They don't allow tree-cutting, so the area is all natural. Emerging from the canyon, we head south across the island's backbone where dark mountains loom as cloud-shrouded sentinels. Unlike bustling beaches, this land seems bucolic and serene. Farm animals run wild, and men haul cargo on bicycles. Local men wait for a bus in the Blue Mountains.
Signs show where former bauxite mines have been turned into fields and pastures.
Near the southern coast, we pass through Spanish Town, the country's first capital. At the central square, Ralphie parks near a statue of Admiral George Rodney. In 1782, the British commander defeated the French, ensuring that future Jamaicans would speak English and ultimately drive on the left side of the road. We continue to Kingston, a city marbled with wealth and poverty. Sprawling mansions cap a hillside ridge.