We got up a little later again today, and on our way to breakfast we stopped by the Island Routes desk to see what outings might be left for us today and tomorrow. We chatted over our options while we enjoyed our Blue Mountain coffee and breakfast buffet – another fine omelette – and then went back to the desk to see if we could customize. We ended up being able to leave almost immediately to see Rose Hall and to do some shopping in the souvenir plaza near there.
So we went back to our room and changed, grabbed wallets and headed for the lobby – shortly afterwards a shuttle arrived and George took us on the ten minute drive to Rose Hall. This is one of the great houses of the plantation era of Jamaica and was used for cattle pasture and sugar cane. The plantation made use of some 250 slaves and is most famous for the legend of the White Witch, Annie Palmer. 
She was said to have been the wife of the owner John Palmer during the 19th century, and then to have killed him and two subsequent husbands – as well as several slaves she took as lovers – before herself being killed by a voodoo witchdoctor who was one of her slaves. Her ghost is said to haunt the place – images appear in mirrors, tea cups have been mysteriously smashed – but we had no sense of her today.
We had this story from Latoya, the guide who took us through the mansion, restored in the 1960s with mahogany floors and silk wallpaper. We learned some local history along the way and were encouraged to imagine what life would have been like during this time – the story is a compelling way to ground the history! It’s also interesting to draw comparisons between the British presence here and at Devon House in Kingston with what we learned growing up about the British in south western Ontario – so much is clearly the same despite changed contexts (bed warmers in Jamaica?) – while other things (eg. slavery) were clearly very different.
We ended the tour with a walk through the grounds to Annie’s tomb, where Latoya sang a part of Johnny Cash’s “The Ballad of Annie Palmer” as she ended her presentation. Sharon and I then walked back through the grounds and mansion, taking our time with the details, and appreciating the view of Montego Bay from the terrace at the front of the building. A fascinating and fun little adventure, especially just before Halloween!
We walked back to the parking lot and found George who drove us the two minutes down the hill and across the freeway to the Shoppes at Rose Hall where some sixty souvenir, jewelry, and boutique stores promised us the opportunity to get our “made in Jamaica” items. Our best find was actually a couple of Blue Mountain coffee outlets where we were able to get coffee grounds and beans in small quantities.
George then took us back to the resort where we were just able to get in to the end of the lunch at the Regency. We made a reservation at one of the resort restaurants for dinner, and then spent the balance of the afternoon lounging in our room and lounging by the beach with rum drinks, books and magazines, and the views.
Between five and six the sun started to set with just enough cloud cover to make it rather spectacular again, so I grabbed my camera for a few shots. We watched awhile longer until it was nearly dark and then returned to our room to get ready for dinner.
Le Jardinier is one of the restaurants a the resort that actually has a real dress code. Most of the restaurants encourage you to come at least minimally covering your beach wear but a few require that you wear collared shirts, slacks or dress, and to ditch the sandals (except for fancy footwear for women). At Le Jardinier the theme is French haute cuisine (here’s the menu) and we enjoyed a rich meal. Sharon had the Châteaubriand for a main while I made short work of the Crevettes Grillées. Delicious.
By now it was well into the evening so we took our time wandering through the resort, picking up a drink near the piano bar, and then heading back to our room to watch a very decadent Orson Welles play opposite a Mexican Charlton Heston and his American wife Janet Leigh in A Touch of Evil.
If you’re interested to see an over-the-top presentation of Rose Hall, this episode of Scariest Places on Earth is pretty entertaining.
