My husband James and I spent last week (6/26 – 7/3/06) in the northern part of Jamaica.  Most of the week was spent in Falmouth, one day in Negril, but I’m going to write about Saturday and Sunday (7/1 – 2/06) that we spent in the tiny Harmony Hall, Jamaica. 

I have a second cousin (Johnny) who lives in Jamaica, so I decided to look him up.  I got his email address from his mother, and told him we were going to be in Jamaica, and asked if we could visit.  He responded with a generous offer to stay with him, but our schedule was set, and I really just planned to visit with him for a couple of hours to catch up on distant family news. 

After arriving in Jamaica, we called to get directions to his home.  He asked us to spend the week-end with him in the 350+ year-old great home he lives in, and made it too hard to say “no”.  So we rented a car, and he faxed us directions.  Being the adventuresome type, we headed out (driving on the left hand side of the road with the steering wheel on the right.)  Since there are few road signs, and the primary road into his part of the mountains was washed out last year during a storm, we were literally lost during most of the trip.  But the people were SO nice!  We stopped to ask directions, and one lady put her young son in the car with us to take us through some tricky turns to the next named road.  He gave us directions, and then suddenly said we could let him out since we had reached the road we needed.  We gratefully gave him a couple of dollars and we all went happily on our ways.  Another time, when we stopped at an intersection to study the map, an approaching driver yelled to us to ask us where we were going.  We said Higgintown” and she said, “You’re going right.  Just stay on this road.”

One we arrived, what a treat!!!  We drove to the end of the road, as instructed in the map, and I walked right into Johnny’s kitchen.  Was he surprised that we didn't have to call for directions!  His home is owned by Graham Davis, the famous artist, and is over 350 years old, with the most unbelievable view of the mountains and sea that I had ever seen.  Johnny had week-end activities planned, and was generous enough to include us.  He began the evening by showing us around his wonderful home.  A professional pianist, Johnny played a few songs for us, and then took us to a neighbor’s home who was gracious enough to invite us for dinner.  The neighbor was none other than Judy Ann MacMillan, one of Jamaica’s most famous artists! 

** Editorial Reviews from Amazon.com regarding Judy::

Book Description
Judy Ann MacMillan is one of Jamaica's leading artists. She is perhaps best known for her landscape painting but her unique talent for observing and recording her island home does not stop there. While My Jamaica features a fine selection of her landscapes it also includes fascinating portraits of her fellow Jamaicans. This unique collection of paintings represents a lifetime's work by an artist whose detailed observations and astute eye has captured her beloved Jamaica and preserved it for everyone to see.

Judy lives in another wonderful home that is over 250 years old with an unparalleled 360º view of Ocho Rios, the sea, and the mountains.  Her home was used in a photo shoot for a recent German Glamour magazine (anyone know how I can get a copy of that magazine?)  Johnny’s date for the night was Suzanne Jobson, the casting director for Jamaica’s filming of Robin William’s latest film, “License to Wed” that is being filmed in Ocho Rios this week.  Talk about interesting conversation!

That night, after my husband was snoring, a light suddenly turned on in our room.  It went off, and then came on in another part of the room.  I woke my husband and asked him what was going on.  A firefly had flown into our room through the open window and was so bright that I honestly thought someone was turning a light on and off!  I got up to put it out, and it was a huge beetle with 2 headlights plus a whole body that lit up!  It was approximately an inch in length, and was as bright as a 40 watt light bulb!

The next morning, Johnny served us wonderful local fruit with fresh ginger sprinkled on top.  Exquisite!  He had invited neighbors for lunch, and we had another Jamaican treat, coconut run-down over roasted yams, breadfruit, and other tubers I didn’t recognize.  What an experience!  We had to have the rental car back by 4 PM, so we rushed back to the resort.  Fortunately, the ride was much easier (although no less bumpy due to much road construction and rock base roads).  The Jamaicans have such a wonderful, friendly lifestyle!

 Many told me not to go outside the resort; I am so glad I didn't listen!  Jamaica was a wonderful location with many wonderful people.  If you ever have the chance to go to Jamaica, I encourage you to experience all of it.  What a fabulous place!