A family vacation; A cruise half way around the
world; One of the severest winters seen by Europe; The warm Caribbean weather
living up to its name; Captivating Caribbean is where I will be covering the
stops we made in this 14-day cruise with some photographs and the occasional
tips to make your cruise day stop worthwhile.
It was only apt, if we were to go on with Kokomo from my last post that we head over to Jamaica after having spent a day at the beach in Aruba. Ocho Rios, similar to most Caribbean islands is nature’s paradise. There is so much natural beauty packed into all these Caribbean islands that you can’t but help feel one with how this world was meant to be.
A drive through “Fern Gully” is recommended when in Ocho Rios. It’s a road that goes through thick dense ferns lining it making a canopy of sorts that is beautiful to look at. Ideally a walk through would be best, but since I believe the only way to go through this area is in a car, it still proves to be a fun activity. Having a learned guide/taxi-driver can prove to be informative as he is likely to stop at a number of stops and give you a little insights into the local flora and there is next to no fauna in the region.
All along the Fern Gully drive you are likely to come across locals dressed-up in weird man-made natural costumes by the roadside. They usually charge US$1 and you can get out and take a picture with them. Once you see the lengths they go to, in order to make these costumes, the dollar spent does not seem much and you end up with a quirky picture to show everyone.
Beaches are everywhere in the Caribbean, but Mahogany Beach in Ocho Rios was one of my favourites because of its small size and cosy feel. The interactions that locals and tourists were having on it mixed with some local music and dance and everyone was in an uplifting mood with no real hassles, the kind of laid back friendly atmosphere everyone always craves.
No trip to Ocho Rios is complete without its most frequented tourist site, the Dunn’s River Falls. An adventure I have discussed in detail here, but nevertheless, it’s an exciting, not too dangerous, activity that should not be overlooked should you find yourself in the region.
The people in Jamaica were extremely sociable, keen to help, and one of the friendliest bunch we came across on the entire trip. They also love to speak in a very Caribbean-esq Bob Marley way ending their sentences with “Yeah Mon!”, at least when speaking with tourists. The photos below can give you a better idea of how lightly they take themselves and how “having fun” seems to be an integral part of their lives.
