Jamaica’s Fascinating Fretwork

Posted on March 14, 2013September 28, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

I’ve been photographing examples of fretwork in Jamaica’s architecture for several months now. My fascination with the art form goes back to my childhood and the house I grew up in. Fretwork, similar to the one below, decorated the transoms – the space above the doors – and allowed air to flow freely through the house.

Fretwork is ornamental work that is made up of three dimensional interlacing designs. It has been around for more than 3,000 years. The Egyptians used inlays that were fretted in their furniture, and fretwork has been popular in Europe and North America since the 1800s.

Fretwork would have come to Jamaica around the same time. Examples can still be seen on official buildings that were constructed following the Georgian style, as well as private homes.

Below are some examples of fretwork I’ve captured.

Fretwork at Westgate Shopping Centre, Montego Bay — Sam Sharpe’s story told in fretwork

These panels at Westgate Shopping Centre in Montego Bay, captured my attention. I’ve been shopping here almost every week for more than a year and had no idea until I began this post that they depicted the Sam Sharpe rebellion, which took place in 1831. Sharpe, a preacher, was born in the parish of St. James, and is one of Jamaica’s National Heroes.

The work was designed by Margaret Robson and Will Robson in collaboration with architect, Cosmo Whyte. It was built by Magic Toys.

Fretwork at Falmouth building — On gables

Fretwork can be found on gables and on window coolers.

Other uses of fretwork, Falmouth — Window cooler

Fretwork on an eave in Falmouth — Another example

These details add beauty and character to the buildings they adorn.

What kinds of architectural details do you look for when you travel?

This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

This week, I’m also linking up with the Friday Daydreaming series organized by Becca at Rwethereyetmom. Hope to see you there!

Staying Safe During an Earthquake

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake shook western Jamaica at 6:10 a.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2013. The epicenter was located in Darliston, Westmoreland, 29 kilometers south-southwest of Montego Bay and 130 kilometers west of Kingston. No injuries or damages were reported.

The rumbling lasted just a few seconds. Was that an earthquake, I wondered. I shook my head to reject the thought and calm the panic that suddenly tightened my chest when I realized I couldn’t remember the earthquake survival lessons I’d learned when I was little.

As I tried desperately to remember what to do, another, less insistent sound rippled through the stillness of the morning. There was no doubt now; it was an earthquake. Thankfully, it wasn’t strong enough but what if that had been an earthquake?

Going from one room to the next, I took a good look at the doorway I had just passed through – standing in the doorway was the only thing that finally came to mind. It appeared solid enough to my untrained eye, but would it have been able to withstand thousands of pounds of concrete? I didn’t want to wait for an earthquake to be sure. I had to devise a plan, so I went online.

If you live in Jamaica or another Caribbean island, the thing that’s uppermost in your mind is a hurricane. There’s even a rhyme that we all learn: June, too soon. July, stand by. August, you must! September, remember. October, all over. that describes what to do during the five critical months of the season.

But although Jamaica is in an active seismic zone and experiences up to 200 tremors annually there’s no such reminder for earthquakes. Jamaica has had a long history with earthquakes. It recorded its first in 1687 and evidence of its most devastating, in 1692, remain to this day. In that event, Port Royal was hit by an earthquake and tsunami that submerged two-thirds of the city. Nearly 3,000 souls were lost.

Prior to this year, the last earthquake hit the center of the island in 2005 and caused minor damage. Following the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, it was reported that geologist predicted it but were unsure whether Haiti or Jamaica would have been affected as both countries are on the same fault line.

So what should you do if an earthquake hits while you’re traveling?

First and most importantly, don’t panic.
Drop to the ground and take cover. Get under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture and hold on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a sturdy table nearby, crouch inside the corner of your room or building and cover your face and head with your arms.
Move away from glass windows and doors and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures, ceiling fans, heavy mirrors, bookcases, hanging plants or other heavy objects.
If you’re in bed when the earthquake strikes, protect your head with a pillow and stay clear of anything that could fall or break.
Seek shelter in a doorway, if you’re nearby and if you know that it is strongly supported. Stay on the hinged side to avoid it swinging and hitting you.
Remain indoors until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Most injuries occur when people enter or exit or move to a different location inside a building.
Don’t use candles or matches or other open flame during or after the earthquake as there might be ruptured gas mains.
Electricity may be off so fire alarms, for example, may be off or won’t work.
Do not use elevators or you might become trapped.
If you’re in a hotel, stay in your room. Shelter under a sturdy table or desk and hold on.
If you’re in a restaurant, get under the table.
If you’re outside, stay there but be sure you’re not close to buildings, streetlights, utility poles, utility wires, or trees. Drop to the ground and cover your head and face with your arms. Remain until the shaking stops.
If you’re in a moving vehicle, stop as safety permits but stay in the vehicle. Avoid parking near or under buildings, trees, overpasses or utility wires. Once the earthquake has stopped, proceed cautiously but stay clear of roads, bridges and ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

There are a few precautions you can take when you travel that will help put your mind at ease whether there’s a disaster or a power cut.

Pack a battery operated or crank radio so that if the electricity goes out, you’ll still be able to get information.
Carry an LED flashlight in case the power goes out.
Pack snacks like trail mix, nuts, etc., in case you can’t get food for a while.
After an earthquake, water might not be drinkable. It’s good to iodine tablets handy but if you don’t have those, stick to bottled water. Make sure there are a few bottles in your hotel room and rental car, if you have one.
If your hotel is near the sea, check with the hotel staff about their evacuation plan and make sure you know how to get above the ground floor or other designated ‘safe’ area.
If you’re traveling with others, decide on a meeting point and make sure everyone in your party can find it. Also designate someone back home to be your contact person.

Unlike hurricanes, earthquakes strike without warning but having a plan in place can mitigate some of the stress they can cause.

Do you have an emergency travel plan?

Street Food, Jamaican Style

Posted on March 7, 2013August 3, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

We don’t call it street food here, though that’s what it is and it’s been around for a while. When I was about 6 or 7, and we only used to jerk pork, there was a man who’d go from house to house selling pork from a metal pan that was attached to the front of his bicycle. The pan was like a portable barbecue with smoldering pimento coals at the bottom and another pan which contained the pork. You could smell it long before he arrived at our gate.

Back then, the economy was mostly agrarian and families prepared their meals at home. Women would send their men off to the fields with lunches that were packed in “carriers,” aluminum containers that had compartments to keep the components of the meal separate. It also had a handle that made it easy to carry — I suspect that’s how it got it’s name.

If they had further to go, say to Kingston, the capital, there’d be stalls that sold seasonal fruits, like oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, otaheiti apples, etc., and a few that sold roasted yam and salted cod fish – inexpensive, popular and easy enough to make over an open fire.

To supplement the household income, some women would make baked goods – coconut drops (called drops for the way the sugary coconut mixture was dropped from a spoon and baked), cut cake, grater cake (a coconut and sugar reduction that is cooled and cut into small squares), peppermint candy, gizzadas (grated coconut in a crunchy shell), etc., that they sold as snacks, mostly at schools.

With more Jamaicans working further from home in the service based sector, few have time to prepare home cooked meals and stalls selling a variety of foods have become ubiquitous. Here are a few that I’ve eaten at.

Street Food, Jamaican Style — Food Stand

Despite its name, not all the food here was roasted. We stopped for a breakfast of green bananas and mackerel.

Food stalls can be as elaborate or as rudimentary as the owner wishes. Some are small enough that they can be placed anywhere. At this stall in Clarendon, our lunch consisted of soup, roasted yam and codfish.

At festivals, the number and variety of food stalls are sometimes overwhelming. I get food overload and can’t decide what to eat, like the day I took this photo at the Accompong Maroon Treaty Celebration.

The operator at this stall didn’t want anyone taking photos of his dressed up pigs but I couldn’t resist.

Street Food, Jamaican Stye — Roasted Yam

Roasted yam is still quite popular maybe because it’s relatively easy to prepare. All you have to do is put the yam over the fire and the heat does the rest.

On hot days, a drink of cold coconut water is refreshing.

My friend, Karen, is taking her coconut with a shot of Jamaican rum – a delicious combination. We were laughing at how decadent it was to be drinking so early in the morning. It might have been about 11 o’clock.

Here, the stall was the back of this guy’s car. He also had straw bags, change purses made from small calabash gourds, banana chips, knitted caps with locks and frozen jelly coconuts – one stop shopping.

Do you try street food when you travel?

This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

This week, I’m also linking up with the Friday Daydreaming series organized by Becca at Rwethereyetmom. Hope to see you there!

A Jamaican Spring

Posted on March 4, 2013June 27, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

If you’re thinking there’s no spring in Jamaica, you’d be right. Even one of our venerable poets, H.D. Carberry, couldn’t resist celebrating this fact in his poem, Nature.

We have neither Summer nor Winter
Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green cane fields –
Magnificently

But if you think of spring as a period of rebirth and rejuvenation, a time to restart or reboot then we do experience spring. And despite it being the dry season now — it started round December and will continue through April or May — several events have begun that signal the return of our Jamaican spring.

Yellow Poui Tree — Nothing says sprint like a poui tree

Like the blossoming of the poui tree. Although we have many more days without rain now, the trees have already burst forth in a riot of yellow and pink. Their unmistakably brilliant colors draw the eye to where ever the trees are located and it’s not unusual to hear someone call out, Look, a poui tree!

I did exactly that while driving home last Sunday. As my eyes traveled up the hills above the city, I spotted two patches of dazzling yellow. That can’t be the poui, I thought. But as I got closer, I knew without doubt that it was and it brought on an unexpected feeling of happiness that plastered a big smile to my face.

The blooming of the poui tree doesn’t always bring smiles. Sometimes it acts as a clear reminder for students at the local university that it’s time to hit the books as exams are around the corner.

Flame of the Forest, Hanover Jamaica — Flame of the Forest

In addition to the poui, the Flame of the Forest dazzles with its radiant flowers — I love seeing splashes of red in a carpet of green — and the flowering of the cactus.

Flowering cactus, Montego Bay Jamaica — Flowering Cactus

Flower Shows

It might seem unusual for the dry Jamaican spring to also be the start of flower show season, but it is. Two weekends ago, the orchid show brought out orchid enthusiasts and growers. There will be other shows around the island from now through August.

White Orchid, Montego Bay Jamaica — Orchid

Fruits

The jackfruit and otaheiti apple are some of the fruits that are plentiful now. While the jackfruit isn’t one of my favorites — it’s got an unusual taste and a distinct flavor — the deep red cotton-candy-tasting otaheiti apple is. But the jackfruit’s packed with dietary fiber and has no cholesterol or saturated fats so I should probably try to get used to the taste.

Otaheiti Apples, St. Thomas — Otaheiti Apples

While some fruits are ready for eating, others, like the mango are just blossoming.

Mango tree in bloom, Montego Bay — A blossoming mango tree

And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.

It’s reaping time for sugar cane now and in the cane belt, you’ll see fields that are covered in tall grass-like leaves standing next to those that have been reaped, and trucks laden down with joints of the sugary cane.

Canefield, Duckenfield St. Thomas Jamaica — Sugar cane plantation

But best of all there are the days when the mango and logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

Sports

Jamaicans love sports and in our Jamaican spring, schools begin hosting or participating in meets that identify the athletes that will represent them at national and international tournaments later in the year. One of the most popular, the Gibson Relays, took place about ten days ago and the Boys and Girls Champs will roll around in March.

Though we’re not hosting the matches, almost everyone’s following the coverage of the West Indies team as they go up against Zimbabwe in cricket, as well as the performance of the women’s team in cricket World Cup.

These are some of our unmistakable signs of spring in Jamaica. While it might not be a distinct season as it is elsewhere, we do experience a period of rebirth that is just as beautiful and remarkable.

This is my entry to Traveling with Sweeney‘s Spring-themed blog carnival. Please be sure to head over and check out other posts that celebrate spring around the world.

Sandals Island Jamaica

Posted on February 28, 2013June 27, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

It’s impossible to ignore this Sandals recreation resort, with its Asian-inspired design, bright red color and unique location on Sandals Island, a private off-shore island near Montego Bay. It is the only hotel in Jamaica that occupies its own island. How cool is that?

Guests get to the private island, which has all amenities, including restaurants, a private beach, pool, Jacuzzi and more by hopping on one of these dragon boats, or by sea kayak or sailboat. Can you imagine the stories they tell when they return home?

Dragon Boat near Sandals Island — Dragon Boat

Sandals Resorts is the largest locally-owned hotel in Jamaica. It operates seven properties in Jamaica, and several more on the islands of Antigua, the Bahamas, Cuba, St. Lucia and Turks & Caicos. All Sandals resorts are couples only.

This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

This week, I’m also linking up with the Friday Daydreaming series organized by Becca at Rwethereyetmom. Hope to see you there!

Reach Falls Jamaica

Posted on February 21, 2013July 6, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

Reach Falls has been on my travel list since the late 1980s when I had found out that it had been featured in the Tom Cruise movie, Cocktail. You might remember the one where Tom’s a bartender whose skill at flipping and juggling bottles of alcohol and pouring them perfectly into a glass had everyone dazzled. Frankly, that’s about all I can recall of the movie now but it made me curious about Reach Falls.

Said to have been discovered by slaves from the neighboring parish of St. Thomas, Reach Falls is located in the tropical rain forest of the John Crow Mountains in the eastern parish of Portland. Though the Falls is on the Driver’s River, it takes its name from Reach, the community that it’s a part of.

We set out from Montego Bay around mid-morning a few weeks ago, and after a few stops, arrived in Port Antonio, the capital, about 4 hours later. Following the signs to Reach Falls, we turned on to a secondary road that was fringed with a variety of flora. There were many downed coconut, banana and other trees, the result of Hurricane Sandy’s pass over this part of the island but not even Sandy could alter the carpet of lush green that spread to the mountains in the distance. After about 20 minutes of relatively slow going – the road was pot holed and narrow – the entrance to the Falls appeared.

Tree and foliage at Reach Falls — Entrance to Reach Falls

Except for a hotel bus, only a few employees were in sight – Reach Falls was deserted. Following the release of Cocktail, in 1988, the Falls saw a spike in visitors but numbers have leveled off. That might be due to its location relative to Montego Bay. Although Port Antonio is where tourism began in Jamaica (ships taking bananas from the island would bring visitors back), it too, has lost some of its former glory.

Size could also be a factor. At about 11 acres, much of it rain forest, Reach Falls is just too small to accommodate the hordes that visit Dunn’s River or YS Falls annually and with just one plunge pool, there isn’t much to do except enjoy the peaceful scenery. Which was quite fine by me – I like places that not overrun by visitors.

After we purchased our tickets, our guide led us the few yards through a thicket of hibiscus and ginger lilies down the steps to the Falls.

The Driver’s River rises in the mountains and traverses limestone rocks before it empties into the sea 3 miles beyond Reach Falls. At the Falls, the river cascades approximately 22 feet down a rock face into a sparkling turquoise pool.

Hibiscus and foliage near Reach Falls — Reach Falls Jamaica

Though not as popular as Dunn’s River Falls with its human daisy chain, or as spectacular as YS with its rolling countryside, it is no less beautiful, and because there are fewer visitors, is an oasis of calm. You can hear and see a variety of birds, including the black and yellow billed parrots, overhanging vines, bamboo canes, and over 23 different species of ferns.

Main pool at Reach Falls — Reach Falls shallow pool

At the edge of the Falls, the water is so clear – you can see all the stones at the bottom – we didn’t want to go in. Seeing our hesitation, our guide asked if we wanted to swim. It was refreshingly cool but also quite shallow. The water hit me just above my ankles but it got deeper further away from the edge. The shallow area, he explained, was reserved for non-swimmers, while the roped-off area was for swimmers. Yes, Reach Falls is a great spot to cool off on a hot day.

Foliage near Reach Falls — Reach Falls foliage

The more than 20 rivers that crisscross Jamaica produce almost as many waterfalls. If you’re a nature lover or a waterfall enthusiast, you should check out Reach Falls and take the guided tour down the Driver’s River.

Before You Go

About 25 miles from Kingston and 100 miles from Montego Bay
Open Wednesdays to Sundays and local public holidays from 8:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Cost: Age 4-12 years – US$5; 12 and over US$10
Amenities: Bathrooms, changing areas and store

This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

This week, I’m also linking up with the Friday Daydreaming series organized by Becca at Rwethereyetmom. Hope to see you there!

The Quakers in Jamaica

Posted on February 20, 2013July 6, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

Until I spotted this pretty little church in Portland, one of Jamaica’s eastern parishes, I had no idea there were Quakers still on the island.

The Quakers, also referred to as the Society of Friends, were among the earliest settlers in Jamaica having come to the island after the English conquest in 1655.

They believe that God is in everyman, therefore there’s no need for priests to speak on their behalf. That was revolutionary thinking at the time and many were charged with religious blasphemy. Some were jailed in the UK, others were sent to abroad to serve their sentences. In Jamaica, the Quakers continued their religious dissent. They refused to serve in the militia or to be sworn in as jurors.

In 1671, George Fox, founder of the Quakers visited Jamaica and established seven meetings on the island and by the start of the 18th century, there were nearly 10,000 Quakers on the island.

Pretty Quaker Church in Portland — A Quaker Church, Jamaica

Although the Quakers became the face of the movement to emancipate the slaves, for a time some were involved in the trade. Following abolition in 1834, there was an “apprenticeship period” before full freedom, but ill treatment of the almost free slaves continued.

In 1837, Quakers Joseph Sturge and Thomas Harvey traveled to Jamaica and other islands to investigate reports of brutality on the plantations. Sturge and Harvey’s journal notes were published under the title, The West Indies in 1937, and were used to create the storyboards at the Hanover Workhouse.

In 1898, the Quakers established the Happy Grove High School in Portland. They also created the first public health facility in Jamaica in the 1970s, and boys’ and girls’ homes for orphans.

Today, they are 14 meeting houses and about 500 Quakers in Jamaica. Their numbers have dwindled reportedly because their form of worship – no pastor, singing, rituals or collection of tithes – is too staid compared to the more exuberant congregations that are referred to locally as “clap-hand” churches.

I was curious to go inside but we didn’t have enough time.

This little church can be seen just outside of Hector’s River, Portland, near the border with St. Thomas. It’s about 30 miles from Kingston.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted on February 14, 2013July 6, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

Despite its crass commercialism, it’s hard to ignore the message of love that Valentine’s Day evokes.

There are several stories about the origin of the day of lovers — and they all come back to Valentine. One is of a third century priest who defied the Emperor Claudius and performed secret weddings on young lovers. Claudius believed that single men made better soldiers than those who had wives and children and forbid them to marry. When the emperor discovered what Valentine had been doing, he ordered his imprisonment and later his execution.

Another Valentine rescued Christians from the beatings and torture they received in Roman prisons. Still another Valentine is said to have sent a letter to the young girl who visited him in jail – he’d apparently fallen in love with her. He signed his letter, “From your Valentine.”

Whatever the truth of the origin of Valentine’s Day, one thing is sure. It’s the one day in the year that lovers, and those who want to be, feel free to express their love by sending flowers, chocolates and cards – though maybe now, they also send emails, ecards and text messages.

Valentine’s Day represents a huge economic boon to florists, restaurants, card sellers. Approximately 189 million roses are produced for Valentine’s Day. However, if you waited until today, you’re likely to pay up to four times more per rose than you would have yesterday. You’ll probably also pay more for the meal.

Here in Jamaica as everywhere, lovers will celebrate Valentine’s Day with dinner and flowers.

I have learned not to worry about love; but to honor its coming with all my heart.  – Alice Walker

Continue reading “Happy Valentine’s Day!” →

Finding Romance in Jamaica

Posted on February 13, 2013July 6, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

Romance isn’t something I think about when I travel as most of the times, I’m traveling solo. When I travel with my partner, it’s an entirely different trip as every activity we engage in, whether we’re looking at art, admiring the architecture of an old building or sharing a meal, is infused with the passion we have for each other, and romantic feelings bloom.

That’s not to say that when I travel solo I don’t notice places that evoke romantic feelings or ooze romance and make me wish he’d come with me – I do – but I focus on what interests me. So in celebration of romance and Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing some of the places and things that, to me, scream romance.

Sunrise

Sunrise, especially those moments when night is slowly giving way to day, always stir romantic feelings. I was halfway up Jamaica’s Blue Mountain as the glow of the moon receded and the sun began to stain the sky with a muted palette of colors that made me feel just warm and fuzzy.

Early morning romance on the Blue Mountain — Sunrise on the Blue Mountain, Jamaica

Continue reading “Finding Romance in Jamaica” →

The Story Behind the Lucea Clock Tower

Posted on February 7, 2013July 6, 2013 by Marcia Mayne

If an order was delivered to you in error, would you keep it?

Lucea Clock Tower with distinctive looking helmet — Lucea Clock Tower, Hanover Jamaica

That was the question the residents of Hanover had to answer when they received this clock instead of the one they ordered. The mistake wasn’t theirs of course. It seems that the captain of the ship that was taking the clock they received, a gift from Germany to the people of the island of St. Lucia, got confused and delivered it to Lucea instead of St. Lucia.

It was an honest mistake on the captain’s part. Lucea, the capital of the parish of Hanover, had been known at various times as Sant Lucea, St. Lucia, and St. Lucea. I’m not sure what it was being called then but I can easily see how the captain could’ve become confused, especially since Jamaica was probably better known than St. Lucia.

Unfortunately, for the St. Lucians, the people of Lucea fell in love with the clock, which was designed to resemble the helmet worn by the German Royal Guard, and decided to keep it — the one they had ordered was more modest — and took up a collection to pay for the difference in cost. A German landowner paid for the tower and the clock was installed in 1817. It is an eye catching landmark that seems has been watching over the town of Lucea for almost 200 years.

No word on what the St. Lucians thought of the Hanoverians’ highjacking of their clock or if theirs still stands.

While most towns in Jamaica still have their clock tower, none has as fascinating a history as the one in Lucea.

This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

This week, I’m also linking up with the Friday Daydreaming series organized by Becca at Rwethereyetmom. Hope to see you there!

Category: Travel

Jamaica’s Fascinating Fretwork

Staying Safe During an Earthquake

Street Food, Jamaican Style