In search of

In search of History & Rum!

Words and Photograph by Simon Hastelow

This was originally meant to be a travel report from Sri Lanka but the terrorist attacks on that island forced us to find another destination for our honeymoon at the last minute. After typing ‘All inclusive honeymoon’ into Google Jamaica was up there and we booked it the same day.

I should probably note that we still very much wanted to continue with our Sri Lankan trip. We’d been looking forward to it for a very long time and figured it was probably the safest time to go. However the UK government in their Health & Safety driven wisdom declared it a no fly destination and our tour operators just cancelled the holiday and issued a refund without even an apology.

But I digress, let’s get back to Jamaica.

The one big advantage of choosing a holiday destination at the last minute is that we did not know what to expect. All we had read was the details on the hotel website, coupled with a basic knowledge of where it sat both geographically and historically we set off on a voyage of discovery. (Well actually it was a Virgin flight from Gatwick but you know what I mean).

I won’t bore you with the details of the rest of our holiday, it was our honeymoon, it was an all inclusive resort where the bars don’t close. Fill in the blanks yourself!

However, on our ‘Welcome’ meet and greet with the fantastic resort staff they showed us around the facilities on the resort and also listed a few off-site trips we might be interested in. As soon as the words ‘4x4 Safari’ were uttered my gorgeous new bride cast a knowing, if slightly resigned glance. I suppose it could have easily been interpreted as “Don’t you dare!” but I was already reaching for the credit card.

The company organising the trips: CHUKKA, offered a range of adventure excursions including quad bike safaris, pony, trekking, kayaking, etc. So I figured it would be an adventurous trip even though I was firmly told that I would not be allowed to drive. And all the photos featured Land Rover Defenders in fairly mild but definitely ‘off-road’ conditions.

Let’s Go!

Whilst waiting to be collected imagine my disappointment when a ‘Yota turns up!

Now I have nothing against Landcruisers but I was expecting a Defender. Not only was this a fairly ancient Toyota but it wasn’t even a proper Troopie. It was a pickup that someone had bolted seats into the back of. Nevermind, at least it was a proper 4x4 that would be able to tackle the rough conditions.

Sadly, it transpired that the off-road sections were very few and far between and easily navigable by any family saloon car that you wouldn’t mind getting a bit dirty and the vast majority of the driving was on tarmac. I hope that explains the severe shortage of photos showing cross-axled vehicles or trucks trying to navigate large boulders or wading deep rivers.

I should really quit the moaning and criticism, so this wasn’t the ‘4x4 safari’ I was expecting. But it most certainly was a worthwhile excursion and a welcome change from the hedonistic all-you-can-eat-and-drink holiday resort.

We left our hotel and set off to the North of the Island, towards an area close to Montego Bay. Our guide certainly knew her history and even while trying to navigate the sometimes less than smooth conditions of the tarmac and the I’ll-drive-wherever-I-like attitude of other road users she never stopped trying to point out interesting features or landmarks along the way.

Whether it was the Golf Resort that hosted the Johnny Walker Tournament, the place where Lennox Lewis owns a house or the remains of an old plantation gatehouse, everything was eagerly pointed out and described with a passion only a local could have for their country.

Did you know that the African Julip trees we could see dotted about were not randomly or accidentally placed but were in fact used as markers to separate neighbouring plantations? Nor did we but our guide explained that its distinctive red foliage gave a clear and unambiguous waypoint that could not be moved or otherwise molested during any border disputes between neighbours.

We also did not know that the 18th century church we visited was built largely from ballaststones let behind by trading ships. Mixing tales of the historical significance of the building with details about how ships were loaded with these stones when on an empty leg of a voyage and were later cast aside and swapped for cargo kept us captivated and wanting more details.

You might be able to tell that by now I had completely forgiven them for misleadingly tempting me with an off-road drive in a Defender!

Our ultimate stop-off was the old plantation owned by CHUKKA - the company organising the Safari - The Montpelier Jungle Outpost, and where they host most of their other adventure activities. The facilities are basic but functional, only the sudden influx of what seemed like the entire population of an American cruise ship seemed to stretch their ability to cope with tourists.

A wise purchase of two bottles of Guinness Export helped us cope with the chaos. Did you know that Guinness is brewed in Jamaica and is 7.9% abv rather than the miserly 4.2% you’ll find in the liquid coming out of Dublin. It is brewed under licence by the company that also brews Red Stripe on the Island.

After the short stop off for lunch and obligatory visit to the gift shop it was just a long slog back to our hotel. No chance of taking a nap when you’re just holding on to a plastic chair in the back of a pickup but we did discover that the ride was so bumpy that my fitness tracker started recording it as a workout!

It might not have been the 4x4 Safari in the Mountains of Jamaica that we were expecting but it was still a great day out. Pass the Rum!

Dark times We cannot just ignore the troubled and turbulent history of the Island and our guide, on several occasions, seemed to spit out phrases like “because of The British!”. But we should not argue or take offence. It is true that the British involvement in the Slave Trade is a very large blot on our copybooks and Jamaica featured heavily in that era.

The Spanish originally took the Island for their own in 1494 and imported the first slaves to work on the quickly established plantations. It was 160 years later that English forces expelled the Spanish and claimed it for themselves, renaming it Jamaica in the process. For almost the next 200 years this Caribbean Island played a huge part in the slave/sugar triangle before finally giving all indentured slaves full emancipation in 1838.

During that time there were numerous rebellions and skirmishes between the white plantation owners, slaves and other inhabitants. The physical damage caused by the most recent of these can still be seen in several locations.

Following the abolition of the Slave Trade Jamaica’s main trade was still sugar and fruits but now the workforce consisted mainly of Chinese and Indian immigrants.

Between Emancipation and Independence from Britain in 1962 Jamaica slowly took control away from the mother country. Remaining part of the Commonwealth their economy boomed post independence and the island is still one of the richest in the area whilst still relying mostly on tourism for the bulk of its income