Port Antonio, Jamaica
Yah Man, we are still in Jamaica. Yah Man, music blasting 24-hours a day, Yah Man, the same tunes, same rhythm... Respect Man, food is spicy, jerk pork, jerk chicken, curries...spices melt and mingle in our mouths - a big change from the Raoul’s country! It’s lush here, green folliage and flowers of incredible colours everywhere… Blue Mountains just step away. This place was made famous by the actor Errol Flynn, who said Port Antonio was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen – hmmm…maybe he really didn’t look around that hard, it has it’s charm, but… Still, it is the safest parish of this country and it’s free from tourist crowds. This was a thriving banana shipping port, even as far back as 2003 when we stopped here, but now due to global competition this industry is gone. Port facilities here are modern and guarded around the clock. We took advantage of their new yard and pulled Nikan out to see what’s going on with the keel coating protection. Surprise! - the damage was more extended than we suspected. We had to redo the entire underwater protection, 6 days, 14-hours a day working under the blaring sun, 30+°C – not an ounce of fat on J-P’s body left. Can’t say that about my aging middle age figure! There is always something to fix or maintain. Like one of the fellow sailors said: “People think we are retired and on vacation, but man, this is work.” and I have to agree, although now we should be good for a while…till something else goes. We had a great day rafting on Rio Grande. Rafting here means sitting on the bamboo raft with a guide and gently flow down the river with a stop for a beer, home made lunch on the river bank. After a month here, we are slowly getting prepared to head towards Boca del Torro in Panama, about 600 nautical miles from here, which should take us between four to five days. As they say here, later….
Yah Man, we are still in Jamaica. Yah Man, music blasting 24-hours a day, Yah Man, the same tunes, same rhythm... Respect Man, food is spicy, jerk pork, jerk chicken, curries...spices melt and mingle in our mouths - a big change from the Raoul’s country! It’s lush here, green folliage and flowers of incredible colours everywhere… Blue Mountains just step away. This place was made famous by the actor Errol Flynn, who said Port Antonio was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen – hmmm…maybe he really didn’t look around that hard, it has it’s charm, but… Still, it is the safest parish of this country and it’s free from tourist crowds. This was a thriving banana shipping port, even as far back as 2003 when we stopped here, but now due to global competition this industry is gone. Port facilities here are modern and guarded around the clock. We took advantage of their new yard and pulled Nikan out to see what’s going on with the keel coating protection. Surprise! - the damage was more extended than we suspected. We had to redo the entire underwater protection, 6 days, 14-hours a day working under the blaring sun, 30+°C – not an ounce of fat on J-P’s body left. Can’t say that about my aging middle age figure! There is always something to fix or maintain. Like one of the fellow sailors said: “People think we are retired and on vacation, but man, this is work.” and I have to agree, although now we should be good for a while…till something else goes. We had a great day rafting on Rio Grande. Rafting here means sitting on the bamboo raft with a guide and gently flow down the river with a stop for a beer, home made lunch on the river bank. After a month here, we are slowly getting prepared to head towards Boca del Torro in Panama, about 600 nautical miles from here, which should take us between four to five days. As they say here, later….
ina in Puerto Vita – amazingly they let us do that without any charge, while we are using their facilities, like cold shower and toilet without any toilet paper (like everywhere else in Cuba, even with their good education, sanitary conditions are deplorable). There is no other boat here, except the catamarans that take tourists from nearly hotels for a cruise each day. There is a restaurant here as well, the village itself, with a population of about 500 has one questionable bar and one store for locals with empty shelves, Cubans are not allowed to the marina at all. When we arrived here there was an Australian couple, their sailboat packed with all kinds of items, like 50 pairs of shoes, reading glasses, clothing, dishes. They have been to Cuba before and came prepared, unlike us! The eye of the hurricane passed through this area last summer, taking off with some roofs, walls and destroying the crop - this is a very poor village (except for the few lucky ones with relatives abroad) - but entrepreneur spirit prevails with some, and we get invitations for meals, in exchange of money, clothing or whatever. We are happy to help – these people are no beggars, insisting on giving something back, be it some vegetable from their garden, artisana, or some service. My listening to Spanish on tapes pays off, and I can communicate quite well. The average salary here is between 10-20 CUCs (1 CUC = $1.39 Canadian!!), a typical meal for a tourist can be found for 6-15 CUCs. All the essentials for a decent living can only be bought in CUCs and for western price (things like detergent soap, shampoo, sanitary napkins – no CUCs, you have to use rags, and wash them by hand! not too many washing machines in these houses). They get some rations from the government, like 5 eggs a month per person, 40 g of beans, or 1 toothpaste per family!, their typical ration lasts for about two weeks, so there is a lot going on to survive, we can’t imagine what, or how - but smile is always there and good humor as well. At least they are not starving here, we see some vegetable and fruit trees in their gardens, as well as chickens, pigs, goats, sheep roaming around. Horses are still used for transportation in the country and I am admiring how magnificent the riders look on their beast. The countryside is stunning. We already visited Holguin, fourth-largest city in Cuba, full of diesel fume and in need of restoration. Sico could literally sell thousands gallons of paint, although the fading and pealing paint has its charm. We are planning to visit some other places once I am back, and if we ever get on Internet in Cuba, will keep you posted!
