Seeing Jamaica the write way

Author: By Marie C. Franklin, Globe Staff

Date: SUNDAY, March 30, 1997

Page: M1

Section: Travel

With me were seven other women, each of us enchanted by the beauty of Jamaica's unspoiled southwest coast and feeling like sister goddesses. As the Caribbean Sea splashed against the rocks below, we moved sleepily through the open-air veranda, down the walkway lined with flowering hibiscus, until we were all assembled on the patio by the sea.

Why had we all followed Peter Probst -- owner of Natania's -- at this early hour? Our host had invited us to join him on this morning of magic in the heavens, where moon and sun are in perfect balance, when the full moon sets and the sun rises at the same time, creating a mystical illusion of lunar reflection and sunburst from the horizons.

We had left work, husbands, families, and pets, the monotony of winter, and the fear of writer's block, to travel to Jamaica for ``The Fire Within: Creativity and the Passion to Write,'' a weeklong writing workshop for women. And since the seminar just happened to be in the Caribbean, in February, we understood why friends appeared envious when we disclosed our plans.

But this moment, standing on the edge of dawn, our other lives were remote, as we looked expectantly at Peter, who, dressed in a T-shirt emblazoned with a pack of howling wolves, reminded us to ready our cameras and binoculars. Any moment now we would witness this unusual sun-moon event. He encouraged us to take off our shoes, to wade into the water, where nature and nighttime meet. I felt like a character in a fairy tale.

The effect of the visible moon sinking below the horizon as the sun appears above the line where the sky seems to meet the Earth went far beyond the ordinary start of a day. We watched the moon cast moonbeams on the sea on the way down. Seconds later, it was light enough to spot a fisherman standing alone in his skiff, way out to sea.

At first glance, the writing seminar, sponsored by The Center for Women and Change, a Boston-based group that offers educational programs for women, seemed intimidating to a journalist/wannabe fiction writer: The workshop leader was a novelist, poet, and short-story writer, Cape Cod author Anne D. LeClaire. Three of her best-selling novels, ``Every Mother's Son,'' ``Grace Point,'' and ``Sideshow,'' were recently optioned for film. But the center's promotional literature lured me in, promising to empower me ``to unleash my creative power and connect with the wisdom and intuitive storyteller within.''

A Caribbean aficionado, I had also always wanted to visit Jamaica.

The most popular destinations in Jamaica remain Montego Bay, or Mobay, as it is called, Negril, and Ocho Rios. Tourism has risen steadily in the country in the last several years, and the proliferation of all-inclusive resorts, such as Sandals, has followed. Approximately 1.7 million tourists visited the island last year. Preliminary figures for this year, however, indicate a noticeable decrease in Jamaican tourism, Probst says. The reason: a negative perception of some of Jamaica's problems with crime, hustling and drugs.

The Jamaica I found was very different indeed.

On the first night, five days before the celestial celebration, the writers group had met over dinner at Natania's. Some were professional writers, some not, but all were brought together by wanderlust and a desire to write more and better.

We had gone by minivan to Whitehouse, 37 miles from Montego Bay, where Fugi, Natania's driver, waited despite our six-hour delay. (My first charter flight was marked by delays and chaos. Next time I'll book my own flight and get my frequent-flier miles.) A dark countryside was hidden from our view along the uphill, winding country road as we listened to Fugi proudly tell us stories about his country; open windows invited deep, fragrant breaths of orange groves and wild pine during the 1 1/2-hour journey.

For the next week, we studied under Anne for six hours a day, with a session in the morning and another at night. At first, the writing exercises made us nervous. We didn't know each other, and our teacher often asked us to read our writing aloud. Soon, the nagging voice that screams ``What, you want to write a novel, you of limited talent?'' was quieted, then silenced, by Anne's inspired teaching and the willingness of our group to support one another's work. Our fear of ``not getting it right'' became unimportant after LeClaire read to us from Anne Lamott's ``Bird by Bird,'' a book on the art and craft of writing. Stories from our varied pasts were the thread we used to stitch together our tales.

We took full advantage of the setting at Natania's, meeting each morning for coffee under a seaside thatch pavilion. We ate breakfasts and dinners on an outdoor terrace (good, home-styled Jamaican food such as chicken and fish, rice, fresh vegetables, and fruit), attended workshops in poolside pavilions, often swam at the end of the day, and because there is no night life on the south coast, hung out at the guesthouse after dinner to stargaze, write, laugh, and swim.

Natania's has been acclaimed one of the best small inns in the Caribbean in several guidebooks. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and with eight rooms, it is a safe, quiet inn set back from the road and overlooking the sea. We found the young Jamaican staff friendly and helpful. There is a small, though rocky, beach here, although a long expanse of pristine, sandy beach is less than a five-minute walk away. Nearby reefs are noted for excellent snorkeling, and the price at Natania's is right ($65 a night, double). Our accommodations were arranged by Mary Anne Jones of the Center for Women and Change. Jones, by the way, is a 10-year winter resident of Jamaica, and as coordinator of the nonwriting portion of the trip, she was an excellent resource on Jamaican customs, culture, and side trips. For further information on accommodations, telephone or fax Natania's at: (809) 963-5342.

We had to limit sightseeing because the purpose of the trip was to write; everywhere the setting by the sea made the task easier. We used free time wisely: swimming, reading, walking in the countryside with a camera where every stranger's face offered a quick smile; eating lunch on the rocks at the delightful Culloden Cafe next door to Natania's, where excellent continental cuisine is served seaside. Sheep and donkeys and the cry of the crow are part of life here; the local Jamaicans believe that travelers are friends to be respected and left to enjoy the rest and renewal of their stay in Jamaica.

One morning I trekked 30 minutes into the village of Whitehouse, alone with my feet and photography tools. The pace of life here is unhurried and slow; it's a little fishing town far from the tourist mainstream. Small roadside kiosks sell fresh fruit and vegetables, cold Tings (a fabulously delicious grapefruit juice drink) and Red Stripe (a tasty island beer), grilled fish, or spicy pimento-flavored jerk chicken. There are churches everywhere, like the one across the street from Natania's where gospel singing mingles with the call of the coqui bird. I remember feeling safe as a woman walking alone, and appreciated the way the locals I met along the way called out, ``Hello, friend.''

Another day, our group traveled along Highway A2 toward Mandeville, into Jamaica's interior, to Y.S. Falls, north of the Black River. We hiked into the grounds of this small- scale tourist attraction, enjoying the decreasing temperatures and dreamlike quality of the rain-forest setting. The falls cascade down four levels with pools at each grade. We discovered our jungle natures, letting the Jamaican guides hoist our bathing-suit-clad bodies up the ropes, swinging us into the swimming area below. We had to be careful not to forget we were not playing Jane in a Tarzan movie.

Before returning to Whitehouse, we stopped at Black River, a typical working Jamaican town along the Black River, Jamaica's second-longest continuous waterway and the reason the logwood industry once thrived here. Today, the town is slightly run-down, but the large mansions and gingerbread cottages along the main streets hint at the English gentry who lived in the countryside during the many years this now independent country was under English rule.

Another day, an optional day trip to Negril was offered. Two members of our group accepted, eager to explore the small Jamaican town famous for its 7 miles of white-sand beach and dramatic cliffs. I chose to remain at Natania's, writing and reading, snoozing in a hammock on a shady veranda, searching town markets for local crafts, swimming, and availing myself of a private writing session with Anne LeClaire. The individual attention she gave to one of my ``works in progress'' convinced me I had made the right decision to travel to Jamaica for ``The Fire Within.'' (Cost was $950 a person, plus air fare, and included all side trips, transportation to and from Montego Bay, and two meals a day.)

The last day of our writers' workshop came. It was hard to say goodbye to one another, hard to drive away from the quaint Caribbean inn that time has passed by, hard to leave the safe world of our mutually supportive writers' group.

A man who looked exactly like Bill Clinton stood next to me in line in the Montego Bay Airport, jolting me back to my life in Boston, my job, my husband, my kids.

As I boarded the plane, with three other participants returning to Massachusetts, I felt surprisingly transformed by the week. I sat back in my seat in tourist class. Late afternoon sun streaked through the window. Charter passengers chatted noisily; I tried not to let the spell of ``The Fire Within'' be disturbed. Only the future will tell if I have a bestseller in me, but at that moment the fiction writer's life seemed altogether possible. Especially if I could spend my winters writing in Jamaica.

A very special place, the southwest coast of Jamaica, and a completely satisfying traveling and learning experience sponsored by the Center for Women and Change. I can be a woman of great charm and beauty, tell my stories into the night, put hexes on my demons, and daydream of bestsellers and the fiction writer's life.

Upcoming events include a 19-day learning trip to Turkey, ``Flying the Goddesses' Colors'' (May 22-June 9, $2,000 plus air) and the center's eighth annual conference April 27 in Watertown.