Road trip - Iris
Today, we visited the Accompong village. Driving there was an adventure in and of itself. The drive that was supposed to take three hours ended up taking us six hours. We actually circled most of Jamaica to get to our destination through the main roads of the island. There were only two lanes. Most of the roads were in pretty bad condition. While driving, we passed through Montego Bay, the central tourist location in Jamaica. Most of the buildings were in new condition, the streets looked bigger and cleaner, and there were no people on the sides of the roads trying to sell merchandise to tourists. The first US corporations, such as KFC and DQ, that we saw were in Montego Bay. Seeing all of these larger corporations really put in perspective the poverty level we saw in Falmouth. As we journeyed on, we saw school students on their lunch break in a village near our destination. Once we arrived at Accompong, two local villagers greeted us. We then took a short walk to the kindah tree where we ate lunch, and we were told about the significance of the kindah tree. We learned that it was the place where people used to gather, they have done so for over 200 years. it is also a place where Cudjoe united the Maroons to fight against the British.
The same men that greeted us, led us on the hike to the Peace Cave. On the way there, the terrain changed from rainforest to dry conditions. In the beginning, the trail was cleared out, and towards the end it became more overgrown. One of the tour guides, showed us his necklace that was made out of various tree nuts. He explained the significance of each of them to us. The largest one in the center was from a vine that the locals used to see if water was pure or not. They also use it to make tea for people who have kidney problems in the village. As we continued our excursion, the tour guides pointed out significant parts of their culture. When we arrived at the Peace Cave, they told us about the signing of the peace treaty that took place there 277 years prior. The treaty was confirmed by each side cutting their hands and pouring their blood into a bottle of rum, and both sides drinking the rum. This treaty made it possible for the Maroons to have their own state inside of Jamaica. Now, as people visit the cave, they sprinkle rum over the site and they would leave half a bottle near the cave for their ancestors. Some of the students went inside the cave to see where the Maroons would hide from the British. On the hike back, some of the students encountered the native barbed native plant, which caused students to get stinging sensation and irritation on their legs. The hike over all was a lot easier then we thought it would be, but at the end it did get a little tiring. The drive back was only four hours, and we stopped at Jimmy Buffet’s Margeritaville in Montego Bay which was on the way home. We ate there for two hours, and from there it was only an hour drive home, which was a good end to a great day!
by: Amber Meghani, and Iris Stringer-Graeve
The same men that greeted us, led us on the hike to the Peace Cave. On the way there, the terrain changed from rainforest to dry conditions. In the beginning, the trail was cleared out, and towards the end it became more overgrown. One of the tour guides, showed us his necklace that was made out of various tree nuts. He explained the significance of each of them to us. The largest one in the center was from a vine that the locals used to see if water was pure or not. They also use it to make tea for people who have kidney problems in the village. As we continued our excursion, the tour guides pointed out significant parts of their culture. When we arrived at the Peace Cave, they told us about the signing of the peace treaty that took place there 277 years prior. The treaty was confirmed by each side cutting their hands and pouring their blood into a bottle of rum, and both sides drinking the rum. This treaty made it possible for the Maroons to have their own state inside of Jamaica. Now, as people visit the cave, they sprinkle rum over the site and they would leave half a bottle near the cave for their ancestors. Some of the students went inside the cave to see where the Maroons would hide from the British. On the hike back, some of the students encountered the native barbed native plant, which caused students to get stinging sensation and irritation on their legs. The hike over all was a lot easier then we thought it would be, but at the end it did get a little tiring. The drive back was only four hours, and we stopped at Jimmy Buffet’s Margeritaville in Montego Bay which was on the way home. We ate there for two hours, and from there it was only an hour drive home, which was a good end to a great day!
by: Amber Meghani, and Iris Stringer-Graeve
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