Short
name, sweet taste -- that's YS Falls. Located in
the district of New Holland, just off the long and winding Bamboo
Avenue, YS Falls in St. Elizabeth has the shortest place name
in Jamaica.
The
story goes that the name was derived from the Gaelic word
Wyess, which means winding or twisting. However, the other
story is that the name YS came about in 1684 when Lieutenant
Colonel Richard Scott and business colleague John Yates, combined
the initials of their surnames.
These
days YS is more than a combined surname. It's a natural waterfall
with hundreds of gallons of cascading water every day. Recently
I visited the falls for the second time and the experience
was awesome. If you are a nature lover, like me, this place
will allow you to relax your mind and bask in the pleasure
of the environment.
On
arrival, we boarded a jitney at the reception area. It carries
about 12 people per trip. We drove through a pasture and over
a bridge. To our right, about 10 to 15 feet below, streams
rippled by. As far as our eyes could see, there were just
bushes and green slopes. Within 10 minutes, we arrived at
the falls.
The
deafening sound of water gushing over rocks, cool breeze whispering
among the trees and chirping birds, created a perfect ambience
for meditation. What is also noticeable is the absence of
large crowds. YS puts
a cap on groups at 25 and limits the number of daily visitors
to between 150 and 200.
`We
try to maintain a beauty spot. We do not want to have large
crowds here at any one time,` said owner/operator Simon Browne.
`We
want to keep it as natural as possible and to appreciate nature.
We feel that too many people coming in large groups will destroy
the area.`
During
our visit locals and tourists mingled in various spots around
the falls.
Charmaine
Hyatt-Kelly, an administrative clerk from Kingston, was on
her third visit. `I come because I enjoy the scenery, because
of the way it makes me feel and the relaxation. It is simply
enjoying my own country,` she gushed. `I was comparing it
to Dunn's River Falls and I find something different. It is
not a tourist attraction and the human traffic is not very
heavy, I like that.`
Mrs.
Hyatt-Kelly said she found the water extremely cold, but very
relaxing. `I think it is therapeutic,` she exclaimed.Daniel
Tiotraschke, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States, a first-time
visitor to Jamaica, said he was smitten by the charms of the
falls. `YS Falls is unbelievable. I don't know how to describe
it. I have seen falls before, but not a triple or four stage
fall like this one. It's incredible jumping off the rope into
crystal clear water.`
Mr.
Tiotraschke and his wife Trisha, were honeymooning in Jamaica.
A mental health administrator, Mrs. Tiotraschke was visiting
the island for the fourth time.
While
others swam, the Walters family was picnicking on the lawn
at the other end. `It's like paradise to me,` said Earlon
Walters lying on the grass. `It's tranquil, peaceful and my
kids like it. It's a place for the family. A place where you
are at peace and nature is just covering you.`
He
sank his teeth into a juicy ripe tomato. `This is my third
time here,` explained the native of Vere, Clarendon, who now
works in the Cayman Islands as an electrician.
His
brother Fredrick who lives in the US was visiting YS for the
first time with his nine-year-old son Fredrick Jr. The boy,
anxious to give his opinion, beckoned me over to him. `Even
though I have never been to YS Falls, I find it kind a good.
You can also catch lots of fish -- all kinds of fish,` he
offered. Fish might have been on his mind, but his uncle
Earlon was satisfied to feast on the atmosphere. `When I am
here I don't want anything to eat. I just like listening to
the water, look at the trees and watch the birds and people
passing by. It sends my mind adrift,` said
Mr. Walters.
OPENED
UP IN THE 1980S
Up
until the 1980s when it was opened to the general public,
YS was little unknown.
About
120 feet high at combined levels, YS dangles its way through
the curves and turns of Breadnut Hill, seeping underground
in some areas and is fed by small tributaries beneath the
earth. The area receives an average of 95 inches of rain per
year.
The
attraction is closed for two weeks in the rainy months of
May and October because the water becomes murky and is unsuitable
for bathing. Plans are also afoot for a natural-type pool,
especially for non-swimmers, said the operators. `A river
is the most dangerous place to try and swim in and that is
one of the reasons we are putting in that pool,` they explained.
CENTRELINE
Throughout
the centuries, the property changed owners several times and
in 1882 the owner went bankrupt. Consequently, YS was held
under the jurisdiction of the Encumbered Estates of London.
Five
years later, John Browne (a relative of the present owner)
was dispatched to England to buy a piece of property in St.
Ann, but on arrival realised found that the farm had already
been sold. In a bid not to return to Jamaica empty handed,
Mr. Browne blindly purchased YS Farm from a list of properties,
primarily because it had a river running through it. The purchase
cost was 4,000 pounds sterling.
In
1887 most of the 8,000 acre property was being used to cultivate
sugar cane, rear cattle and grow logwood trees. The sugar
was stashed in large bags and was transported, along with
piles of logwood to the Black River
and then shipped to Holland. Dye was extracted from the in
Holland.
In
the decades following, portions of the property were sold,
but the Browne family has retained 2,500 acres. While the
export market for logwood has dried up and sugar cane cultivation
ceased in the 1960s, papaya is now
grown for the export market. The Browns also breed pedigree
Red Poll cattle and thoroughbred racehorses on the farm. Mr.
Browne said he was considering investing in a fish farm on
the property.
COST:
[ top ]
For
locals: $300, adults and $150 for children ages 5 to 14
For
tourists: US$10
OPENING
HOURS: [ top ]
Open
for business at 9:00 a.m. Tours are cut off at 3:30 p.m. and
the attraction is closed an hour later. Closed for business
on Mondays and on all public holidays.
TO GET THERE: [ top
]
YS
Falls is about 95 miles from Kingston and 50 miles from Montego
Bay.
Coming
from Kingston: Go through Bamboo Avenue and towards Middle
Quarters. YS is located in New Holland.
Coming
from Montego Bay: It's about two miles out of Middle Quarters.
If you get to Bamboo Avenue, it means you've gone two far.
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