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Jamaica off the beaten path
2008-08-02 Written by: No Author 
Susanne Frantz, a German immunologist, on her first visit to Negril Jamaica
(German immunologist Susanne Frantz catalogues her maiden visit to Jamaica in this two-part travelogue.)
Zurich, Switzerland
The trip to Jamaica — a dream that was going to become true, finally, after having it on my mind for so many years. Two of the forces driving me to make this trip finally were my good friend and brother Randy Sewell, who I have known for many years, and Makeda, with whom I had intensive email contact before.
I knew about Jamaica — like many others — through reggae music. Reggae played a role in my life since age 11, when I bought my first vinyl, a Peter Tosh album, and, of course, the king of reggae, Bob Marley. I still remember the night when Peter Tosh was murdered. The German TV stations reported about the shootings. It was a tragedy.
Since my childhood I had an interest in Jamaica, in Africa and subsequently in the history that connected Africa and Jamaica. So it was a natural chain of events that led me into Rastafari.
But most of all, the books of Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah really opened my eyes to Rastafari. Barbara was planning to launch a reggae Film festival that month in February 2008, the official reggae month in Jamaica, and my partner and I were planning to attend that festival as guests. Maybe reggae is one of the biggest exports that Jamaica has, and this music made the island, through Bob, Peter, Jacob Miller, Garnett Silk and many, many others world famous. I wanted to see the place where it all began.
Getting to Jamaica
We booked the flights. I was searching the internet for accomodation, not in one of the expensive hotel resorts, but more for a place at one of the smaller guesthouses that were run by Jamaican families. So, I found that little ‘jewel’ in the hills of Montego Bay, close to Rose Hall Estate and made a reservation for two days, the first days after we would be landing in Montego Bay.
On February 12, we boarded the plane in Frankfurt, Germany. It was interesting to see who was travelling with us, surprisingly it was mostly elderly people, which I found funny, because I was expecting a younger crowd.
Nevertheless, the flight itself was nothing to write home about. But I met a lady, from Germany, who was travelling all by herself, and it was also her first trip to Jamrock, and like us, she choose to stay in a small Jamaican-run guesthouse. Honestly, I was wondering why she was going all by herself… wasn’t she afraid? Immediately those awful stories about ‘rent a rasta’ came to my mind…. Was she a candidate for that kind of thing?
We exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. I was curious to hear from her.
Montego Bay, we landed! A long line of people were waiting at the immigration. I was impressed about how nice the airport was! The young immigration officer was so friendly. Specially after we told her that we were planning to set up some contacts for farmers who are interested in organic farming and fair trade of agricultural products. She was smiling and said: I wish that more people like you would come to Jamaica! And she wished us a nice time.
We were so tired from the flight that when leaving the arrival area and looking for our car to pick us up and take us to the hotel, we couldn’t find it. Started to get nervous. We asked a local guy who was waiting outside how to get to the guesthouse. He asked a few questions and then took his mobile phone to contact our guesthouse (so nice of him!), then it was clear that they were already waiting for us long time, with a big white stretch limo. All for us alone? And off we went to that guesthouse up in the hills, close to Rose Hall Estate.
Montego Bay
It was night and we did not see much of the area, but I remembered seeing some youth on the side of the road, playing domino — that’s what my partner, who is of West Indian parentage, told me.
We checked in and wanted to sleep, but couldn’t. So I listened to the sounds coming from outside, the insects and frogs gave a nice little concert. The room was wonderful, a door was leading to an amazing roof terrace. When the first morning light appeared, I went outside on the roof terrace to enjoy the view. It was unbelievably beautiful. The sun was rising in the east, over the hilltops — golden orange fireball. Birds were singing, I heard some cows in the distance. It was a real peaceful patch of land.
Then I noticed a cloud, close to the orange sun, that cloud had the shape of a lion! I could see the head, the body, the front paws, the tail…what a picture. Amazing. A song of Bob came to my mind: Soul Rebel…“see the morning sun, on the hill side….“ It was so perfect.
Underneath the terrace was the beautiful garden, full of tropical plants. Guava, mango and breadfruit trees, bananas, all kind of other tropical plants. Orchids with pink flowers growing on tree trunks. A lush garden, a little paradise! In the west, I could see the ocean, dark blue and serene.
The air was fresh but not cold. That was like paradise. Then a little knocking at our door. A woman asked what we would like to have for breakfast. ‘Just whatever you have, we will eat what you would have for breakfast.’ She smiled and disappeared.
When we went down, some more people had come, all of them were working at the guesthouse. An elderly man, ‘Papps’, told us all the story oft he infamous ‘White Witch“. He was an expert on telling stories that had something to do with the area.
A Rasta appeared, he was in charge of he gardening and took care of the flowers. We talked a bit and it came out that he is also an artist, a painter. I was curious to see his works, since he was living nearby.
On tour
A friend was picking us up, to take us and show us the areas where he grew up and went to school —Hanover. So we drove off. Now I could see how beautiful the surroundings actually were. Huge jungle-like forests, trees and plants that I just new from our local greenhouses here in Europe were actually growing wild. The road was narrow with huge potholes, but our friend did not mind and kept on telling us about the area.
We passed also the typical North Coast resorts, expensive looking hotels, that had more in common with castles or with military forts, since huge walls or fences separated the property from the rest of the land. The entrances were guarded. Unfortunately also the view to the ocean front was blocked by big concrete buildings. Most likely the tourists who are staying there enjoy a very comfortable holiday but they are missing the ‘real Jamaica’.
We passed Mobay city center and drove up north west to reach Hanover. Winding roads, uphill. We passed orange and grapefruit plantations, fields of banana trees. Beautiful houses nestled at the hills. We had a glimpse into the everyday living of the Jamaicans who were living and working in that area. There were school kids in their uniforms coming home from school, waiting for the bus, and a little accident with a car that slipped off the road, because the road was wet from a sudden rainfall.
People stayed cool and easy, a fire truck came and pulled that car off the road, no injuries. But moreover, people got out of their cars and offered their help.
We passed schools and churches. Then we took a turn and went to the Knockalva School of agriculture, where Randy and Anthony went to study. He arranged two students for us, Chelsea and Maverick, to give us a tour. The school building was a former plantation house. We went to see the school rooms, the fields where the students grow various plants. Chelsea and Maverick explained to us what they are actually doing.
Knockalva School of Agriculture
I was so impressed to learn about the multitude of tasks. They were not only dealing with plants, but they were also learning how to deal with dairy cattle, sheep, chicken…how to produce bio gas and bio fertilizer. Groups of students in passed by, waving and greeting.
I talked a bit, about science also, since I am a trained immunologist. And it turned out that Maverick’s dream was to become an immunologist too! We talked and discussed scientific matters, and I couldn’t believe how much knowledge he already has and how smart the questions were that he was asking me.
Then suddenly a heavy rain came down from the sky. It lasted only a few minutes, then the sun came back, and surprisingly a rainbow appeared, right in front of us. Beautiful and special, like a sign, from above….
Later my friend Barbara explained to me that this was a ‘welcome’ greeting, a sign that everything is ok. The rainbow is a sign from above, it connects the heaven with the earth.
I decided to send Maverick some of my science textbook and give some support for his studies. Since then, we have sent emails back and forth a lot. And maybe Maverick and Chelsea one day will come over to Europe and visit us.
2008-08-02 Written by: No Author Susanne Frantz, a German immunologist, on her first visit to Negril Jamaica
(German immunologist Susanne Frantz catalogues her maiden visit to Jamaica in this two-part travelogue.)
Zurich, Switzerland
The trip to Jamaica — a dream that was going to become true, finally, after having it on my mind for so many years. Two of the forces driving me to make this trip finally were my good friend and brother Randy Sewell, who I have known for many years, and Makeda, with whom I had intensive email contact before.
I knew about Jamaica — like many others — through reggae music. Reggae played a role in my life since age 11, when I bought my first vinyl, a Peter Tosh album, and, of course, the king of reggae, Bob Marley. I still remember the night when Peter Tosh was murdered. The German TV stations reported about the shootings. It was a tragedy.
Since my childhood I had an interest in Jamaica, in Africa and subsequently in the history that connected Africa and Jamaica. So it was a natural chain of events that led me into Rastafari.
But most of all, the books of Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah really opened my eyes to Rastafari. Barbara was planning to launch a reggae Film festival that month in February 2008, the official reggae month in Jamaica, and my partner and I were planning to attend that festival as guests. Maybe reggae is one of the biggest exports that Jamaica has, and this music made the island, through Bob, Peter, Jacob Miller, Garnett Silk and many, many others world famous. I wanted to see the place where it all began.
Getting to Jamaica
We booked the flights. I was searching the internet for accomodation, not in one of the expensive hotel resorts, but more for a place at one of the smaller guesthouses that were run by Jamaican families. So, I found that little ‘jewel’ in the hills of Montego Bay, close to Rose Hall Estate and made a reservation for two days, the first days after we would be landing in Montego Bay.
On February 12, we boarded the plane in Frankfurt, Germany. It was interesting to see who was travelling with us, surprisingly it was mostly elderly people, which I found funny, because I was expecting a younger crowd.
Nevertheless, the flight itself was nothing to write home about. But I met a lady, from Germany, who was travelling all by herself, and it was also her first trip to Jamrock, and like us, she choose to stay in a small Jamaican-run guesthouse. Honestly, I was wondering why she was going all by herself… wasn’t she afraid? Immediately those awful stories about ‘rent a rasta’ came to my mind…. Was she a candidate for that kind of thing?
We exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. I was curious to hear from her.
Montego Bay, we landed! A long line of people were waiting at the immigration. I was impressed about how nice the airport was! The young immigration officer was so friendly. Specially after we told her that we were planning to set up some contacts for farmers who are interested in organic farming and fair trade of agricultural products. She was smiling and said: I wish that more people like you would come to Jamaica! And she wished us a nice time.
We were so tired from the flight that when leaving the arrival area and looking for our car to pick us up and take us to the hotel, we couldn’t find it. Started to get nervous. We asked a local guy who was waiting outside how to get to the guesthouse. He asked a few questions and then took his mobile phone to contact our guesthouse (so nice of him!), then it was clear that they were already waiting for us long time, with a big white stretch limo. All for us alone? And off we went to that guesthouse up in the hills, close to Rose Hall Estate.
Montego Bay
It was night and we did not see much of the area, but I remembered seeing some youth on the side of the road, playing domino — that’s what my partner, who is of West Indian parentage, told me.
We checked in and wanted to sleep, but couldn’t. So I listened to the sounds coming from outside, the insects and frogs gave a nice little concert. The room was wonderful, a door was leading to an amazing roof terrace. When the first morning light appeared, I went outside on the roof terrace to enjoy the view. It was unbelievably beautiful. The sun was rising in the east, over the hilltops — golden orange fireball. Birds were singing, I heard some cows in the distance. It was a real peaceful patch of land.
Then I noticed a cloud, close to the orange sun, that cloud had the shape of a lion! I could see the head, the body, the front paws, the tail…what a picture. Amazing. A song of Bob came to my mind: Soul Rebel…“see the morning sun, on the hill side….“ It was so perfect.
Underneath the terrace was the beautiful garden, full of tropical plants. Guava, mango and breadfruit trees, bananas, all kind of other tropical plants. Orchids with pink flowers growing on tree trunks. A lush garden, a little paradise! In the west, I could see the ocean, dark blue and serene.
The air was fresh but not cold. That was like paradise. Then a little knocking at our door. A woman asked what we would like to have for breakfast. ‘Just whatever you have, we will eat what you would have for breakfast.’ She smiled and disappeared.
When we went down, some more people had come, all of them were working at the guesthouse. An elderly man, ‘Papps’, told us all the story oft he infamous ‘White Witch“. He was an expert on telling stories that had something to do with the area.
A Rasta appeared, he was in charge of he gardening and took care of the flowers. We talked a bit and it came out that he is also an artist, a painter. I was curious to see his works, since he was living nearby.
On tour
A friend was picking us up, to take us and show us the areas where he grew up and went to school —Hanover. So we drove off. Now I could see how beautiful the surroundings actually were. Huge jungle-like forests, trees and plants that I just new from our local greenhouses here in Europe were actually growing wild. The road was narrow with huge potholes, but our friend did not mind and kept on telling us about the area.
We passed also the typical North Coast resorts, expensive looking hotels, that had more in common with castles or with military forts, since huge walls or fences separated the property from the rest of the land. The entrances were guarded. Unfortunately also the view to the ocean front was blocked by big concrete buildings. Most likely the tourists who are staying there enjoy a very comfortable holiday but they are missing the ‘real Jamaica’.
We passed Mobay city center and drove up north west to reach Hanover. Winding roads, uphill. We passed orange and grapefruit plantations, fields of banana trees. Beautiful houses nestled at the hills. We had a glimpse into the everyday living of the Jamaicans who were living and working in that area. There were school kids in their uniforms coming home from school, waiting for the bus, and a little accident with a car that slipped off the road, because the road was wet from a sudden rainfall.
People stayed cool and easy, a fire truck came and pulled that car off the road, no injuries. But moreover, people got out of their cars and offered their help.
We passed schools and churches. Then we took a turn and went to the Knockalva School of agriculture, where Randy and Anthony went to study. He arranged two students for us, Chelsea and Maverick, to give us a tour. The school building was a former plantation house. We went to see the school rooms, the fields where the students grow various plants. Chelsea and Maverick explained to us what they are actually doing.
Knockalva School of Agriculture
I was so impressed to learn about the multitude of tasks. They were not only dealing with plants, but they were also learning how to deal with dairy cattle, sheep, chicken…how to produce bio gas and bio fertilizer. Groups of students in passed by, waving and greeting.
I talked a bit, about science also, since I am a trained immunologist. And it turned out that Maverick’s dream was to become an immunologist too! We talked and discussed scientific matters, and I couldn’t believe how much knowledge he already has and how smart the questions were that he was asking me.
Then suddenly a heavy rain came down from the sky. It lasted only a few minutes, then the sun came back, and surprisingly a rainbow appeared, right in front of us. Beautiful and special, like a sign, from above….
Later my friend Barbara explained to me that this was a ‘welcome’ greeting, a sign that everything is ok. The rainbow is a sign from above, it connects the heaven with the earth.
I decided to send Maverick some of my science textbook and give some support for his studies. Since then, we have sent emails back and forth a lot. And maybe Maverick and Chelsea one day will come over to Europe and visit us.
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