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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.
Blue Sea, fried fish & bammyMiss Ting says "A very pleasant way to relax & mingle with the local people in a beautiful unspoilt surroundings. However, more could be done to make your visit more pleasureable, if more toilets and showers. were available in easy access. Ensure that you only take a small daily sum of money with you (for food) as the local beach vendors will persuade you to let go of your money.The fish fresh from the sea (and you can see the fishermen coming in with their catch), is fried and eaten with festival (fried dumplins) & bammy,on the beach front. The scenary, the friendly locals and the delicious food are all are not to be miss and worth the journey."
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