Ocho Rios

OCHO RIOS, or ëOcheeí as it is known locally, has experienced such explosive growth over the last decade that few people can recall the sleepy fishing village, bauxite port and stream-laced nirvana that once existed. Today it is a high density town of concrete hotels, condominium complexes, office blocks, multiple shopping centres and extreme traffic congestion ñ but still one of the favourite cruise ship ports in the Caribbean. The economy of the town is based almost entirely on tourism. The Urban Development Corporation, a government company responsible for much of the development still plays a central role, assisted

by the St Ann Development Company, directors of which include prominent local citizens sympathetic to the incumbent government. The vigorous St Ann Chamber of Commerce, representing a wide cross section of business and tourism entities attempts to monitor and guide development of the town. The government owns 3000 acres of land on the west of the town near Dunns River and an incomparable beach at Laughing Waters. This area is slated for development and there is talk of another resort town, a twin for Ocho Rios. Squatters on government land, lured by the promise of tourism employment are one of several environmental problems here.

Ocho Rios and its environs offer a wide variety of visitor accommodation. Two adjacent multi-storey hotels on Ocho Rios bay were cleverly ìmarriedî to produce the Jamaica Grande: with 720 rooms it is the islandís largest hotel, while extensive conference facilities, state of the art ëJamaicaín Me Crazyí disco, clover-shaped pool fed by a 26 foot artificial waterfall, etc. make it one of the most impressive.

The all-inclusive genre is represented by Sandals Dunns River, Couples and Ciboney; small inns include Mantalent Inn and Almond Tree; Shaw Park Beach Hotel is popular and versatile, and the range of self-catering condominiums includes Turtle Towers, Fishermanís Point, Sandcastles, Sombra and Columbus Heights. Two unique properties are Enchanted Gardens (with icy natural waterfalls and steaming open air jacuzzis) and posh Jamaica Inn situated on what is arguably the best beach on the north coast and so small and successful that it does not need to advertise.

Ocho Rios welcomes over a thousand cruise ship passengers every week. Most of these are whisked away to various attractions on pre-booked tours or taken shopping at plazas like Soni or Taj Mahal, the last being an architectural parody of Indiaís matchless tomb ñ strategically placed opposite the exit from the pier. Plaza owners pay bus and taxi drivers ëa moneyí for each tourist delivered inside one of these plazas ñ a fact that infuriates shopkeepers in less affluent locations. There are four official craft markets in Ocho Rios and an illegal one along Fern Gulley, which, by the time of printing, may well have been displaced by The Ocho Rios Clean-up campaign instigated in June 1995.

Restaurants

Eating options range from elegant gourmet restaurants through fast food outlets (Kentucky Fried, Burger King, Shakeyís) to jerked snacks at Jerk Village. A cross section of well established restaurants include Evitaís and Almond Tree, The Ruins where you dine by waterfall, Glennís Place (with a bonus of piano bar or jazz), Trade Winds and Blue Cantina (2 locations). Billís Place is a very popular watering hole, while the local version of nouvelle cuisine offered by Rastafarian brethren Javies and Muggy at Jungle Lobster House under the old White River bridge is highly rated. Most all-inclusives sell day or night passes which cover all you can eat or drink plus entertainment and sports facilities.

Ochee swings at night with discos and bars, live bands and floor shows at most hotels. Top class artistes are frequently presented in concert at showman Keith Footeís Little Pub

on main street.

PLACES OF INTEREST

COYABA River Garden and Museum above Shaw Park Gardens lives up to its name ñ Coyaba being the Arawak word for para-dise. The garden is small but refreshing. The small museum deftly and authentically summarizes, with the help of a video, the story of an island ìWhere three worlds metî. Among the treasures here are a Spanish water jar, sixteenth century maps, slave shackles and a bill of sale, and rarest of all ñ a Zemi stone. Each Arawak possessed at least one Zemi ñ a small idol in which his personal god resided, and each Zemi was given a name by its owner. Their religion, heretical by Spanish standards, did not prevent Peter Martyr of Anghiera from describing the Arawaks as ìa people so full of love and without greed that I believe there is no better race or better land in the world.î The Coyaba gallery displays works of Jamaican artists and the gift shop has choice craft items. Fruit drinks and Blue Mountain coffee are served on the paved terrace and a bar is strategically located mid-garden.

SHAW PARK GARDENS, high on the hill overlooking the town can be a beautiful and relaxing experience. Acres of lawns and terraces tumble down the hillside and are enhanced by an interesting variety of native and imported trees, decorative shrubs and ìrosesíì(to Jamaicans garden flowers are ìrosesî and wild flowers are ìbushî). There is a bar if you are thirsty, a cascading stream to splash in if you are hot, and even a tame hummingbird that enjoys hamming it up for photographers.

PROSPECT PLANTATION: Tour the estate of the late Sir Harold Mitchell, British author, industrialist and politician

for an introduction to local flora and crops such as banana, cassava, pimento (allspice), coconuts and limes. The tractor-drawn jitney will pause at spectacular views like the White River gorge where Jamaicaís first hydro-electric plant was built, or Sir Haroldís Viewpoint ñ from where, on a clear day you can see 90 miles across the sea to Cuba. The tour is conducted by a cadet from the Prospect Cadet Training Centre, a school founded by Sir Harold for the sons of less privileged Jamaicans. The curriculum includes music, first aid, riding, swimming and self-reliance skills along with academic subjects. The tour ends at the beautiful Prospect Chapel, which is non-denominational and built with stone and wood from the estate. In the grounds are trees planted by many famous visitors: Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Pierre Trudeau and Henry Kissinger to name a few. Also sited at Prospect is the St Johnís Ambulance Brigade, a non-profit organization which provides ambulance service. St Johnís able supervisor Mrs Audrey Whitehorne also organizes First Aid and Home Nursing courses for schools and hotel staff.

HARMONY HALL originally the great house of a small pimento plantation was restored and embellished to provide a showcase for Jamaican art and craft. Catalyst for the project was Annabella Proudlock, assisted by a group of friends and friendly business firms. Works of internationally acclaimed artists can be seen here including pieces by Jamaican Primitives ñ nowadays called ìIntuitivesî ñ among them Albert Artwell, Brother Everald Brown and the late Kapo. There are shows every month during the tourist season and craft fairs at Easter and on Independence Day (August 1st). Laminated ìAnnabella Boxesî ñ a popular gift item ñ originated here. A moderately priced pub-style restaurant and bar is an added attraction.

DUNNS RIVER is the islandís premier attraction, visited by almost a million persons annually. It is a place of unique beauty where the river dances down a giant limestone staircase to a white sand beach and warm blue sea. Climbing the falls with a guide is easier than it looks but there are ordinary steps with hand rails and wooden observation decks for the non-athletic. Guides will offer to carry your cameras and take snaps as you frolic in the foam. In the river there are pools to swim in, caves behind falls, and mini-whirlpools. Colourful shrubs, ferns, palms and huge shade trees grow above, beside and even in the river. There are also a beach, changing rooms and lockers. In the sea, the mixture of icy river water and warm salt water makes for

exhilarating swimming. On

cruise ship days you may have

to queue to climb the falls.

RAFTING ON THE WHITE RIVER: turn south into the hills at the

White River Bridge and follow the signs to Calypso Rafting. The trip on a bam-boo raft takes about 45 minutes to the mouth of the river with the option of a dip at a swimming hole.

JAZZ FESTIVAL: For two weeks in June the Ocho Rios Jazz festival presents outstanding local and international jazz artist at different venues.

GOLF: At Sandals Golf & Country Club in the hills nearby ñ turn inland at the bridge over the White River. The 18 hole par 71 course and clubhouse have recently been revamped and a gourmet restaurant added. Sandals guests play free but other visitors are welcome and pay a green fee.

Super Clubs Golf Club at Runaway Bay is an 18 hole par 72 championship course. Visitors welcome and pay a green fee. Driving range and practice greens. Resident Pro Seymour Rose

is considered one of the longest hitters in the world.

OCHEEíS BAUXITE ROOTS

Few people now recall that Jamaicaís bauxite/alumina industry was launched in the hills just north of Ocho Rios and that it was this that started the metamorphosis of the tiny fishing village. At Phoenix Park near Moneague the genesis of the bauxite industry is commemorated by a roadside plaque made from the first aluminium cast from Jamaican ore. The story goes that the alumina content of St Annís ìred dirtíîwas discovered when the original owner, Sir Alfred díCosta became distressed with the poor condition of his cattle and sent abroad samples of the soil for analysis ñ and the high bauxite content was revealed. ìThusî according to the plaque ìgiving to Jamaica a new industry and to the countries of the free world a new resource against aggressionî ñ a reference, perhaps to the extensive use of aluminium in fighter planes and missiles? By law, mined out bauxite land must be restored. In the process the open pits left after mining are bulldozed, filled, graded and covered with at least 6 inches of the top soil scraped off when mining started. The pier at the west of town is the only reminder of Reynolds Jamaica Mines ñ once the economic base of Ocho Rios. Construction of their deep water pier began in the late ë40s and the first shipment of Jamaican bauxite to be exported left here in 1952. The Reynolds mines, plant and office were situated in the hills south of Ocho Rios.The ore was mined in open pits, dried and then transported to the coast by an overhead conveyor belt 6.3 miles long. Reynolds undertook extensive agricultural research to determine the most productive use for restored land. After numerous experiments with livestock, forestry, orchards etc the verdict was that the land was best suited to its traditional use ñ raising beef cattle. On Reynolds farms, the planting of high protein grasses, the feedlot system and the introduction of the Santa Gertrudis cattle produced results that impressed even Fidel Castro. In 1980, after lengthy negotiations, the Jamaican government acquired all the land owned by Reynolds, plus 50% of the companyís mining assets to create a partnership with Reynolds continuing to manage the operation. Early in 1984 Reynolds announced their intention of pulling out of Jamaica and by mid-1984 they were gone, an abrupt end to an important chapter of local history. To date the Jamaican government has been unable to find another joint venture partner or foreign investor to re-open the mines. The Reynolds pier is still used to ship sugar and more frequently by cruise ships when there are more than two of these in port.

Tour 15

To Discovery Bay and the

Dry Harbour Mountains

Leave Ocho Rios by the ex-bauxite pier now pressed into service on busy cruise ship days. Clarke Artís colourful mini-studio has been there R for many a year. Hidden from the road R a photogenic waterfall plunges into the sea. Just before Dunns River, the beautiful water garden and ocean front estate at Rio Chico, R belongs to Butch Stewart, Chairman and major shareholder of the Sandals Chain. The Lionís Den R is a fascinating bar and restaurant embellished with elaborate wickerwork and intricately carved columns created by the former proprietor, the late Bongo Silly. Waggon Wheel R is an interesting craft shop specializing in wicker creations.

West of Dunns River on the R Laughing Waters with a fine beach and exquisite small waterfall is owned by the government of Jamaica and can be rented for functions. The road L leads to Roaring River great house and on to what used to be a spectacular waterfall ñ now harnessed to supply 3.8 megawatts of power. At Mammee Bay, (named for the Mammee apple trees that used to grow here in profusion) there is a luxury residential subdivision.

Sandals Dunns River with a replica of the famous waterfall in one of its swimming pools is one of the largest in the international Sandals chain. The St Ann Polo Club at Drax Hall has matches every Saturday. Polo, introduced by the British army in the late 1800s, has been thoroughly Jamaicanized and has a small but fanatical following. Polo at Drax Hall provides an unusual spectator sport, a glimpse of the local gentry in their natural habitat, delicious afternoon teas and moderate bar prices.

The adjacent football field, donated by the owners of Drax Hall and frequently crowded by spectators, provides a glimpse of more rootsy recreation. Drax Hall estate was created in 1669 by William Drax, a planter from Barbados ñ sugar, pimento, limes, coconuts and cattle have all been successfully produced here for centuries. The current owners plan an 800 acre tourism/residential development centred around a golf course, marina and the beach at Don Christopherís Cove.

The highway skims St Anns Bay, and passing R St Ann Arti-sanís Village and waterfront restaurant called The Mug, then past a fishermanís beach and roadside display of earthenware ìFlowers Potsî produced by a pleasant person known as ìPotter Manî.

At Seville, the first Spanish settlement remains little more than a legend despite sporadic archaeological investigations. Sevilla La Nueva was founded in 1509 on orders from Diego Columbus, Governor of the Indies who chose the site where his father Christopher had been marooned with two unseaworthy ships for one year. The grand city planned never materialized and was abandoned 25 years later when the capital removed to St Jago de la Vega (now Spanish Town). Seville is known to have had a cathedral, palace, and sugar factory. Relics of these were unearthed in the 1950s by the late Charles Cotter, an amateur but expert archaeologist and include exquisitely carved stones from the Church of Peter Martyr of Anghiera ñ an absentee abbot who wrote a book about the New World but never set foot in Jamaica. Attempts to uncover the remains of Columbusí stranded vessels using the most advanced sonic techniques have proved fruitless. Apart from signs erected by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, there is very little to see other than fragments of ancient stone masonry but the eerie stillness of

the swampy foreshore does encourage reflections on forgotten dreams and the passage of time. At Seville great house, L off the main road a UNESCO plaque commemorates the 500th year since Columbus arrived in the New World. The anniversary

was ignored in the island since most Jamaicans, if they thought about it at all, seemed to favour the view that Columbus was the first of the colonial exploiters. The Jamaica National Heritage Trust and local Georgian society have plans to refurbish the great house as a mini-museum.

At Priory the huge anchor R of the road beside the brick ruins of the oldest church on the northcoast marks the entrance to Columbus Cottages and Hofstra Marine laboratory. American students come here to take practical courses in marine biology. Also R is Jamel Continental, a comfortable small hotel with friendly staff.

Turn L at Priory and follow the signs to Sleepy Hollow, a small eco-tourist oasis in the hills offering campsites, refreshments and a fine view. It is owned by Con and Patsy Pink.

Back on the highway, at Richmond, Chukka Cove is a complete equestrian centre offering lessons (beginnerís, polo, jumping),trail rides (from one hour to 3 days) and even the opportunity to ride horses in the ocean. Owned and operated

by Danny Melville, current chairman of the Jamaica Racing Commission, Chukka Cove is the mecca of the islandís ëìhorseyî crowd and frequently the venue for shows and international polo tournaments including the Fossil Open in which the

aggregate age of each team must exceed 200 years. Jamaica Carnival kicks off here every Easter Monday with Byron Lee

and his Dragonaires.

Past the bridge over Little River a sign

L points the way to Lillyfield (a short but strenuous drive into the hills). Lillyfield is a small guest house in a restored great house on a working plantation that includes 15 acres of high mountain coffee. Their small Coffee museum includes the Womenís Petition against Coffee, ìRepresenting to Publick Consideration the Grand Inconveniences accruing to their Sex from the Excefsive Ufe

of the Drying, Enfeebling Liquor.î

Salem has a fishing beach and the privately operated Paradise Beach with changing rooms, and snack bar. Club Caribbean, a successful cottage hotel had the first nude beach on the island ñ now there are several, all private and described as ìswimsuits optionalî. Next door Sunflower Villas and Caribbean Village offer more accommodation options. Opposite, the cluster of small shops, bars and restaurants continues to spread. Almost anything is available here including Karate Lessons. Look out for the studio of Christopher Gonzales, the sculptor whose mystical concept of Bob Marley can be seen at the National Gallery in Kingston.

Runaway Bay was the first total resort development in Jamaica. During the 1960s Cardiff Hall ñ a cattle and coconut estate ñ was transformed into two golf courses, residential and commercial lots and a luxury beach front hotel. The hotel now incarnated as Jamaica-Jamaica is a member of the all-inclusive Super Clubs chain. Numerous villas on the hills and around the golf course can be rented, some have rights to a private residents beach adjacent to Jamaica Jamaica. The Runaway Bay H.E.A.R.T. Academy and Club overlooking the golf course combines a small hotel with a hotel training school. The Super Clubs Golf Club ñ with an 18 hole championship course and driving range ñ welcomes visitors. The Franklyn D. Resort is a family all-inclusive apartment hotel. Other small hotels hugging the coast include Eaton Hall, and Ambiance.

For years, the Pear Tree River beach at a deep bend in the road provided a scenic drive, relaxed safe swimming and a number of informal snackbars and craft shops ñ the perfect eco-tourist attraction. Now another large all inclusive tourism development (dubbed doomvelopment by local fishermen) threatens to deny public access to the beach and to degrade the almost pristine wetland behind it. As we go to press, community groups and environmentalists continue to protest.

At Green Grotto you can tour a limestone cave complete with stalactites and stalagmites and a tiny underground lake. The Pirates Hideaway nightclub inside the cave is frequently the venue for entertainments that would put even the roistering buccaneers to shame. You can have ìFishing Funî in the crystal clear water of the small lake adjacent to the cave. A small entrance fee covers bait and tackle. You can buy the fish your catch (or throw them back) and eat them fried, jerked or baked right there. Bammies and cool drinks are also available. This lake is fed by an underground water system which surfaces again as the much larger but still undeveloped Kaiser lake. Subterranean channels connect these lakes to the sea and the water level rises and falls with the tides. Opposite the Fishing Fun entrance and R of the main road, El Africano is handy for good jerk pork and cool beer.

As you enter Discovery Bay, meet ërootsí Jamaica at its most ìconsciousî at ëKocks ñ cold Drinksí, an insignificant sign L of the road by a football field and ask Everton Bell (otherwise known as Kocks) about the Marcus y Bob Community League and the St Ann Environment Protection Association.

Discovery Bay, formerly dependent on Kaiser Jamaica is now in the throes of tourism expansion. Opposite the small Post Office, the showroom of Discovery Bay Designs has choice craft items and souvenirs. Local magnates with beach villas along the Fortlands ëMillionaires Rowí include Butch Stewart of Sandals fame, and Tony Hart of Good Hope and the MacConnells of United Estates. Some of these luxury villas can be rented.

Kaiser Jamaica, a major employer, overlooks the bay. A subsidiary of Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Co. of the U.S., Kaiser Bauxite Ltd operated first on the south coast then moved to St Ann in the 1960s. A railroad was built from the bauxite mines in the Dry Harbour mountains and a plant and port established and named Port Rhodes after a popular Kaiser executive ìDusty Rhodesî ñ though there are times when Port Dusty seems more appropriate. In 1979 the Jamaican government acquired 51% of Kaiser Bauxiteís mining assets and all their land thus creating a partnership called Kaiser Jamaica which is managed by the U.S. partner. Kaiser Jamaicaís operation contracted during the aluminium slump of the mid 1980s and the disintegration of the Soviet union, its main customer, was another blow.

The expansive Puerto Seco beach is (unfortunately) no longer operated by Kaiser but they still oversee Columbus Park, an open-air mini-museum overlooking the bay. The road L opposite the port leading up to the plant provides an excellent view of the harbour. Kaiserís Sports Club which you pass R features Anansi in the playground ñ a climbing structure fashioned from scrap metal in the likeness of a Jamaica folk hero ñ Brer Anansi ñ the wily spider. A lesser God of African origin, Anansi crossed the ocean with the slaves. The Sports Club is the venue every August for the finals of the Push Cart Derby. Jamaican youths ìearn a breadî by transporting goods in their home-made carts. On the suggestion of Con Pink, a former Kaiser employee, the Public Relations department organized push-carting as a grassroots sport and sponsors the annual Derby ñ a very popular event. Some carts have been clocked at 60 miles per hour in

the downhill homestretch. Kaiserís modern Clinic serves its employees and the community.

Just beyond Columbus park turn R off the road to the U.W.I. Marine laboratory. This branch of the University of the West Indies is a research centre that attracts scientists from all over the world. Facilities include wet and dry labs, a photographic lab, a library and the only decompression chamber in the island.

Most historians now agree that Discovery Bay was not the place where Columbus first set foot on Jamaican soil. He sailed into the harbour in search of fresh water and because he found none named the place Puerto Seco (dry harbour) ñ a name that persists to this day. He describes in his log proceeding west to the next horseshoe-shaped harbour where he discovered a fine river which he named Rio Bueno. The Arawaks waiting on shore made threatening gestures but were quickly subdued by a few rounds of shot and a ferocious dog, whereupon Columbus landed and claimed the land for God and the Queen of Spain. (Rio Bueno lies 6 miles west of Discovery Bay at the other end of the Queenís Highway ñ a fine road which was opened in 1953 by HRH Queen Elizabeth II. See Tour No 12)

Places to stay in Discovery Bay include: Portside Villas a small hotel on the bay with a popular restaurant , Sea Shanty, on a deck over the water. The Discovery Bay Hotel, overlooking the bay has a few self-catering apartments.

At the Discovery Bay crossroads head uphill between the Texaco station and Police Station, through pastures and pimento groves to Browns Town. Minard estate R just below Browns Town belongs to the government. It has two fine great houses, both badly in need of restoration and a herd of Jamaica Brahmin cattle, a beef breed developed by selective

breeding of imported Zebu strains.

Brownís Town was named after Hamilton Brown, Esq., a

very disagreeable character who lived at Minard during the nineteenth century and kept a private army. He loathed black and coloured people and destroyed the Baptist chapel so that they would have nowhere to worship. The atrocities that he committed were so blatant that the Governor finally expelled him from the Militia (the local army reserve). Nevertheless, he remained a member in good standing of St Markís Anglican church (which he had built) and was buried in 1843 in the churchyard overlooking the Browns Town market. The town is

a centre for the hundreds of small farmers in the Dry Harbour Mountains. There are two markets ñ one dating from the 1800s, the other supposedly ìtemporaryî, has been in place for the last twenty years. Vendors spill over into the narrow streets and hang their wares on the church railings. There are three banks and a variety of stores including long established family businesses like Top Charleyís and Bottom Charleyís (founded by two brothers from Lebanon), and Loganís.

Brownís Town is also a centre for education: St Hildaís High School, an Anglican foundation now government aided, overlooks the main street. The girls wear lavender uniforms. York Castle High School, a Methodist foundation is government aided and co-educational. The Browns Town Community College absorbs the sixth form from both schools and offers college-level courses. A former Principal of both York Castle and the Comm-unity College is Burchell Whiteman, local member of parliament and currently the hardworking Minister of Education and Culture. Browns Town is also well supplied with large churches including Baptist , Methodist, Anglican, Catholic and Seventh Day Adventist. Two interesting local groups are the Apostolic Ark, an indigenous evangelic group founded in 1880, and the Tabernacle, a breakaway from the Baptists, founded in 1876 by a flamboyant and radical missionary Dr James Johnstone.

Browns Townís economic base is bauxite and farming ñ including, when the heat is off, ganja farming. The hills around here are famous (or notorious) for producing high quality

marijuana and plenty of it. This illicit crop explains some of

the opulent mansions that you may observe in the town and remote locations in the countryside.

The road to Mandeville leads from Top Road through the hills. Many of the settlements here originated as Free Villages. After the emancipation of the slaves non-conformist churches and their congregations subscribed to buy land and provide

the freed slaves with homesteads. Among the Free Villages in

St Ann are Sturge Town named for the Quaker Joseph Sturge, Clarksonville named for Baptist preacher John Clarke, and Wilberforce named for the liberal politician William Wilberforce who piloted the Emancipation Act through the British Parliament.

The winding road skims through rolling pastures, past woodlands and small cultivations. If you wish to see Kaiserís bauxite mining operation turn R at a junction called Trainline.

St DíAcre is the home of Dr Neville Gallimore, JLP member of parliament, whose family has dominated local politics for generations. At the large Tabernacle church there is an obelisk, a memorial to the founder of the sect Dr James Johnstone, and the graves of several members of his family. Dr Johnstone came to Jamaica from England as a Baptist preacher, quarreled with his superior and left to found the Jamaica Evangelistic Mission, otherwise called Tabernacle. Identifying one of his congregationís main needs as medical care he went to Canada to study medicine. On his return as a qualified M.D. members of the Tabernacle congregation met him outside Brownís Town, removed the horses from his buggy and themselves drew it through the town singing, ìJesus of Nazareth draweth nigh!î Three generations of preaching doctors followed him but now the medical side of the mission is defunct. The breach with the Baptists is long since healed but the Tabernacle with 22 churches throughout St Ann and Trelawney retains its own identity.

Turn R at the next junction for Watt Town, the birthplace of Revivalism in Jamaica. The religious revival of the 1880s began here, initiated by foreign missionaries at a place called Happy News. On a steep hill at the edge of the village is Watt Town Revival Schoolroom, and rustic accommodation for pilgrims who come from all over the island and from overseas

to recharge their spiritual energy. Most are members or leaders of Revivalist or charismatic sects. Spiritual ìschoolî (service and prayer meetings) is held daily in the narrow stucco schoolroom which is furnished with wooden benches and faded banners. Visitors are welcome ñ once they are screened by the gatekeeper ñ and allowed to enter the ìgroundî. Watt Town Leader is Henry Linton, an amiable farmer and powerful preacher. He is assisted by a number of ìPatriarchsî, including the remarkable Mother Anna.

Alexandria, with a hospital and police station is the largest of the hill villages. Turn L here to Nine Miles, Bob Marleyís birthplace and mausoleum. Notice the parish tanks at Alva and Calderwood, the only public supply of water in the hills. At Alva there is a long established Catholic Mission with a convent and school. Take the road R for Calderwood and Stepney to Nine Miles. The roads will not coincide exactly with your road map so ask directions. Nine Miles is a poor farming district ñ a stark contrast to the fame and opulence achieved by its favourite son, Reggae King Bob Marley who left a bitterly contested estate valued at US$35 million. On a steep and stony hill beside the little hut where Bob grew up, his family has built a shrine. In it Bob is entombed with his guitar. Space is reserved for the future use of his widow Rita, still very much alive and singing up a storm. The elegant shrine has stained glass windows. It is said that ganja is sometimes burned as incense on the altar inside. Memorial concerts are sometimes held here.

At Calderwood ask for directions to Murray Mountain and Brother Everald Brown. He is Jamaicaís leading ìIntuitiveî artist and famous for his decorated musical instruments. Brother Brown, pastor of his own church is a mystic and deeply religious man. He seeks answers and inspiration on a remote hilltop emerging infrequently for the opening of art exhibitions at Harmony Hall.

The road from Nine Miles is rough: stark rocky hillside alternates with cool, ferny glades. At Alderton, Alcanís rolling cattle pastures are stocked with prime Jamaica Reds. (Possible detour: At Bonneville crossroads a road leads R to the ruins of Edinburgh Castle, a fortress built in the eighteenth century by Lewis Hutchinson, a psychopath with an unpleasant habit of inviting travellers to dinner and then robbing and murdering them. His hobby was discovered and he was tried and hanged in the Spanish Town square. From there the road continues through Concord and Pedro River (sometimes inundated by an ephemeral lake after heavy rains) and on to the once fruitful hills of Clarendon, childhood home of Jamaican poet Claude McKay.

Claremont is a rural market centre where fortunes wax and wane according to the price of agricultural produce (including marijuana). The townís most famous and respected citizen is Seymour ìFoggyî Mullings, land surveyor, piano player, long- time PNP politician and currently deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica. From here to Higgin Town the road winds smoothly through lush cattle farms with elegant great houses perched on hilltops ñ a vivid contrast to the small houses and hard scrabble cultivations that you observed in the hinterlands. A scenic drive with vistas of the seacoast takes you to Lime Hall, then down the hill to the parish capital.

Perched above the town, High Hope Estate has the largest collection of hybrid hibiscus in Caribbean. Up market Bed and Breakfast or an all-inclusive package available here. This is the starting point for the High Hope Countryside Bicycle Tour which ends with a tour of the High Hope gardens including an introduction to local medicinal plants and unusual fruits from their ìWeird and Wonderful Tableî.

St Anns Bay, which you enter via Gulley Road was once a busy port but shipping was discontinued long ago and the town is now eclipsed by Ocho Rios. It has steep narrow roads and several fine old buildings, notably the Courthouse, still the seat of local government. A statue of Christopher Columbus fronts the Catholic Church on the west of town. Nearby is the large Marcus Garvey Secondary School and beside it the St Annís Bay Hospital. A statue of National Hero Marcus Garvey fronts the Library near the town centre. Philosopher Garvey, the first person to assert that ìBlack is Beautifulî was born and schooled in the town before he went to Kingston to become a powerful orator and then on to the United States where he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association.

This is a long tour with many interesting possibilities, much

of it over lonely and unpredictable roads. You may find that you need two or even three days to do it justice.

Tour 16

Exploring St Mary

On the main road, just before the White River bridge the R fork leads to Calypso Rafting and then into the hills for Sandals Golf Club at Upton. Leaving Ocho Rios, travelling east on the coast road R is Rio Blanco Village an apartment hotel, and L Sans Souci Lido, member of the Super Clubs chain, an elegant

resort with its own mineral spring. Over the hill, R is the

turn to Prospect Plantation Tour.

At the next opportunity, turn R for Wilderness Resort about 10 miles into the hills. Travel L of the White River gorge, taking the L fork through Cascade to Labarinth and then the R fork towards the next crossroads and ëMiss Miriísí shop where you turn R to Goshen and Wilderness Resort ñ a broad valley with large fish ponds where a small entrance fee covers bait and tackle and even, if needs be, someone to bait the hook for you. Here you can fish to your hearts content, then buy your catch of freshwater snapper and have it cooked. You can try kayaking or paddle boats on another large pond. Or walk a nature trail. There are restrooms and a restaurant and campsites. Goshen is the remnant of a large estate that once stretched from Mt Diablo to the coast, and the water for the fishponds comes from the White River via a slave-built stone aqueduct. Owners Alex and Fay Lanigan are usually on hand to greet you. This attraction is very popular with Jamaicans, especially on weekends.

R. of the coast road is Harmony Hall (art gallery, craft shop and a good pub). Sea Palms, and Chris Anns are condo hotels; Glennís Place, R, has good food and jazz. Next is Couples, which in a previous incarnation was called Tower Isle. Created 40 years ago by the patriarch of Jamaicaís tourism, the late Hon. Abe Issa, it was the first large hotel on the north coast. The tower on the small island offshore was built to

make the name appropriate. In 1979 Abeís nephew John Issa

jettisoned its somewhat staid concept in favour of a new

all-inclusive couples-only format. The highly successful formula

has been copied, and elaborated by others

but Couples remains one of the most popular resorts in the Caribbean. No longer a member of Johnís Super Clubs chain,

it is now marketed and managed by his nephew Christopher Issa and Paul Issa, youngest son of Abe.

Just past Couples, look carefully on your R for the insignificant hut of Rastafarian sculptor Brother Albert Jones and a sign tacked to a post which advises, ìmankind Remember God help those who help themselves.î A consummate carver, he specializes in intricate pieces fashioned from cedar and mahogany roots. Across the road Irie Ceramics is a partnership of four young potters.

At Rio Nuevo, a road L leads down to the battle site where the remnants of the Spanish forces led by the governor Don Cristobal Ysassi were defeated. The site is well tended, shaded with pimento (allspice) trees and has a fine view of Rio Nuevo Bay and fishing beach. The site, open from 9am to 4pm, 7 days a week, is a pleasant place for a picnic. British guile may have played a decisive part in their victory. Their force sailed around from Port Royal and landed on the other side of the river. The weary Spaniards were encamped on the hill. The British sent an envoy waving a white flag ostensibly to negotiate terms but in fact to assess the strength of the Spaniards. Satisfied that theirs was the superior army, the British subsequently stormed the hill and routed the Spaniards, many of whom fled to Cuba by canoe. Ysassi is believed to have left from Don Christopherís Point east of Robins Bay and Annotto Bay.

The Rio Nuevo is little more than a stream in dry season. The fishermanís beach can be reached by turning L just before the bridge ñ a bad road but short. The beach is made of smooth- weathered multi-coloured stones. Fisherman ëMorgie Adamsí sells cool drinks and snacks. Boats can be hired here for fishing or snorkelling. Prices negotiable. There are sandy coves under the headland to the west. On a hill just above the beach the Rio Nuevo Great house offers accommodation.

Continue east to Stewart Town, a nondescript village whose only claim to fame ñ Moxonís Restaurant ñ has seen much better days. Moxonís, when operated by a transplanted English couple, Oliver and Benita Moxon, was a gourmet mecca that lured V.I.P. visitors from near and far. The late Oliver Moxon, a former JLP parish Councillor also started numerous community projects, including a flooring industry using tiles made from the thousands of coconut trees killed during the 1950s by a mysterious disease called Lethal Yellowing.

The Boscobel Beach Club is an up-market all-inclusive with special facilities and programs for entertaining children of all ages. Once a Hugh Hefner Playboy Club it was refurbished, expanded and lavishly landscaped to create a successful member of John Issaís Super Clubs chain.

On a plateau R of the road is the Boscobel landing strip

for light aircraft. This one is official. There are still numerous private and illegal airstrips on the island catering to ganja flights. Periodically they are destroyed by the army and just as routinely repaired.

The road descends as you enter Oracabessa. At a triangular junction usually occupied by fruit sellers, commuters and school kids turn R towards Sun Valley Plantation and into the pleasant world of rural Jamaica where the roads are bad, the foliage lush and the people friendly. Signs will direct you L to Noel Cowardís Firefly and to Brimmer Hall Plantation, a tour popular with cruise-ship passengers. At Jacks River ask for Mrs Gloria Davis. A potter in love with her craft, she fashions custom-made clay pots in a tumbledown shed, and fires them with wood ñ for fun rather than profit. Further on, the Jacks River Basic School L swarms with tots in gingham and khaki uniforms and a parent has painted a scenic mural on the outside of the school house. Past the village at a fork in the road with a bus shelter on the R follow the ìSun Valleyî sign straight ahead for another mile to a 60 acre banana plantation owned by Nolly and Lorna Binns and enjoy a ëhands-oní introduction to banana cultivation, from planting to packing. You will also see ñ and sample in season ñ everything else that grows on the farm: citrus, cane, naseberry, otaheite apple, guava, nutmeg, coconut water and jelly. Local snacks and fruit juices are complimentary and there is garden bar. Tours are often conducted by Lorna , a lady who personifies traditional Jamaican hospitality. The farm is part of Crescent, a sugar estate established in 1741. At a spot still known as ëThe Factoryí there are ruins of the mill, waterwheel and slave barracks and a Guango Tree said to be three hundred years old. Optional extras are horseback riding and climbing the ësoftí falls in the Crescent river.

Retrace your route to the coast and Oracabbessa. Fifty years ago, when ships anchored offshore and were loaded by lighters this was a booming banana port. Today it is a sadly neglected one street town where almost all traces of elegant Victorian buildings have been obliterated by crude repairs and alterations. During the 1970s, millions were spent on a project to build a deep water pier. The harbour was dredged and the foreshore dumped before the project was abruptly abandoned. Towns-people say that the government planners discovered, belatedly, that the prevailing wind made the site chosen for the pier unsuitable.

To date, Oracabessaís considerable tourism potential remains untapped. The Goldenhead Hotel, on the beach beside the river has had a chequered and mostly unsuccessful career. It is once again up and running, financed by Neville Blythe, a local insurance mogul and owner of the Jamaica Herald newspaper. Currently, entrepreneur and music promoter Chris Blackwell

has plans for a multifaceted tourism village on idle government lands along the foreshore and adjacent to his oceanfront property Goldeneye. This was formerly the winter retreat of British author Ian Fleming, creator of masterspy James Bond, and most of the novels were written here. Fleming got the name for his flamboyant hero from what he called ìone of his Jamaican biblesî ñ Birds of Jamaica by ornithologist James Bond.

One of Oracabessaís most interesting residents is artist Richard ìVonî White, grandson of W.E.White a self-made

man, baker, planter and Oracabessaís leading citizen

in the early 1900s. Vonís

brilliantly hued, evocative canvasses reflect the tropical flora that is the source of his inspiration. He spends two days per week as resident artist at Boscobel Beach Club and paints at home the rest of the time.

His airy wooden house overlooks the sea and art-collectors are always welcome. Turn left after the police station, first house on your left.

Towards Port Maria you pass the Galina lighthouse L and the spot where the Misses Parsons, retired school teachers, were drowned in hurricane Allen in 1980 when they elected to stay in their cliffside home with their pet dogs. The house was comp-letely destroyed by an unprecedented storm surge.

Approaching Port Maria bay turn R at the sign and proceed carefully up an unpredictable road to Firefly, once the home of Noel Coward, British playwright and wit. He died here and is buried at the bottom of the garden under a plain marble slab ñ an eternal ìRoom with a Viewî over the sweeping vista of Port Maria Bay and Cabaritta island. Cowardís heirs gave the property to the nation. Ill-kept for years, Firefly is now leased to Chris Blackwell who has restored and refurbished it, and created a Coward museum complete with video presentation, theatrical memorabilia and some of Cowardís own paintings. Blackwell, whose mother was a close friend of Cowardís, is the music promoter who discovered Millie (My Boy Lollipop) Small and launched Bob Marley.

Firefly, once part of Llanrumney estate had another

famous owner ñ Sir Henry Morgan, a buccaneer who turned ìrespectableî, became famous for the sacking of Panama city, and ended up as Governor of Jamaica. He claimed to be the son of a Welsh gentleman, but unkind rumour had it that he came to the islands first as an indentured servant. A brick ruin in the garden , said to have been his look-out, has been restored and now as ìMorganís Kitchenî is a bar and ìTea-Roomî

Just below Firefly is an Arawak site that has been partly excavated. Owner of the land Rastafarian Errol Henry welcomes visitors. Casa Maria L of the main road and overlooking the bay is a small hotel.

Port Maria was christened Puerta Santa Maria by the Spaniards. It has an interesting history and great natural beauty but is currently one of the poorest and shabbiest towns in the island, waiting, apparently without much hope, for the revival of the banana trade or tourism development. There is no shortage of churches: the very picturesque Anglican Parish Church was built in 1861. By the bridge, an old Baptist church has been defaced by modern improvements. At the other end of town an odd but imposing Presbyterian Church was built in 1830 to christianize the slaves of Frontier, the same estate where Tackyís rebellion had started 90 years before.

Tacky, a Coromantyn chieftain, was captured and sold into slavery. In 1860 he led a brave and bloody rebellion that terrorized the plantocracy and government for over a month. He was shot by one of the Maroon mercenaries impressed to fight with the militia. A monument in front of the Port Maria courthouse commemorates Tackyís resistance against tyranny. Unlike Sam Sharp and Queen Nanny of the Maroons Tacky was never made an official National Hero ñ perhaps because in planning his revolt he enlisted the aid of the obeahmen, or witch doctors and was rumoured to be capable of ìcatching bullets and hurling them back at the enemy with deadly effectî a power also attributed to the legendary Nanny. It is interesting to note that the parish of St Mary of which Port Maria is capital, is still reputed to have the most effective obeahmen in the island.

In the east of the town is Pagee Beach, a gentle curve of smooth sand stretching along the water for almost a mile. The swimming is safe and the beach usually deserted except for some friendly fishermen who relax by playing dominoes. Boats can be hired here by negotiation, to take you fishing or across to Cabaritta island.

En route to Annotto Bay you will pass Whitehall Estate L , its great house crowning a hill thickly planted with coconut palms. An all-inclusive country resort is in the making here. Further on, two interesting roadside stalls specialize in pots made from an amalgam of aluminium and iron.

As you approach Annotto Bay and the bridge over the Wag Water river signs will direct you L to Robins Bay ñ five miles of recently resurfaced road offers unparalleled seascapes and sandy coves for swimming. You pass through the tiny village on your way to two unique resorts.

Sonrise, owned by Bob and Kim Chase is a the

reincarnation of Strawberry Fields, a former hippie haven. Now a family oriented operation,

Sonrise has spacious camping ground above a large white sand cove, spotless cabins (with bath) include

a deluxe honeymoon cabin above its own tiny cove. There is a restaurant and bar (serving nothing stronger than Red Stripe) and a dining pavilion perched above the ocean. Clean communal bathrooms are available for campers and day visitors. Hiking trails take you west along an unfrequented coast with waterfalls.

The road surface deteriorates abruptly at Sonrise but a short distance down a rough road brings you to River Lodge: a small guest house in a restored ìpirate castleî, probably once a sugar factory. Perched above a tiny stream River Lodge blends into the foliage: approaching over an emerald green lawn you are surprised to discover buildings ñ six individual rooms (with bath) have high ceilings and thick stone walls. Further investigation reveals a tiny Reggae-oriented gift shop, a dining room

in a thatched cabana and a bright, spotlessly clean kitchen brimming with local fruit and vegetables. Created and managed by a transplanted German, Brigitta Fuchslocher, River Lodge is popular with European nature lovers.