duke of Portland who was a Governor of Jamaica between 1722 and 1726. It is the seventh largest parish on the island.
Morning at Boston Beach
The parish was slow to develop because of the difficulty of farming the mountainous terrain and the fear of attack by the Eastern Maroons who could be found in the nearby Blue and John Crow Mountains. Despite a generous offer from the governor of land, beef, flour, freedom from taxes and arrest for three years very few settlers were interested.
But Portland’s soil and heavy rainfall were the perfect match for bananas, the crop that finally put it on the map in the late 1900s. Lorenzo Dow Baker is credited with developing the banana industry in Jamaica. The bananas he bought were shipped to the US, where they were sold at a handsome profit, making local farmers rich.
Reach Falls
The Birthplace of Tourism in Jamaica
Eventually, Baker’s United Fruit Company, for which Portland was a major hub, controlled the banana trade and was the major supplier of the produce on the east coast of the United States and even the UK. The company shipped bananas from Jamaica and brought goods back.
Some time after the 1900s, Baker began taking tourists to the island – boats were the only means of travel between Jamaica and other countries at that time. So began the tourism industry on the island.
The United Fruit Company built the Titchfield Hotel to accommodate the visitors who began pouring into Port Antonio, the capital. The hotel had 400 rooms was the center of activity in the parish.
Unfortunately, in 1903, hurricane devastated Portland and disease virtually destroyed the banana plantations and caused the decline in the parish’s economy.
From those early days, Portland has been known as the playground of the rich and famous. Errol Flynn once owned the Titchfield Hotel, which was destroyed by fire. His wife still lives in the parish.
What to do in Portland
Portland offers a variety of activities – birdwatching, snorkeling, hiking, rafting, swimming, camping or just taking it easy. Here are five activities you should check out:
Boston Bay – Home of the best jerk in Jamaica. If you love the flavors of real jerk, make sure to take home a bottle of sauce from the jerk center at Boston Bay.
Waterfalls – Because of the mountainous terrain, Portland has several refreshing waterfalls of different sizes. Check out Reach, which is situated in Manchioneal, or Somerset Falls, which is near Hope Bay.
Rafting on the Rio Grande – The oldest rafting center on the island is in Portland. Banana rafts were used originally to transport the produce from the plantations inland to Port Antonio. Today, the 4 km tour starts at Berrydale.
Beaches – Portland has several to choose from – San San, Frenchman’s Cove, Winnifred, Boston Beach.
Blue Mountain Hike – There are several hiking trails in the Blue Mountains of varying lengths and levels of difficulty.
