Famous Faces, Famous Places and Famous Foods
Part 1: Negril on the Cliffs – Paradox in Paradise
The "candy man" rides his spanking new bicycle or beat-up car back and forth down the pretty bougainvillea-lined street of sand in Negril's West End. "Need some buds, some mushrooms or some coke, mon?" He calls in a soft-voiced English laced with native patois.
It is illegal to sell drugs in Jamaica, but those who enforce the law generally ignore the candy man.
I haven't discovered any place on earth more sensually beautiful than this remote corner of Jamaica with its six-mile stretch of spectacular limestone cliffs that plunge into the turquoise Caribbean. My husband, Guy, and I use it as our ultimate love nest and escapist's retreat. Let me introduce you to the area now, and next month in a second installment you'll meet the locals.
There are no beaches in the rocky West End cliffs, but who needs sand when the warm Caribbean becomes your private pool? Swimming is without peer in these waters surrounded by the dramatic beauty of nature and the visual tapestry of Jamaican village life. The quaint West End captures the look of a primitive painting with all its charm, naiveté and innocence.
Below the granite hue of the jagged cliffs, the warm sea – the color of old-fashioned blue-green ink – is so transparent the reefs underneath are visible. Flying fish, dolphins, and needle-nosed garfish flash their silver on the surface, while barracudas shadow the coral. Stairways are carved into the cliff and connect to natural sunbathing areas of flat smooth stone that look as if they were painted on a living canvas of azure by Salvador Dali. Clothing is optional.
Stunningly perfect cliffs with their alcoves, caves and overhanging rocks, create a sense of privacy that is priceless in an increasingly crowded world. The imposing cliffs also shelter what may be the safest and easiest place on the tourist map to score and smoke some good Jamaican marijuana. The use of "ganja" is so much a part of Negril's culture that for the most part Jamaican police tactfully ignore small-time dealers, like the candy man, or the tourists and locals who buy from them. They are apt to turn a blind eye as long as no one flaunts their use of marijuana, grows large amounts obviously meant for export, or traffics in a public place. But when it comes to big-time trafficking or the use of harder drugs, Jamaica's police bust offenders and judges impose heavy fines and prison sentences. Roadblocks are set up on main highways and locals' vehicles are stopped and searched. Tourists are waved politely through, unless they have a Jamaican in their vehicle. In that case, the tourist will have to stand by while the trunk and car and their Jamaican passenger are thoroughly searched.
The following is a recent excerpt from The Gleaner, Jamaica's premier newspaper (note that the Jamaican currency is the Jamaican dollar, commonly called the J): Delroy Field, 23, a woodcarver of West End in Negril, will be J$59,000 (U.S.$1,685) poorer if he elects to pay a fine slapped on him by Resident Magistrate John Moodie, when he pleaded guilty to possession of and transportation of ganja. Field was held in a police roadblock in the parish with 5-kg of ganja, along with three other men. All four were charged with possession of ganja; however, the Crown withdrew the charge against the other three accused. If Field fails to pay the fine he will serve 16 months in jail at hard labour.
A fascinating international incident that underscores the serious attitude of the police towards trafficking and the discretionary power they hold, happened on Jan. 19, 1996, in the height of the tourist season. It occurred off Negril's sublimely beautiful cliffs very close to where Guy and I usually stay. The Gleaner splashed the story across the front page: Police shooting has claimed the headlines once more…the target was an international aircraft owned by international country music star Jimmy Buffet and apparently mistaken for a ganja (trafficking) plane.
West End locals still talk about the incident and those who claim to have been at the scene give an interesting explanation. Since a seaplane had not been seen in Jamaican waters before, police suspected the amphibious aircraft was a new method of transporting drugs.
When the police arrived, the plane was moored 300-yards from the shore near Chris Blackwell’s exclusive West End hotel property, The Caves. Police opened fire, shattering the windshield and piercing the body of the aircraft. Jimmy Buffet, entertainment mogul Chris Blackwell, Bono of U2, his wife and two daughters, along with Blackwell’s dog, Cussin, had climbed out of the seaplane earlier. No one was injured and the Jamaican government and the police extended prompt apologies to Blackwell and his guests.
In West End Negril, where the small numbers of tourists don't warrant the expense of a regular police patrol (except in unusual circumstances and sporadically during high season) – the personal use of ganja is a visible daily ritual. Still, when Jamaica’s finest (usually a male and a female nattily dressed in perfectly pressed blue uniforms) stroll down the West End road, locals put their spliffs away until they pass.
Next month Victoria Brooks will introduce you to Morrison (a fictitious name used to hide his identity). He is a local who makes his living by growing and smuggling Jamaica's premier crop, marijuana.
Warning: The possession of drugs is illegal in Jamaica and punishable by fines and prison sentences.
Jamaica Reservation Service: Toll free: 1 800 JAMAICA.
Jamaica Tourist Board: 1 Eglinton Avenue Eat, Suite 616, Toronto, Ontario M43 PAL. Tel: (416) 482 7850; Fax: (416) 482 1730.
An extremely beautiful, private and well-run hideaway which ensures guests are not bothered by drug offers is Tensing Pen, located in West End Negril. On most occasions, meals are served and the cuisine is the best in Negril. Reach them by mail: P.O. Box 3013, Negril, Jamaica, W.I.; tel: (876) 957 0387; fax: (876) 957 0161; or e-mail: tensingpen@cwjamaica.com
A fascinating international incident that underscores the serious attitude of the police towards trafficking and the discretionary power they hold, happened on Jan. 19, 1996, in the height of the tourist season. It occurred off Negril's sublimely beautiful cliffs very close to where Guy and I usually stay. The Gleaner splashed the story across the front page: Police shooting has claimed the headlines once more…the target was an international aircraft owned by international country music star Jimmy Buffet and apparently mistaken for a ganja (trafficking) plane.West End locals still talk about the incident and those who claim to have been at the scene give an interesting explanation. Since a seaplane had not been seen in Jamaican waters before, police suspected the amphibious aircraft was a new method of transporting drugs.
When the police arrived, the
plane was moored 300-yards from the shore near Chris Blackwell’s exclusive West End
hotel property, The Caves. Police opened fire, shattering the windshield and piercing the
body of the aircraft. Jimmy Buffet, entertainment mogul Chris Blackwell, Bono of U2, his
wife and two daughters, along with Blackwell’s dog, Cussin, had climbed out of the
seaplane earlier. No one was injured and the Jamaican government and the police extended
prompt apologies to Blackwell and his guests.
In West End Negril, where the small numbers of tourists don't warrant the expense of a regular police patrol (except in unusual circumstances and sporadically during high season) – the personal use of ganja is a visible daily ritual. Still, when Jamaica’s finest (usually a male and a female nattily dressed in perfectly pressed blue uniforms) stroll down the West End road, locals put their spliffs away until they pass.
Next month Victoria Brooks will introduce you to Morrison (a fictitious name used to hide his identity). He is a local who makes his living by growing and smuggling Jamaica's premier crop, marijuana.
Warning: The possession of drugs is illegal in Jamaica and punishable by fines and prison sentences.
Jamaica Reservation Service: Toll free: 1 800 JAMAICA.
Jamaica Tourist Board: 1 Eglinton Avenue Eat, Suite 616, Toronto, Ontario M43 PAL. Tel: (416) 482 7850; Fax: (416) 482 1730.
An extremely beautiful, private and well-run hideaway which ensures guests are not bothered by drug offers is Tensing Pen, located in West End Negril. On most occasions, meals are served and the cuisine is the best in Negril. Reach them by mail: P.O. Box 3013, Negril, Jamaica, W.I.; tel: (876) 957 0387; fax: (876) 957 0161; or e-mail: tensingpen@cwjamaica.com