Jamaica Farewell

JAMAICA FAREWELL

One love! One heart! You can hear the sounds of Bob Marley everywhere.

Dreadlock Rastas, Calypso and Carnival, I was full of excitement as I arrived in Jamaica, my island in the sun. It was my first visit to the Caribbean, and Jamaica – and I wanna love ya! I did the training, and I knew it all, theoretically  - forests, waterfalls and shining sands and now I was going to try it………… first hand!

Negril on the west coast is famous for having the best beach on the island, it stretches 7 miles, and Rick’s Café, with a Caribbean cocktail is the best place to watch the sunset (I hear the rum is fine too, anytime of year)

Montego Bay, this is the place to holiday! Beaches, restaurants, reggae clubs and colourful markets - Montego Bay where the nights are gay and the sun shine’s daily on the Mountain top!

Ocho Rios literally means 8 rivers, so you can guess the scenery here is water………and this is where my action activities were about to start!

Ziptrekking is the latest craze – moving from tree top to tree top in a full body harness! The harness is attached to pulleys and you glide across the “ Canopy” of the forest for a bird’s eye view from platform to platform. I was first in line! And I was enthralled!

From the tree tops to the Ocean – Dolphin Cove is a wonderful treat. I met, made friends and swam with a lovely family of bottle nose dolphins. I fell in love with these intelligent, charming and engaging creatures.

Drying off I walked through the Jungle Trail here with a guide who showed us some of Jamaicas’s indigenous animals. Iguanas and snakes, to touch and hold. Tropical birds and parrots, and even sharks and stingrays in the lagoon.

Dunn’s River Falls is very close to Dolphin Cove, and so we spent the afternoon here. You’ve all seen the famous photographs of human chains climbing the steps to the top of the waterfall. The water is gentle in some places and positively gushing in others. I got to the top feeling refreshed and invigorated!

And what’s Jamaica without a bit of “Jammin”! So on with my glad rags, and off to the local nightclub. Now, this is where the locals can show us a thing or two – they have a natural rhythm, and some moves to the beat that mesmerise your senses. Mmmm mmm – stir it up, oh – oh! little darling, stir it up!

It was my last night, I didn’t want to leave! And there was so much more to see and do………… Jamaica Farewell, but I’ll be back!