May 1999 Table
of Contents
JAMAICA TRIP
Language Arts teacher Ms Jill Saunders took a group of 13 students from Abaco Central
High School for a week's vacation in Jamaica starting on 1st April. The students
were pleased to have another group from South Andros, led by Martha and Rudolph Smith,
to accompany them on the Air Jamaica flight. Final destination was Montego Bay.
The initial impressions were of lush scenery, narrow and bumpy roads, and hills that
looked like mountains, and the students were fascinated by seeing rivers for the
first time. One touch of home was the miles and miles of beaches. One shock was $35
Jamaican for $1 US.
The group was looked after in their arrangements by Ms Dollis Campbell, their tour
agent. On their first day, the students went to Dunn's River Falls, Ocho Rios, where
they climbed the waterfalls where the river cascades down to the sea. It was a real
adventure for them and everybody had fun.
Next day, it was a more peaceful river scene: rafting on Martha Brae River. The bamboo
rafts were fine, they said, until you tried to stand up! Later that evening, the
students participated in a talent search at Club Inferno.
Sunday was supposed to be a day of relaxation, shopping and lounging around the pool
at the Quality Inn Hotel, but some of the students went off roller-blading at a local
rink.
Monday brought a real cultural experience. In Trelawny there was a Yam Festival, an
event that brought out thousands of people. "There are twice as many people here
than at Junkanoo," one awed student noted. "Thousands and thousands of people!" Have
you tried yam punch? Yam soup? Yam tea? Or just yam? Of course, there were other presentations
such as jerk chicken, ackee and jelly coconut. A music festival followed but it was
obvious from the number of vehicles heading up the hills as the students returned
home that the party was really only starting after they had left!
Tuesday brought a visit to the Appleton Rum Estate where the students saw a demonstration
of a donkey-driven cane-crushing mill. Although the visit was interesting, some of
the Abaco students noted that adults were able to sample the Appleton rum products
on the conducted tour for the same entrance fee while, of course, they could not.
The group then went on to Negril and on the way saw Maggotty High School, which they
were able to compare with their own. "Ours is way better," was the general consensus.
You can't go to Jamaica without visiting Kingston and the Blue Mountains, so that
was Wednesday's schedule. A trip through Fern Gully led to the Mavis Coffee Factory
where the students saw Jamaicans working hard for $75 a day. Jamaican dollars.
In KIngston the group met with Bahamas High Commissioner to Jamaica Basil Smith, and
Yvonne Walters of the Jamaica Tourist Board. They had lunch in the beautiful surroundings
of the Devon House restaurant. They toured Devon House, then visited the Bob Marley Museum.
Thursday was a bad day. Everybody had to go home. Perhaps with a few more items in
their suitcases, certainly close to excess baggage when it comes to delightful memories
and new cultural awareness. Only by travelling can Bahamians, young and old, truly
realise who they are and what makes them special.
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