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Jamaica 07     

The Caribbean

Most Caribbean islands have their own flavor. In the British Virgin Islands I remember a wooden phone booth like the one Dr Who uses to travel through time. Some islands are French, some are Dutch. The cuisine can be exciting. Jamaica is the home of Reggae, and Blue Mountain coffee, but there are Rastas and good coffee everywhere. At the bottom of the long string of islands, near South America, are my favorites, Trinidad and Tobago.

As different as each island is, most have one thing in common. They are poor countries who depend on tourism for 90% of there economy. Trinidad was a real exception. This country has been an important part of commerce for many years. They were a refueling port during W.W.II. Now there is a large middle class who have jobs and automobiles.  I went to the "shopping mall" while there.

If you go during the summer, don't miss Carnival.

Photos below

Closer to home, at the top of the long chain of small islands, are the Virgin Islands. My good friend Pete has a brother who lives on St. Thomas, the main US Virgin Island. It is so much nicer to land in a strange place, and have a friend be your host and even pick you up.  What could I bring him, not available there, as a gift? "Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee! You will have to go to the Tysons Corner Mall. Pay whatever it costs!" (It was over $30 a pound!)

"You're practically next to the island of Jamaica, and you need me to pick you up some here..?" The story, it appears, is that Japan had bought up all the Jamaican coffee beans and (maybe more than for French wines) the price was affected. But how could I say no. The downside of life in the islands is that many products have to be imported, and if you want them, you just don't ask the price. Another friend flew down a week later and was instructed to bring a needed washing machine motor.

When he arrived he got through baggage and was excited to be in paradise. But first, Pete insisted, we would go see the sunset. Whatever... I wasn't paying attention to something else said about the sunset and a Sunfish. We parked the car and walked to the beach where Pete brought out (from buried under the sand) a personal sailboat called a Sunfish, and the three of us pushed off hoping for some wind.

I learned later we actually launched from The Yacht Club, and with little breeze we had to maneuver past all these real boats, like buildings blocking our the surroundings. Eventually we hit open sea and after moving the sail and learning to yell, "Coming about", we maneuvered south and the sun was exposed.

I guess (now) the small boat could hold all of us, but I wasn't too sure for a while there. On a few occasions we tipped over. Falling or even being knocked off a light floating boat might be refreshing and non-fatal, but I was aware out here, halfway between these two islands, no one could hear a scream!

For a few reasons, people on the islands get up early. We went off from St Thomas the next morning with a 21 foot motorboat. We could hop to St John and then on to visit a few of the British Virgin Islands.

We stopped for Elevens and lunch at Pussers on St John, a lovely island that is 3/4 national park. Pussers, named after a rum, is a restaurant chain famous for their Painkillers. Elevens, I learned, are the drink islanders wait until 11:00 am to have! Painkillers came with 2, 3 or 4 ounces of rum.

After this attitude adjustment I put my credit card case back in the baggy rear pocket of my shorts and we returned to the pier and the boat. We anchored near the shore to go snorkeling and we dove in to explore a cove. I will skip the best part of the experience. If you have done any more than stuck your head in clear ocean water and found the whole new world there, you know what I saw, and how difficult it is to describe.

We trolled around the island and then headed Northeast to the British Virgin Islands and eventually Virgin Gorda and the baths, a group of volcanic rocks on the shore that has waves crashing through. About that time I realized I had lost my card case with my MasterCard and laminated drivers license. I took consolation in the fact that it was all waterproof if someone found it (maybe years later, in the future, maybe).

But Captain Pete assured me we could come back tomorrow and find it.

SURE!

We had been near the shore and there was a buoy in the water that we might find again, but locating the wallet on the sea floor 10 meters below seemed remote. But that is exactly what happened. The next day, after twenty minutes of searching and arguing whether or not we were in the right place, I saw the reflection of the hologram on the credit card. About 90% of the case was covered with newly scattered sand, but the sun reflected off the card and I dove and retrieved it. Immediately I wondered if this was a story for the credit card people, or the Virgin Island Tourist Authority.

The day of the full moon brought us back to Tortolla BVI, a fairly sleepy island that had a real charm. Once a month there is a party that attracts people from surrounding islands. We docked the boat and found a taxi. I understand now there are similar monthly celebrations all over the globe.

But Bomba's Surfside Shack was my first, and of course I got the Shroom Tee shirt!

YouTube Video of Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaca

In Barbados I was a guest at Bon Vivant Villa

Click the Sign from Carnival in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad