August – January – My 5 months in Jamaica

[Accompong]

It was time for a late breakfast so Marshall went to the kitchen to cook us a meal. Marshall is a Garveyite-Rastafarian so we eat no meat. In fact, we eat what is referred to as “earth food” (things the we or neighbors grow) and river fish for protein.

This particular morning we had a meal of Yellow Yam, callaloo, broadbeans, okra,tomatoes, onions and a small piece of saltfish all cooked together in coconut oil.
Breakfast is ready!

While Marshall was cooking, I went work on stripping the sorrel off the bush to get ready for drying.

Later in the day, we went to the market to get some vegetables for the week. This vendor had some pumpkin, dasheen, cabbage, Irish, coconuts, green peppers and various yams.

See asked, “Makin pumpkin soup?” “How about some Gungo Peas?”


Peace and Guidance

[Accompong]

Bush Tea has supplanted all other forms of beverages. I look forward to a cup of tea each morning and at night just before going to bed. Marshall brings out different herbs for tea each morning. He often makes different blends on different occasions like; John Charles, Vervine, Noni, Moringa, Jack’na Bush, Bas Cedar, Fence Stake and Leaf of Life. A personal favorite is a blend of Strongback and Ginger.
Strongback and Ginger

Also, a casually thrown Gungo Pea spawned a health bush just off the verandah that supplied us with Gungo Peas for the last couple of months of my stay. Some people find them to have a bitter taste like the Susumba Bean but I like the flavor.
Gungo Pea Bush

Water is very important in Accompong and, for that fact, all over Jamaica but there is no piped water in Accompong Town so we have to rely on rainwater for everything. Sometimes during the drought times, a water truck will come around and sell water at about $3J a gallon or you can ask a taxi driver to stop at Dry River near Maggotty to fill a few 5 gallon used vegetable oil containers from the standpipe.
Plenty of water now!

Peace and Guidance

[Bluez]

This is very interesting, loving this post.

[Accompong]

At least twice a week (weather and health permitting), I liked to take a walk about a mile long to the Computer Center in the town library next to the Community Center. Even though the Computer Center opened at 10am, I liked to leave around 9am so I would have time to stop a few times to rest and to chat with my neighbors.
One place in particular I loved to stop was to chat with Rubber.
Rubber

Rubber’s store.

Rubber is an old and dear friend whom I have known for nearly 25 years. He grows coffee and cocoa and I can always count on a freshly brewed cup of coffee or a hot cup of real cocoa.

Across the street is another favorite store for incidentals that you might need but not want to go all the way into Santa Cruz to purchase.

Down near Cudjoe’s Monument, I arrive at the Community Center with the Library and Computer Center next door. I am usually a likkle early so I stop at the Community Center to chat with whoever is on duty. Here is a picture of the mural on the wall.



Peace and Guidance.

[Accompong]

It’s 10am sharp and here comes my friend Beth down the road to open the Computer Center. Now, I have an “Edge Speed” (think that means 2G) at my house but the speed is so limiting that the 200megs of bandwidth they give me per month only allows me to check the mail about a dozen times a month. I save that for when the weather is bad or I am just too lazy to walk.
I find my regular seat at the #2 Computer and wait until Beth boots up the system. I asked her for a picture and here she is.
Beth.

The computers and the broadband connection were donated by a group out of Minnesota. There are no telephones except Cell Phones in Accompong Town so this connection is a beamed in signal from Mandeville. Here are a couple of pictures from the Computer Center.

It only takes me about an hour to get all the things done that are on my list of things to do. I have a laptop at the house and a couple of thumbdrives so I can store what I need to send and then just cut, paste and download the information. Often I will get done with a few minutes to spare. Some enterprising youth wait until I am getting done and ask for the minutes that I have left out of what I paid for. The computer time on the Internet runs $2J per minute and I always give them $100J for the 50 minutes.


I think I hear a friend’s vehicle coming up the steep hill so I go outside to see if I can get a ride back to the house. Towards the end of my stay, I was feeling much stronger and walked back every time even in the rain.


Peace and Guidance

[kaycee]

Very interesting. Love your pics and stories.

[suzengrace]

.. reminds me of our yard near dromlily..edge of cockpits.....i love the rural country life....simple, hard, rewarding...more pics and report please

[yetta]

So enjoying this post and pics! Keep them coming........

[nutz4travel]

Very nice

[Kathy]

Nice style... LOVING this!