You know the old saying “I left my heart in Jamaica”? No? Well maybe it will catch on. Anyway, as I mentioned ad nauseam last week, I took a much anticipated vacation down to Jamaica with friends and family to celebrate Paul’s 30th birthday. It was 37 degrees when our plane took off and 82 degrees when it landed. Yes, very much anticipated.
Paul found us an amazing villa to stay in with jaw-dropping views and made everyone feel oh so glamorous. Honestly we could have spent the entire vacation on the grounds and have been quite content. On Sunday of the trip, my dad pulled out the kayaks and everyone had to have a paddle. I think Daddy’s now been bitten by the kayak-bug because we’re looking into a family kayak excursion next time everyone is home in Charleston.
On Saturday of our trip we literally spent the entire day chasing waterfalls, against TLC’s advice. First we went to Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios and all climbed one big massive waterfall. I was a bit competitive in the climbing and took a few tumbles that my ankles are still recovering from. Having quickly conquered Dunn’s River, we drove out to Blue Hole, a series of small to large waterfalls for us to climb and then jump from. While the water at the bottom of these falls was a gorgeous blue, they weren’t exactly clear so there was a lot of jumping on nothing but a hope and a prayer. One jump was so large you literally had time to finish screaming before hitting the water. One perk though, the last jump came complete with a tiki bar to reward yourself with and calm your now shaking knees. Definitely a must if you ever find yourself on the island.
Our last day was a relax day, so we spent the morning at the Doctor’s Cave Bathing Club, a historic beach in Montego Bay, and the afternoon by the pool. Mama, got to wear her gorgeous beach pants around the pool, and looked great doing it. This is also the day that most people got a little crispy round the edges, myself included.
The food in Jamaica was incredible. These peeps know how to cook meat. We ate pork, chicken, goat, oxtail, red herring, salt fish, mackerel, and the list goes on. Everything was fresh and delicious. We even tried a popular restaurant for Jamaican natives, KFC. That’s right, KFC, and you know what, it was better than our KFC in America.
From top to bottom the long weekend in Jamaica wasn’t long enough. Everyone had such a great time celebrating our favorite social media guru, photographer, author, dancer extraordinaire that is Paul. He leads a colorful life and the people he fills that life with are equally as colorful. We all left with the hope that was the first many such trips for our little group. Maybe we visit Jamaica again for the sequel or branch out to other parts of the world. Me, personally, I think I want to be a Jamaican when I grow up.
