Mr and Mrs Sandman go to Port Antonio

I will package our last 3 days in PA together as they are almost exactly the same. The daytime weather has really improved, the last 3 days we only had a couple very light showers that only lasted minutes, otherwise mostly sunny, today was completely blues skies all afternoon, we baked real good. For a few reasons we ended up going to frenchmans cove each of our last 3 days. Even though it costs 700j a person (today I juiced the guy a bit, I told him I heard that it was pay 2 days, get 3rd day free! He laughed and told us 600 each.), it has a nicer sand beach, gets better sun, the only people selling stuff are the servers delivering beach loungers, food, drinks, its close to PA, you get the picture. The downside is the swimming area is small and its usually too rough to snorkel around the cliffs. Plus, the freshwater river that feeds into the sea makes it colder than the other beaches. The upside of the river though, is once you get accustomed to the cool water, it is pretty clear and a good place to snorkel as its full of fish. I spent at least an hour in the river today, snorkeled up to a bridge crossing and back, hanging out with the fishies. Frenchmans cove is definitely a place where you can relax on the beach, something I like to do. Its the only time I will actually read a book (a novel, not my usual magazines). I managed to finish one this trip, a non-fiction story of a guy that quits his job and hitchhikes his way across the US with no money. Took me probably 5 days to read it, my wife started it this morning, she will finish it before bed tonight.
On Jan 1 we stopped at the villa where our new friends are staying, I think its called Sea View Villas, but it is known here as the black and white villas. Its not far from Trident castle, right on the sea a bit closer to Port Antonio. They had told us to stop by in the morning if we wanted but we waited till after our beach day ended. They were grateful we waited because they ended up downtown after we left Anna Bananas, and were partying till 5AM. Yikes, those days are long over for this guy. Their villa was quite nice, you could see why it is known as black and white. We had a good visit, had 2 beers (sometimes having a car keeps me from getting out of control) looked up where everyone lives on google earth, including our new Austrian friends. Really nice people, we exchanged email addresses and said our goodbyes. On New Years eve while at Anna Bananas we ended up getting invited to some villa up on Fern Hill. There is a couple that owns a bar or something called Mi Yard in Denver. Now I guess they are building some kind of guest house here on Fern Hill. Well these people have a "first Friday" party of some kind, you guessed it, on the first Friday of every month at their place in Denver. I was told to google Mi yard Denver but I have not yet, just thought of it while typing this. So tonight is this party. As much as I would like to go, the combination of us still needing to pack, wanting to get up early, plus needing to get a ride there and back made our decision to not go. It would mean drinking for me and I don't want to be hungover for the drive, nor do I want to sleep in missing the day. Our flight is late so we have all day Friday.
So besides meeting our new friends, the last few days ended the same. After showering and relaxing on our lounge upstairs, we went to TJ's for supper. I am going to write a special report for this guy, just mentioning him here isn't enough.
I have a few more reports to enter before I complete this. Still have all day tomorrow where we should end up on a new beach somewhere and get a final swim in the sea. Plus I want to do an overall impressions and fill in a few blanks of events that are worth mentioning. Writing them down here helps bring back the memories as well as lock them into my brain for a bit. Also, I have way more pictures to download, once I get home I can use my laptop and do a better job.
Thanks for all the positive responses, although I have to admit I did this as much for myself as everyone else. If I hadn't written all this down I would have forgotten a few details already.

I've really enjoyed reading your trip report, thanks so much for sharing.

I'm glad you continued, Sandman, even after reading about the horrible event of the poor lady that was found. It is incredibly sad and my heart and prayers go out to her family!

But I've so enjoyed your report and I'm looking forward to more of your observations and impressions of this side of the island. Many blessings to you and Happy New Year!

looking frwd to di pics, man!!

Have pictures downloaded now, gonna post a variety although not in any particular order.
This is Boston Beach. It's a great place to hang out, although finding a sunny spot is a bit of a challenge this time of the year with the sun pretty low on the horizon. We came here a few times and enjoyed it. Lots of resident dogs around, along with some young puppies. There's a lifeguard there that was working every time we were there, a really nice guy, I can't believe I don't recall his name now- Joseph??
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At the nearby Boston jerk center. We tried a few places as we stopped there 3 times on our trip. One day we drove there for the sole purpose of getting some jerk chicken sausage from Mikey. Never had anything like it on the island before. Chicken, onions and spices. No casing, no filler. He showed us how he made it and we will be trying his method soon. David had the best pork we tried, he is the last shop down the strip on the left.

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Our trip to Reach Falls. We stopped at long beach for bit, nobody there. Was very large waves rolling in, I could see why they surf there, although nobody was....
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Getting closer...
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Made it. Now for the short walk to where we will enter the cool clear water. Very slippery...
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And there it is, the entry spot. Here we stripped down to swim wear and forced our way in. It was very cold at first but we quickly adjusted to it and found it very refreshing.
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What a beautiful place, it was well worth the drive to get there. Besides us there were 2 other small groups of people there, no crowds at all...
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This was the first set of small falls, a good place to get your hair wet....

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How would you like a pool like this in your back yard...

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If you're still sleepy from the night before this will wake you up...

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Here's my style of a cliff jump..
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The current was very strong here, it was a tough swim to get to the next spot where we would climb to the next level....

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This is the same pool, you can see the water flow....
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Sorry, my camera was starting to fog up so my already mediocre pictures are getting worse....

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Our first view of the actual Reach Falls....

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Thru this wall of water is a small "cave". It's a struggle to fight the gushing water but pretty cool once you get into the cave...

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Inside....

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One last picture, you can get a picture idea how tall they are...

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I am just going to ramble for a bit, adding thoughts and reflections as I go. Starting with my first experience renting and driving a car in Jamaica. Now I have rented scooters and motorbikes several times in Negril, so I had a bit of experience driving on the left as well as sharing the road with others, including the over aggressive drivers that are so common on the island. The actual rental process was painless. I chose to not buy the cwd insurance and put my trust in my world mastercard. We ended up with a Toyota Corolla. It wasn`t exactly new, it had a little over 100K kms on it, with a few minor scrapes and scratches. But it drove OK and we never had any problems. I would guess we put around 7-800 kms total. Thankfully the AC worked well. The actual driving wasn`t bad, the biggest challenges were driving thru some of the towns where the streets were very busy with other cars and lots of people. Being in Port Antonio it would have been tough not having a car, we drove every day, not always far but even the closest beach, Frenchmans cove, was far beyond walking distance, and in Negril we walk almost everywhere. I suppose we could have taken cabs or hired a driver but it was nice to be in control of our own destiny. We also had a good private parking lot at our hotel so I never stressed too much about leaving it overnight, not that there was anything inside to steal.

This was my 6th trip to Jamaica, but the first time not going to Negril. There are definitely differences in the 2 areas. I guess the biggest difference when it comes to the people around Port Antonio, we were mostly ignored with far less offers to sell us anything. This is not to say it didn’t happen, but in Negril I am accustomed to being offered the chance to buy weed more times in a couple hours than I did in 2 weeks in and around Port Antonio. There were a few hustlers, one guy (Noel), we ran into on several occasions but when I think about it he wanted to sell us CD’s, he never asked us to give him anything. There was another guy (John). He is the guy that I ran into on our 2nd night (I think) while walking back to the hotel from downtown. He pretty much asked for a handout, I never gave him any money but I let him supply me with a little greenery a couple times in exchange for some cash. I got a bit annoyed one evening when we walked down the hotel stairs into the lobby and he was there waiting for us. I told him clearly I never needed anything and that if I did I would track him down. That was the last time I saw him but I know he also hassled another guy (Roger) from the hotel. This guy had come from Ontario with plans on staying in PA for at least a month before travelling elsewhere in Jamaica. He arrived about the same time as we did. We talked several times while hanging out on the roof of our hotel. Roger did a couple transactions with John as well but the last time they talked John demanded that he be given money. Roger told me he gave him 500J and told him he never wanted to talk to him again. The next day Roger told me he was catching a ride to Ocho Rios and looking for a place there. I am pretty sure John was a major reason he left, Roger was a pretty frail looking guy and I think he wanted to avoid another confrontation. Something tells me things won’t be a lot better for him in Ocho.
We also befriended an older man, Andy. He was the guy that drank rum and milk, still have to try that one. Andy was a really nice person and I wish we could have spent some for conversation time together.
With the exception of Long beach, the beaches in the area are pretty small, but not crowded, at least when we were there. The busiest would have been frenchmans cove, the beach we spent the most time at. It was worth the money to get in there, will servers there to bring food and drink. After the first time there we ended up bringing our own beer in a small cooler, but we usually ordered a bit of food. They would keep a tab for you all day, no problem. The water at frenchmans was cooler than the other beaches as there is a cool freshwater stream entering right there. But the little river was good for a bit of snorkelling, lots of fish.
There is very little in the way of small bars geared towards tourists, or where tourists would mix with locals. Any time we went into a bar, we were the only “whiteys”. Not that it was a big deal, but its always nice to have a friendly bartender to chat with. Same with food, pretty limited choices in town, although it wasn’t an issue, especially after hooking up with TJ. Breakfast was included at the hotel, but it wasn’t great. For the first week we were able to pick off the menu (order the night before), second week it was buffet. The menu breakfasts were OK, but buffets really limited. One morning it looked like brown stew chicken, but turned out it was kidney (yuck). I slid it into a napkin, a local dog decided it was fine to eat.
There were 2 Scotia bank atm’s, and even through Christmas there was never a lineup, never had to waste time just to get cash.
There seemed to be a large police presence, walking and driving. Lots of checkstops, but we were never pulled over.
After my last cup of conch soup ended up being doused on the thief that stole my wife’s purse in Negril a few years back, I was finally able to enjoy some. And it was damn good. Only had one chance, the place we got it never had it again, I know because we walked by it regularly.
Probably the biggest negative when comparing it to Negril was the amount of cloudy and rainy weather. From what I have read it sounds like it has actually been wetter than usual around Negril lately but in my experience most days are mostly sunny. Can’t complain about the temperature though, was around 30C every day.

I am going to stray here a bit and mention a place before I forget. On our drive back to MoBay we decided to stop for a bite . And speaking of eating, I don’t remember exactly where but at one point before Ocho Rios we drove past a guy waving a small baggie with some kind of reddish orange contents. As we blew by I mentioned to Rosie that I think he had shrimp in the bag. I drove another km before I made a u-turn to check it out. Sure enough it was peppered shrimp. The only time I had these before was at Middle Quarters, and they were just as good as I remembered. OK, back to the drive…..We were approaching Ocho and decided we should stop for something a bit more substantial to eat. Not long after that we spotted the Scotchies on the left side of the hwy. We had ate at Scotchies at MoBay and it was pretty good. (I never knew there was more than one, I guess they could be all over Jamaica). Anyways we pulled in and right away it looked busy, could hardly find a parking spot in a pretty big lot. Sure enough there was a huge lineup, and I hate lineups. So back in the car and we kept driving. Not too much further we spotted a place on the seaside, I am pretty sure its called Roxboroughs. It was a pretty big place, kind of a big gazebo shape with a bar in the centre. They had a menu of the day posted but nothing really interested me. I suggested to Rosie maybe we should just order a burger and fries each, which she agreed (kind off). We weren’t in a big hurry but I didn’t want to be late dropping off the rental car. There was only 1 other table occupied, it was 3 Jamaicans dressed in “business casual”. They were still waiting for their meal. So we sat and drank a nice cold red stripe and waited for our burgers. We were on our 2nd beer when they waitress brought out the other tables food. I was in awe. Now I rarely order fish in Jamaica, not because I don’t like it but because I am usually disappointed in the small size of the fish you get. I watched these huge platters go by with fish bigger than the plates! First thing I barked to the waitress - “I want to change my order!!!” Of course I was kidding but I have to say those 3 guys had by far the biggest plate of fish each I have ever witnessed in Jamaica. Our burgers came and they were Ok but once we finished and got up to leave these guys were still enjoying their feast.

Back to Port Antonio.. Something we both enjoy is copious amounts of coffee in the morning. Our included breakfast only gave us a small pot with enough for 2 small cups each. We ended up going to Dekal, a place up on the 2nd floor in small shopping complex near the police station. They also sell pastries (which Rosie sampled regularly), and pizza, but we never tried it. Its funny how Jamaica is famous for its coffee yet there are so few places to get a takeout cup.
We never went to Folly Ruins, although we got pretty close. One day we walked by the sports field down the road that leads to it, just wandering, we didn’t have any idea where the road went, thought it would end up at the point of the bay. We walked by a little “bar”, with several locals hanging out, some were playing dominos. They pretty much ignored us but these days I am a little more leery. About then a small car came by full of people, looked like a family. So we kept walking and pretty soon came upon a house, I guess the people in the car lived there. It looked like the end of the road so back we went. At the time I had no idea we walked right by the turn off the trail that led to Folly. Then we walked to the same area a few days later. Once again there was a fairly large group of guys hanging at this bar. We didn’t go much further when my paranoia got the best of me. I didn’t want to get too far off the beaten path where we would be all alone. I guess I still have concerns since our Negril incident.
To be continued, more pictures as well….

LOVELY photos of Reich....so enjoying your recap and photos! TJ's is on my list for sure!

Enjoyed the read a and pic's....thanks.

It's been so long since we we're on that part of the island. One day we will venture back over.
Cheers

Love your pics! Water looks refreshing.

I sure would Love to know how buddy made those jerk chicken sausages. Please....
We don't eat a lot of sausages because they use pork as a filler and we don't eat pork anymore.
Cheers

Didn't know Boston offered chicken sausage...will definitely seek it out next time.

Just 1 guy has it. Mike (Mikey), when you go into the jerk centre he has the first barrel on the right. Just ask for the chicken sausage and all the vendors there will point you in the right direction.

I will have to ask my wife how he did it, her memory is a lot better than mine.

SammyB - I just replied to your PM.

Going to add a few final thoughts and observations, although I reserve the right to add on after.....
After reading about the unfortunate jet ski accident it got me thinking. I saw only 2 jet skis the entire time we were in Portland. They were privately owned by a family that had a very sweet beachfront property in the cove where San San beach is located. I only saw one in operation but you could see them sitting by a dock when were in the area. I never saw anyone trying to rent them out at anytime, anywhere.
One of the most peculiar things I noticed was the countless number of guys either carrying (walking or on bicycles) Stihl gas powered grasswhips. I don't know if this a country wide thing or some kind of make work project for the area. Maybe this is common around the entire island now, but I don't recall seeing many in my past trips.

Something else I don't think I mentioned regarding frenchmans cove. We spent 5 days there and every day at one point a police boat would approach within maybe 100 meters from the shore, and have a good look at the goings on. I don't know if they are just doing regular patrol or what, but I never saw them anywhere else.

Now the BIG question - would I go back??
The easy answer is yes, I "would" go back. But saying that it's hard to say if we will go back. Before this trip, we missed 2 winters of travelling to Jamaica. We travelled to Holguin, Cuba; Puerto Vallarta together and when my wife helped chaperone a school trip to Costa Rica I did a week solo trip fishing in Puerto Rico. I think it's safe to say we still love Jamaica, but just as much enjoy seeing other parts of the Caribbean, and the world for that matter. Because my wife is a teacher we are very limited as to extended winter vacations, and we both agree Jamaica is a 2 week minimum trip. Just for us to do our recent Portland adventure, she had to use 1 of 2 personal days for the year. Its easier for me, the company I work for shuts down over the Christmas holidays so I never had to take any extra time at all.
There are a couple factors that explain not going next winter. The big one, and easily the best one, is we are planning a 3 week trip to Europe this summer. She is off school so no problem for her, I still have to get the blessing from my employer. Rosie's family have close family friends in Denmark, so we will be flying to Copenhagen and stay with them for several days before starting a tour, first stop Amsterdam (naturally lol). From there we go through Germany, stopping in Fussen where we will run in the marathon/half marathon. Then into Austria, and over to the Czech republic before returning to Denmark. The whole tour will be done via the train, I am very pumped to ride some of the 320km/hr high speed trains. I have never been to Europe, Rosie has been once, shortly after she finished university. One of the couples we befriended in Port Antonio are Austrian, although the now live in the USA. But they still have a place in Austria and will be there this summer. They have invited us to visit, so hopefully that works out.
So because of this summer trip we will limit ourselves to a shorter one next winter, most likely we will go back to Puerto Vallarta. My wife and I both enjoyed our first trip there. We stayed in the "gay" area, which I would say is the best area to go unless you want to travel the coast. We will go over the Feb school break, as the Christmas coming up will be spent at the in-laws farm. We are getting close to being banished from the family after ditching out on so many Christmases. With over 5000 acres of farmland I need to stay close to father in law LOL.
So that takes care of next winter. The following winter we plan to go to Costa Rica together. Rosie really liked it there and I want to go see it too. That will be another 2 week or so vacation, which will once again cover all her available time off over the winter.
I guess the earliest we will return to Jamaica will be 3 winter from this one. One factor holding us back is the cost. Our recent trip, we were gone 16 days. Not including spending money, it cost around $6000. I laugh when I see people on the other site discussing flight costs. They have no idea what expensive flights are. We have a good supply of air miles, but good luck using them over Christmas. We will be using them for our Europe trip, hopefully. Anyways, if things go according to plan (3 years is a pretty long term plan), we will return to Jamaica, and probably go back to Negril. We both missed not being able to visit several "friends" we have there.
I will still be frequenting the boards though, regardless of when we return. And I have to say, I will follow with interest the seemingly increase in crimes against visitors, which will have an impact on our final decision. Putting myself in harms way is one thing, but I cannot fathom anything happening to my wife (again). Things could have turned out much worse last time, and that's not why we travel.

Still have a selection of pictures to post, thanks for reading.

Wanted to add, now that I have been there, I plan on re-reading Vi's report. Will be interesting now being more familiar with the area.

Awesome trip report and photos! Enjoyed very much -- Thank you!

Wow that was a spectacular trip report, so candid. My fella and I plan on going to Port Antonio on our next vacation. We have been travelling to Negril for a number of year and we keep reading about Port Antonio. The history alone is great and then add on all the other great places and things to do WE ARE SO IN!! Looking forward to checking out Reach Falls, the photos are very nice. We also want to check out Mikey's jerk sausages.

As I was reading this post tonight, my fella was just preparing one of his newest creations, Jerk Salmon Sausage (without casings) and then I read your post. There has to be something to it!! Anyways Mr & Mrs. Sandman thanks so much for all the great details and photos of your holiday.

We were in Negril the same time you were in Port Antonio and we had a lot more rain than usual.

Peace,
Islander ~ Brynn

We are indebted to you both. Thanks so much. As I sit here on a rainy winter Sunday afternoon, I am relishing reading your posts. We have been visiting and staying in Jamaica for years. You have given us so much good information. Thank you very much!