Chapter 9

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”
― John Muir

Sunshine had been pretty adamant on our first trip that we stick to doing not much of anything at all. Having extended this trip to ten days, he agreed that I could claim one of those extra days for an excursion.

Since there is technically a three hour span of homelessness when you are changing hotels, I thought moving day would be the right day for us to explore a little further afield. Besides, since our move was only really 8km, I thought would could trick ourselves into feeling like we had actually moved some distance by taking a very indirect route.

Having heard about a lot of great excursions on the board, it wasn't easy to decide what we wanted to do. I wanted to get back into hills and Sunshine didn't want the drive to be too long. It would just be the two of us, so we also wanted to choose something suited to that. Pelican Bar looks great, but it seems like the kind of place best enjoyed with a bit bigger group. We settled on the Mayfield Falls river walk and had made arrangements with Kingsley for the trip.

Breakfast at Catcha did not disappoint. Really, nothing at Catcha had been disappointing. The only let down was leaving. With checking out came the moment of truth; it was finally time to add up all those tabs at the bar and restaurant we'd been so carefully ignoring. I have to admit that I was pretty pleasantly surprised. I believe by West End standards, Catcha is in the more expense half, but I think it provides tremendous value.

Kinsgley's timing was perfect as he was pulling in just as we were finishing up. He explained that his other driver Robert would actually be taking us to Mayfield Falls as he also had a number of airport runs booked that day. He was going to take us down to Xtabi to connect with Robert. I was a bit surprised, but given Kingsley's reputation, I didn't think he would pass us off to some fool.

In hindsight, I think I threw Kingsley's plans off a bit as I hadn't mentioned in our emails that we'd have our luggage with us. I don't know what vehicle we were supposed to be in, but I don't think it was supposed to be Kingsley's van. I am deducing this mostly by body language and actions at the hand off at Xtabi, because I sure didn't understand what either of them was saying to the other. I have no idea what Kingsley would be driving that day, but as we set off into the hills, Robert was driving us in Kingsley's van.

I was riding shotgun. Robert proved to be an able driver. Though I am not the best judge as I am not easily frightened by aggressive driving, I only had one holy crap moment, which I think for a couple hours on the Jamaican roads is pretty good.

I was again doing my best bobble head imitation. Robert explained the cane fields and wagons as we passed them by. I was fascinated by the moss that grows on everything, including the power and phone lines. Kingsley called Robert often to see how we were making out. I think on one or two calls, he might have also been giving directions. At one point is seemed like an "Are you sure you want me to take your van down a road with this many potholes?" conversation took place.

Lest you think we spend all of our Jamaican time in a sandwich haze, it too has its time and place. We both really wanted to remember the details of this experience and that is more easily achieved with a clear head. Other than a Red Stripe when we arrived at Mayfield falls, we were teetotallers that afternoon.

As we traveled along the narrow ridge of a mountain top on a road that was not more than two paved tire tracks half of which were washed out I wondered what mystic forces had conspired to bring me here. The mountains were forests of palms, flowering trees and bamboo. Simple homes on sturdy bamboo slits clung to hill sides pitched so steep I didn't know how I'd even stand on them. This was everything I had hoped to see and somehow more. I couldn't quite believe that this road was taking me to a spring fed, tropical mountain stream that I was going to get to walk up. I have no pictures of the drive. We were too busy just taking it all in.