I have never been a stage show person. Never been to Sting or Spectrum or anything of the sort as that genre of music never really appealed to me. That all changed when I saw that Chris Brown was head lining International Night 1 of Reggae Sumfest 2010.

Getting in

Upon arriving at the venue, I was are assured of my safety. I passed countless amounts of Guards each equipped with their own security dog. When I reached the entrance to my surprise their was no crowd or even a line.  I was inside the venue within minutes of arriving.

Reach

The first thing that caught my eye were the massive amounts of booths that stretched along  the entire field. I quickly circled the area, trying to soaked in all that I could. I passed booths such as Digicel, Red Stripe, Craven A & Wata. After quickly surveying the area it was time to find my spot and soak in some of what Reggae Sumfest 2010 had to offer.

Grounds

The area as expected was quite muddy ( due to rainy weather), it was never really unmaneuverable but just enough to make you think twice about your next step. I spotted a vacant area albeit right next to a mud puddle which I claimed to be my own.

Music

Now on to the meat of the matter: The Music

The first two artists I saw  pretty much came and went. Steels and Hezron, the latter being a little more noteworthy than the first. Following Hezron, came Protoje who was the first artist that got my juices following and looking forward to what was to come. Protoje liven up  the crowd with his “Junior Going”-type rhymes and beats.

Following Protoje, was Gyptian. He pounced onstage most definitely dressed for the part in this jet-black blazer. Everything changed as Gyptian took the stage. Not only did people raise from their chairs but so did the energy level of the night. As he performed his old school hit “Serious Times”. Though everyone was patiently waiting for his current monster hit “Hold Yuh”, Gyptian finally gave into the crowd but not without a price. We only got a taste of “Hold Yuh” , but his entire performance made up for it.

Gyptian - Good Performance

Following Gyptian, was Etana.

Etana aka. The Strong One started strong; mixing her regular songs with music from different genres. That was a big stand out for me. I personally  love to see artist mix and match their talents. Etana rocked to the undeniable song of the summer “Wavin Flag – K’Naan” and also her original hits: “I am not Afraid” & “Roots” which the crowd really appreciated and made her know. Though as it relates to Etana she was probably a victim of her own success. I had high expectations of Etana, so the “decent” performance that she gave just wasn’t enough for me.

Etana - Decent Performance

Following Etana, was Chris Brown (CB).

I was most looking forward to his performance, I am a huge CB fan from the release of his first self titled debut album I was convinced. I always viewed CB as a singer more than a dancer / entertainer, my oh my was I wrong. He did all of this hits from new to old such as “Ain’t No Way”, Kiss Kiss, Run it & Yo while dancing and doing all what CB does best.

Chris Brown - Great Performance

During his performance, he called up a young lady who gratefully snapped at the chance to be serenaded by CB. He of course performed the appropriate “Take You Down” which got all of the females in the crowd going  hysterical.

After all of the bump and grind was finished, which as a male CB fan I was quite grateful for. He did what I thought was the “icing on the cake”. CB began to “deejay” and dance to not only current hip-hop hits but to LOCAL DANCEHALL hits such as Clarks – Vybez Kartel, Straight Jeans and Fitted -Vybez Kartel & Shabba Ranks – Tinga-linga-ling. Plus Other Jamaica influenced  songs such as Major Lazer- Pod De’ Floor & Brown Skin. This was by favorite part of the entire performance. CB then closed the show with Forever.

Chris Brown - Great Performance

I honestly feel Reggae Sumfest made a mistake, allowing CB to perform in the middle. As nothing could follow that energetic performance.

Following Chris Brown, was Jah Cure. From the start of his performance he fought a losing battle, it was almost impossible for someone so mellow to follow that CB performance. The vibe and energy garnered was lost and some persons even began to leave. Even his signature song “Longing For” only  got the crowd to slightly rock. He carried through making the best of his situation.

Jah Cure - Weak Performance

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Category : Tour
Location: Sandy Bay Ranch
Name: ATV Safari
Address: Hanover, Jamaica, W.I.
Phone: 876-953-5200
URL: http://chukkacaribbean.com/MontegoBay/atv2.php

Ideal for vacationers who want to really explore Jamaica’s beautiful scenery

Upon reaching this location I felt at ease, coming off the bus the first thing I noticed was the beach. The location looked inviting and calm. I went through the usual process of registering and signing the wavier, After I signed my wavier I got geared up and my guide ( Jamal) directed me and the other riders to the ATV’s. Upon reaching the ATV’s Jamal introduces himself and goes around the line trying to guess where everyone is from. To be fair he got a couple right, though he guessed that I was from Canada.

The ATV’s looked surprising clean, when I boarded my ATV Jamal gave us the safety spiel (where you are shown the hand signals and also how to operate the ATV), After the safety spiels you are off and ready for your practice run. If felt great to finally start riding.
After everyone handled the practice run fine, we finally got going and we began our ATV Safari. We rode through dusty roads, up and down hills, through rivers and even through a village. The latter being quite an experience as the children from the village actually came out and waved to us. There are a couple pit stops along the way for the riders to not only catch a breath and relax but for the Guides to share interesting facts about the lovely island of Jamaica. We were given a first hand view of Jamaican Bamboo (Suicide Plant), Ackee and even what makes Jamaican Patties.

Three things which I took from the Tour were : Exploration, the Safari aspect and how professional and funny the tour guides were.

Exploration : we traveled through deep rural Jamaica, stopping to pick certain Jamaica fruits and plants along the way. The Safari, initially I was under the impression that we would be riding the ATV’s within a constraint area i.e..) a dirt track through obstacle cones. To say I was proven wrong would be a vast understatement, we drove through dirt, mud and even a river ( where you had to hold your legs up if you didn’t want to get dirty)
Lastly, the tour guides, Our main tour guide Jamal and he was accompanied by two support guides. Jamal was hilarious, he shared jokes with us throughout the entire tour, we even had an impromptu wedding at the top of a mountain. The tour guides really went all out to make us feel safe and at ease.
The ATV Safari was a wonderful experience, I would recommend to anyone who loves the outdoors and doesn’t mind getting a little muddy.

Popularity: 55% [?]