Couple aims to promote famous rock in Bog Walk gorge as tourist attraction
Published:Monday | September 2, 2024 | 12:08 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
The natural rock formation in the Bog Walk gorge that is said to resemble a part of the female anatomy is getting increased attention from entrepreneurial couple, Curtis ‘Mike’ Davy and Latoya Douglas.
With the formation popularly known as ‘P_ _ P_ _ Rock’, Douglas has created a brand with that name and, together with Davy, has started selling branded items, including T-shirts, to local and overseas markets.
Davy, who spends a lot of time overseas, told The Gleaner that the aim is to make the rock a world-famous tourist attraction.
“We stopped there one day and when we got out and we walked down we were amazed, we were blown away. People always tell us about this rock and we thought this would make some nice T-shirts, some ‘I Love P_ _ P_ _ Rock’ for the tourists. That’s where it started and that was 2015,” Davy said.
“We got someone to make our logo and made our first shirts, then we used to go out by the rock and string them up on the wall and a few people would stop by and buy some T-shirts,” he added.
After a prolonged break, while he was working overseas, the couple started refocusing on the brand and was able to secure the website www.p__p__rock.com last year, using the tagline, ‘Provocative Apparel for Women Inspired by Nature’.
Through the website, they are now able to sell their branded shirts online.
“We are about making P_ _ P_ _ Rock a tourist destination,” Davy declared. “We would also like at some point for Jamaica, the government, to give it its fair due as a tourist attraction. We would love to see a lot of tourists come to the island and, oh, they want to see P_ _ P_ _ Rock. We believe there is a lot of symbolism there. It’s not man-made, it’s natural.”
‘Grow up, accept it’
Davy said he expects some amount of push-back to their efforts to place the rock among the list of Jamaica’s top tourist attractions but is not worried.
“That part is easy because the rock is not going anywhere, neither are we. For the people who push back, we tell them, ‘Grow up, accept it’. It’s God-made, its not man-made. There’s a wood carving of a Rastaman with his big member, in Fern Gully, so what’s wrong with something natural?”
However, in addition to their efforts to create acceptance to a natural rock formation, the couple said they are trying to take something that’s down and make it rise up.
“And that is women. We are advocates of women rising and taking their rightful position in society,” Davy said.
“I personally believe that the rock is nature’s symbol of woman empowerment,” Douglas reasoned.
“As to whether our brand will be a success, I think that it will over time, once Jamaicans become more forward thinking and realise that God and nature are one. I also think that the rock can be a boost to tourism.
“We hope that the rock gets the respect that it deserves and pray that the brand becomes popular worldwide to allow us to support the various causes of women in Jamaica.”
Davy said he is trying to clean up the area in proximity to the rock.
“The place looks terrible; it needs to be properly landscaped. It needs to be accessible; it needs to be beautified, it really does. We want it to be a clean and respected place. I think it’s a good tourist experience and I just think it’s worthy of being something big,” he said.
Even without any promotion, except for word of mouth, tour operators occasionally bring tourists to the location, proving that there is some merit to what Davy and Douglas are saying.