Firefly, Golden Eye and Breadfruit

I have to put this up. I finished the blog last night and was walking to go to bed when I spotted our nightly visitor. Every night we have been at Villa Caribbean Dawn we have noticed it in different places. The kitchen, laundry the hallway just to name a few. At home in Maryborough, Queensland Australia http://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/ we have a green tree frog that I have called Roger that comes in and hops around the house. Here at the Villa in Jamaica we have a hermit crab.

So we decided that we would get up at 08:00 to leave by 10:00 as we planned to go to Firefly house. For people that don't know Firefly was the house of Noel Coward. So at 10:45 we hit the road (not bad I know right). We know that Firefly is In the same direction of Port Maria which is 33 kms from Ocho Rios. So we get about halfway when Carline tells Aunty Donna to stop driving. We're all thinking she has to be sick. She tells Aunty Donna "Turn around. I have to show you guys something AMAZING!". So Aunty Donna chucks a u-turn and drives back. Carline says "Here, here. It's here". So we pull up to this unmarked gate. The security guard comes out. Carline asks him if we can come in and have a tour.

So he tells us he will call reception and ask if we are allowed in. So he spends a few minutes there and we are all thinking that we aren't. However he comes back out and opens the gate. So we drive in. It is called GoldenEye Hotel and Resort http://www.goldeneye.com. It is a very exclusive resort where quite a few A-List celebrities come to holiday. That is why there is no signage for privacy. Carline originally wanted to have the wedding reception held here, but unfortunately the person she was contacting left so it was a no go. We get into the resort and park where we are met by Candice who will be giving us our tour. This place is like an eco resort. Everything is natural.

We follow Candice who leads us down these stairs and we are taken back by the secret natural beauty that faces us. This place it hidden to the world, but I gather that is the whole point. Candice takes us down and across the suspension bridge to the main part of the resort. They have boats that you can use on the water. However, you can also swim and snorkel. In the next photo you can see probably hundreds of White Bait in the water. For people who don't know White Bait is a tiny fish.

We get on the beach with such amazing views. The stone island in the middle you can walk over to it. Candice told us that it is waist height. So on me that would be bust height. On the island is chairs where you can lay in the sun and really be away from everyone. 

Candice then starts to take us around the beach cabins. It is so cute that they all have their own little fences that are made out of old tree trunks. We go into cabin number 14 and OMFG. It has a small kitchen but the rooms make up for it. Huge beds both upstairs and downstairs and four claw bath tubs. It is designed for parents to sleep in the top room and lock themselves away from their children.

All around the park all all different species of flower and plants. They are quite beautiful. i would really like to know what they are. Glenda Pitman if you read my blog and if you know what they are I would really love to know. If Glenda doesn't read my blog (Why Not?!) Mum you may have to act as a carrier Pigeon.

So once we have walked around the cottage Candice takes us out and she takes us to the Bizot Bar. When proper guests come to stay they are given a compliment welcome drink which is a cocktail called a Golden Eye. Funny that. So we get round to the bar and we are given a complimentary welcome gift. The one and the same Golden Eye which was made with the owners locally produced dark rum. Aunty Donna, Uncle Michael and I had the cocktails. Carline had a glass of iced water and Dad and Nan shared a glass of local fruit juice. As Aunty Donna was driving she didn't finish her drink as it was quite strong, so I had to pick up the slack.

After our refreshments we went round to the most famous Villa. IanFlemming's villa. Ok so now you people might be getting the name now. For people who don't know Ian Flemming was the man who wrote the James Bond novel's which then came to be major film's which we all know about. OMG I can't put all of them up sorry.

This villa includes 3 buildings, a pool, private gardens, a pond and an out door bathroom and your own staff. One of the buildings is a cinema and bar. Now that's my type of room. Here is a picture of one of Ian Flemming's manuscripts and shorts.

It was quite amazing to see the actual desk where he wrote most of the books. There is the photo of the amazingly beautiful and private outside bath. It was very tempting to just stand under the stream of water or how  Jamaicans spell it wata. But somehow I don't think Candice would have liked that very much. The only thing I would be worried about would be the spiders. To less adventurous people there are indoor bathrooms as well, but what is the fun in that.

All the Villa, huts and all parts of the resorts are linked by water. The resorts supplies kiak type boats so you can paddle to where you want to go. But with wata like this why would you want to paddle. Once we finally left the Amazing Ian Flemming Villa we went over to the spa. Once again we were not disappointed. They have all these little separate huts or treatment rooms as they cal them. You can get single ones or double ones for couples or inseparable friends aka Donna Mclennan and I. So we met Newton who was the mersuse there. He was chucked on the spot but was lovely to us. We got two glasses or freshcoconut wata that we shared between the six of us. Carline tried her hardest to get a free massage from Newton, but too much disappointment she didn't get it. Here is a photo or Newton and myself. On our way to the spas we got lost as Candice had only been there for four days. So when we got lost we actually went onto the owners private part of the island and was met by a surprise of a huge centipede that was made of metal. When I saw it I think I jumped 100 feet and shouted "Is that real?". Everyone was laughing their heart out and said "NO!" apart from one person who said "Yes". Don't know who though.

So after getting my picture taken with Newton we left and were back on our way to the lobby. Candice was going to get us a card with her e-mail and the website address so we could chuck her the link. I would love to stay at GoldenEye but I would have to sell my arms, legs, liver and kidney at the black market. It may be expensive but it is worth it people. start saving. When we were in the villa's I saw the best beach towels. They had towel material in the centre and then other type of fabric around the edges. I told myself that I would pay up to US$80. However much to my disappointment they were actually US$120 so I had to pass them up.

So we were told to get to Firefly House to go through Port Maria. So we did that and Aunty Donna got an increasingly odd feeling that we were going the wrong way. So when we found a local we pulled over and Dad asked in the way to Jamaican men would speak. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the mans face but we were told by Carline that is was another MasterCard moment........Priceless.

She said it was funny for him because Dad is white and he is speaking black. So I'm pretty sure that it made the mans day. After he got over the shock he told us that we had overshot it and that it is just outside of Port Maria in the direction that we just came from. So Dad and Carline got back into the car and headed back. Here is the picture of the roads that we all picture Jamaican roads to look like in the cities and towns. So we are heading back the way that we came and we finally see the Firefly sign. Aunty Donna is kicking herself because she saw the sign the first time and thought is said Firefly, but as we got closer she couldn't quite make it out.

So we head up and just told to follow the road up. So that what we do. We are driving for about 10 minutes and think that we have gone too far. So we park and a police car passes. Aunty Donna beeps the horn. The police officer stops and reverses. We asks for directions and he tells us it's not far. So we decide to follow him thinking he might lead us there. After another few minutes we hit a little community and he stops and is talking to a local man when he tells us just up the road. Carline advises us that Jamaican up the road isn't the same as ours. In Australia when we say just up the road we mean just that a couple of blocks or so. In Jamaica up the road could be a couple of kms or hours.

So we persist. Finally we reach it after about another 10 minutes. The road is SO bad. huge potholes everywhere and chunks missing out of the road. Of course the Firefly house has to be at the VERY to of the mountain at 1,200 ft above sea level. Firefly is the house of Noel Coward who was a British play write among many things. Firefly was his second house and it has not been changed since the Queen Mothers visit in 1963.

Noel had many famous visitors to his house and their pictures are now framed. Noel lived in Jamaica for 30 years before dying of a heart attack at the age of 73 in 1972. His body is buried on the estate. His will dictated that everything would go to his friend. However his friend found it too hard with all the memories so he left it in the hands of the Jamaican government, who intern made it a museum. It is very interesting. Unfortunately we were rushed through as there was actually a wedding taking place. It was lovely of them to take us through and not turn us away. It is quite understandable with views like this that the early seamen thought they would sail off the ends of the world.


So we thought that before we go we better got a photo of Noel Coward and Dad in similar poses. We all knew the cigarette would come in handy some day and it did. Here is also a photo of a original map of Jamaica drawn in the 1700's. How that for preservation.

Unfortunately this is where my camera died and Dad didn't bring his. I know right how could you possibly forget your camera. So there are no photo's for the best bit ever.

We leave Firefly and head back. We pull off the road to James Bond Beach. We thought why not go and have a look. We pull up and it gated. We have to pay to get in to see a beach where a Bond woman did the famous sultry walk out of the water. So we decide that we don't wanna pay so we don't go in. But we stop at the best bit. A make shift shop where two Jamaican man Michael and Kevin are there. We originally stopped because they had crabs and we wanted to get come to cook for dinner. They were still alive strung up. Carline said it wouldn't be wise as they would have been like that all day out if water and wouldn't be nice by the time we came to cook them.

They were selling something we haven't tried yet. Breadfruit. Kevin was eating lunch consisting of roasted breadfruit, avocado and roast chicken. Carline tells them we haven't tried it before so Kevin goes out back and comes back with a plate consisting of roasted breadfruit, avocado and roast chicken for us. So we tuck in as we are starving by this point with all the local children looking at us with amazement.

Breadfruit is hard to describe. You can't est it raw it MUST be cooked. It is quite soft/mushy and slightly powdery. By itself it is very bland and off putting BUT with the avocado and chicken together is AMAZING. Once Kevin saw we like it so much he gave us the rest of his lunch. The Michael who only has one hand starts to cut the tops off the green coconuts puts a straw in them and hands them to us. Uncle Michael actually asked for them. So now we weredrinking coconut water straight out of the coconut. Doesn't get any fresher than this. When we have finished Michael takes them back and starts t cut them again. We are then eating the coconut flesh straight out if the coconut shell with raw sugar. the coconut looks like nothing we are use to.

It is slimy and slopping with a little hardness to it. At first it taste's nothing like coconut but as you keep eating you get the flavour. Then Uncle Michael asks if we can try a mango. It once again isn't a mango we are use to. It is like a huge apricot but with hard grey skin similar to rockmelon. It had four seed similar to apricot seeds and tastes like apricot but it is part of the mango family. We have never seen or heard of this fruit before and Michael and Kevin have never seen or heard of apricots before. So Uncle Michael gets six mango's, avocados which are slightly different to ours and passion fruit.

After Uncle Michael pays and we are leaving Dad gives them extra money for sharing their lunch with us and just for being so nice. I think I can speak for everyone when I say this. Best lunch ever.

So as we are coming home we stop by a military museum which is unfortunately closed.there is a pre independence shindig happening there. The woman who was talking to us or main Dad has actually heard of the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum. That took Dad by surprise. So we said we would be back and left for them to party. They originally thought we were British because they of Dad's accent. How they came to that conclusion I don't know. So Carline grabs me and tells me to say something. So I say what any normal Aussie would "G'day mate. How ya goin'?" Their faces light up with huge smiles.

So we pile back into the car and head back to the villa. Where we all just crash after such a big day and in the end Nan and Aunty Donna get dinner ready. You guessed it chicken and rice. I'll tell you what though these ladies know how to cook. Yum yum.

Nighty, night talk tomorrow. Happy reading.
P.S. I know that some of the spelling or punctuation might be wrong but when I was doing th spell check it went all dumb and if I tried to change it, it went over abd erased the other words. Dum