FOOTSTEP 11: Saturday 14th July

Day Eight by Tatiana Baklagina (Sochi, Russia)

Five busy and intensive days of the conference came to an end and the Final Cultural Evening showed how much we had united and what we had reached during this time.

In the morning, we had to say goodbye to Koome, the first participant to leave. About 10.00 am we set off on another field study visit. At first, we visityed a small gift shop (Walkerswood) where everyone got supplied with a delicious Coconut Rundown sauce!

Next stop was at Harmony Hall. Its owner Annabella Proudlock welcomed us and let us look around the art-gallery of Caribbean art and craft). It is a well-known place with lots of exhibitions near Ocho Rios.

Dolphin Cove was our next destination. Seeing some exotic Caribbean species was fun. Some people took a plastic iguana for being a real one!! :-) Then we saw the next attraction...lots of tourists swimming with dolphins and sting rays. And eventually, everyone got disappointed seeing the exploitation of animals at this side.

After some snacks at a local fast-food restaurant (where we tried festival but no bammy) we set off for the Green Grotto Caves known as the Runaway Bay Caves which are among Jamaica's most popular natural attractions. It is a large labrynth with its numerous rock formations. During the period of take-over by the English, the caves were used as a hideout by the Spaniards and then for the smugglers running arms to Cuba.

In the Green Grotto, we saw a crystal clear lake formed by underground waters, the Banial fig trees with long roots going down to the lake, seeking for the water and also the hollow stones that could sound like drums.

Saint Ann is a really touristy area and its attractions are designed to entertain the visitors. Our group could also be considered a tourist group, but our goal was to see and learn. During this trip we had to say good-bye to our Jamaican friends who had to leave home. Everyone really enjoyed their company, their help and their knowledge they shared with us.

At the end of the day, we enjoyed a wonderful swim in the Caribbean Sea and had lots of fun in the water!

It was a good end to an interesting day!