Jamaica is an amazing place to escape to while the rain and snow hammer
Vancouver and the trails at home in BC. In the spring of 2012 a posse of
riders: Dean Payne, Andreas Hestler, Darren Butler and Connor Macleod
signed up for the Jamaica Fat Tire Festival, a guided tour that would
take them deep into the lesser known parts of an amazing destination.
This crew of riders collected under the BC Bike Race
banner rolled out for an amazing bike adventure. It was as much about
camaraderie and experiencing another culture as it was about escaping
the foul weather of our dark BC winters.
The chance to be guided
on the ground by locals and explore off the beaten path in a
destination like Jamaica was simply too much of a good offer, so while
the weather did it’s thing at home we journyed south and east to the
amazing island of Jamaica.
Mountain biking is an amazing
connector – it brings people together and unites different cultures
under one experience. We all share the same passion for exploration
whether our backyard or abroad, mountain bikes are our vehicle of choice
to take us into the wild and beyond.
The photo’s themselves
speak volumes and attest to the depth of culture that we dug into in
Jamaica. Our local guides who took us on a whirlwind tour facilitated
all this and to properly share will require as much contextual
information as we can possibly give.
Welcome
to Jamaica. As we waited in the open night air at the airport for our
bus to Ocho Rios on the West side of the island, we bucked down to our
flip flops and shorts and met our new friend Red Stripe. A few short
hours later we awoke to our first daylight views of Jamaica and bright
colors were what greeted our eyes. From dreary BC rain to the vibrant
colors of a Caribbean nation the contrast was shocking.
The
Bike Bash. We rode our bikes out of Ocho Rios and over to James Bond
beach, a small-enclosed park on a little finger of land completely
surrounded by crystal clear blue water. Here on the green grass spit a
running track would host numerous bike events: a criterium, the Rambo
Olympics, the bunny hop competition and a skills relay course.
Many
different types of bikes were present some with two wheels and some
with only one but everyone was equally enthusiastic and the pool of
talent was deep. These people were celebrating all things bike in their
very own way. The heat of the Jamaica sun was building and so was the
excitement of a critical mass of bikers sharing their unique style.
Hanging
out on the grass with the awesome people and watching Darren go for it
in the Rambo Olympics highlighted a perfect bike festival. Later there
were trophies for the Champions and bragging rights given out for
another year.
Sunburns, coconuts, Red Stripe, bright colors, bikes and great people with big smiles would be the norm for the next seven days.
As
we moved deeper into the Blue Mountains, the facilities shrank in size
and modernization, but the smiles remained sincere. Not having an
understanding of the size of Jamaica we were all amazed at the vast
green jungles and huge mountains that ran down to the many fishing
villages dotted along the coast.
Moving
around the island we were taken to places that few tourists frequent,
this is the beauty of adventure and working with local guides. We began
to truly understand what Island life is like outside of the main
thoroughfares.
Jamaica
is warm and friendly and the green jungle gives and it takes. The
people who we crossed paths with live with the land and the ocean, they
were open and inviting and as inquisitive about us as we were of them.
Much
of Jamaica is undeveloped and quiet, a perfect retreat and we felt
right at home –escaping the urban jungle and the tourist compounds we
found the true roots of Jamaica. It was not hard to think about Bob
Marley and his Reggae and compare that to the modern Reggae that comes
out of Kingston one of the toughest cities in the world.
Biking
and Jamaica seemed like a perfect fit, the hot sun beat down on our
sweat stained shoulders and the tour rolled on. One of those trips that
you just don't want to stop, so easy to settle into the their relaxed
lifestyle and so different to our North American ways. Getting there was
as easy as Mexico or Hawaii and being amazed or astounded would not
adequately describe our feelings.
Away
from the cities, away from the rain we all found a little Jamaica in
ourselves and set about getting Awry Man. The Jamaican dialect was in
and of itself a spectacular puzzle and led to many bouts of laughter as
we tried to interpret what was being bandied about between the locals.
Strange
monoliths of wealth sat in the most unusual places and beside them
always bright colorful murals and the jungle reclaiming all that was
left behind.
Back
to Kingston via the back alleys and the grey meshing of rural and urban
interfaces. Chickens everywhere remind us that our routine fare of Jerk
Chicken from very spicy to just spicy, tossed in Scotch Bonnet sauce or
not is something that rounds out the whole travel experience. From
Jungles to beaches, smiles and murals, to endless potholes and the
flavor of street smoked Jerk Chicken – Jamaica is an all encompassing
experience that will take more than one visit to understand!
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