Montserrat Speaking Frankly

Destiny’s Revelation No. 8

I know it’s been a while, but I would have never guessed that discovering tangible peace would keep one soooo busy, not to mention in a place notorious for its boredom — which I disagree with. I am still waiting to be bored here.

Now that its Montserrat’s rainy season, I can see where it got the name the ‘Emerald Isle’. There are so many different shades of green to be seen here that I have fallen in love with the color green all over again.

I’ve also noted in my adventures here that there are no homeless people. Everyone seems to have a designated resting place when the night sets in.

Well, I have invited my friends to join me for a short stint while I’m here. It would be interesting to see their different responses. I especially want to know if they’ll be blown away like me. I know I’ll have my work cut out trying to convince them to come here with all the negative publicity Montserrat gets.

I’ve also noted another fringe benefit to my explorations of Montserrat. As a result of my daily walks in Montserrat, my physique has toned and developed quite nicely. I’m loving that.

By the way, you should know that I have developed into some sought of fruitaholic. I have discovered some amazing fruits here on this tiny island.

I will unabashedly admit to you that I look forward to my daily fruit raids. This is where I simply choose a direction to walk and indulge in all the fruits along my way. In fact, as I write this, my tongue is flirting and caressing a kinep. I think that is how it’s spelled. I have no idea for sure if it’s correctly spelled.

Anyway, a kinep looks a lot like nothing I have ever seen before. It’s green with a smooth thick outer shell. They grow in bunches like grapes. A gently squeeze between your teeth will crack the outer skin. Inside, there is a single seed covered with a smooth sugary silky pulp that you suck off. I find these fruits additively good. You can usually purchase a large cluster of several bunches for about $3EC, if you are not athletic enough to climb the tree for yourself. By the way, these trees have extreme heights in most cases.

Another amazing fruit discovery of mine is the cashew fruit. That’s right…I said the cashew fruit, not nut! It’s the same nut we all know and love, but it’s attached to a seedless bulb of titillating sugary pleasure. They do stain clothing, as do most of the best tasting fruits I’ve come across.

Oh, there’s more! There is so much more. How many of you have experienced the delectable and pleasurable delights of sea grapes? Never heard of it? Well, it exists right here in Montserrat. These are grapes that grow by the sea, but they also grow in the mountains.

If that didn’t get your taste buds jumping, I wonder if a sweet lime will? Yes, I said a sweet lime, and it looks different from a regular green lime. It’s red, and it tastes as stimulating as it sounds. If you come here, you must indulge in a refreshing glass of sweet lime-ade. It is indescribable.

You can’t really find your average every day ordinary boring fruit choices like apples and oranges here as easily. Thank God! My mouth had grown quite bored with those limited choices.

Now, in this heavenly place, I am no longer the victim of a dormant palette. My taste buds have been revived with a vengeance!

Gallery Exhibit No. 4

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Enjoy images of Main street Montserrat in September 2008….

Exhibit No. 3

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Enjoy images of Montserrat’s recent ashfall in August 2008….

Destiny’s Entry No. 7

Well, here I was pretending to myself that I had resolved all my fear issues about the volcano. When it came time to putting my money where my mouth was, I cowered like a spineless mutt locked in a fetal position praying that God would have mercy on me. Oh, it get worse. After all this drama…it was just a regular ordinary thunderstorm and had nothing to do with the volcano.

I could not have been convince otherwise. When I woke up the next morning, there was absolutely no ash anywhere on Montserrat, except the exclusion zone. Montserrat was its usual sparkly clean self.

I’m starting to note a bit of a buzz regarding the year end festival that is celebrated in this country. As I can gather, a great party may be scarce in Montserrat; however, when they come along, they are some real doozies. It seems, in Montserrat, the year end festival is the grandest doozy of them all.

I’m not promising anything. But, if I’m still here, you’ll get the full low down.

Get this, the latest shocker…I may not be able to leave at the end of September if I wanted to. I hear there may be some hiccups in the flight schedule. That would be a nice excuse! But it look like the Government is on top of things, or so they say. Everything should be sorted by then. I’m not worried. Are you? Well you should not be!

By the way, I won my first wager. I’m here way longer than seven day and enjoying myself tremendously. I feel so rejuvenated. I know this is only entry no seven; but, what…am I bored? I think not…I do have to actually spend time experiencing Montserrat in order to tell you about it.

I guess you know what’s coming…I’m off to experience some more.

Destiny’s Entry No. 6

Well, it is September in Montserrat, and I learned what that meant today. It rained and rained. What was most amazing was how quickly big torrents of water dissipated.

I watched miniature trees and branches float down the road and wash right down to the surrounding ocean, turning the immediate shoreline the color of coffee with cream.

I kept expecting to hear something about some kind of rain induced volcanic activity; but, weird enough, the volcano must have been quiet, because I heard nothing of it.

By the way, I heard on Radio Montserrat some more information on how this emergency siren system on Montserrat works. It seems there’s a special tone to tell the people living here to tune into the local radio station for instructions/information. There’s only one local radio station; so, no need to worry about which station. They even have a program on the radio that teach listeners little tidbits about volcanology. Cool huh! This will probably explain why the locals sound like scientist themselves.

You’ve got the hear them to get the full impression and impact of what I’m saying.

Later….

Entry No. 2

Introduce yourself to the many moods of Carrs Bay, Montserrat.

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Exhibit No. 1

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Enjoy Montserrat’s vibrant colors….

Destiny’s Entry No. 5

You must be a bit put off by my lack of details about the famous volcano in Montserrat, considering its all you ever seem to hear about when it comes to Montserrat.

Well, the first surprising fact I discovered about Montserrat is that its volcano has to be sought out. It is certainly not a looming, bulging mass distracting and obstructing your every visual perspective.

After the recent ashing, I must say that the actual Montserratians and long time residents of Montserrat are rather nonchalant and convinced that there is no imminent danger to the population in the safe zone.

Like I did, you are probably under the impression that this has got to be scientifically wrong. It isn’t. The local scientists have attest to this fact for over twelve years, as I can gather, and are yet to be proven wrong.

In my opinion, seeing Montserrat’s special construction in person clears up all that confusions and misconception.

You can even see the volcano in all its wonders safely from several places on the island. However, flying into Montserrat gives you one hell of a splendid and priceless view of yet another of this island’s natural wonders.

Just mention the word volcano to someone living on Montserrat and the stories will start to flow. Believe me…you have not heard even the surface of some of the local versions of personal experiences and encounters with this volcano. It is tremendous in size, to me anyway. Why more people don’t know about this place remains a mystery to me.

By the way, after my first experience with the recent eruption and ashing, to say I’m intriqued would be an understatement. As I can gather, it seems this thrill and sensation of increasing curiosity never diminishes or grow old. Please, get the Hawaiian volcano pictures out of your mind. This is a complete different flavor of cake.

The first of many amazing stories I would like to share with you is the story of how Montserrat changes day into night.

I haven’t seen this yet, and I’m not sure I’m ready to experience this either.

As I hear it, there are times when the volcano in Montserrat erupts and a huge thick ash cloud can be seen creating a definate line that blocks out all the light in front of it as it rolls across the skyline in whatever direction the wind is blowing. This means that it is day time as the ash cloud approaches you. When it reaches your location, it blocks out all the sun’s rays and lights, thereby making the day turn into night instantaneously. This will last as long as the wind allows the ash cloud to linger in one place. Amazing, right?

They even have a high-tech emergency warning system that’s used for warning residents of volcanic activity or storms. It runs throughout the entire island. It is sirens. I haven’t heard the actual warning siren yet, except for the noon day chime. That’s right…every day at noon, in Montserrat, a chime can be heard throughout the entire inhabited island, like a cuckoo clock–but more melodious. I kid you not!

Oh by the way, I must admit. Night time in Montserrat may take some getting use to for people born and raised in the hustle and bustle of the city. Montserrat amplifies all those things in the city that are distracting and disrupting that we have just grown so use to that we tone them out without a second thought, like police and ambulance sirens; gunshots echoing in the distant night; and it could be even more gruesome. But, we won’t go there.

Not in Montserrat…in place of all these disruptions, crickets lull you to sleep with an orchestrated symphony with a soothing relaxing affect. This song is a part of Montserrat’s sunsets. Its almost as if all the crickets lay in wait anxiously observing the last slivers of the day evaporate. Timing the disappearing daylight effortlessly, the chorus of Montserrat’s night song takes over.

No wonder Caribbean women look so stunning. Every night, they experience eight hours of spa-like sleep.

We pay good money for that elsewhere. Well, guess what? It’s absolutely free here, and the quality far outshines the most luxurious attempts of any spa.

Destiny’s Entry No. 4

Well, I got my wish…it rained, and it rained heavily. While on a sunny day on foot, one may venture to curse or murmur about having nothing but hills to climb, it sure does come in handy with heavy rainfall, when you have nothing but downhill to play with. Don’t get it, still? Everything is flowing downhill and off the island. This means no standing pools or shallow puddles of water. Amazing, I know.

Anyway, I got what I wanted most. My Garden of Eden has reemerged her irreplaceable splendor. No really, it is just that awe-inspiringly good. What? You don’t believe me? Come check it out for yourself. I dare you to prove me wrong. It’s just the facts, even if they sound too good to be true–especially for the city slickers out there.

Oh, I’ve been around the universe a time or two. So, I am not an easy walk over, and I’m sure not easy to please. As far as demanding goes, in my case, it’s an understatement.

The point is that I can now resume my daily practice of enjoying every breath I take in this strange yet enchanted place.

Every day is a new surprise package that never looses the impact, even though it is a daily occurrence.

Perhaps, if a group of individuals in New York decided to take a fifteen minute walk at sunrise or sunset in any particular direction in order to assess just how therapeutic it would be, it’s a safe conclusion that the level of therapy and impact will vary based on the actual direction that’s taken by each individual in the group of 15.

Now, here in Montserrat, if any individual chooses to take a 15-minute walk at sunrise or sunset in any direction, the questions would not be whether or not the walk is therapeutic and how much? The questions will be more on the grounds of what did you see that I didn’t notice? What did I miss?

The people living on Montserrat are a bit odd in some definitive ways, whether good or bad; but this is not a case of one apple spoiling the whole barrel. This is a case where the intellect will choose to carefully sift through the soot to accumulate the substantial rough gems that seem to almost pulsate in the air on this island.

There’s an odd kind of peace about Montserrat that walks up behind you and takes you by complete surprise.

As far as I am concerned, Montserrat has no ‘buts’ or ‘excepts’. It’s a director, author, photographer, and dreamer’s perfect morning brew and evening night cap. It simply just can’t be matched.

Don’t believe that all the hype is on Montserrat’s sunrises and sunsets, the nightlife of this tiny island carries many names and descriptions. However, to the true analyst, naturalist, spiritualist, and artist, what Montserrat has to offer you cannot be duplicated anywhere else on earth, as far as I am concerned. Yes, I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is…not literally. Find your own way here. I kinda love Montserrat unspoiled the way it is. So, assholes are not invited. We have enough thanks. Although, in some instances, it seems Montserrat may have some tolerance for functional assholes.

There are many strange yet strong friendships and bonds here; while, at the same time, there exist a notable segregation that appears to be quite voluntary and discreet on some levels and blatantly invasive and a violation of human principles. You go figure. I just write what I see and assess.

Besides, I’m told I need an outlet, a way to vent. I actually prefer that suggestion to many others I have been privy to, like tucking away some of your achievements so they don’t appear to the more humble as being too much. In spite of all that, you couldn’t pay me enough money to leave…before I’m ready to. Sorry!

For all you trailblazers and history makers, I would like to think that, at a minimum, you have your antennae up. Don’t just sit there waiting for the obvious to drop from on high and give you a concussion. That was a hint for those of us diesels among today’s choice cut ethanol.

As for you individuals who dwell on a more touchy feelly level, Montserrat doesn’t get any more ideal.

Don’t worry, I haven’t even begun to blow the ash off the intricate details of this place yet. If you snooze, you will lose.

Destiny’s Entry No. 3

Well, here I am experiencing another day. I can’t get over how much a little dusting of ash affects the entire island of Montserrat. It almost appears like a fresh blanket of snow would look like on any landscape, only it’s ash and has an odd shade of grayish-white dashed sporadically among the patches of green that increase after every new shower of rain.

Personally, a nice heavy dose to wash what’s left away would be nice. In fact, I would venture to guess that his dusting of ash somehow makes people more irritable. Ironically, there’s still something peculiar about the beauty of it all.

It’s like watching an artiste erase portions of a drawing and witnessing the reemerging of an even more spectacular creation.

I think I’m growing a bit of a soft spot for this place.

I’ve noted something funny in my research of Montserrat’s culture and history. There is very little available in the paper form in this regard. However, the street bars, shops, and local hang outs are gold mines for the true treasure of Montserrat, its culture–one of its many great secrets. Hopefully, most of which we’ll uncover together.

By the way, here’s a new metaphor I overheard while eavesdropping, ‘De say Montserratians behave like crabs in a basket’…. Quaint collection of words, don’t you think? I’m looking into its meaning. I’ll keep you posted….