Up at 0800 hours this morning. I still felt like my stomach was not quite stable yet and very tired because I didn’t sleep. We decided to go on the tour to Mid Land Falls anyway, but I didn’t have any breakfast. I didn’t want anything in my stomach at all
. When we went ashore, Wow! Was it ever hot; it felt well over 90º. There was no breeze and no clouds and the sun was just blazing down. While we were waiting for our trip to be organized, my stomach finally decided it was time, so I quickly found a far corner, just in time. After that I felt quite a bit better.
Eventually we found Nicole, our tour guide and were boarded onto our bus for the hour and a half ride to the falls. It was quite an adventure as we had to leave the main highway and wound up on very narrow and winding country roads through the jungle. We learned that the horn is essential to driving in Jamaica. Every time we approached a blind curve the driver leaned on the horn to announce to anybody approaching from the other direction to, “Look out, here we come!” When we got off the bus, we had a long steep descent of steps and dirt path to a small collection of ramshackle buildings; souvenir shop, changing rooms & etc. We were issued with special shoes for our adventure and took the short path to the river.
The river turned out to be more of a rapid than a real water fall, but it was fun and challenging to walk the half mile or so upstream as it was. We were assisted by a crew of young local boys who scrambled up the stream in bare feet. It didn’t seem like any challenge at all for them. In fact, several of them carried digital cameras which they easily kept dry and took photos of us struggling to navigate the swiftly flowing water. One of the problems was the turbidity of the water, such that the bottom was invisible. At one point, I banged my shin on a hidden rock. A short time later, I hit exactly the same spot again. That time, it really hurt. After leaving the river we had to take a forest path back to the cluster of little buildings to change back into dry clothes and give up our river shoes for our own. The photos the boys had taken were available for sale there as well, not as individually printed photos but as CDs for more than $20. US.
My next problem was to get back up the hill to the parking lot, especially since I forgot to take my nitro lingual for my angina. Diane and the bus driver were with me but part way up the hill we saw an old car coming down. Our bus driver stopped the car and asked its driver to drive me up the hill, which he did. It was a pretty beat up old car with missing hardware and lots of rattles. When it delivered me safely to the top, I paid the driver $5. It was worth it.
When we got back to the ship, I was ready for a nap because I was still somewhat under the weather from my stomach upset and Diane went to supper. Of course, everybody wanted to know where I was, so Diane had to make the explanations.
Tonight’s show at La Scala was the big production by the ship’s singers and dancers, and then, to bed.
************************************************************
. When we went ashore, Wow! Was it ever hot; it felt well over 90º. There was no breeze and no clouds and the sun was just blazing down. While we were waiting for our trip to be organized, my stomach finally decided it was time, so I quickly found a far corner, just in time. After that I felt quite a bit better.
Eventually we found Nicole, our tour guide and were boarded onto our bus for the hour and a half ride to the falls. It was quite an adventure as we had to leave the main highway and wound up on very narrow and winding country roads through the jungle. We learned that the horn is essential to driving in Jamaica. Every time we approached a blind curve the driver leaned on the horn to announce to anybody approaching from the other direction to, “Look out, here we come!” When we got off the bus, we had a long steep descent of steps and dirt path to a small collection of ramshackle buildings; souvenir shop, changing rooms & etc. We were issued with special shoes for our adventure and took the short path to the river.
The river turned out to be more of a rapid than a real water fall, but it was fun and challenging to walk the half mile or so upstream as it was. We were assisted by a crew of young local boys who scrambled up the stream in bare feet. It didn’t seem like any challenge at all for them. In fact, several of them carried digital cameras which they easily kept dry and took photos of us struggling to navigate the swiftly flowing water. One of the problems was the turbidity of the water, such that the bottom was invisible. At one point, I banged my shin on a hidden rock. A short time later, I hit exactly the same spot again. That time, it really hurt. After leaving the river we had to take a forest path back to the cluster of little buildings to change back into dry clothes and give up our river shoes for our own. The photos the boys had taken were available for sale there as well, not as individually printed photos but as CDs for more than $20. US.
My next problem was to get back up the hill to the parking lot, especially since I forgot to take my nitro lingual for my angina. Diane and the bus driver were with me but part way up the hill we saw an old car coming down. Our bus driver stopped the car and asked its driver to drive me up the hill, which he did. It was a pretty beat up old car with missing hardware and lots of rattles. When it delivered me safely to the top, I paid the driver $5. It was worth it.
When we got back to the ship, I was ready for a nap because I was still somewhat under the weather from my stomach upset and Diane went to supper. Of course, everybody wanted to know where I was, so Diane had to make the explanations.
Tonight’s show at La Scala was the big production by the ship’s singers and dancers, and then, to bed.
************************************************************
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