Speed Demons and Daredevils Welcome!

Located in the hilly heart of St. Elizabeth, one of the 14 parishes in Jamaica, near the South Coast is Y.S. Falls.  Whether you just want to relax on the lounge chairs at the natural, smooth pebble-bottom pool and listen to the falls or scream through the canopy on the five ziplines, this is a beautiful spot for all to enjoy. I was fortunate enough to zipline and drop into the falls via the rope swing.

That helmet is sexy.

The first couple of ziplines are great for first time zipliners – like myself. It helps you get comfortable working the breaks and knowing the signals from the guides. The third zipline is by far the highlight of the tree top trip. You start close to the top of the falls and glide over the top for the perfect aerial picture of Y.S. Falls. You're flying! It’s pretty accelerating and definitely gets your hear pumping. I'm hooked.

Trying to slow down

I was also able to swing from a rope into the falls. The guides make you wear protective gloves and life vest. You climb out onto a very stable wood platform secured to a tree and the guide hands you the rope. He counts you down and off you go! Luckily, the man also tells you when to let go as if you drop in the wrong spot you probably have an uncomfortable landing. The water hole is about 16 feet deep.

Looking at my guide to tell me when to let go

The day we jumped the falls were overflowing onto the banks from lots of rain (June through November is the rainy season in Jamaica).  So the water wasn't clear blue like it is most of the time but it didn't feel muddy like it looks. In fact because the water level was so high, I almost didn't jump. I've had a few not-so-fun river rafting accidents and a life jacket does not soothe my nerves or provide me much assurance.   Honestly, I was darn scared but I can't pass up an opportunity to do something remotely thrilling. So I jumped...four times. Now that's facing fear.

If you only work

"You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good."

This picture is from when I lived in Manchester, England, and hiked on Mondays, after a long week and then weekend of work, at Snowdonia National Park in Wales. It was hard to get up with the rain and the cold outside but the days, like the one pictured above, with the sun out and not a soul in sight, made it worth it.

#TT: Rose Hall Great House, Montego Bay

Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica

I love history! So recently when I have the pleasure of traveling to Jamaica (more to come later) and toured Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay, I was THRILLED!   It’s a beautiful, old Georgian sugarcane plantation house positioned overlooking the Caribbean Sea and is one of the few Great Houses that survived the slave uprising. The house is said to be haunted by the last owner Annie, a.k.a. The White Witch, who killed her three husbands and numerous slave lovers.

Disclaimer: The Jamaica Tourist Board is a client. However, the opinions are solely my own.

A little history lesson... (Warning: there is a lot of death involved)

During the height of use, the Rose Hall Great House was approximately 6,000 acres and housed more than 2,000 slaves. The house was built by George Ash, who named the house after his wife, Rosa. After George died, and before the house was completed, Rosa remarried three more times. The final marriage was to John Palmer who later married (and was murdered by The White Witch, Annie).

Annie, was born in England; moved to Haiti in her younger years with her parents who were traders. As a young teenager (tween?) her parents died and she was raised by a maid who taught her voodoo. When the maid died, Annie moved to Jamaica to look for a husband. She married John Palmer.

Annie (only 4'11") became famous for killing her husbands, including John Palmer, and numerous slave lovers (she was obviously not well. Tale says that she probably went crazy from lead poisoning. Historically, lead has been used to make utensils and silverware.) She murdered them as follows:

1.     A dash of arsenic in the coffee (yum)

2.     Stabbed to death (lovely)

3.     Killed with her voodoo lover (Takoo) by strangulation (wowsers)

Karma came back to bite Annie in the butt though (as it should). She was killed by Takoo in her sleep.

Annie's bedroom

The house was not burned during the slave uprising, like so many Great Houses were, because the slaves didn't want to bother Annie's spirit.  It is said that Annie's spirit still haunts the house.

The house passed through numerous owners and feel into decay. The Rollins Family bought the house in the 1970s and restored it. Most the pieces had to be resorted but a few original pieces can be found throughout the house.

Today, the property is used for an array of activities including tours both private and public, weddings and other parties.

Our tour guide at Annie's grave

Inspirational Monday: Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford University Commencment Speech

Mondays should be nothing less than great. In honor of the late and great Steve Jobs, enjoy the inspirational speech from the 2005 Stanford University Commencement address.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this speech:

• "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
• "No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life."
• "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." 

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

"Paddle faster, I hear banjos"

This summer I went to the Newport Folk Festival with a good friend and music blogger out of Boston after she got free tickets to review the lineups. It was one of the best concert lineups I’ve experienced. It was two days of banjos, brews, car camping and pure bliss.

History: The Newport Folk Festival started in 1959.  It has lured world famous artists such as Gillian Welsh, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash, the Allman Brothers Band, and Emmylous Harris. Bob Dylan first made an appearance as a guest of Joan Baez in 1963. Not sure if it was that year or years after that Dylan famously got booed of stage when he chose to play electric guitar rather than stick with an acoustic guitar.  Hey, it’s an acoustic crowd but you’ve got to appreciate a man who pushes the boundaries, right?

 (Trampled by Turtles, front row)

More recently the festival has expanded to include folk-influenced indie rock artists and reggae artists including Stephen and Damian Marley, Jakob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros,  and The Decemberists.

My favorites included:

·      Middle Brother – Rumor has it this was their last show together

·      The Head and the Heart – Yes, I’m hopping on the bandwagon.

·      Trampled by Turtles – I’m a huge fan of the banjo player

·      The Civil Wars

·      The Devil Makes Three

·      Delta Spirit – Leader singer and guitarist is part of Middle Brother with gentleman from Dawas and other unknown

·      Emmylou Harris

·      The Decemberists – I’m not a huge fan of their CDs but they are AMAZING live. Definitely worth seeing. Check my video below.

Getting there: Well let me tell you from first hand experience that there is no ferry from Newport to Providence, Rhode Island (if there is please tell me now). So don’t try to make your MegaBus connection via the ferry because you’ll miss it, like I did.  I would definitely recommend coming with friends in a carpool or a general carpool from your starting point. I should have tried to get a ride home with NYCers but didn’t think about it until after I was back on my way to Boston to get a bus home.

Insider tip: If you don't have a place to stay and need to shower, check out the Fort Adams State Park boathouse public showers. It'll cost you a quarter for about 15 minutes of warm water. 

Music lineup gets a 9 out of 10. Scenery gets a 5 out of 10. I’m bias since I’ve been to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and that gets a 10 out of 10 rating. Nothing beats Telluride scenery.

I like folk festivals in general, and I would recommend this if you enjoy banjos, great tunes and a laid back crowd.

My top 3 travel destinations

I always keep this list. It's my "If everything I try in life fails then this is where I'm traveling" list.

1. Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Turkey (listing 5 countries is not cheating, I'll tell you why) - I want to visit all of these places for many reasons. Plus they are all really close together so that's why I'm counting it as one "place".
1. Israel - I'm Jewish and what Jew doesn't want to go to Israel. Ok I know a few who don't but moving on....it's got great beaches, the Dead Sea, the Wailing Wall, numerous Jewish and Holocaust museums and thousands and thousands of years of history. Plus hot men.
2. Lebanon - Just because I'm Jewish doesn't mean I don't like Arabs or Muslims or those who are against Israel. In fact I don't like many of the tactics or policies Israel holds near and dear to its heart. That's besides the point... I'm very interested in women's rights and women in Islam. I'm a feminist and believe in equal rights for all beings but I realize there are certain cultural sensitivities, histories and beliefs around Islam and Muslim culture that many men and many women stand by.
3. Syria - Damascus is the Paris of the Middle East. Nuff said.
4. Jordan - Petra. Culture. Food. Food. Food. History. Food.
5. Turkey - The collision of the West, Islam, Muslim, Old and New World plus it's the cross road of three continents, needless to say I think Turkey offers something to every traveler.
2. Tibet - I've been enthralled with Tibet since my Grandma wanted to make me aware of how lucky I was to be born into American culture when I was a young teenager. We went an saw "Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion". Then I spent some time in college in Dharamsala, India, the headquarters of the Tibeten Government-in-Exile. I think Tibetan culture is beautiful and very serene. I want to be on the Top of the World. I want to see Potala Palace. I've read a dozen books on Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Buddhism, the regional history. I'm very interested in Tibet. There is just this magnetic pull for me to go and visit and I can't explain it much more than this.
3. Indonesia - Read this article and then you will know why Indonesia is awesome.  http://www.gadling.com/2010/08/12/cultures-of-indonesia-sea-gypsies-cannibals/. I'm applying for a Fulbright Scholarship to Indonesia to be an English Teaching Assistant.

My list does change a lot. But this is today's list.

A little catch up

So a little update on what's been going on in my life (in bulletpoints because it's a lot easier):

• Vail 2010! WHOOP WHOOP! The best weekend of my life. Vail happens every year from July 1-4 and consists of partying, hanging out with friends, playing a sport and mingling with the opposite sex. It's great and this year was no exception. 
• I'm still seeing the guy, though it's very relaxed and we only see each other once a week.
• Work is work. I still love it but I'm very divided over whether to stay or not because I'm not sure I'll be hired. Ever. 

Now onto bigger and better things!

• I'm part of CISV. CISV is an international peace education organization started in the United States in the 1950s. The idea behind the organization is to foster international friendships so that you wouldn't go to war against a friend. There are hundreds of chapters around the world. Children as young as 11 can go to village. Interchanges, or two week home exchanges, are offered for 14 and 15-year-old teenagers. Then there are a variety of leadership training sessions available for 16, 17 and 18-year-olds. Finally, there is a program for adults. It's called International People's Project (IPP). Our IPP is unique and the first of its kind. So I have 15 international guests in town for two and half weeks. Those international guests are from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Egypt, Sweden, USA and the Philippines. We are collaborating with Denver businesses to work on three distinct projects for the Denver Indian Center (DIC), a non-profit community center that supports job readiness, work programs and children programs. The participants and business will work together on three distinct projects: preparing the Montessori school, for one week and once the participants leave then the businesses will sustain the work at the DIC. Well that's the idea at least, hopefully it works out that way. It would be ideal. 

I'll tell you more later.  But look up CISV at www.cisv.org. It's awesome.