Travel day

 January 15, 2026

Weather high 70’s mostly sunny

The Viking Mars docked a little before 7 AM. I noticed a fisherman coming in from the sea with. His catch.  He had an interesting name for his boat

Shirley and I were in the World Café eating a hearty breakfast before our panoramic tour of Ocho Rios Area.  We got off the boat and were welcomed by the iconic Jamaican rhythm 

We boarded our small bus and met our driver Winston Churchill Jr. and our energetic tour guide Kayon (rhymes with crayon). We proceeded up Fern Gully on some of the very worst roads we had ever encountered.  Winston did a good job!  He hit most of the potholes on our 10 mile trek into the interior and back.

We passed a lot of poverty and damage.  We passed a lot of very lush flora. Fern Gully sported over 500 varieties of ferns, but we drove through too fast to count them.  We did make a stop next to a bauxite mine where Kayon picked some leaves and had us guess their names.

(Shirley’s take) I guessed clove when I smelled the leaf.  Others guessed cinnamon or nutmeg.  Turns out it was Allspice!  I always assumed that was a mix.  No, there is an allspice tree that is also known as pimento berry—the things we learn…. Kayon also picked some large leaves and with the stem wrote on our hands leaving an orange liquid—this is used to make iodine. The official fruit of Jamica is ackee with which I am not familiar.  Maybe it will be served at the Jamaican feast in the World Café this evening.

Kayon and Winston also taught us a few phrases of Jamaican patois such as “Wah gwaan?” which obviously means “Where are you going?”  We later found this truthful phrase on a sign near the ship, “if yuh waangood, yuh nose haffi run.”

Just as we left the ship, we saw a KFC.  Apparently, it is a very popular food chain here with long lines.  The locals call Kentucky Fried Chicken either Keep From Cooking or Keep Fat Coming!!

We had been warned ahead of time not to wear camo clothing.  Apparently, it is illegal for anyone not military.

There was one place the hurricane bent the telephone poles over the road and it was a one way passage.

Once back in the harbor area, we saw the only police presence and some curious plants growing on the wires.  Winston said they were “air plants”. I suppose he could have called them anything, but air plants seemed appropriate.

We were let off at an eclosed entertainment and shopping area run by the company that did the tour, Chukka Tours.  We tasted Blue Mountain coffee and some rum.  We bought some beans and some cooking sauce native to the area.  Shirley found a One Love t-shirt.  She does enjoy the music of Bob Marley!

Once back on board the ship we went to our room for rest and a bit of chocolate. Then some reading in a quiet spot and lunch.  Bob and Anna made it back from their cave trip and reported hopefully good cave pictures! After Gelato we thought to take a few turns around the Promenade deck.  As we did we noticed some signs in Patois with translations. These are Jamaican rules of life. For instance, Wa Gwaan is where are you going/up to?  And if the music changes you haffa change the dancing.  Shirley thought this one was nice and sums up what we observed of the people:

Rain is moving in as we prepare to sail away to Panama at 2 PM. We have an afternoon of lectures, entertainment and relaxing … and food of course