Ocho Rios, Jamaica
December 6, 2002
Our last stop was Ocho Rios, Jamaica, located on the north coast
about midway between the east and west coasts of the island. The ship offered many
tours, but just about all of them included a visit to Dunn's River Falls on the coast.
Bill had been in Jamaica in the early 1970's and knew a little about the
country. He said that it would be a more meaningful visit for us if we toured inland
up into the mountains. With this in mind, for our side trip we chose the Bob Marley
tour. Although neither of us knew anything about Bob Marley, we knew that this tour
would take us about 15 miles inland and to an elevation of 2,000 feet.
We joined the tour at the port and left early in the morning. The road heading
inland was winding and very narrow most of the way. Many times cars would approach
the bus and there would not be room for the two vehicles to pass each other. Since
the rule of the road was "the smaller car backs up", we always waited while the
vehicle in front of us gave way. Along the way we saw Fern Gully Forest, the one
which inspired a Disney movie. Additionally, we were treated to views of rural
Jamaica that the normal "cruise tourist" will never see!
The tour took us to Bob Marley's boyhood home, where he was also later interred (more
about Bob Marley in the next paragraph). From there, we headed back to the ship via
a different route. On the way, we stopped at a small restaurant where we were
treated to Jamaican donuts, rice with beans, fried pork, and jerk chicken with a hot sauce
that brought tears to our eyes! From there we were taken back to the port for
sightseeing, shopping, and ultimately our departure.
Note that neither of us knew anything about Bob Marley before this tour. Since we
were treated to Bob's music and stories about his life during the entire 6-hour duration
of the trip, we now have a fairly good understanding of the man and his music. For
everything you ever wanted to know about Bob, click here. Note that Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36. In his short
life he became what Life Magazine called "The most important musician of the
latter half of the 20th century". Listen to his music, learn about the man and
what he represented, and you'll be a better person for the experience!
This page is dedicated to Bob Marley and the wonderful and friendly island people in
Jamaica. We hope you enjoy the pictures!
You may use any of the above pictures for any purpose and may do so without giving me credit. Note that these pictures have been downsized for those with slow connection speeds. If you'd like copies of the original JPG pictures, send me an E-mail telling me which pictures you want and I'll be happy to send the original pictures to you at no charge!