2020 has been a year! With every month trying to out do the last with how bizarre and nerve wracking it can be! But it has also been a year that, for me, has demonstrated how amazing life can be when you believe in yourself and rely on God to bring me through! It might not be God for you, but you have to at least admit, some higher power is at work!
National Rum Day 2020 proved to be no different. On a whim, I stumbled upon a Gustazos for an Appleton Rum Tour National Rum Day deal and immediately I knew this is how I was going to spend my day, I just needed to find a way to get all the way to St. Elizabeth, where the rum tour actually happens. Here came Kaizen Rentals to the rescue! I was able to get a safe, reliable, clean and thoroughly checked vehicle to go on my adventure!
Also, since I was going to St. Elizabeth (the breadbasket parish of the island)**, I would make a trip of it and highlight some of the attractions on the Resilience Corridor.
**St. Elizabeth is known as the “breadbasket of the island” because it produces 22% of Jamaica’s domestic food needs!
The Resilience Corridors
The Government of Jamaica has set up two zones of operations on the island, where tourists to the island can come and still have a great experience regardless of the perilous pandemic times. Within these zones, the operators of the tourists spots are tasked with monitoring the visitors and ensuring health protocols are strictly adhered to. All of this in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus and to be able to effectively keep track of visitors who come and go about the island, within the zones, especially those might have the virus.
There are two (2) zones: Phase 1, the largest and more popular zone, spreads from Westmoreland on the west of the island, then along the northern edge of the island all the way around to Portland on the east. Phase 2, is on the southern end of the island, but mostly towards the east of the island, starting again in Westmoreland, running along the main South Coast highway, encompassing Treasure Beach, Middle Quarters and other popular spots in St. Elizabeth and terminating in Porus, on the border of Clarendon and Manchester.
When in St. Elizabeth, Holland Bamboo?
IYKYK, right? A picture in this quintessential location would broadcast to all who are familiar that you were in St. Elizabeth, so of course, I had to take a photo here as well, because if I didn’t… well was I really IN St. E?
It was early, so the road had few vendors, but even at that time of the morning, traffic was constantly moving through the alcove of bamboo trees!
That is what Holland Bamboo is. A long stretch of roadway, with the road being overshadowed from overhead by tall, graceful bamboo trees that line the roadway. At 4km long, Holland Bamboo is located on the main South Coast Highway between the towns of Lacovia and Middle Quarters. You can easily find photos littered across the internet of people who have ventured to this place and taken their photos in many creative ways.
I stopped by Samuel, a jelly coconut man, who offered a drink and told me about his restaurant, the Lucozade shop, that sells the best curry in St. Elizabeth! I have yet to confirm his claim.
What to do in Middle Quarters…
Middle Quarters is known for their pepper shrimp, so of course, I decided to pop by and see what all the hype was about.
Disclaimer: I love shrimp, but I don’t love pepper shrimp. The exoskeleton freaks me out but I will eat it if its stripped for me.
I drove into Middle Quarters and pass a few vendors who were out and ready stationed at the beginning of what turned out to be a stretch of vendors lining the road side. It was early and the town was not as bustling as I had expected it to be, so I continued until I saw a little shop that had cars parked on the outside and guests enjoying their meals. It was not crowded, but it had more than the scattering I had seen before and this hinted to me that this was the place to stop.
Starfish Restaurant (a little side shop), offered a variety of food from pepper shrimp at $900JMD per pound to Shrimp or seafood soup, saltfish fritters (stamp and go) and cooked meals to include chicken and fish and rice and peas. I copped a fritter, some shrimp soup and sampled a pepper shrimp. The fritter and shrimp soup was delicious but I’m still undecided on the pepper shrimp.
The JSAERE at Appleton Estate
Next, and my final stop in St. Elizabeth, was the Appleton Rum Tour at the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience.
Its been years coming- years! I have wanted to visit and have never been able to, mainly because of transportation, but when that was not the issue, then I had other engagements I could not wiggle free from, so I was THRILLED that everything had fallen in to place and I was FINALLY getting my rum experience under my belt.
Upon entry, I was thoroughly sanitized and once registered with my Gustazos, I waited in the lounge area for my tour to begin. They offered us welcome drinks and I took the opportunity to create some memorable photo moments.
The tour begins with an introduction to rum at the Estate. It goes through the production of the rum, how long its has been produced and how long it takes to be produced. Just enough information and back story to understand all that is to come on the tour. When the video is done, I went on to meet Paz, the donkey that demonstrates how the sugarcane juice is extracted from the sugarcane on the first leg of the journey to becoming rum. Paz was only interested in eating the sugarcane trash and while he munched, others on the tour took selfies with him, while the rest of us just looked on.
The tour took us from station to station, as each station demonstrated some aspect on how the rum is produced. The sugarcane extracts also produce byproducts that are packaged and sold in other areas like, bagasse (the sugarcane trash) used to make bagasse board used in furniture construction, sugarcane juice and the process of extracting the molasses which is then sold as another byproduct and even sugar which is sold to the local and international market. Like coconuts, sugarcane is also a versatile, multifaceted product.
We were taken into the distillery where the rum actually becomes rum and then into the iconic ageing house where picture-taking was happening left, right and center. This is one of two places to take your photo that says “I was at Appleton”. Of course, I joined in on this fanfare! This segment was rushed for me as the rains threatened a downpour that could have us marooned in the distillery for an unforeseen length of time, so I did not get the photos I had dreamed of for years. That being said, as soon as we rushed back to the main building to conclude our tour, the rains came down outside in a torrential downpour that seemed like it would never end. Thankfully, we were safe and dry and ready for the last leg.
The final stage of the rum tour is the rum tasting. This is where you taste the final product that is bottled and shipped worldwide… the best part of the tour in my opinion. We were all seated in a room (all Covid protocols observed), and at our tables, we had our own tasting kit. Three glasses that each held a shot of each of the rums we would be sampling. We were also provided with a bit of chocolate that was paired with one of the samples and a bottle of water. We were carefully instructed on the sampling of each product, highlighting the flavours in each spirit and what to look for as identifying marks. It was a fun time, as people chimed in how they felt about each sample. From those who grimaced in dissatisfaction of how strong the rum was, to those who exclaimed that it “made my insides hot”. We clearly were enjoying ourselves.
Free Food BONUS!
As a part of the Gustazos package I purchased for the National Rum Day Tour at The JSAERE, we were also given a complimentary meal that included jerk chicken, jerk pork or a mixture of both served with rice and peas, veg and a drink. As a foodie, and food blogger, this was indeed a BONUS! The food tasted great… reminiscent of a real Sunday dinner, while I looked out at the newly watered grass and beautiful backdrop of The Cockpit Country. What a perfect end to the tour indeed!
Go Home-ing Time!
By the time I had my meal, it was indeed time to start heading out. I had to make it back in time to return the car and get home before Brogad (The Most Hon. Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s Prime Minister) and his curfew caught me out of my home after 9pm.
Again, this trip, at this time, could never have been possible without Kaizen Rentals. They provided a safe, reliable and efficient vehicle that took me ALL THE WAY to St. Elizabeth and back. Also, Appleton Estate and Gustazos that provided a steal of a deal and all the love, support and encouragement from those close to me. I feel sooooo fulfilled having been able to FINALLY experience the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience!
I am going back for my distillery pics… hopefully soon… cuz, well, I am who I am and I want to! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You can watch my video on this adventure here: (also, SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT, LIKE)
Anyways, until our next adventure!
PinkPeachhh
PinkPeachhh 