I recently spent almost a week in Portland Parish and truly loved the vibe and old world atmosphere. The people were very kind and loving. The vegetation is extremely lush with rainforest and giant Royal Palms. Zema and I met a Rasta farmer who took us on a long hike up the Rio Grande (he used to work on the rafting boats), to the hills where he farms, and then to Winnifred Beach. He gave Zema seeds to grow chocolate trees in her garden in Kingston. Her house is right across the street from Rita Marley's even tho Rita lives mostly in Ghana.

I have to say, even in that short time, I quickly came to love this side of Jamaica. The coves and beaches are so beautiful and remind me of Negril in the seventies.

Btw, the Blue Lagoon is closed right now due to devastation of the hurricanes and storms and that the property was sold. The restaurant will be renovated and ready to go next year. The locals were happy with the change of hands.

Here are a few photos. The first one is the Blue Lagoon through the vines.