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It was our first time to Portland, we'll definitely be heading back. The food was amazing. The people were amazing. The views were amazing. And the vibe was spot on. These pics are of Norse Point, the Rio Grande river and Reich Falls. I can't wait to visit again. If you like these pics let me know and I'll load a few more.
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Sweet pics!! THANK YOU!!!!;)
Cool here are a few more that actually include the Rio Grande and Reich falls lol.Attachment 42616Attachment 42617Attachment 42618Attachment 42619Attachment 42620Attachment 42621Attachment 42622Attachment 42623Attachment 42623
IMO, These are pictures of da year!! Next trip, you got me adding this trip to dat side of da island!!!!!;)
Very nice, keep them coming please! Portland may just be next for us, been thinking about it for years.
Thank you so much for posting pictures!!!! Yes, please give us all you got!
So glad you and your wife had a good time, bigbamboo. Its no secret how I feel about that amazing part of Jamaica so I'm all smiles when others leave with plans to return. I was in Portland about 3 weeks ago. I stopped by Norse Point to see Verona. She was cooking something scrumptious smelling for her soon-to-arrive guests. Could that have been you and your wife???
I see you made it to the marina. Did you venture onto Bikini Beach?? Isn’t Reach Falls an incredible experience??? Had plans to go there but ran out of time.
my favorite place as far as people, views, feel . . . thanks for sharing . . .
i too was there in mid october ...
Love Love your photos, I'm with Vi, give us all you've got!
So glad to hear you loved Portland, that place holds a special spot in my heart.
Hey vi* that may have been us, we arrived on Oct. 30th to a great meal of Brown Stew Chicken, Peas and Rice, Cole Slaw, and Salad with a great vinaigrette. Verona is one hell of a cook! We didn't make it to Bikini Beach this trip but will definitely hit it on future trips.Quote:
Originally Posted by *vi*
Thanks everyone for digging the pics, here are some more. I have some more that I will post over the next few days..... Such an amazing trip.
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love all of them . . . thank you . . .
Man I am so stoked for my first visit to Portland. I love Negril but am really ready for a new adventure.
Great pictures,thanks for sharing them!
Group of 6 of us venturing off to Port Antonio for our first 3 days, in Feb. Our list of things to do is growing, I think we'll be exhausted when we leave and ready for a little R&R when we get to Seastar. So "Bikini Beach", have not come across that in our research, guess we have some more homework to do.
Bigbamboo - please give more details on your adventures:cool:
irie always
Port Antonio is a trip!!! Looks like JA did in the 70-80's, a great thing not bad. So much opportunity for awesomeness, not sure of best place to stay. Used to some very cool spots up on Tichfield, overlooking Navy Island. Check out the Folly Ruins too, story behind it amazing. All the beaches you probably know. Fairy Hill and Boston Bay eastward. If you have a car a ride around the east end of the island to Kingston is very cool. You will really Love Port Antonio / Portland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5L9yVx3VbM
Bikini Beach is a restaurant on the beach at the MarinaQuote:
Originally Posted by irie always
Photos are sooo nice, please keep them coming. Yes, LOVE Verona's cooking as well....she has a lovely spirit!
Lovely pics :)
The beach is located off the marina. You pass Marybelle’s Pub on the way to the beach.
The delightful, intimate bikini beach has its own restaurant and bar on it. Along with dining tables, picnic tables, free cabanas and loungers. The bar tender is a sweetheart!!! There’s also a very pleasant gentleman who sells ice cold jelly coconuts and various fruits from his yard. He was asking 100JA for 3 mangos. That’s a steal so I gave him 200JA. A life guard is on duty during day/afternoon hours.
This spot is a sort of downtown oasis. Port Antonio is very busy during the day Monday thru Saturday. However, the marina/bikini beach, a few steps from the hustle and bustle, is like entering a whole new region. Definitely worth checking out. I can post a couple of pictures if it’s okay with bigbambo.
I am interested in pics Vi as I am preparing a list of places I want to check out the week im there
Here are a couple from my October visit takinitslow. BTW...when are you going?
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Post away!!!! Portland is amazing, let's share!Quote:
Originally Posted by *vi*
Well I'll tell you, we had an amazing time. I'll bore you with a few thoughts and a little background. My wife, the amazing Ms. Laura, and I love visiting Jamaica. I went to Negril for the 1st time in the late 80's, after my discharge from the Marine Corps, and I realized that this was someplace special. Great vibes, great fun and an amazing experience for a 22 year old kid. Then life got in the way. Raised an amazing son, got him through college, and it was time to reconnect with Jamrock. Reconnection started when I brought Ms. Laura, for the first time to Jamaica to the Riu in Negril. We did the all-inclusive for a week with off-campus trips sprinkled in. To my luck Ms. Laura loved it, loved the off campus trips better, and the game was on. So Negril was our destination for quite a few years and we did the beach, we did the cliffs, we did other places in Westmoreland and then we decided to go to the other end of the Island. Portland.Quote:
Originally Posted by irie always
It was our first time flying into Kingston and we were stoked. Customs/immigration was a breeze. We didn't have a driver prearranged so we went with a JUTA rep at the gate and we hired a driver for a pre-fix rate ($150 US) to Portland. The driver ignored the directions we gave him to the property so we made the trip along the coastal route from Kingston to San San beach. It was an hour longer, even after a long day of air travel,but it was incredible. The views, the smells, the music (our driver had some awesome jams) made it a very enjoyable trip.
We made it to our place at dusk and Verona had brown stew chicken ready for us which was incredible. When we were done with dinner we finished our icey Red Stripes and then we crashed. After 15 hours of travel (air/ground) and a great meal,we were done. I'll update the rest of our trip shortly..
Here are some more pics of our trip.
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Thanks for the report and the pics bigbamboo. The scenery is to die for.....warms up this cold Canada night.
Keep your chin up, only 5 more months of winter ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Summer
Beautiful!!!!
bigbamboo, i love portland's scenery . . . breathtaking . . . stress free . . . thanks!!
JitterBug, ever hike to top of Blue Mountain Peak??? Some stress in getting there but breathtaking at it's best!!
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These picture are amazing!!
Vince,
The road map to Zion
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no, too out of shape, . . . scared of heights but managed driving 1/2 way up two times . . .Quote:
Originally Posted by johng
sweet!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by johng
I hear there is a Sangster's Rum Cream factory somewhere between Portland and Kingston - has anyone been to visit?
Just a quick confession, I love food. I particularly love Jamaican food. The following trip reports will contain many food references... My apologies.
The peepers (our word for the frogs that just peep all night long) were in full throat the first night we arrived and that put me into a wonderful sleep. The next morning we
were up bright and early for a morning swim. We were staying in the cove/harbor and all of the big waves broke on the reef about 300 yards from the dock. That meant calm
water in the harbor which made the snorkeling a relaxing experience. The fish were plentiful and really colorful. The sea-urchins were equally plentiful and I was really
thankful for the water shoes I brought. We snorkeled for about half an hour and then sat on the dock to read for a while. Verona came by around 9:00am to start breakfast.
Sitting on the dock I started to smell the intoxicating, inebriating, beautiful scent of bacon. Not skimpy Oscar Myers Premium Cut bacon, but thick cut Jamaican bacon (I
want to trademark "Jamaicon Bacon"). I knew today was going to be a great kick-off for the next week of our stay. Breakfast was incredible. We started off with
mango, grapefruit, watermelon, pineapple, and papaya. The fruits were really fresh and tasty. Pair this with a steaming pot of coffee for me, and ginger tea for Ms Laura,
and you're talking breakfast nirvana. The fruits were followed by a generous portion of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. I'm known for napping after large meals but the
look from Ms. Laura told me that today that would not be an option.
The plan for our trip was to go into Port Antonio, which is about 10-15 minutes away, hit the Cambio, grocery store and the market to pick up supplies for the next week. So
after breakfast we went into town. The ride went along the coast and we passed San San Beach and Frenchmen's cove which are gorgeous and looked really chill.
After the typical toots of the horns and third lane passing we pulled into Port Antonio. It reminded me of Sav la Mar. As we approach the the roundabout I think, "what an
amazing picture", it was then that I realize I had left my camera at home (confession; a huge sub was eaten) and we didn't bring any phones. So I can only describe our visit. First we went to the grocery
store. I needed to convert some funds and we needed to settle up our bill for the stuff that had been purchased prior to our arrival. We also needed to buy provisions for the
next week.
The store was PACKED. I wanted to exchange some cash but, rookie mistake, I had left my passport at the house. Fortunately Verona knows and is known by everyone. So her
vouching for me was good enough. I exchanged a couple of hundred US and we grabbed some necessities, Ting, Red Stripe and Grace Hot Sauce. After getting some more staples, butter, eggs, salt cod, BACON and the rest of
the stuff we needed we were then ready for check out. I always pick the wrong line, every time, no matter the occasion. It was no different this morning. The line we queued in took
forever compared to the others. However, unlike at home, I didn't start to seethe. It didn't bother me. This island is like.... magical. Watching all of the people coming and going; getting
introduced to half of them by Verona, was really cool.
After getting through with our purchases it was off to the produce market. Since it was Saturday all of the vendors were there. The current rage is farm to table; this
market couldn't bring any fresher produce and ingredients to a buyer. As we walked through market the sun was really starting to heat up so all of the vendors that didn't have a stall, had the blue tarps up over their
displays. It was interesting to see how the different farmers displayed their wares and the colors were incredible. The reds of the Scotch Bonnet peppers and Tomatoes. The
dark green to white of the Scallions (green onion). The yellow of the onions. Some farmers had specialties and only had one product, my guess was it was what's in season. We
bought some good sized watermelons, Ackee, tomato, Scotch Bonnet, Mangoes, Breadfruit pineapple, papaya, green beans , Irish etc. etc.. It was all here. I don't write well
enough to describe the colors, sounds, smells and the people. Take my word though; well worth the trip. So we had gotten our groceries, as well as our produce so the last thing to grab was
the proteins. I love curried goat so we went to the butchery part of the market. A lot of stalls with giant cutting blocks and giant knives, saws, etc. for cutting up
the goods. Unfortunately they were out of any goat that Verona liked. So we decided to do goat another time. It will be fish for dinner tonight.
On the ride back to the house we got in touch with the fish guy to let him know our plans and he said he'd be by with the goods. So we headed off towards the Marina to take
in some sights. I'll write more soon.
I love your pics JitterBug!Quote:
Originally Posted by JitterBug
Enjoying your details bbamboo please keep it coming
i don't know but to me, porty looks nothing like sav!
By that I meant, the hustle and bustle, the street vendors, sites, sounds.... Not geographically or landscape wise.Quote:
Originally Posted by JitterBug
love the pictures and your writing
Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing....Portland is next on my to-do list
Have bin thinking of a trip to the Portland area. Is it best to fly into Kingston or Mobay.