Saturday, March 19, 2011

Jamaica's Healing Stream





Jamaica’s healing stream


By Joedian Willis -
Writer - The New Jamaica
The milk river bath is rooted from Jamaica's slave history located in the parish of Clarendon. The bath was discovered by a slave who was badly beaten by his master and ran away into the forest for rescue. This rescue led him to the Milk River Bath where he washed his wounds that became healed from the soothing mineral water.
On his return to the slave village his master has agreed not to punish him if he told him of the spring’s location.
The area was then fenced and the slave was given the duty to guard it. This property was later willed over to the government that built the first bath on the property in 1794 and opened it to public that year. Today the area has 9 baths and a hotel that is visited by locals and patrons from all over the world for its renowned healing power. Jamaica has one of the highest radioactivity levels of any mineral bath in the world and is recognized for the curing of many ailments such as Sciatia, Lumbago, Gout and Liver disorders.
But with the ever increasing industrialization and globalization, has the bath lost its curing properties? The new Jamaica blogspot took a tour to the breath taking location in Clarendon for observations that as expected surpassed our expectations. The mountainous terrain was still intact with the cool evening breeze blowing as fresh as ever. Despite the low tourist numbers since the recession, the well kept tourist attraction was enough to indicate a brand new Jamaica.

The mineral spa is an hallmark in the Jamaican history and is held close to the hearts of many. However, since this bath has mysterious healing properties, why then are we not hearing familiar stories to that of the runaway slave? Could it be the work of faith…?
With these two questions the New Jamaica leaves you to your own opinion.

Links for further reading http://www.visitjamaica.com/attractions/milk-river.aspx