Travelin' Texan

Today Bob Marley would have been 65 years old. Although he died at 36 from complications from cancer in a Miami hospital, Marley’s music lives on. I visited 9 Mile, Bob’s homeplace and burial place in Jamaica in March 2009.

Here’s what I wrote in a review for Cruise Critic after I got home:

We were two women traveling alone, used to striking out by ourselves, but hesitant to do so in Jamaica due to some unfortunate events we’d read about on Cruise Critic last summer. Things can get dicey even on a Carnival sponsored excursion. After much research, we decided to go with Peat Taylor Tours . We made an excellent choice. After several emails back and forth with Oniel, another of Peat’s sons, we had our day planned out.

Port of Jamaica:
The port area was immaculate and the officers and staff very friendly and helpful. We were directed to the independent tour guide area and found PJ Taylor waiting for us there. We had requested that Peat leave us with someone who would spend the day at our side, and PJ never left us for a moment. We had an air conditioned van, with Keith as the driver, and PJ riding shotgun in the front seat. As we left the port area driving along to 9 Mile in Saint Ann’s parish and our pilgrimage to pay homage to Bob Marley, PJ filled us in on his country. We talked about geography, demographics, religion, education, the economy, and culture, as we passed scenic and not so scenic views as we travelled the twisting and winding road up to 9 Mile.

9 Mile:
A sharp turn off of the main road lead to 30 foot tall purple gates which were unlocked to allow our van to enter and the Rastaman quickly locked the gate behind us. We left our van and Keith and climbed the long flight of stone steps up to the entrance where we paid our $15 USD each entry fee.

We climbed more steps up to the restaurant/bar area where we were able to use the primitive facilities while waiting for the tour guide, Fossy.

Fossy gathered the group of about 20 people at the gate and we entered to a long uphill slope with gorgeous vegetation and beautiful flowers…and some cannabis plants, if you knew what to look for. The Mount Zion compound is a place best entered with an open mind. Spiritual use of marijuana is a part of the Rastafarian religion. While the usage of cannabis was evident, it was also done discreetly and did not infringe on those who did not choose to participate.

We viewed the gravesites of Bob’s maternal grandparents and headed uphill to Bob’s little tiny house where we viewed the little two room building. A carved wooded lounge chair and a smaller wicker and iron chair were the only furniture in the front room. The back room held Bob’s single bed, made famous in his song “Is This Love?”.

A small courtyard separates Bob’s little house from the resting places of Mother B, Bob’s mother who passed away in May of 2008, and the final resting place of Robert “Bob” Nesta Marley. Mother B’s tomb is shown in the photo above and only was able to be photographed because the mausoleum is not yet finished. Once it is finished, photos will be prohibited as they are at Bob’s mausoleum adjacent.

Entering barefooted and carrying a candle which will be lit from the candles that are always burning, it is sobering to look up at Bob’s white marble tomb. Following along with one hand on the tomb and one hand on the candle while Fossy divulged information on Bob’s early years was quite the experience.

As I handed the candle to Fossy to re-light later that day he named me “Mama Africa”. Quite the honor for a chubby middle aged white woman from Texas.

We headed back down the slope to the gates, grateful for the opportunity to visit a place and culture so foreign to us. With a final hug from Fossy, we headed for a cool drink and back into the van for our journey back to the Port of Jamaica.

Along the drive back to the port, we saw children in their school uniforms walking home, cabbage fields, and stopped to eat a Jamaican Beef Pattie, buy coffee and jerk seasoning.

It was a very long drive, but a splendid day, made all the more special with the interaction with PJ and Keith. They were kind, courteous, clean, funny, and gave us an appreciation for Jamaica and her people that we hadn’t had before our trip.

One Love.

(Photos at Cruise – March 2009. Mount Zion/Marley photos at the end of the album.)

Our last Ireland Trip in July of 2008 took us 1000 miles and 10 days from Dublin, north to Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway. We then traveled to Londonderry and around to Rossnowlagh. We traveled through Galway, down to Killarney, across to Kilkinney, and back to Malahide. We then caught a flight to London for 5 days. Photos shown to your right are from that trip, which included myself, my parents, and my older daughter. The four of us had a delightful trip with our chauffeur/guide, Tom Costello.

We’ve begun our plans with our European vacation planners, John and Michele Hammond of Hammond Tours. The process is probably tedious for John and Michele, but we go through several revisions until I have exactly what I want. Their job is to make it happen and they did it beautifully for our last trip! Never a complaint from them when I wanted to change hotels along the way, or when I asked a question on customs in Ireland regarding tipping, or something else that may seem dumb, but could affect our trip. We don’t want to be the “Ugly Americans” trampling over customs and doing things that are frowned upon in foreign countries.

The last few years we’ve traveled in July, so that my son-in-law and daughters can travel with us. Ryan is employed in the Music Department at University of Houston, Sarah owns Sew Crafty Houston, and Devon is doing graduate work towards her Master’s in History at University of St. Thomas.

This summer, in addition to my parents (AKA “The Old Folks”) and the three youngsters, we will be joined by Devon’s friend, Mina, and my friend, Debbie. Both of them, and Devon and Ryan, have never been to Ireland. We will also meet up with Devon’s friend from Limerick, who’s name is unknown to me…other than that Devon calls her “Potato Nugget”.