I am finally home in Accompong Town. I arrived on September 12th and after picking up a pallet I had shipped some two weeks prior, Marshall, his neighbor with a pickup truck and I ascended the winding mountain roads to our house in the Cockpit Country.
The most amazing thing to me about Accompong Town is that time seems to virtually stand still and my arrival seemed seamless with my departure some eight months prior. Yes, a couple of people have passed and a couple have been born but, all in all, this town seems the same peaceful and friendly place that I have grown to love and (more importantly) Respect.
The major difference is water and, more precisely “rain water” that was in short supply last November through January. Accompong Town does not have piped in water. You must have a storage tank of some sort and an ability to capture the rain water that does fall to use for drinking, bathing and flushing the toilet. A large truck with a 5,000 gallon tank strapped to the bed makes occasional rounds from which you can purchase water at around $3 Jamaican Dollars a gallon with a 500 gallon minimum purchase.
Well, there is no problem in September as the rains have been consistently predictable most every afternoon at 3:00pm. The storage drums are full to the brim.
The only problem has been wireless internet. Last year I had Claro 3G thumb drive assess here at the house but Claro merged with Digicel and only a 4G product is available, however, 4G is not available out here in the country. I tried Lime 3G but it did not work sufficiently to make it effective so I returned it for a refund. The best thing is that Accompong Town has an Internet Center with 12 up-to-date computers with Hi Speed Internet connections at $1.20 Jamaican per hour of use. My house is a little too far for me to walk to the center but a neighbor has offered to drive me both ways; three days a week for the cost of petrol.
Yes, life is good in Accompong Town.
Peace and Guidance
