I didn’t feel like loosing myself in a big city, so for me to book the next hotel near Oracabessa in the Parish of Saint Mary was a natural choice. I ended up in Boscobel, less than a ten minute drive by shared taxi from Oracabessa. When I arrived at the hotel it turned out to be another homestay owned by reggae singer Michael Fabulous, born Lansfield Clarke, and his wife Tina. Michael had success with hits like “One Way - and that’s Jah Way”, “Smokey Joe” and “White River”.

I really enjoyed my stay with Michael. In the mornings we spent an hour or so talking. One day he made me ackee breakfast. He has a side-business organising things to do for guests. For me he arranged a two night stay in Section at James Dennis’ Blue Mountain Coffee Farm and a visit to his cousin Boycott in Geddes Town.

Michael toured the world since the 1990s and, of course, he also performed in Amsterdam. In his song Smokey Joe he gives props to Amsterdam in the introduction. He stayed in my old neighbourhood the Bijlmer when he visited The Netherlands.

Michael Fabulous performs on a regular base in Africa. He brought some seeds from Ghana and was trying to germinate these in a pot. By the looks of it, successfully.

In his backyard he has a breadfruit tree.

One night Michael travelled to Kingston for the crowning of Admiral Tibet as a life time achievement. Admiral was born in Freehill, Saint Mary, not far from Boscobel. Micheal kept his presence a secret until the very moment Tibet was crowned. Skip to 09:00 minutes in the video for the crowning.

Boscobel

Boscobel is the town near Ian Fleming International Airport and the Northern Coastal Highway runs right through the town. The highway is a two-lane road and has food stalls and small bars along the road. I had my first “hot soup” from the rasta below. Hot soup is a watery bean soup and can be vegetarian or boiled with bones. It usually costs around 500 dollars (3 euro).

I spent a couple of late afternoons in Boscobel sitting outside a little bar, sipping Red Stripe beer, listening to 1990s dancehall music playing from big speakers next to the bar and watching the people and traffic. I’d rather spent my days like this instead of visiting another waterfall.

I asked several Jamaicans what people do for a hobby. Everyone had the same answer: partying. I have never visited a country featuring so many small bars, practically everywhere you’ll find tiny bars along the roads. Often you will see the following sign: “It’s my intention to apply for a spirit license at the next licensing session to be held in [insert name parish] for this premises”. This also seems to apply to taxi drivers. One time I was waiting for a taxi when a car with white numbers plates pulled up. I asked him why he didn't have the mandatory red taxi number plates. He said he intended to apply for a taxi licence. He also intended to have the passenger seat belt repaired.

One afternoon I decided to visit Ocho Rios, which has a cruise ship terminal. I got off the taxi when we crossed White River. This is the song title of one of Michael’s songs and I wanted to see the river. I had to walk to the town center of Ocho Rios after visiting White River. It was a hot day and after half an hour the heat got to me. I had to sit down to drink some coconut water, this is my favourite drink when it’s hot. During the summer of 2023 I had the chorus of Buju Banton’s song in my mind: “Sip, sip, sip, sip..”

Reggae dancehall star Shabba Ranks was born not far from Ocho Rios in Sturge Town, Saint Ann. It is hard to overstate the popularity of Shabba in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Saint Mary was home for quite a few reggae artists: Capleton, Ninja Man, Sizzla, Lady Saw, just to name a few.

James Bond Beach

Once upon a time James Bond beach was just a stretch of beach owned by Ian Fleming after he bought 15 acres of land in 1946 and named the estate Goldeneye. Jamaican heiress Blanche Blackwell lived next door and she and Ian Fleming became very close friends. In 1961 Fleming offered Blanche Blackwell’s son Chris the job of location scout for the first James Bond movie Dr. No.

Chris Blackwell didn’t stay in the movie business but co-founded Island Records and was instrumental in making Bob Marley an international star outside Jamaica. In 1976 Chris Blackwell bought Fleming's Goldeneye estate including the beach.

I heard rumours that the beach was closed but I was stubborn enough to see for myself. There was a big gate, I opened the doors and sneaked in. The place was deserted apart from a couple of men. I started chatting with one of the men. He worked as a security guard and I kept him talking for more than an hour. He had stories to tell. He knew Bounty Killer, birth name Rodney Basil Price, from his early days. Among his brothers Bounty was the timid one when growing up. And he was thrifty. He made himself a piggy bank out of a metal box. Other stories concerned extreme police corruption and the shooting of Spragga Benz’ son in 2008.

I learned that James Bond Beach was closed due to COVID. Basically it never re-opened after the dangerous phase of the pandemic was over. But because the beach was closed I could enter the beach for free. Normally you had to pay a fee to enter. The downside was that the Moonraker Bar was also closed.

Next post: Geddes Town, St Mary