A Freelance Writer’s Life Abroad: Inside Peek at My Life as an American Living in Jamaica for a Year, Part XVIII
March 4, 2011
FINALLY, GIRL A GO GO GETS VIDEO!
The Hot Mineral Springs of St. Thomas, Jamaica
Many of you have been asking for video of my life here in Jamaica. Now, I’ve finally got some. And on what I think is a fun place too – Bath Fountain in St. Thomas, a parish of Jamaica.
This is about a 5-6 hour drive from Negril, which is where I live. It may take you longer to get there because the friend I went with drives like a bat out of hell (a lot of Jamaicans do). Although, I must point out that Jamaicans are very good drivers; extremely good.
This was the road trip I talked about in the last post in the living in Jamaica series. So, let’s get to it – let me expound upon what you’re going to see in this almost 8-minute video.
Bath Fountain in Jamaica: About
Bath Fountain is located in the infamous Blue Mountains of Jamaica, halfway between the capital city of Kingston and Port Antonio in the parish of St. Thomas.
Legend has it that the waters were discovered in the 17th century by a runaway slave, who was badly beaten. Upon discovering the water in the fountain, it healed his wounds and when he returned (ostensibly to tell his master about the healing powers of the springs), the other slaves thought he was a ghost because no one believed that he could have survived such a beating.
This is why the waters of the fountain are believed to have healing powers. As the “cameraman,” Dr. Desmond, explains in the video, the temperature of the water reaches 130 degrees or more. And it’s all natural, coming from rock.
Note: There are different versions of this story floating around; this was the story I was told by the “guide” who showed me around the Bath Botanical Gardens, which is what I want to tell you about next.
Visit the Bath Botanical Gardens in St. Thomas – It’s Free and Worthwhile
At the foot of the road before you turn to go up to Bath Fountain, there are the Bath Botanical Gardens. I’d been to Bath Fountain before, but never to this place and I only noticed it because my friend and I stopped to get my camera battery charged.
My battery went dead just before we were about to go to the springs, and I was NOT about to go there a second time with no camera; on my last visit my camera was stolen before I took this trip.
So as we’re waiting for the guy to charge my battery (just a generous, random shopkeeper my friend was kind enough to ask the favor from), I noticed the opening to the gardens. I asked some guy standing on the street if we could go in. And he said, “Yeah, mon.” He wound up acting as our tour guide.
The gate was open and it was free, so I figured it was a great way to kill some time and finish my beer while my battery charged. This guy (there is no official tour guide) started telling us about the history of the garden. I knew he expected to be given a few bucks, which was no problem because his information was very interesting. He showed us trees that had been planted, types of fruit the trees bore and a whole bunch of other stuff.
But, what really caught my attention was what he called “the hanging tree.”
The Hanging Tree in the Bath Botanical Gardens in St. Thomas
I did an internet search and couldn’t find any info on this, but this is what the guide told me. The tree (pictured — click all photos for a larger view) sitting in this garden is on the grounds of what was once a slaveowner’s home.
It’s called the hanging tree for obvious reasons – slaves were hanged from it, in public view, for all to see. If the story is true, the tree is well over 300 years old.
Needless to say, the place lost its beauty for me and I literally couldn’t wait to get out of there (just the thought of stuff like this makes me physically ill).
The non-edible fruit this tree bears is call poison fish fruit or poison sea fruit. It looks like a giant – really huge – fig, but is hard to the touch. And as the photo indicates, the roots of this tree are huge. To me, it’s as if the roots were running, trying to escape the horror of what was going on above them.
Learn more about the Bath Botanical Gardens and the history of the Bath Fountain.
Now, back to more pleasant things . . .
Getting to Bath Fountain
This was my second time going through every parish in Jamaica (there are 14 of them).
Bamboo Avenue in Jamaica
In the parish of St. Elizabeth is the infamous Bamboo Avenue, which stretches for almost 3 miles. It consists of very tall “bamboo trees” growing along each side of the road, forming a beautiful, feathery bamboo tunnel. Quite amazing to see, as the video shows.
The Best Food in Jamaica Is Sometimes by the Side of the Road
Another interesting thing you’ll encounter if you go through St. Elizabeth is what I call “Food Town by the Side of the Road.” You come up on it seemingly out of nowhere. There’s a beach behind it.
Don’t let the rustic nature of this place fool you — it’s some of the best food you’ll ever eat. Some of my favorites are bammy (a cornbread-like bread); conch soup (pronounced “conk”); and fried fish. The big pots pictured here and in the video link just above are where the conch soup is cooked.
It’s really peppery (Jamaican peppers are very hot) with potatoes, carrots, onions and of course conch and a few other ingredients. It’s delicious!
What is Conch?
Conch is a marine gastropod mollusk with a famous spiraled shell and edible flesh similar to that of abalone, another edible mollusk. The conch is found in Southern waters, particularly the Caribbean, and it has been used as a source of food for centuries. [Source: WiseGeek.com]
I wanted to take one of the pots filled with this soup home with me, as I felt like I’d died and gone straight to food heaven!
Drive Up Blue Mountains to Get to Bath Fountain in St. Thomas: The Perfect Romantic Getaway
As the video clip displays to a limited degree, it’s a gorgeous drive up the Blue Mountain range in Jamaica. Note: It’s impossible to capture the beauty of this drive on camera. I kept taking video and erasing it because I couldn’t seem to get the raw, brilliant beauty of the mountains reflected on film the way I was seeing it with my eyes.
So you’ll just have to trust me when I say, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s almost like you can touch the sky and hold the hand of God. This would be a perfect honeymoon trip/romantic getaway.
Excellent Driving Skills Required
But, make sure you’re a good driver because the roads are narrow, steep, windy and very small. It’s impossible for two cars to pass going up the mountain in 90% of places, so if you don’t know the roads like the natives do, you have to know when to blow your horn (all the time) so you can alert whomever might be coming around the next hairpin curve (and the next curve is always a hairpin curve).
What You’ll See on Your Drive To and Up the Blue Mountains
You’ll see rare birds like the black dove (thought I’d captured it on video, but I missed it), in addition to mongoose; cows; goats (they’re everywhere); fields and fields and fields of sugarcane; fruits (pineapple, apples, mango, bananas, etc.) being sold by vendors on the side of the road; breathtaking, jaw-dropping views of mountain canyons with running water; and every kind of tropical plant imaginable.
Climbing the Mountain (on Foot) to Get to Bath Fountain
Once you finally get to Bath Fountain and park, you have to hoof it for about 3-5 minutes up the mountain (don’t worry, it’s not high) to get to the actual mineral springs. On your way up, you’ll encounter a couple of vendors selling food, but they’re not pushy. In fact, no one really says a word to you.
It’s a narrow path and if you have tender feet (like me), wear shoes. I’d advise wearing “water shoes” because they give you grip (not that it’s slippery going up). But once you get ready to descend into the water, you don’t have to worry about getting your shoes wet.
And oh yeah, there are rocks in the spring as the video shows (this is what hurt my feet). If you choose to get a massage from one of the “masseuses” there (which I highly, highly advise), you’ll be asked to remove them, but you’ll need the shoes on the walk to get back to your car.
What to Bring to Bath Fountain
As mentioned above, water shoes. Also:
A towel (or two): If you get a massage, the masseuse will wet one to drape over you and have you lay on at different points, so you might want to bring two (the second one being to dry yourself off if you don’t to step into your clothes while being damp). If you bring two towels, leave one in your car to dry yourself off there and change into dry clothing.
I wore a daishiki-like pullover and just kept my bathing suit on under it for the rest of the day.
A bathing suit: You can actually strip down and walk up the mountain in your swimsuit to the springs. The first time I went, there was this little makeshift screen you could go behind and change if you didn’t have your swimsuit on. This time, I didn’t see it. So, just wear your bathing suit under your clothes if you don’t want to strip down.
Be sure to wear something you can take off easily and stuff in a bag because there is no place to “store” stuff. Whatever you bring with you will be propped up on rocks if you choose to get a massage (or a friend can hold it for you). On the rocks though, it’s fine. Nobody bothers your stuff.
Note: If you feel comfortable, a two-piece suit is best because then you can get the mud and oil the massagers use on you on as much skin as possible.
When I went this time, I was PMSing and retaining the friggin’ ocean, so no way was I putting on a two-piece on THAT particular day (oy vey, the body of a 40-something, “hopefully” almost menopausal woman is not cute sometimes).
A camera: Can’t miss shots all around. I “hired” Dr. Desmond for 10 minutes to shoot the footage here. He kind of did his own thing with no direction from me other than “shoot Erroll” (my masseuse). But, I didn’t mind because he did a great job and I paid him $500J (about $6 U.S.). And he added all the commentary about the springs without me telling him too, which I thought was really sweet.
A peaceful attitude: Get in the zone and relax. It’s one of the best experiences and if you’re mentally prepared for it, you’ll enjoy it all the more.
Money: You can enjoy the springs all alone, or like I said, pay one of the guys to give you a massage (use the one I’ve come to refer to as “my guy Erroll;” he’s the best).
What you pay them is entirely up to you. Last time, I went without a lot of money and only had $1,000J (about $12) to give to Erroll. As he’s friends with the rasta I came with, I was told not to sweat it; that what I gave him was fine. But, I still felt funny. So this time I was prepared. I bought two bottles of Erroll’s pimento oil and gave him $4,000J. And, it was worth every single penny.
To Contact Erroll and schedule a massage before arriving at the springs, call 876-846-0175.
Getting a Massage at Bath Fountain
Erroll worked on me for almost an hour and a half – literally from the bottom of my feet to the top of my braided head and everywhere in between – thighs, back, buttocks, shoulders, fingers, chest, legs — everywhere. He kneaded, rubbed, patted and scrubbed me like I was a piece of precious clay being molded into Michelangelos’ David.
When the massage first starts, you’re sitting up on a rock somewhere (like I am in the video). Then, you are taken to a spot to lie down (there are only a couple of these). I actually laid down on the rock that the woman in the video is laying on once her masseuse was done with her. The massage lasts another half hour to 45 minutes after you lie down.
You are worked on while you’re laying face up; then you’re turned over and worked on some more. Hot water is poured on you, then a towel is put on you, then you’re massaged some more and the process is repeated over and over.
I fell asleep, woke up, fell asleep some more and just gave myself over to the experience. I was like jelly when Errollwas all done – wobbly, but so soft and pliable that if I’d had a blankie and an air conditioner, I could have crawled right in bed and slept for three hours.
Note: At first, the hot water will seem too hot. But if you can, brave it. The uncomfortability lasts only about 7-8 seconds, then it’s a comfortable warmth. You can literally feel your body loosening up and being “healed.”
I see why people are addicted to massages; it’s one of those experiences in life everyone should have at least once.
More on the Massage
At different points during the massage, oil will be rubbed on you, then natural mudd (taken right from the earth there). It will be rubbed all over your body and you sit for about 5 minutes and let it dry. Then, you go back to the bamboo shoot you can see in the background of the video and rinse yourself in the water coming from there.
It’s hot!
Once you rinse all of the mudd from your body, then you walk a little further beyond this bamboo shoot and sit in the cold, cold water (to close your pores).
Then you’re done.
Again, be prepared for about an hour and a half of pure bliss. I’m never ready to go.
How Much to Pay for a Massage at Bath Fountain
There is no official fee; as I said before, what you give the masseuses is up to you. Depending on the person though and how much time they spend on you, in my opinion, anything less than $3000J is too little.
Buy Pimento Oil from Erroll at Bath Fountain
Erroll sells this all-natural oil (pimento) that he makes himself. There are about a dozen ingredients in it and you can put it on everything from your face to your hair. The older I get, the drier my skin gets so I put it on my face, especially at night. And when I wake up in the mornings, it’s so smooth I hate to wash it.
I also use it in my hair after washing it – it gives my braids a clean, minty fresh smell and keeps them moist without being heavy and oily. I also use it all over my body sometimes when I get out of the shower. It’s a multi-functional oil that’s just great for a lot of stuff.
If you ask Erroll, it can cure cancer (just kidding). But, it is good for a myriad of things, eg, eczema; dry, itchy skin; scalp diseases; etc.
One Last Thing about Bath Fountain
There is a hotel/spa at Bath Fountain (The Bath Fountain Hotel and Spa), but the mineral springs are separate. According to, again my unofficial guide of the Botanical Gardens, what is now the hotel was once a hospital for slaves.
Finally, you’re going to see a lot of different types of people with different types of bodies. You’ll see the butt cracks of some and the mounds of cellulite of others. It’s a relatively small place, but there’s no need to be shy or feel self-conscious. Enjoy the experience. I assure you, it’s one you’ll never forget.
GirlaGoGo.com: My Camera of Choice
I’m a gadget idiot, so my camera of choice is the Sony Cyber-shot. It’s literally for dummies (like me) who don’t know anything about photography but still want to take great pictures and video. To take pictures, you literally point and shoot.
To take video, you simply flip the switch to the video/movie setting, and point and record. You can see everything on the screen and if you don’t like it, you simply delete it. When in video mode, it records sound automatically; you don’t need to do anything else.
This is the easiest camera to use for amateurs who want video and photos, and for what it does the price can’t be beat.
Now that I have a good camera, I’ll be uploading video in almost every post. So to all who’ve written in asking for it, thanks for pushing me to finally do it.
And that’s it for this Girl a Go Go this week. Hope you enjoyed this discussion of Bath Fountain and may you get to experience it one day (soon). Until next time!
Have a good weekend.
Yuwanda
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[...] Living in Jamaica Series – New Post: A new post (with video, lots of video!) was added to the [...]
[...] A Freelance Writer’s Life Abroad: Inside Peek at My Life as an American Living in Jamaica for a Ye… [...]
[...] are still there as of today. And Little Bay has mineral springs, too. Not as well-known as the mineral springs of Bath Fountain that I told you about last week, but mineral springs [...]