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Southwest of Kingston, a causeway connects the city to the bland but booming dormitory town of Portmore in the neighbouring parish of St Catherine. Portmore lies at the eastern fringe of the Hellshire Hills , an arid and scrubby expanse of "makko" thorn bushes and towering cacti that shelters the closest beaches to the capital. Virtually the only inhabitants are the migrant birds, a few conies and a handful of Jamaican iguanas , once thought to be extinct. From the small fishing community of Port Henderson, the signposted road to the Hellshire beaches runs under the flanks of the hills. Follow the road to Hellshire beach (no set hours; free), separated from the less enjoyable Fort Clarence beach (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 8am-6pm; J$100) by a barrier reef that makes the Hellshire water a lot calmer. Hellshire buzzes at the weekends, with booming sound systems and a party atmosphere. Most Jamaicans come here for the fish restaurants as much as the sea and sand, and Hellshire fried fish, best eaten with vinegary home-made pepper sauce, beats anything you'll find in town; for excellent cooking and friendly service, try Flo's shack. On weekends, watersports operators offer jet-ski rental and snorkelling equipment, and there are horse rides for children.
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