Jamaica Me Happy

Here we go again. Tamara, Chantel and myself were off on another adventure. This time it was to Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  We arrived at Sunset Jamaica Grand Beach & Resort and as usual we were greeted with a drink. A refreshing glass of rum punch. This was the perfect way to start things off.

Before grabbing a bite to eat I went to the reservation desk and made dinner reservations at all three themed restaurants. Spaces normally fill up fast at these restaurants so it's always best to book them as early as possible. Lunch was still being served at the buffet when we arrived so we pigged out on jerk chicken, fries, burgers and a whole lot more. The food was delicious.
After eating we walked around and got acquainted with the resort and its staff. Everyone was extremely nice especially the bartenders. We went to almost every bar on the resort and asked each bartender to prepare us their favorite drink. They were more than happy to do so.

There was an activity booth on the lower level so the girls and I checked out what they were offering and purchased a few excursions. One was an ATV excursion, another was a Rain forest/ Duns River Falls excursion and the other was a Bob Marley tour. With those out the way we headed straight to the beach for some R&R before we called it a night.

Peace out New York

My home away from home

Day 2:
I absolutely love waking up to the sound of waves crashing against the shore and the sweet smell of the Caribbean. It does something to me. The girls and I got ready for the day and made our way to the dinning hall for breakfast. There was an endless amount of food to chose from; both American and Caribbean inspired. They had everything........

With time to spare before our ATV adventure we hit the beach for a few. Our driver showed up a short while after.  At the ranch, once the instructors felt we were well enough prepared one of the instructors revealed our destination.  It was the top of a large mountainous hill. The look on every ones face was priceless. It looked extremely far and dangerous. I couldn't imagine how we were going to make it up there.
As a group we rolled out. One after the other. Single file formation. Through the forest, over boulders, on the edge of cliffs we rode. I have to admit, this was one of the scariest ATV rides I've ever been on. You just never knew what was waiting for you around the next corner. This was especially true for Tel.   While half of us made our way up a steep part of the hill the other half was nowhere to be seen. The group I was with parked our vehicles and waited for someone from behind to appear. A few minutes went by but, no one showed up so my instructor walked back to assess what had happened. Apparently, Tel didn't turn her vehicle fast enough and drove up the side of a wall. According to eye witness testimony she drove up the wall and crashed down. The bike just missed falling on her leg. Mara was close behind her and seen it all. She was freaked out.  Tel was fine but the bike was damaged. 

Everyone regrouped and continued the journey. After some time we finally made it to the top of the hill. Looking down and seeing where we started from was very impressive. Our instructors then led us down the hill to another spot. This one came as a big surprise to us.  We approached a group of soaking wet people and heard faint screams coming from behind a tree.  As we got closer the source of the screams became apparent. People were jumping off a cliff into the ocean. I was told the cliff was 20 ft. high and the ocean was roughly 19 feet deep. I was freaking out watching people disappear off this cliff. Smh!!!

I should have known Tel would want to do it sooner than later. She got excited and started dancing at the thought of it. She looked at me and said "come on, lets jump together.  We can hold hands". I looked at her then down at the water and back at her. I had to laugh. I can swim, but it was jump off that cliff that had me a little nervous. After what happened earlier Mara wasn't having it. She cant swim, and even if she did she wouldn't have jumped. She tried her best to convince both of us not to do it, but Tel was more convincing.

We stripped down to our bathing suits, said a prayer, held hands and jumped. Falling, falling, falling, falling, falling, splash. It felt as if I was falling forever. The way the water was once you fell in it pushed you right back up to the surface. I was just glad I survived. That was one of the scariest, riskiest things I have ever done.  Tamara could not believe we actually did it.  What can I say, it was definite a thrill.

Back at the resort was rested up then went to the South Beach bar & grill restaurant on the premises to enjoy a Caribbean/ New American fusion meal. After we were done we met up with a few of the instructors from the ATV ranch and went to a local club a few blocks away from our resort. We danced, shared some laughs and had a good time.

1st morning in Jamaica

Rough Riders

Falling.  Smh!!!

   

Smiles

Day 3:
New day, new adventures. On this day we went on our second excursion. The Dunn's River Falls/Rain forest excursion. First stop was Dunn's River Falls National Park.  Known as Jamaica's famous water attraction Dunn's River is believed to be the site of the famous battle of "Las Chorreras", fought in 1657 between the Spanish and the English for possession of the island.  Dunn's River Falls is an astounding flowing falls that extends across more than 183 meters or 600 feet.
Our guide took us to the bottom of the falls where he then directed us to climb the rocks with the waters rushing down on us. This is what tourist and locals do. They walk to the bottom of the falls and climb up to the top.  For those that are too afraid to climb up they either walk back up the stairs or do the chicken climb which is to stay on the side and climb up while holding onto the rail. Of course I roughed it and climbed up the right way.  At the top, the girls and I took a few pictures then went on to the nearby rain forest. From there, we took a tour of the Wassi Art gallery. When we walked in we received a demonstration from one of the workers on pottery making. Wassi Art gallery offers one-of-a-kind pieces.

The day was long and we were exhausted. So, as soon as we got back to the resort we hit the sack. We woke up just in time to make our dinner reservation. The food was good, but the portions weren't filling so we made a stopped at the buffet and filled our bellies.
Satisfied and full, we changed into our party outfits and danced the night away at Jamaica Me Crazy, the resorts.

Fun times at the falls and the rain forest

The artist at work

More works of art found at Wassi Art gallery

Dinner time Jamalicious Cafe'

Let the party begin

Day 4:

On this day we went on the Bob Marley Nine Mile tour. Nine Mile is a little village in St. Anne, Jamaica where the legendary Bob Marley was born and is now laid to rest.
It was about an hour and a half drive from our hotel through the countryside. The scenery was breathtaking.
Our tour officially began when we walked through the home Bob Marley grew up in as a child. Our guide told us tales about the legendary Marley and of the pilgrimage that takes place every year to honor Bob Marley. We even got the privilege of going to Bob Marley's mausoleum. It was a deep experience. From Nine Miles our driver took us to a local restaurant where we had some authentic jerk chicken, bake and ginger beer. That chicken had my mouth on fire, but it was gooood.

We got back to the resort around 4pm. It was blistering hot so straight to the beach we went. We decided to have some extra fun and do a photo shoot with the resorts professional photographer. Yes, the models were on the premises.  The rest of the evening was calm. We ate dinner at the Italian restaurant and later hung around the bar area until we called it a night.

The country side



Into the gates of Bob Marley's past

Bob Marley will forever live on

Chill time at the beach after the excursion

R.I.P to my big brother

So serene

 Dinner at La Diva Italian restaurant

Day 5:
All the activities we did the first few days finally caught up with us and we were drained. So all we did was chill for most of the day.  Later that evening, Nangelo, one of the guys we hung out with invited us to his aunts outside bar & restaurant. When we got there everyone was very welcoming. We stayed for about an hour or so listening to music and drinking Jamaican beer.  This was a cool laid back evening.




Fun in the sun



Me and the homies

Day 6:
More hanging out by the pool, beach and of course the bars. For dinner, we ate at the resorts Asian restaurant.  It tasted just like the food in the hood. LOL!  Being that this was our final night in Jamaica our new friends made sure to hang out with us one last time. We went to some indoor/outside lounge where we listened to music, and watched young local men throw themselves at older European women. It was hilarious.
We stayed until closing then aid our good-byes to the guys.

Final night out

Day 7:
I woke up dreading having to go back home. I always get like that especially when the trip was so amazing.  With time to spare before heading to the airport the girls and I went to the market for souvenirs.  On our way there we ran into Nangelo, one of the guys we hung out with. He took us to Turtle River Park, a fairly new attraction to Jamaica. It's a park frequented by tourists and locals, seeking a moment of tranquility. The park features turtles, fish, flower beds and more.   We made it back just in time to catch our van to the airport.

When in Jamaica, everything is IRIE.

The girls and I with Nagelo at Turtle River Park

Made a stop before heading to the airport

High in the sky

Tips/ Need to Know

• Definitely go on a few excursions. It's the best way to explore the beautiful island.  Make sure to carry singles with you.  You'll be doing a lot of tipping. 
• Go to town and enjoy the local restaurants and clubs.
• HAVE FUN!!!!!!