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+--- Thread: Westy..for you.. (/showthread.php?tid=102312)
Westy..for you.. - oldtimer - 12-22-2018
It was 1965..I had a chance to go and work in Jamaica , where ever that was , for a company from Puerto Rico . It was working for the bauxite co . re-building a boiler in Linstead ,about 1/2 way between Ochi and Kingston . What a culture shock !!! coming from a french fishing town to a jungle bauxite mine . We , the white guys from away ,working with locals that didn't come to work alot . We are out of boats where you work everyday you can , as hard as you can , making the same money but we came to work . On the weekends we went exploring . Drove every back road possible , called whitey a million times and loved every minute of it . Along comes Negril . What the hell is Negril . A long beach with a few things on it and fishing canoes . We're home I figure , boats !!!! Moving right along we went ( time gap here ) up into Redground to find a place to stay . Gramma Porters it was . Just like out of a movie , SAFE !!!!!! rooms with no locks , the smell of ganja in the air , music all over the place and beer joints that were like a gift from Jah . Places like One Love Bar , Rest Easy , Faith Luck , Hilltop Cottages , Tudor , etc . We use to drive a bit up there but a car VW can only hold like 7 people so we would walk , excuse me , stroll. My friend and I met 2 beautiful young ladies named Sweetie Arthurs and her cousin Jullette Arthurs ( who now has a place on the beach doing hair and selling orange juice ).Almost every weekend we would make the 5 hour treck from the hills between Ochi and Kingston to Negril ( many stops on the way ) and head up into Redground . They would come with us and we would go exploring down the south coast across the interior to Cockpit Country , through The Alps and come out at Duncans . The girls would then get on a bus and go back to Negril and we would go back to Linstead to work again , Redground was just so beautiful , safe and mind resting . Sorry about the ramble but I just become carried away with myself . It was coke that brought Redground to her knees . Brother against brother , mother against son and prostition (sp) for others It makes me want to cry . So many people wouldn't even go to the road at night up in Redground . When I go up there now , lots still call my name , but lots just want money . Learned begging , hoping for a job at a resort from owners from away .
RE: Westy..for you.. - kylake - 12-22-2018
OT, I know this was for Westy but nice history to read and thanks for taking time to post.
RE: Westy..for you.. - oldtimer - 12-23-2018
The Arthur's were from the beach orginally . Arthur's Golden Sunset , Yellowbird , Alfred's , and of course Daddy Ron were all owned by the Arthur's and then Miss Lola and some other Arthur's were pushed out and moved to Redground along with some other beach folks .
Captain Barr moved to Redground , I'm guessing in the 50's did a lot of cave hunting and found his way from The Caves behind Gramma Porters up into the the West end . Johnnie ,one of Sweeties son , would go with him often . Johnnie took my son down into the guts of the cave and went down to where you could hear the sea . Most of these caves were used for garbage dumps . It's been 20 years since I have been to even the enterence of the cave .We would go down into them with a quart bottle of kerosene and a rag lit on the top . It was so peaceful there and all you could think about was pirates . The caves were for the slaves to hid/escape in .
RE: Westy..for you.. - Westenders - 12-23-2018
Ah thank you OT
Made my day reading that as I lay here with a flu.
When you were describing the caves , in my mind I imagined pirates before I got to your actual words, loved your description
In all my trips I’ve never been in the caves , got a bit of phobia going on.
Nice to read about the Arthur’s too, my husband is related to some through marriage .
He has told me about the coke history as well, through his own family history . It was and has very been very lucrative I believe , underpinning a lot of the development I understand.
It’s interesting how you view the destruction it brought and he described it as something that provided opportunity.
How do you think the changed in regulations of ganja will have a long term impact?
Thanks for taking the time to write, and if you have a minute I’d love to read and learn more
What an experience that you and others such as the Captain have had, and your relationship with Jamaica has stood strong all these years.
RE: Westy..for you.. - oldtimer - 12-23-2018
Coke brought/brings $'s to a few . It brings misery to most . They buy things with quick money then can't maintain them later .If a few with money is more important than the masses who suffer misery it brings , well you decide . The ganja thing is a different story .
The people hurt the worst ( in my opinion ) will be the hustlers with there crap product . Negril was/is 100% ganja money except for the foreign giants .
Poor ganja is a habit . Coke is an addiciton of the worst kind . What kind of a sexual act would you want one of your kids to perform for coke but wouldn't even think of for poor weed ???? Is this oppurtunity or destruction ?
RE: Westy..for you.. - Westenders - 12-23-2018
Totally agree with you about the white stuff.
It’s had a bit of a resurgence over here and young people are the market and all the problems that brings.
One of the things I always find sad /intriguing in Jamaica is the focus on quick money that buys nothing as you said, one day some live like kings and the next day have no basics of life.
I try to understand the difference in my upbringing in an environment where we had all our needs met as children,
Compared to the experience of many growing up with nothing over there.
But some of the thinking and rationale I hear when I’m there, I wonder when change will come.
OT there’s always discussions about progression, do you think things are getting better or worse than your time living there
RE: Westy..for you.. - oldtimer - 12-23-2018
Well , 99% of the time I lived in Jamaica it wasn't in Negril. Living there with children was a diaster of the worst kind . Living there young was a great time . When I go know I'm visiting . What made Negril magic is what brought all the people there. I use to like all the concerts now I don't . There use to be lots of young people ,now there isn't . With success comes crime . I don't like taking taxi's to avoid the bumming so I tend to stay close to Treehouse with M'ville on one side and Beaches on the other side. More people seem to have more stuff but that just might mean more debt.That is a very hard question to answer.
The taxi's use to be Lada's now there Toyota's . It's sad that it takes death to change things . 1st seadoo's and now they have to get rid of the horses. It was simpler times now it's $'s or nothing . Up in Redground you can still buy most things by the each , but at the bigger stores there are most things you need . The sewage treatment is something that MUST !!!!!!!!!!!!! be fixed and soon to be lack of water. That is everywhere in Jamaica not just Negril.