ASK SOME Morant Bay residents about their town, and they'll tell you it's like St Thomas in general, it's forgotten.

For example, the roads leading to the capital aren't the prettiest (but nowhere as bad as its eastern neighbour, Portland). Residents look at the fact that in every area, St Thomas seems to be moving slowly. In sports, for example, only Jermaine Hue (football) and a few athletes and cricketers have been prominent. The proximity to Kingston, residents say, actually doesn't help because some of the 'brighter' folks from the capital leave their native parish behind.

The Gleaner visited Morant Bay on an overcast, windy Friday that even had a fair dose of drizzling. The narrow streets and numerous vendors (selling every article from belts to roots wine) ensured that you had to watch your step. But 'tings a gwaan' for the capital. Branches of popular franchises (from food to banking) are regular sights, and commercial businesses, such as cyber shops, show that the town is moving with the times. As the businesses have grown and more people get a little automobile to move around with, parking has become a bit of a bother in the small town.

But St Thomas' capital is still an easy-going town with the 'good old Jamaica' feeling wafting up at you while walking its streets. As one elderly man told us, "People still greet people."