Tag: #TPThursday

Boats

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I was so taken by this boat – its color and design, and the way it contrasted with the blue of the water – that I had to take a photo.

Dragon boat near Montego Bay
Dragon boat

It also gave me the idea for today’s Travel Photo Thursday post. Here are a few other ‘boat’ photos I found in my archives.

Treasure Beach Boats
Fishermen and their boats

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need: a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing. – Jerome K. Jerome

Glistening Waters Boats
White boats

Any damn fool can circumnavigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk. – Sir Francis Chichester.

Falmouth Boats
Lazy boats

Only the guy who isn’t rowing has the time to rock the boat. – Jean Paul Sartre

Boats going out
Little Ochie

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. – Martin Luther King

Boats waiting for sunset
Negril

I still remember my first time on a boat. I was nervous as we sailed away from shore, and overwhelmed by the vast expanse of water around me, and the smell of it. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for the early navigators and explorers who set off in search of lands they thought were there; how endless days at sea could easily discombobulate and disorient.

I’ve been on many boats since then, though I’m not confident that I could navigate one, even with a compass. There are no reference points on water!

What do you think of when you see a boat?

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.

Entrances & Doors

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Doors cover entrances. They provide protection, separate one space from another, and allow free movement in and out.

They can be small or large, ornate or plain, narrow or wide, keyed or sliding, swinging or revolving, open or closed. They can even be false.

Doors can be made of wood, iron, glass or mesh, and have knobs, handles, pulls, plates or nothing at all. Whatever their composition or design, they describe motion. They also tell us something about their owners and about the places they guard; some even inspire narratives.

Automatic doors test our faith – will they open when we approach?

Glass doors sometimes propel us beyond the immediate moment, causing us focus on the inside, our destination. Have you ever walked into one? It snaps your attention right back to the present.

Entrances and doors have been used as metaphors for hope, opportunity and inspiration. An open door suggests welcome. We recall happy times, laughter, and loved ones. A closed door piques curiosity. There’s mystery there, or is there?   It can also suggest a missed opportunity. There’s no mystery, however, when one’s been shut or slammed in your face.

Our lives are a series of entrances and exits.

How many entrances and doors will you walk through today?

Wooden Doors
Paris

Continue reading “Entrances & Doors” →

Getting Married in Jamaica

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Approximately 5,000 couples get married in Jamaica each year making it one of the sought after locations for destination weddings.

With miles of white sand beaches, historic great houses, and beautiful gardens, it’s no surprise that the island has been voted among the most romantic wedding destinations, and counted among the Caribbean’s and world’s leading honeymoon destinations.

Riu Hotel, Negril
Getting married in Jamaica

Jamaica makes it simple for straight couples planning a destination wedding. There are no residency requirements, however, couples must have been on the island for 24 hours. No blood tests are required.

Couples who have been granted a marriage license by the Ministry of Justice can be married on any day of the week, however the nuptials must be performed by 6 p.m. (or by dusk) on any day of the week, and must have at least two witnesses, aged 18 or older, present. Continue reading “Getting Married in Jamaica” →

Jamaica’s Rockfort Mineral Baths

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Rockfort Mineral Baths is located in East Kingston, at the foot of the Long Mountain. It includes an historic military fort which gave the area its name. The complex operates as a subsidiary of the Caribbean Cement Factory.

Rockfort Mineral Baths
Entrance to Rockfort Mineral Baths

The fort was constructed around 1694 to defend the island. Though it has been around since the 17th century, the mineral spring was discovered only in 1907 following the earthquake which caused extensive damage to Kingston and took 800 lives.

Rockfort Mineral Baths
Rockfort Mineral Baths

Mineral springs occur naturally and produce water that contain minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value. The water at Rockfort is piped from a cold spring into a swimming pool. It contains sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and copper. To avoid overexposure to the minerals, patrons are advised to spend no more than 45 minutes in the water. Continue reading “Jamaica’s Rockfort Mineral Baths” →

New York City Before Hurricane Sandy

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Last week, I waited anxiously for Hurricane Sandy to arrive here. Though western and central Jamaica were spared miraculously, when Sandy changed course, the eastern side bore the brunt of the damage and large parts of it are now disaster areas.

This week, I’ve been glued to the television, once again feeling powerless, switching from one channel to the next, looking in absolute disbelief at the images from my other home, New York City. Thankfully, so far, everyone I’ve been in touch with is fine. But my city isn’t.

Continue reading “New York City Before Hurricane Sandy” →

Wag Water River Jamaica

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

The Wag Water River in the eastern parish of St. Mary is, to me, one of Jamaica’s more interesting rivers. It rises in the mountains of St. Andrew, flows for just over 36 kilometers through St. Mary and empties into the sea west of Annotto Bay, in the parish.

The Wag Water, which used to be called Agua Alta, is one of two rivers that supply water to Kingston, the capital. Continue reading “Wag Water River Jamaica” →

Oakton House Jamaica

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

The Oakton House, a stately wooden structure caught my eye. Located in Half Way Tree, Kingston, it’s a stone’s throw from the Old Courthouse that I wrote about a few posts ago.

It was probably built in the 19th century, during the height of Jamaica’s Georgian period (1702-1910), but no records have been found to show who the original owner was. Continue reading “Oakton House Jamaica” →

St. Andrew Parish Courthouse Jamaica

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

The St. Andrew Parish Courthouse is located in Half Way Tree and is popularly referred to as the Half Way Tree Courthouse. Built in 1807, this Georgian style building has louvered windows and a closed verandah.

It was damaged in a storm and repaired in 1882, then repaired several times after. Miraculously, it escaped damage in the 1907 earthquake.

St. Andrew Courthouse Jamaica
St. Andrew Parish Courthouse Jamaica

The Courthouse was the setting for the trial of Alexander Bedward (1859-1930), a preacher and a Black Nationalist after whom the Revival movement, Bedwardism, the Jamaica Native Baptist Free Church, was named. Bedward spoke out against the government and was arrested and tried for sedition. He was committed to the mental asylum at Bellevue, where he died.

The St. Andrew Parish Courthouse was listed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust on their register of historic sites in 1957 and declared a national monument in 1985.

This is a elegant building that I hope the Jamaican National Heritage Trust will restore and make it open to the public once again. In this part of Kingston, there are several other historic buildings including the St. Andrew Parish Church, which is just next door to the Courthouse.

The St. Andrew Parish Church was founded in 1666, just after the British captured Jamaica from the Spanish in 1665, making it one of the oldest on the island. (More on the St. Andrew Parish Church in a later post.)

 The Secretariat

Another example of Georgian-style architecture is the Secretariat at King’s House.

The Secretariat, King's House, Jamaica
The Secretariat, King’s House, Jamaica

This building is now used as an office.

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.

 

Christopher Columbus Monument, Jamaica

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

When Christopher Columbus arrived in Jamaica on May 5, 1494, he anchored off the coast of the parish of St. Ann. He named the spot where he landed, Santa Gloria.

There is some uncertainty about whether Santa Gloria is now St. Ann’s Bay or Discovery Bay.  There is no doubt though that St. Ann is where Columbus first landed.

La Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus Statue, Jamaica
La Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus Monument, Jamaica

On his second visit in 1503, Columbus was shipwrecked and remained in St. Ann’s Bay for a year. During that time, the first Spanish settlement, Sevilla la Nueva was created. Sevilla is now known by its Anglicized name, Seville.

La Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus Statue, Jamaica
La Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus Monument, Jamaica

This monument of the navigator, called La Santa Maria, can be found near Seville. It’s in a beautiful little spot, but definitely out of the way. If I hadn’t been with one of my cousins, I would’ve driven right past it, like I’ve been doing for months now.

I was struck by how small in stature Columbus appears here but I think I remember (hope I’m not making this up!), that people were smaller then so this might be accurate.

Or maybe it’s that the base is so bulky that it looks disproportionate to the monument. I’ll definitely have to do more digging.

Also, I have no idea when it was built or by whom and so far, haven’t been able to find any information about it, which is a bit surprising.  There’s an inscription on the base of the monument but the gate to the little garden where it’s located was locked and I couldn’t get close enough to read it. Again, more digging is needed.

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 this post to Rwethereyetmom’s Friday Daydreaming series. Hope you’ll check out their photos too!

 

#TPThursday: An Eyecatching Jamaican Church

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I love when I happen upon a beautiful Jamaican church such as this one, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in St. Ann. My cousin and I were taking the kids to the beach when she spun the car around and said she wanted to show me something.

I jumped out of the car before she could come to a complete stop. Thankfully, I had my camera — I hardly leave home without it.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Ann
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Ann

The eye-catching Spanish-style church was built between 1939 and 1943 from local timber, and cut stone, some of which came from the Peter Martyr Catholic Church. Construction of Peter Martyr began in 1534 at Sevilla la Nueva, the first Spanish settlement in Jamaica. Only the walls were completed when the capital was moved from Sevilla to Spanish Town and Peter Martyr was abandoned.

This is my submission to this week’s Travel Photo Thursday series, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Hope you’ll head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.