**on-site Trip Report [[ Friday afternoon 12/20 ]]

[smith744]

I've got a problem
:-(

I need two-of-me..!!..

having tooooooo much fun for one person ..... toooo-toooo much things to eat, drink, taste, etc ..... if not another-me, then another stomach would surely help a LOT.

but to of me WOULD be better,
because
my *dance*-card is fill-ng up in quick-quick time.

for example,
yesterday
i had stuff to do,
and missed an important grave diggin' in the community.

tonight,
i've got to go to a local wake.

then,
i want to be up early to go to a local Saturday church service.

then,
Sunday I wanna go to my regular church in-town Lucea,
but
am 'spose to accompany mi-landlord to suburban-Negril for a funeral or something.

one-of-me can't manage all this


boo hoo boo hoo boo hoooooooooooooooooooooo

[[[ continue-ing in 5 min ]]]

[smith744]

[[ continue-ing ]]

was UP
this morning @ 6:30 am
spry fresh & READY..!!.

washed my cloths,
which i make sure to do EVER-day.

was to be IN Lucea town by 8:30

NEVER made it.
arrived @ 3 pm

sooooooo much fun, issues, etc going on in-yard. Plus, weather sooooo nice & relaxing that i didn't wanna move.

when i finally reach town,
i wasn't hungry

but i figured i'd better eat something before the hungry hit-me...

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there's so many nice likkle places to eat 'round Lucea, that it's always hard to decide where to go.

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question:::>> how's the sound on this video test, below...
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continue-ing in a few minutes

[smith744]

continue-ing

I might become a taxi-man

the other day,
i did some taxi man, taxi operation procedures etc etc.

i was told that i can rent a car for taxi for::::>> Ja $2,500 - Ja $3,000 per day

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

it doesn't *sound* too hard to do

Jamaica JUST like in-foreign

just before leaving WashDC/USofA
on my community listserve message-board thing-y
i posted warning neighbors to be careful at this holiday season, because the criminals are out and about big-time.

well,,
today,,
here in Jamaica
this morning
in the-yard:::>> i was chattin' with the Ja-businessman, farmer, bee-man ---- one guy,,doing three things

he was telling me about his various business-es

he told me, he was on his way to pay his workers,
and
one of his Lucea police-friends told him to:::>> "..BE VERY careful, 'cause the criminals were out there plying their trade(s) to get Christmas monies.."

'taint it funny how things go same way in USofA AND in Jamaica..??..

additionally,
he & I had a fun & interesting chat

he loved what he was doing,
but hated all the thieve-ery that was going on with his crops ---- they-be robbing him blind .... he said he'd be making 5-times more money if they would stop steal stealing his stuff

they don't trouble the bees, he said

BUT they WILL break into your honey processing plant and take the honey, after it's processed

[[ continue in a minute ]]

[captaind]

continue-ing

I might become a taxi-man

the other day,
i did some taxi man, taxi operation procedures etc etc.

i was told that i can rent a car for taxi for::::>> Ja $2,500 - Ja $3,000 per day

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

The going rate depending on the car is 12 - 15 K for week after gas.

That mean long days on the road before you make money for yourself.

I'm kinda real familiar with the taxi business. It ain't easy. Give respect

Cap

[smith744]

[[[ continue-ing ]]

did i tell you-all that yesterday i got a new Ja-school boy uniform, for myself...??..

well,
actually
it's just the shirt

it so nice --- comfy ... feel good pon the skin .... easy wash ... fast dry-ing ... strong material
and
style-ish

cost::>> can't remember fi sure,, something 'round Ja$1,200

GONNA get a couple extra FULL uniforms before i leave, if i can find 'em,,,, shopkeepers not re-stocking this stuff right now

mi-FINAL words for today

IF
you haven't booked a Ja-trip for these holidays:::: THEN you SHOULD do it NOW..!!..

outside
right now
as we speak
in Lucea-town the holiday vibe is so-so thick, that you can cut it with a knife or machete

there are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many people out and about.

i noticed something-funny the other day --- 'twas a work day, and even though the pickneys are out of school, there a likkle something different about the atmosphere.

WELL,
today:::>> the town is jammed-UP with folks doing this & that, moving moving moving ---- my gut tells me Sat-day is gonna be un-believe-able.

bottom-line:::>> this ain't normal for Lucea-town ---- this Christmas thing is serious..,... mi no know what they gonna do, 'cause i've never been here for pre Christmas and ESPECIALLY ChristmasEve, but i've heard stories,,,, and i SEE-today the excitement rising rising rising.

Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay tuned.

post DONE.!!..
mi gone
check you Sat-day ( i hope )

[Sheba]

Grand Market. A very joyous Christmas to you.

Here is a little Anancy story for you.

Anancy and Sorrel

ONCE UPON a time, Christmas Eve morning, it was Grand-Market morning and Bredda Anancy stood by his gateway watching all de people going down to market. The basket on their heads and the hampers on the donkeys were laden with fruits and flowers and ground provision. Anancy called out: ‘Happy Grand-Market, everybody.’
‘Thank yuh, Bredda Nancy,’ replied the people.

Anancy said to himself: ‘Wat a crosses pon me. It look like seh everybody pick off everything off every tree an carry gone a Grand-Market.’ Anancy groaned as a cart-load of oranges and grapefruits went by. ‘Amassie me massa , dem don’t lef a ting ina de fiel fi me scuffle!’

Anancy waited until everybody had passed on their way to the market, then he went from field to field in search of scufflings.
‘Wat a hard set a people, sah!’ Anancy grieved. ‘Dem clean out everyting outa de fiel dem – not a chenks a scufflings fe me.’
Suddenly Anancy exclaimed: ‘Wat a sinting soh red!’ And he broke a long stalk of a long red plant and held it to his nose. ‘It don’t got no smell,’ said Anancy, ‘but it pretty fi look pon. I wonder wat it good for?’

Anancy picked a few more pieces of the red plant and stuck them in his trousers waist, mumbling to himself, ‘Well since yuh is de only ting I can scuffle, I am scuffling you, red sinting. I don’t know what I am going to do with yuh yet. I don’t know if yuh can eat, but I might even haffi eat yuh!’ Anancy laughed: ‘Kya, kya, kya, kya.’

He danced and sang all the way to the Grand-Market. When he got there Anancy looked around at all the beautiful stalls full of fruit kind and cooked food and food cooking. Anancy said to himself: ‘I will have to work up my brains an fine a way to raise something.’ He stopped in front of a stall with plenty of oti-eati apples, pointed to the red plant in his trousers waist, and said to the stall keeper: ‘Hi missis – swap me some a fi-you red tings fi some a fi-mi red tings.’
The woman asked him: ‘Wait fi you red tings name? Anancy seh: ‘Swap me firs and I will tell you.’

The woman replied: ‘Tell me firs and I will swap you.’
Anancy seh: ‘Swap me firs.’ The woman seh: ‘Tell me firs.’
The man in the pumpkin stall next to the woman’s oti-eati stall shouted: ‘Missis, if you want de red tings why you don’t jus grab it away from the lickle man?’
Anancy laughed: ‘Kya, kya, kya,’ and shouted back, ‘Grab it if you bad!’
The man grabbed after Anancy. Anancy said: ‘Slip!’ and ran. The man chased Anancy through the market. Several people joined in the chase, shouting: ‘Tief! Tief! Tief! Catch the tief!’ Anancy kept slipping them,`darting in and out of stalls until he reached the hominy stall.
The hominy lady had a big jester-pot full of boiling water on the fire. She was just about to drop the hominy corn in the pot when Anancy flung the bundle of red plant into the water. The hominy lady screamed: ‘Wat dat yuh trow into me pot?’ The crowd rushed up to the pot. One man exclaimed: ‘It red like blood! It fava wine!’
Anancy looked into the pot and laughed: ‘Kya, kya, kya, kya. It don’t only look like wine,’ he shouted, ‘is wine!’ Anancy mumbled to himself: ‘Poor me bwoy, ah hope is not poison.’

The man who had started the chase rushed forward, grabbed a spoon and tasted the liquid. He made up his face and said: ‘It don’t taste good.’
Anancy said: ‘It don’t finish brew yet:

It want some sugar,
a little piece a ginger
A little cinnamon
And then you stir so
And then you stir so.’
And Anancy took a little of all the spices from the hominy lady’s stall and threw into the pot. Anancy tasted the brew. ‘Kya, kya, kya,’ Anancy laughed. ‘It taste nice like real-real wine.’

The hominy-lady said: ‘It smell nice.’

Anancy looked fondly into the pot and whispered in wonderment:

‘How you so real, so-real, so-real!’
Somebody in the crowd shouted: ‘It name so-real’
The crowd took up in chorus: ‘Truppence wut a so-real. Truppence so-real!’
Anancy brewed and sold so-real all day; it was the most popular drink at the Grand-Market. By the end of the day, in true Jamaica fashion, so-real had become sorrel. And from that day to today, sorrel is a famous Christmas drink. Is Anancy meck it.

Jack Mandora, me noh choose none.

[BCBud]

Sheba - great post. I love some good Anancy stories!

[captaind]

Once upon a time, Brother Anancy had a plan to go to the cricket match in town, which was far away. He did not have enough money so he came up with a plan. He went to see Brother Snake and Brother Rabbit, who also wanted to see the cricket match but did not have enough money. However they had just a little more money than Anancy did. Anancy told them to meet him at the train station in the morning at 5:00 a.m. and bring what little money they had. He told them he could get them all there if they shared the food with him, which they would buy with the extra money. They agreed. The next morning Anancy met Brother Snake and Brother Rabbit at the station.

They were excited as they saw the train coming and going. He told them he would get them to the match but they had to trust him with their money. They hesitated but then he explained that they would have spending money if they trust him. He also requested he hold all the money for safekeeping. He told them that he would keep the extra money and the tickets.

“Anancy what is the plan” they asked
“I am going to get us to the match and back with one round trip ticket” he replied.

They knew Anancy was a master trickster so they went with the plan but told him they would hold the extra money. Anancy walked over to the ticket booth & bought a one-way ticket to go to Kingston.

The train was ready & Anancy beckoned to them to follow him. They got on the train & Anancy led them all the way to toilet. "Anancy, is what are you doing?” asked Rabbit. Anancy told them, "Just be quiet man and watch the ride." He told them to get in quickly. Snake said to Anancy, "Mi nah ride like this go ah de match." Anancy replied "Just keep quite Snake, you will soon get your own seat. Jus watch de ride."

The train started to pull out & the conductor was coming down the aisle. "Tickets please." he shouted. He tapped on the toilet door & Anancy told Rabbit to slide the ticket under the door. The conductor took it & was on his way. Anancy & friends waited for 10 minutes so then they all left the toilet and found seats in the car. This was easy being it was the first train & it left at 5.00 a.m. On arrival at the station Rabbit and Snake bought breakfast. Anancy asked for some but they told him no they would share lunch. Anancy was angry but did not argue with them. They got to the cricket field early and watched the set up. Rabbit & Snake bought more food. They bought sky juice & bulla and shared none with Anancy. They ate and paid him no mind. Anancy requested food again. Snake said, "Man yuh to craven go fine yuh ownnah food." By this time Anancy realized that he was not going to get any food from them so he would have to get some for himself.

He started to devise a plan. The match had started and he continued to look food. Anancy walked over to one the vendors and told them that he wanted a patty and juice. When the man asked for money he told him his friends Snake and Rabbit would pay for it. The man walked over to Snake and Rabbit for the money. They were angry. Hold this and we will pay you the rest later. Rabbit said "Snake since yuh have de ticket mek we leave Anancy when the match done." Snake smiled "Yes we will leave him mek im fine de money pay." The match went well and the W.I. won. Snake and Rabbit told Anancy they had to go toilet before they go.

Anancy knew they were up to something as he saw the vendor coming and they were gone for more than 15 minutes. He ran all the way to the station and the vendor was in hot pursuit. Now Snake and Rabbit were already on the train in the bathroom. Anancy got on the train sat down and waited for the train to start moving. As soon as it did he got up, went over to the restroom and changed his voice and said, "Ticket please." Snake took the ticket, slipped it under the door. Anancy took the ticket and went back to his seat. Snake and Rabbit were doing the same thing Anancy told them, to wait 5 minutes. A little while later there was a knock on the door. "Tickets please." the person asked. Snake replied, The other conductor took our ticket." The conductor replied, "I am the only conductor on the train." As they were thrown off the train to the waiting vendors they saw Anancy sitting on the train with a big smile.

Read more: http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/ana...#ixzz2o3u5TodY

[BCBud]

CaptD - now saved in my favourite links. I just read the introduction to Anancy stories and it well explains the inportance of the Anancy stories in Jamaican culture and Jamaican hisory. I have given Anancy story books to several young boys and girls over the years and all of them loved it.

[captaind]

Anancy is very cute (clever). The interplay of the characters in his stories is a big part of the Jamaican culture.

Down here in the South we have tales of "Brer Rabbit" .