Well Thank you Ms. Bluez!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluez
Printable View
Well Thank you Ms. Bluez!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluez
Seeing the impact this place had on Mr. T made this part of today's journey special.
When we arrived to the Roaring River, the driver dropped us off, like in the middle of what I felt like was nowhere. I was concerned for a few seconds of how we would manage to get a ride out of desolation. We walked into the Roaring River area and the first thing I saw was the largest tree I've ever seen in my life. It was a cottonwood tree.
Attachment 41052
Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent report,please keep it coming!
Whoa, that's a big tree. Wonder how long it's been standing there. Love the pictures of the countryside and cane fields. Great report!
The guides said the tree was 150 years old.
I was glad we had Mr. T with us because he was able to negotiate a 10$ fee per person (he was admitted free after some arguing). The guides there hassled the crap out of you and I think without Mr. T this would not have been an enjoyable experience. In fact I would have likely not proceeded, it would have been just that annoying. So if you go, take a local with you to avoid all that drama. It was interesting, there were Pot's of vegetables strewn about at the river, lunch in the making for the Rastas. I regret I don't have pictures of it now. We walked down steps into the cave. There was some very dim lighting, we had to supplement it with our IPhone flash lights. Without the extra lighting, we wouldn't have been able to proceed. Here's some pictures. Attachment 41054Attachment 41055
There was an Alter in the cave where people had left flowers, fruit and candles. Attachment 41056
Great report waiting for more. It will keep me going until I can get there in June.
I saw plants growing in the cave. The fruit bats feces is the source of the plants. I am a big animal lover but have never been a fan of Bats. I heard so many of them it was kind of freaking me out. My DH and I had visited a cave in TN and he got claustrophobic so I was really surprised when I saw him almost crawling through some of the tunnels in this one. Mr. T had to call him out of the tunnels a few times. I guess this trip cured him of cave phobia.
Can you see faces in this photo of the cave formations. Pretty trippy.Attachment 41057
Glad it helps! June will be upon you before you know it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dino2guns
There were 2 places to get into the water in the caves. I didn't come prepared for that as Mr.T didn't tell me about it. One of the spots was a water fall inside the cave and you could sit between these rock formations and get a massage from the water. I may have tried it out had I been prepared. Mr. T and DH were all in on that one. At the other end of the cave there is a steel ladder going down to a deep pool of fresh water. Mr. T went in and had the time of his life. He doesn't enjoy swimming in salt water. No photo's sorry. Mr. T said divers have been to this pool of water and were unable to reach the bottom. Reminding you, this place is dark. Without the lighting we provided, we wouldn't have been able to see anything.
I passed on swimming in the cave as well. Bat chit and water are not a good mix to this guy.Quote:
Originally Posted by never2many
LOL Good point!Quote:
Originally Posted by booger
So after exploring the cave we checked out the surroundings outside. It is beautiful there. Attachment 41058
We walked a bit to spot on the river. Attachment 41064
We found a great place on the bank to enjoy our peanut butter sandwiches, subs and a couple cold red stripes. It was right under a Guango tree.
Attachment 41065
This was our view while enjoying lunch....
Attachment 41066
About 10 years ago, I went with a couple of friends to Roaring River and spent the day inside the caves enjoying the water. I thought a few people might like to actually see what the inside of the caves look like.
Soon after entering the caves, my good friend and guide took us to a chamber where a make-shift band was playing Mento music. They drummed on the limestone formations using some to make a deep bass sound and others forming stalactites to sound like a xylophone.
Attachment 41067
My friend Mary and I took turns lying in the massaging stream while the other entered a darkened cave through a semi-underwater passageway for a personal healing massage.
Attachment 41068
The labeled "bottomless water hole" is actually about 250 feet deep according to a couple of scuba divers who explored the caves.
Attachment 41069
The water was quite cold but refreshing compared to the near 90 degree day we went.
Attachment 41070
I could have stayed there for hours but it was time to move on as we had a meeting with a Faith Healer outside Darliston.
Attachment 41071
This old tree (I believe a cottonwood) was a favorite seat to visit with my friends. BTW, we saw no evidence of bat guano or bats anywhere in the cave area we explored although the caves do extend for many miles with multiple entry and exit points so it might be possible.
Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Peace and Guidance
Beautiful photos~thanks for sharing!Quote:
Originally Posted by never2many
The lights they run in the caves tend to upset the bats and bat caves upset tourist because they are not health for the lungs. Dig around online and you will also find how the water has been tested by the JA gov and found to be let's say tainted from the lack of sewers/septic systems in the community. Nice long report on suggestions for the community that the community says they never heard of.
Thanks for sharing the views from the caves~ are these the same place as Never2many? Water massages sound divine!Quote:
Originally Posted by Accompong
"Soon after entering the caves, my good friend and guide took us to a chamber where a make-shift band was playing Mento music. They drummed on the limestone formations using some to make a deep bass sound and others forming stalactites to sound like a xylophone. "
Thanks for sharing that Accompong. I had and have read alot of reports and definitely felt like I missed something. I've heard of the Mento Band and only wished I had the same experience as you, in the caves. Awesome photos! I was actually uncomfortable in the Cave so my experience was different.
... So the hour and a half we spent on the bank of the Roaring River I can say is one of the best moments that I had on my entire trip. I was with my best friend in the world, my DH, and Mr. T. It felt surreal. Euphoric. Relaxed. I feel like I can never relax and this is the best therapy I could have ever asked for. I saw two young boys, with their mothers standing far away but close enough to have their eyes on the young boys, get in the river and play and swim, and bathe. This is what I am referring to as one the best moments on my trip. Here's a picture I captured but even this picture can't describe what I felt in the moment and unfortunately my writing skills can't describe it either.
Attachment 41077
About a half hour after this photo was taken, A new model BMW BACKED into the river with 2 guys in the front seats and 2 young ladies in the back of the Beamer. All wheels were under water. All 4 doors opened and the two girls in the back got out of the vehicle, one was very well dressed and sporting 4 inch heels. I couldn't for the life of me understand why these guys were backing into the river and letting their fine looking and fine dressed ladies out, in the water, to walk to dry land. This is the opposite of any chivalry that I knew. I asked Mr. T what they were doing. He said they are going to wash the car. I still didn't believe him. But that is what they did. Backed their new Beamer into the river, ladies out (in the water) and they washed the car. Again, a moment I wish I had on film.
one more photo of where we were from a black and white perspective.
So I saw dogs roaming as per usual. Attachment 41079
Shared my PB Sandwiches with the dogs. They enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed feeding them.
High Ho High ho it's off to Sav we go.
Interesting story about washing the vehicle in the river. And the photo of the kids playing in the river reminds me of being a kid in the summertime; if there was water, we were in it! So...what happened at Sav??
Been so busy in my "back to reality" life but I hope to wrap up the report over the weekend......
Here's one of favorite photo's in Petersfield. While we were sitting along this river bank, I asked Mr. T who was in the picture that he had pinned on his hat. He said it was Haile Salassie, the Emporer of Ethiopia. He told us what a great man he was and how he went before the League of Nations when Mussolini was spraying chemicals on the people of Ethiopia. He told us that he had visited Jamaica once and there were huge crowds when he arrived!
Attachment 41133
So one of the local boys somehow arranged a taxi for us to get to Sav. We waited an hour for his arrival. A man around the age of 70 picked us up in a VERY old Toyota. He looked like he had lived a very hard life and had alot of character. I was nervous because I knew we had a fairly long ride ahead and the gas tank gauge was on E at start of the ride. I thought for sure we would run out of gas. There were no gas stations for miles. He The driver pulled off the road after several miles because the car was rattling so loud. I thought for sure we were out of gas and that was the reason he pulled over. He walked to the back of the car and said you are going to hear "bang bang" at which point I put my fingers in my ears to block the sound. He opened the hatch and SLAMMED it closed. My DH didn't understand what he had said so the remainder of his ride was ear ringing. It didn't solve the rattling problem either. But at least we still had gas.
During the ride the driver was talking to Mr. T who was sitting in the front with him. I didn't understand any of the conversation. The driver started crying and pulled out his phone and was showing Mr. T photo's on his phone. I came to learn that the driver was showing him photo's of his son that was recently murdered.
So we are dropped off in Sav and head to the market. We had a mission of purchasing some boot legged movies and some pimento that I could hopefully bring home to continue my quest to make Jerk Sauce here in the USA. I saw this brown rolled up rope and learned that it was tobacco. I had never seen tobacco in that form.
Attachment 41142
I purchased several bags of pimentos from this ladies fruit stand. I was set!
Attachment 41143