ENJOYING THE GREAT JAMAICAN outdoors

Cool, majestic Millbank, Portland

Joan Williams, Contributor

After riding with the newly formed 'Fun and Thrills' group for a few months, it was finally decided that we were ready for a long ride into the hinterland, and guess who guided us into the deep rural hills of Portland? None other but a Trinidadian!

Kimberley John, who had done a lot of environmental work with the Moore Town Maroons, told us how absolutely majestic and beautiful Millbank was. It is the last district you will encounter when you traverse the Rio Grande Valley and head towards the Blue and John Crow mountain range. An outing was immediately organised by the indomitable Charles Williams.

Millbank is one of the districts populated by the eastern Maroons who are the descendants of black Africans who had been enslaved by the Spanish, but who refused to submit to British control when the Spanish were defeated.

These Maroons fought the British for their freedom, and because they were adept at guerrilla warfare, using the thick hills and mountains to launch their attacks under the leadership of Queen Nanny, they could never be defeated and were subsequently accorded their own settlements in the lush hills.

Today, the Maroons have a unique system of communally held treaty lands, and a local council which uses its own political structure. They are fully acquainted with cell phones, but for ceremonial purposes, they still use the abeng, a side-blown horn, as a means of long-distance communication.

The Maroon Council draws representatives from each village and they have their own legal enforcement system for every crime, except murder. Incidentally, their villages boast extremely low crime rates. Over the years, thousands of Maroons have left their communities and have become integrated into the rest of the society. However, most of those who remain are involved in farming as the lush green land is irrigated by the huge, impressive, bountiful, and ever-present Rio Grande, which also has dozens of tranquil swimming areas and numerous waterfalls.

It was on Ash Wednesday 2009 that we drove to Port Antonio, then took on the challenge to ride the mostly uphill route from Port Antonio to Millbank.

terrible tragedy

This was just a few months after the terrible tragedy which had catapulted that productive agricultural village into the limelight. For those who are unaware of the tragedy, The Gleaner report on December 21, 2008, under the heading 'Millbank mourns' began, "Tears, grief and gloom have placed a stranglehold on Millbank, bringing the rustic and close-knit community in the Rio Grande Valley of Portland to its knees. Eight people, including a 10-year-old boy, climbed into a market truck just after 7 p.m. on Friday and headed for Kingston where they would sell their produce and return to their humble abodes. They never even made it to the parish capital, Port Antonio, some 15 miles away."

This was, of course, the report of how the market truck had crashed over a deep ravine as it made its way along the narrow, treacherous roadway with the farmers, higglers and produce, mainly dasheen, to feed the nation.

As we rode and talked to people from the area, we, too, felt the grief and sorrow of that recent tragedy. It is as if I was washed in cold sweat as we rode past the actual spot where those poor Jamaicans had died.

The journey to Millbank took us most of the morning on roads with patches of dirt, gravel, and asphalt, and even grass growing in some sections. As a direct result of the extremely high rainfall in these areas, it is said to have the second-highest annual rainfall in the world.

Rio Grande Valley Scenery

The scenery in this section of the Rio Grande Valley is so awesome, and the climate so pleasant and refreshing that one hardly noticed the roads. Even the dampness was not at all unpleasant, and the presence of mist which accompanied us most of the way as we ascended caused the majestic mountains to appear even more inviting.

However, the route was challenging for our group of riders. It is not made up of cycling professionals, but instead amateur cyclists who are nature lovers. So we stopped a lot to rest, take photographs, refresh ourselves, talk to people, or just lyme at interesting spots.

It was great fun riding in the picturesque, peaceful hills as we stayed together as a group, stopping to rest or just drink in the scenery.

The river produces an abundance of crawfish (aka crayfish) and wild hogs roam the vast, thick mountain area. As you probably know, the fierce wild hog was what the Maroons used to start the jerk pork revolution in Portland, a savoury dish which is now craved worldwide.

ascending into Millbank

To ascend into Millbank, you cross the Alligator Church bridge and pass though quaint districts and villages such as Fellowship, Ginger House and Comfort Castle.

Unfortunately, because of the high rainfall, the soil in the entire valley is extremely unstable and it is not unusual for landslides to occur, some cutting off roads for days, months, and even years.

This is what had happened some months before we got there, and the road between Comfort Castle and Millbank had been cut in two. Therefore, the cars stranded in Millbank had to take farmers' products and passengers to the breakaway, and they would have to walk over to Comfort Castle then get transportation to other areas. Inconvenient, but living in a tranquil, peaceful and very scenic area comes with certain costs I guess!

To cross over from Comfort Castle to Millbank, we had to push our bicycles on a ledge about 30 feet long, probably no wider than nine to 12 inches, and if one missed a step, it would be down a precipice at least 40 feet deep! My reluctance to undertake that challenge was immediately and hilariously noted by a group of young men at a shop at the border, and they graciously volunteered to take the bicycles over for the "fraidy puss", which I had no problem admitting to being.

Despite their generous assistance, I still inched my way along the ledge - quite scary in parts. However, when we reached the other side, there was no doubt it had been worth the journey. For over in Millbank, it is as if that pristine district was covered in cool mist, and the constant drizzle that accompanied us to our destination was absolutely refreshing.

invitation to swim

Of course, it was too cool for tropical persons like myself to touch water, so I never took up the invitation to swim in that section of the inviting but cold Rio Grande, opting instead to play dominoes as we waited for the delicious lunch we had ordered to be served out.

Delicious crayfish run dung and pumpkin turned cornmeal. Oh, yummy!

It was the first time I had had that particular fare and it was to die for. Sure, they had chicken, but who would want to ride so far to try out the same old food?

Although the absence of the sun that day kept me away from the inviting Rio Grande, I would not have missed that ride for anything, and I keep dreaming about a return to that quaint, majestic district tucked away in the foothills of the John Crow Mountain range.

Joan Williams, co-host of 'Justice' on POWER 106, describes herself as an unapologetic addict to the Jamaican outdoors. A foundation member of Fun and Thrills Adventure Club, she explores the island at any given opportunity cycling, hiking or swimming with that group of friends and family and anyone else who will have her. She is the author of the popular publication 'Tour Jamaica', the fourth edition of which is now an ebook available at: http://www.amazon.com/Tour-Jamaica-Joan-Williams-ebook/dp/B00EJWCSHS/ref.

Contact: gratestj@gmail.com.