As our nation gears up to celebrate its 50th year of Independence this year, SO begins a countdown of 50 things Jamaican.

Pigeon Island

A day or weekend excursion to Pigeon Island, one of the small cays in Portland Bight, off the southern tip of Jamaica, has to be one of the island’s best-kept secrets. Few venture to this idyllic paradise, with only three options of transport: private boat, fishing canoe, or the Versailles Queen Cruiser. For those who get seasick, it’s probably not a good idea to take the long sea route from Kingston. There are other locations in Clarendon from which a vessel can depart, but you’ll have to get ‘in’ with a fisherman or the owner of one of the boats at Salt River!

Pulling up to the calm coast of Pigeon Island takes my breath away every time. With the winds whispering in the countless coconut trees, and the Caribbean Sea lapping over the white seashore, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

From as far back as I can remember (the 1970s, if you can believe it), my family has been taking trips out to Pigeon Island. There has been a small core of us doing this for the last 35 years and, in more recent times, others have also discovered this treasure. For those of us who go, it is a privilege to have this Utopia at our fingertips. A privilege each of us must nurture, taking great care never to leave a drop of litter, but to take all our garbage back to the mainland and dispose of it in the proper way. A privilege each of us must appreciate as we feel the warm sand between our toes when we walk the length of the island, and as we swim in the refreshing blue sea that surrounds it.

The best way to enjoy Pigeon Island is to take a drum barbecue, along with coal, and coolers containing meat, sweet potatoes, plantains, and of course, drinks. Set up under the trees and get cooking! Drink a cold Red Stripe while wading in the water, or laze about on a towel while reading a novel. It is the perfect way to spend a day, and at night you can either sleep in the boat (assuming you’ve come out to the island in an appropriate one), or set up camp (I hope you remembered to bring your tent) under the starry sky. The island is known for its evening mosquitoes when there’s no breeze, so be mindful of that fact before bedding down on the beach!

Waking in the morning to the soft hum of a fisherman’s canoe is music to the ears of fish lovers. He’s probably bringing in a fresh catch of the day, which you will not want to miss out on. Yellowtail, parrot, lobster, and more may be waiting in the bottom of the boat for you to pick, choose and refuse. So get another fire roaring, and plan on eating the best seafood you’ll ever get in Jamaica!

Climbing Blue Mountain Peak

London-born Lizzie Sherwood-Smith, who called Dublin home for the last 14 years until her recent move to Jamaica with her husband in mid-January climbed together with her husband Ed to the top of Blue Mountain Peak while seven months pregnant. “I wanted to do it before the baby came,” Smith told SO. “I can’t imagine being able to take the baby on such a long hike, until he or she would be too heavy to carry,” she said. “To get that view, to get out on top of Jamaica, had to be fabulous. Plus, we’d read about it in the Lonely Planet guide. It’s one of the top 10 things to do in Jamaica.”

The 30-something-year-old advertising copywriter, who describes coming to Jamaica as “going to paradise”, is an adventurer right down to the core of her soul, and has run in both the London and New York marathons. In fact, the Sherwood-Smiths hike in practically every place they visit. Lizzie had also been horse riding four times per week, before pregnancy, which keeps one naturally fit. That said, as she was still living in the Courtleigh Hotel before their climb, she decided that she had better work out on the stairmaster, take daily walks in Emancipation Park, and swim. “People would look at me weirdly when exercising. As if a pregnant woman should be home resting,” she quipped.

Lizzie’s experience was not without trepidation. “We got half way up, and I started feeling really dizzy and thinking it was a big mistake, so I was going really slowly. But I am the type of person who carries on, and luckily I recovered,” she said with relief. She felt very proud of herself for having made it to the top, but it had taken them a good hour-and-a-half more than others. “I was completely exhausted and was a bit worried about how I’d get down,” she recalled. “I was wearing a maternity support belt, which helped going down the hill, as it held me together,” she said laughingly. Lizzie made it all in good health, but “I couldn’t really walk by the end. I was really suffering, and was very emotional. I felt like I’d done too much,” she admitted.

The sense of achievement one gets from climbing to the top of Blue Mountain Peak is absolutely worth the continuous uphill trek. “It was also a pretty stunning way to see the country like this. How fertile it is, the forest, and even the ginger growing was magnificent. We also got to see a flock of green parakeets and a Red-billed Streamertail (Doctor Bird),” beamed seven months’ pregnant Lizzie Sherwood-Smith. She was surprised that her friend Doug Keatinge, who climbed with them, had been living in Jamaica for two years and hadn’t done it previously. “How could there be such amazing things to do in Jamaica and you not do it?” she wondered.

Assembling a backpack of bananas, chocolate, water and Gatorade, along with extra layers of clothing in case it gets cold, is a no brainer. Don comfortable pants, a pair of socks, and sneakers (please wear a shirt, too!) and you’re all set to begin this exhilarating road trip. Although you’ll be travelling along a windy and potholed road, particularly in Mavis Bank, the scenery as your vehicle (best to take a four-wheel drive) rises above Jamaica becomes more breathtaking the higher you get. Of course, if you do this in the middle of the night, you won’t see much, until you’ve reached the peak itself at sunrise. Depending on how fast you walk, it takes 3 1/2 to 4 hours to get from the bottom of the trail to the top.

If you want to make more of a weekend out of the escapade, book a room at Jah B’s guest house. Jah B has a thick accent, and his phone reception is not great, but if he says something like, “Yeah man, it’s possible,” then you have no worries. It’s best to head out of town early afternoon, so that you can appreciate the beautiful views. Finding your way there from Kingston is easy, as everyone in the Blue Mountains knows Jah B, who’ll have a delicious Ital dinner waiting for you when you arrive. Actually, you may have to wait a bit, but he does prepare meals for guests who request it.

It’s not the most luxurious inn (light bulbs and showers don’t always work!), but considering that you’re out in the bush, ‘behind God’s back’, you shouldn’t expect anything more than a camping-like circumstance. If you do opt for this ‘weekend away’, be sure to pack a cooler with ice, rum, beers, some extra water and snacks. As you sit under the starry sky, with peenywallies lighting up around you, Jah B will serve you a scrumptious supper.

No matter when you decide to start out on the climb, Jah B can arrange for his son ‘Raz’ to be your guide. Whatever happens, stick to the trail and you’ll make it to the top and back (Jah B will once again be cooking for you). Veer from it and, well, let’s just say stubborn climbers have been lost for hours!

– EDBS