If that satisfies your curiosity for what Jamaica is like, then you may as well find an all-inclusive resort to stay at. But if you care to discover the real Jamaica, then you should brave(храбрый) the country’s many pot holes and head to the Jamaica’s south west corner. A 95km drive from the island’s second largest city Montego Bay or 150km west from the capital Kingston brings you to Treasure Beach, a small fishing town in the parish(округ) of St Elizabeth that illuminates Jamaica’s colourful communities and varied past. Treasure Beach’s residents descend(спускаться) from just a handful of families, and many, like independent tour guide Damian Parchment, trace their origins back to Scottish fishermen who were shipwrecked on the coast in the mid 1600s. Parchment leads tailored tours (876-430-7852) to some of the most secluded places on the island, including the high cliffs of the Pedro Bluff area, which offer incredible(невероятный) views of the Caribbean’s crystal clear waters; the Spaniard Caves, which both the Tainos (Jamaica’s indigenous people) and the Spanish used as a hiding place; and Lovers Leap, a 4,800m cliff overhanging the sea from where two slaves once leapt(прыгать) to their death for fear of being separated. Alternatively, if you are an early riser, you can head on your own to Treasure Beach’s Calabash Bay to watch the fishermen hauling(буксировать) their first catch of the day. The remoteness felt here could not be further from the party scene of Montego Bay. To be truly transported back in time, though, drive 25km northwest to the town of Black River, a once thriving sugar port that became a sort of ruin following the demise of the slave trade in 1838. But with some funding from the National Heritage Trust, many of its 18th- and 19th-century buildings have been restored. Stay in the rickety Waterloo guest house, built in 1819, the first building to have electricity on the island and the first house in St Elizabeth Parish of such grandeur to be owned by a black man, Dr Frank Ferdinand. Historian and tour guide Allison Morris’ family has lived in Black River for six generations and unlike some other tours in Jamaica, her one-hour stroll through the town does not shy away from the country’s slavery past. “The slave trade is part of our history, we have to mention it,” she said. “Put simply, we are here because of slaves, sugar and logwood.” The Logwood tree, whose bark was used for a long time as a natural source of dye, was one of the main economic drivers in Black River, and today local guides will take you sailing down the 30km stretch where the logs were transported and eventually shipped to Europe. It makes for a beautiful excursion and an opportunity to meet some of the town’s most famous residents – the crocodiles.
whether you know about this island? would you like to visit Jamaica? whether the history of Jamaica is interesting?
I consider history of Jamaica very interesting and fascinating. It is the beautiful island
