sweet!!!Originally Posted by johng
sweet!!!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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.
Last edited by bigbamboo; 12-11-2015 at 04:13 PM.
I love your pics 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.
love the pictures and your writing
Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing....Portland is next on my to-do list
Stir IT UP
Have bin thinking of a trip to the Portland area. Is it best to fly into Kingston or Mobay.
Posting Permissions
