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After crossing a jungle river, a body-double of a "Bridge Over The River Kwai," I arrive in
small community of Bath. Bath was a favorite community of British colonialists over two centuries ago. It is still gateway to cool Blue Mountains, and still sleepy home for a few hundred Jamaicans; granddads lazily bicycle in loopy circles in middle of street in middle of any given day. The only open thriving business in town is a juice joint on corner of only paved street, and it was serving a brisk trade in sky-juice. spiked rum, and today's gossip. After bailing out of cab, sweat pouring off my forehead, I stumble into juice joint, tanking up on sky-juice, water coconuts, and a shot of rum. In open-air bar I ask a friendly face pedaling slowly by, imploring direction of Bath Fountain Hotel, only real accommodations in area. At time, I didn't know how close I was to Captain Bligh's Bloody Breadfruit.
The Jamaican bicyclist stopped, pointed up a graveled road spiraling north of juice joint. Nothing less that a four-wheel boulevard. "About a mile, mon," grins gap-toothed kid. Soon all kids in neighborhood seemed to be peering through juice joint door. "My brother Joe has a motorcycle, mon." Joe is volunteered into pickup and delivery business. He shows up just in time on a sputtering 100 cc Honda, hair threaded with dreadlocks, smiling, a spliff permanently stuck between bad teeth. I jump on back of Honda, luggage tearing my arms out of their sockets.
THE MAROONS
Bath Fountain Hotel rises majestically, with Blue Mountains serving as an encompassing backdrop sentinel. Built as a hospital by British in 1749, stone hotel is now owned by people of Jamaica. Revitalized after Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, hotel perches above Bath River, more like a stream, like a moldy relic from a bygone era.
In 1609 Maroons, slaves of Ethiopian extraction, and other British slaves in banana trade, escaped their tyrannical masters, marauded, hiding out in rugged Cockscomb area of Blues, an area that today is largely unexplored, and just getting mapped, and where Maroons still do not welcome whites into certain regions. The Spanish word for runaways is Cimaroons, and in Carib shortened to Maroons. For over a hundred years Maroons and British waged battles back and forth in Blue Mountains, but eventually Maroons drove British out of mountains and into foothills.
The British built Bath Fountain Hotel as a hospital, not because of battles, but because of mineralized hot water that poured from mountains. Clinically speaking, hotel waters are claimed to be most radioactive and healthful in world, second only to Lourdes, France. The Maroons first discovered healing waters, but British developed hospital with twenty clean, but spartan hospital rooms, and 16 beautifully restored tiled baths in basement.
After checking into hotel, paying with a wad of colorful J's, I relaxed on restaurant terrace with a real jungle punch drink. I ask about mineral baths. It takes about two hours to slowly fill three-foot, by six-foot, by three-foot deep baths. The 105-degree water flows out of mountains in original British plumbing system that is slated for upgrading. The bath waters are tempered with cooler stream or spring water. I reserve a bath for next morning. Why I need a reservation for baths is incomprehensible, I am only person in entire US$15 a night hotel.
Soothing Baths
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Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com
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