Damian Marley and brother Stephen Marley on stage at Smile Jamaica Africa Unite 2008 in Oracabessa jamaica on February 23, 2008
2:06 Minutes
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Tags: africa unite, bob marley, Jamaica, Jamaica Cities, Jamaica Music, Jamaica Nightlife, Jamaica Travel, Oracabessa, Reggae Concerts, reggae month, smile jamaica, Things to do in Jamaica
Ok, this is actually old news. I went to the Miss High Times 2008 contest on Negril Beach about two weeks back and I swore I posted the pictures the next day but after looking for them on the site it appears that blog post was lost somewhere in the deep dark internet. I can’t find it so I’m going to repost the pictures her with links to our Miss High Times photo gallery for you.
The contest was fun and it seems everyone enjoyed themselves. There were about a half dozen guys there with the High Times Staff on the official ganja tour of Negril that I met with and they all claimed to be having the times of their lives. Everyone was burning big fat spliffs and laughing it up at the bar for awhile after they crowned the 2008 winner and they all seemed to be having a great time. I did not hang out for much beyond meeting last years winner and conversing with her about how being the first winner was. They went to a ganja mountain and saw some small fields in production but it was a bit of a disappointment to some. I think some still have the idea that ganja grows in huge tall trees in large plantations here in Jamaica and many tourists do not even realize ganja is in fact illegal although tolerated to the point of it being decriminalized to a certain extent.
You can feel safe here in Negril with a small quantity in your pocket and know you wont be getting into any serious trouble if you get stopped with it. We have seen cops here in Jamaica ask tourists to put spliffs out who were caught blatantly smoking in public and I have also seen them stand with a group of rastas who were puffing like kings at a reggae show and never say a word to them. I was not even surprised that the event was held in the open at a bar on the beach and everyone was burning lovely with no cops or anyone around. You’re looking at a fine mos often and you might even be able to pay that directly to your arresting police officer and avoid a trip to the jail if don’t use the wrong words like bribe or payoff. Simply suggest you won’t be here long enough to deal with this thought he courts and if you could settle it beforehand you would be willing to do so. Let the officer take it from there and you may be asked for a small cash donation to the local police department. $20 or less will often do the trick but thats all based on how you handle yourself and you’re attitude towards the police who stop you. Do not be arrogant, do not act scared. Be sure and confident that you’re ok and you will be.
They did not advertise the Miss High Times event locally that I am aware of and I never saw any signs or notice anywhere. I found out about it online but much of the contest coincided with the Smile Jamaica concert so I missed most of the events including the talent show and swimsuit competition. I did get the chance to tell a buddy from the States about the show. My friend was here taking care of business for a few days and I told him High Times would be at For Real Beach for the Miss High Times contest. I told him the luck I have had here in Jamaica with people assuming I am a part of the event staff when I show up places with my camera and he went to the bar one night. He asked where so and so from High Times was and the bartender took him straight in. He hooked up with the crew and by the end of it all had himself a spot as a judge in the contests. He said it appeared to him that High Times was run by a handful of stoners who have been there for quite some time and its not as cool a job as it may seem. They do travel quite a lot and smoke the good buds but its still a job and they work pretty hard at it. Who wants to work hard even for High Times? Not me I prefer to work smart and for myself!
Official Miss High Times Online
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Tags: ganja tours, high times, high times negril, Jamaica, Jamaica Adventures, Jamaica Nightlife, Jamaica Travel, miss high times, negril ganja, negril ganja tours, Things to do in Jamaica
The Circle B Farm was my first choice for accommodation on our first night in the Ochi area because they were one of the few places we spoke with that still offered camping when we called them. Sadly that all changed when we arrived on site and were informed that the owner no longer offered camping because the bathroom and shower facilities outdoors were non functioning and all they had to offer us was a room for rent. The room was clean and simple and only cost $1500 for a nights stay so we took it and were glad we did. I liked the place so much we spent a second night there and enjoyed the place for another beautiful morning.
Circle B Farm is a hostel and farm operating on 140 acres of surreal beauty and lush tropical landscaping. The farm is predominately a banana farm with many other fruit trees on site such as the variety of mango and even a Giant Lemon which I have never seen or heard of before. The farm is busy but quiet for most of the day and if you stay at the rooms up front you may never know what lays in the property around you if you don’t take a walk. There are cows, goats, pigs, dogs and a donkey on site but the domestic animals are less important than the natural flora and fauna found surrounding the place. The farm has a small man made river which runs from the hillsides along the southern border and actually circles the entire facility. This running water and all the sweet smelling fruit trees keeps the area covered in butterflies, birds and insects of all sorts. The bats swirl around at night feeding on the flying insects trapped in the beams of light around the buildings at night for a pretty cool night show.
The stream runs in front of the hostel rooms for rent and around almost every building on site you can sit and peacefully enjoy the sounds of rushing water all day long from just about anywhere on the property. The running water and numerous fruit trees means that early mornings at Circle B are filled with the sounds of a dozen songbirds as they sing praise to the new day before us. One both mornings we were there it was true pleasure to stroll through the banana and pineapple fields and listen to the kingfisher and mockingbirds try to out sing each other. I’m going to need a much better camera in order to catch photos of many of the birds of Jamaica as I simply cannot get close enough to most of them for a decent shot but trust me when I tell you the air was thick with the sounds of birds and nature and it was beautiful.
Circle B is a great location to begin a number of eco tours of the area and central to the many attractions of the North Coast and Ocho Rios area. You can make it to Dunns River, White River Valley, the Bob Marley Mausoleum and much more in an hour or so from this place and its a great place for anyone interested in a youth hostel or camping vacation on the North Coast of Jamaica. For those budget minded travelers interested in tours of the North Coast and Ocho Rios but not wanting to spend more for a place to sleep then you will on the days activities then consider Circle B as a place to stay in your Jamaica travel planning.
E-mail them at: info@circlebfarm.com
or call them at: 1-876-913-4511
You can write to them at: Priory P.A., St-Ann, Jamaica W.I.
Make sure to tell them Alfred @ JamaicaMax sends his love and maybe you’ll get a special tour.
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Tags: Birdwatching, circle b, circle b farm, circle b farm jamaica, Eco Tours in Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica Accomodations, Jamaica Adventures, Jamaica Flora, jamaica hostel, Jamaica Travel, Jamaica Travel, Jamaica Wildlife, Ocho Rios, Pictures of Jamaica, Places to stay in Jamaica, Places to visit in Jamaica, Things to do in Jamaica, travel planningHere is a video of me hand feeding the Red Billed Streamertail Hummingbird which is better known in Jamaica as the Doctor Bird at the Rocklands Bird Sanctuary outside of Montego Bay. We stopped in for a feeding session in the late afternoon and were blessed to catch the birds at a feeding peak. There seemed to be hundreds of birds in the trees surrounding us and we even noticed a heavier concentration of birds leading up to the park in the outlying neighborhoods.
The park is located in the mountain village of Anchovy in hills of St James Parish and was founded by Lisa Salmon in 1958. Miss Lisa Salmon or “Miss Lis” as she was known was born in Kingston Jamaica and a lifelong advocate for the protection of birds and an avid birdwatcher. She began working for bird protection in 1952 when she took to writing articles against bird hunting. In 1959, primarily as a result of her efforts, the bird hunting season was reduced from 6 months to 6 weeks. Miss Salmon passed away in 2000 at the ripe old age of 96 leaving the Rocklands Bird Feeding Station as it is also known to many in the control of trusted associates who still run the park today. I think it’s become a bit more commercial and the keeper was offended when I offered him $500 JA as a tip when I did not even take a tour. All I really did was sit and take some pictures with the family. I coughed up another $500 for a total of $1,000 Jamaican Dollars or about $15 US to spend a half an hour with the birds. In the same time I watched him collect the same figure from two other couples and it seemed he had been at it for some time. I think the new caretaker is making more money from this than Miss Salmon ever did.
The park lies about 3.5 miles outside of Montego Bay down the A1 highway which runs to Negril through Lucea. You will make a turn South at Reading which leads to Anchovy about 1.5 miles up a pretty steep and poorly maintained road. When we visited we drove in from the Ocho Rios side of Mobay and actually grabbed the B2 highway all the way over to Sav La Mar and on to Negril. We passed a number of other natural attractions such as Animal Farm and Nature Village which I understand are must see Jamaica attractions as well.
This is my wife Elise hand feeding the Doctor Birds. There where so many birds at Rocklands that it was distracting and difficult to get any really good pictures because they kept in motion. I was able to grab some decent video clips and we plan a return trip soon for better video. I would like to go a bit earlier and see if we can’t get a sunny day with better lighting so we can really bring you the variety of colors in the birds here.
An afternoon at Rocklands Bird Sanctuary makes a wonderful Day Trip from Negril or just about any city on the island. It’s a little over an hour from Negril on a decent enough road with other places to visit along the way. Pack a lunch if you’re picky about foods as there are few commercial eateries in the area other than an occasional jerk barrel, fruit stand or convenience store.
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Tags: Birdwatching, Jamaica, Jamaica Adventures, Jamaica Flora, Jamaica Travel, Jamaica Wildlife
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