Wicked Wednesday … don’t get confused !

We’re half way on our trip now – Wicked Wednesday Man !  It can only mean one thing …. Jamaica !!!!!!

So close, but so far … we’re nearly there !

Sal and I were up bright and early today, and after breakfast, we made our way down the gangplank and into Jamaica.  As it was Sally’s Birthday today, I had arranged for us to take a private excursion around the island.  I booked with an amazing lady called Patrice Bailey and if you want/need her email addy, please ask me for it. 

Our guide for the day was the amazing Bobby.  I had asked that we stayed away from the typical tourist spots, and instead, spend the day finding out about the ‘real’ Jamaica.  I wanted to be able to go off the beaten track, enjoy some Jerk Chicken and do some ‘hassle-free’ shopping !  Well, we got all of that, and more …  here’s Sally and I as we start our ‘journey’

We saw everything from ran-down shanty-towns to huge sprawling dwellings, all within minutes, possibly seconds from each other.  These people lived side by side … and at times, my heart broke for the circumstances these people lived in.  There is no ‘social security’ in Jamaica, and people have to earn their money however they can.  We drove past numerous road side sellers selling everything from coconuts to hand-carved/painted plaques.

  

 

Bobby took us to the ‘town’ where he lived – Duncansville.  Similar to Southern Ireland, Jamaica is made up of Parishes, and Duncansville is in the Parish of Trelawny.

The people of Duncansville were lovely and friendly, and I’d love to spend more time there ‘investigating’ the place.  As we continued our journey, one thing really struck me, and that was how smart the school children looked.  We drove past Bobbys’ sons school, and the children looked immaculate, despite the draining heat.

We continued our journey, and we stopped again at a place called St Anne’s to visit with friends of Bobby’s who owned a local bar.  Carolina (the wife) invited us to take a walk down to the local beach opposite – this was where the fishermen ‘lived’ and ‘worked’ from. 

When we arrived at the beach, we started taking photographs and talking about the Island itself.  Caroline was a mine of information, and explained how the big cargo ships would arrive near this beach to load up the concrete that Jamaica was famous for exporting – I couldn’t believe that these huge ships could berth at this small port, but arrive they did !

Sally and I suddenly spotted someone waving to us as we were taking photographs, so we politely waved back.  The gentleman continued to wave to us and started approaching.  Caroline told us that he was 80 and was still fishing … even more surprising, was when he finally reached us, he had dreadlocks down to his knees !!!   He was a right old character, and asked for us to take his photograph - we were more than happy to oblige !  He walked us back to the ‘bar’ to say goodbye – what a character !

Sally and I were very tempted when we saw the following sign …

We continued on our way, and stopped for lunch at the amazing Scotchies – which is an extremely well-known restaurant specialising in Jerk Chicken.  We decided to go the whole hog, and ordered more or less everything on the menu so that we could taste it – and needless to say, we didn’t eat it all – but boy, was it delicious !!!

Scotchies ! 

Anyway, this is now getting a bit long …. eek !  We finished off doing some stress free shopping at a wonderful shop in Ocho Rios on the North side of the Island – the shop was owned by a friend of Bobby’s and we bought some stunning gifts at discounted prices.

We even had our own personal shoppers ! Here’s a photograph of them with the amazing Bobby !

Well, I will end today’s post by saying that we rounded off the evening with an amazing meal at the Samba Grill for Sally’s Birthday with the Vice President of Stampin Up, Amy Shwartz and her husband Mario, Paula Gorry, Business Manager for the Uk and her amazing husband Paul – and finally, Monica and Pete Gale !

Don’t forget to pop back tomorrow for the next update – I hope you’re not getting bored !?!?!?!?!

Cal xxx