I was recently forwarded an article in the Financial Times written by Ian Thompson. The former guest of LIME TREE FARM who forwarded the article & I agreed that the article did not do justice to one of the worlds more magical places.

Thompson tries to paint a picture of Cinchona as an oasis surrounded by theives & devestation – yes the Blue Mountains have suffered terribly from 5 hurricannes in 5 years but their beauty has been untarnished & is there for anybody who can be bothered to make the journey to see.

As for thieves – I know the odd Orchid Bloom is taken by a visitor but theft is NOT a big problem. Thomson also paints the”RASTA” picture – another favourite for journalists looking for an “angle” – Stamp the manager is not a Rasta & although one of the workers there is the others are not & do not spend their time lying about smoking “weed” – the beauty of the gardens is testament to their loving care, just talk with Albert or “Broke-up”, 2 of the gardeners & you can’t help but feel their enthusiasm for the place.

The Observatory House is not a victim of vandalism rather it has suffered from years of neglect by various Jamaican governments notorious for ignoring Jamaica’s rich heritage not to mention the hurricanes.

WHY is it that when journalists write about jamaica they can’t help but sensationalize the crime problem here – yes we have a social/crime problem here but then so do parts of any country in the world – London, New Orleans etc etc.

Cinchona Botanical Gardens are so far removed from this problem they might as well be in the North Pole & I’m afraid that the FT article has tainted the pure magic of Cinchona which can easily sustain an article in it’s own write without resorting to the normal sensationalism associated with Jamaican Press.

If you would like to see what I’m ranting about & feel the pure magic of Cinchona Botanical Gardens check out our website – www.limetreefarm.com – I’d be more than happy to take you there & show you how far removed from Thomson’s article it really is!

Blog by Charlie