A taste of Jamaica with Javia and Marva Shaw

[EdSails]

Ocho Rios was the one spot on our recent cruise that I wanted to plan a private tour. I contacted Marva Shaw and she was more than willing to bounce ideas off me as well as telling me what was feasible in the time we had. She had some very good suggestions for what I wanted to do. And thanks, kooljamming for your input----you really helped me to decide what to do too!

April 21st came and we got off the Island Princess just after 8AM. We met Marva shortly and she took us over to meet Javia, her son. One of my main desires was to try a variety of foods in Jamaica and Javia was quick to get us in the spirit of things. He took us over to the local Juici Patties where we bought beef and chicken patties. Standing in line, I felt we were off to a great start to meeting the Jamaican people. The patties were delicious, flaky and flavorful.

We got back on the road and Javia told us all about himself, his mother and Jamaica. He has a wealth of knowledge and told us all about what we were seeing as we drove through the towns outside of Ocho Rios on our way to our first stop----Firefly. After passing Ian Fleming’s home, called Goldeneye, we turned onto a narrow, windy road and climbed up to Firefly. This was the home of Sir Noel Coward, who decided he liked Jamaica so much he built a home and moved there. We were the only ones there that morning so wound up with a private tour. The house is very interesting, set up as it was when the author/composer/director/singer/artist/actor lived there. It is easy to see why he chose the spot-----the view is absolutely incredible. We enjoyed seeing several paintings by him, as well as a collection of old sheet music and photos of him with celebrities and visitors from the 30’s to the 70’s. A walk to the outside on the expansive lawn treated us to the spectacular view and a statue of him seated enjoying the vistas. We then went to his poolhouse/bar where we enjoyed Ginger beer and excellent island fruit juices. They also had various rums and beers available but I knew if I had some I would want to just lounge around the rest of the day!

As we drove back to Ocho Rios, Javia told us more about the people and what it was like in Jamaica. We then stopped for a snack-----at a small jerk shack that Javia recommended. The place was small, but contained food with some big flavors. The proprietor gave me samples of both pork and chicken jerk. I couldn’t decide which I liked best, so I bought a quarter pound of each for the drive. They didn’t last very long! I've loved jerk and had some very good jerk here in the US------but this stuff brought the taste to a whole new level.

One of the things I had read on CC was about someone called “Carl the Rastafarian Spice Man”. We took the road into Fern Gully, a very beautiful forested drive. Several miles in we stopped at Carl’s place. It is roughly the size of an inside stateroom. Javia introduced us and we were invited to sit. We felt instantly welcomed by Carl. He proceeded to tear a leaf and had us smell it. DW guessed allspice and he smiled. The next thing he gave us, with an explanation of how it is used, was my turn to guess. I guessed lemongrass, and Carl seemed happy that we knew our stuff. For probably close to an hour we talked with him, sampling fresh coconut water and coconut, soursop, cacao bean, fresh ginger and nutmeg and many more things. Carl explained the benefits of everything to a healthy lifestyle, what they were used for and was very entertaining. We also had a nice discussion about various herbal teas and what their uses were. As the tour buses passed us, I couldn’t help thinking how much the other tourists were missing just driving by.

Next stop was Coyaba Gardens and Mahoe Falls. DW is very much into flora and fauna and really enjoyed the plants in the gardens. This was the only place, however where we had somewhat of a negative experience. The guides are picked on a rotating basis. However, for some reason they person in charge suggested a different guide. An argument ensued, creating an uncomfortable situation. We finally went with the first guide who was angry that the boss had wanted someone else to take us. That, coupled with the fact that he stank of beer, made it a little on the uncomfortable side. He talked nonstop and told me several times that he needed a tip for what he was doing. DW wound up walking way ahead so she could try and hear the birds and water without his dialog. We wound up at the falls and the Yanassi point, which has an incredible view of Ocho Rios including the cruise ship. We went back to the bus and got on board. I think we would have spent twice as long there with another guide. Javia had witnessed the exchange between the guides and apologized for them. I know he felt bad that we had seen that, however we know he certainly could not have foreseen their internal disagreement.

As we drove back, we stopped at a church where portraits of several of Jamaica’s historical heroes were painted on the side. Javia gave us a nice lesson of who they were and why they are revered in Jamaica.

When I originally contacted Marva, I had asked for an itinerary that had both Firefly and Bob Marley’s Nine Mile. Marva pointed out that they were in opposite directions and we could not do it in the time we had. She had suggested our lunch at momma Marley’s, a restaurant owned by Bob Marley’s brother. The three of us sat down to lunch. Javia talked of many things, including Bob Marley’s influence, his mother and how she came to have the tour company and his love for his 5 month old son. He is really an impressive young man. We ordered drinks first. DW ordered a Mai tai which she thought was good. I ordered a fresh lemon drink made with cane juice. DW had one taste of my drink and ordered one for herself. It was incredibly fresh and refreshing. We wound up all ordering the same dish----and appetizer of shrimp and conch fritters. For sides we shared an order of green plantains and one of sweet plantains. DW also ordered a Jamaican bean soup. The food was incredible, the tasty fritters coming with a lemon dipping sauce that complemented them perfectly. Another tour guide came in and we chatted with her for a few minutes. When she left, Javia told us about her ambitions as well as the unemployment that is on the island. It was very interesting.

We left Momma Marley’s after a fabulous meal and walked to a market to get some Jamaican cocoa. We then crossed the street (definitely an experience in Jamaica!) and wound up at a place where Javia had said we could get a good deal on coffee. We purchased several bags of Jablum Blue Mountain at a good price. The salesgirl was a little pushy for us to buy rum, cakes and other things in addition to what we were already buying, but considering that she was the only person like that we encountered, it was OK. A few no’s and we left the store with the coffee and a jar of jerk spice. We crossed the street again, went back to the bus after getting a few more pictures and we headed back to the ship. Even on the street, we never had any bad vibes, were hassled about buying things or offered any drugs etc. We felt completely safe with Javia.

Javia got us back to the ship in plenty of time for the sail away. We had been told that the Jamaican’s ***** was “there are no problems, only situations”. Indeed, we had no problems. We were relaxed and had a wonderful time with Javia. We look forward to another trip to Ocho Rios, and will book with Marva and Javia without any hesitation. They are highly recommended.