Hartley Neita, Contributor

There was a time when on Sundays and public holidays, buses and trucks streamed out of Kingston in the early morning packed with what were called excursionists to spend the day in the country. Favourite places were Alterry Beach and Dunn's River Falls in St Ann, Boston Beach in Portland, Bath Mineral Spring in St Thomas, Muir Park in May Pen, Glen Roy in Four Paths, and Milk River Baths in Clarendon, Castleton Gardens in St Mary, Cornwall Beach in Montego Bay, St James, and other picnic spots in the island.

There were also excursions by train from Kingston to Montego Bay, May Pen and Four Paths, Porus in Manchester and Port Antonio.

These outings were organised by churches, schools and citizens associations. Sometimes, they carried an orchestra with them. Two of the most popular were Redver Cooke and his Kool Kats and Val Bennett and his Orchestra.

One of the very special features of these outings was the food. Families carried different meals like curried goat and rice, stewed beef and bananas, roasted pork and yam, and other popular combinations. Outings to Boston Beach meant that jerk cooked on the beach was on the menu. And those who went to beaches in Westmoreland took advantage of buying shrimps on the way.

Entertainment package

Entertainment was dancing, swimming, playing dominoes and draughts and if there was no cricket ground, the men played bat and ball. After lunch and until it was time to leave for home, the men spent quality time in the bars of the towns and villages.

There were also outings from rural areas to Kingston. Most of these outings were organised by the elementary schools and church groups.

I remember these outings vividly. In Kingston, we were able to see the modern marvels of technology. There was always a visit to the match factory. Another was to the Dixie Doodle Ice Cream factory where we saw the many flavours of ice cream being manufactured. This was our favourite visiting place as we were all given an icicle, popsicle or fudge.

Then there was a visit to the Institute of Jamaica where if we were lucky, it was a day on which they held a luncheon concert. The main attraction at the Institute, however, was a mini zoo. There, we saw mongoose, iguanas and some parrots.

There was also a special visit to The Daily Gleaner which was then at Harbour Street in down-town Kingston. After touring the plant, we were lined up in front of the building for a photograph to be taken. A week or so later, this photograph was published in the newspaper.