Dunn River Falls and Park

After finally finishing the blogs early this morning at 01:30. So Dad had gone to bed before me so unfortunately I didn't sleep due to Dad's snoring!! Try to imagine a freight train in the bed next to you (Mum how do you put up with it?). So finally getting some sleep I wake up to a noise that isn't the air conditioner. It is pouring rain. So I turned over and went back to sleep. Aunty Donna wasn't so lucky. The guttering coming out to a funnel outside their room and the rain landing on a log so not to damage the lawn too much. So Aunty Donna was up since 06:00.

Last night I had a really itchy knee so I did what any normal person would do and scratched it with my new nails. I woke up with something that startled me. Well I definitely got rid of the itch. Now Mum think long and hard before you ask me to scratch your back.

Nan is normally the first person awake, but today she was the last getting up at 0920. So we are all awake now. Michael and Carline are going to Beaches Hotel and Resort where Joe and Greg are staying with their families to spend the day with them. So they depart by taxi around 10:00. Aunty Donna, Dad, Nan and I sit down to breakfast. All having poached eggs on toast made by Aunty Donna except Nan who just has a bowl of Corn Flakes.

So after fiddle-farting around for a while we decide to go to Dunne River Falls. So we all go to get changed and ready. I lather on the sunscreen and we head out. The entrance to the falls creep up on you from around a bend so we over shoot it and pull over. We jump out to check out the views which are quite amazing. This photo is taken from the side of the road which is considerably far way from the sea. It is zoomed in as far as it will go and you can see how clear the water is.

So we jump back into the car and something happens that we have not seen since being here. No traffic coming either direction on the road so Aunty Donna chucks a u-turn and heads back to Dunn River Falls and Park.

You can see the waterfall two ways. You can walk down beside the waterfall with the stairs or you can take the adrenalin way and climb up the waterfall. I was originally planing to climb up the waterfall, but after reading more about it in the Lonely Planet Jamaican Guide Book I thought it was not the best option as I am not the fittest person. So when we see the waterfall and are amazed by it's natural beauty and I am quite happy that I chose not to climb it.

So we decide to walk down the side of the waterfall via the cement stairs. We start to walk down the stair and every so often there is a platform where you can observe and take photo's. So we get to the half way point, where you go under the road to head down to the beach. We continue to walk down the stairs. I'm thinking that this is lovely. We get down to the bottom of the waterfall and see that the water from the waterfall is mixing in with the sea.

In the next picture you can see people in a single file on the left hand side under the trees. The people who want to climb the falls meet their guide at the top. He walks them down the cement stairs all the way to the beach. That is where they start to climb the waterfall at the very bottom all the way to the very top. When you look at the waterfall from the viewing platforms you may see hand rails, but the stones on which you climb up are uneven and sometimes with a fair bit of water in between them.

So now what ever goes down HAS to come up. All I can say is oh the pain. So we stopped again at the platforms just to get a breather these times. We decided to get a photo us and a lovely Jamaican woman took a photo of the four of us. Here you can see my awesome New York bag that I bought in New York. She asked us where we are from and we reply Australia. The huge smile that come on her face. "Australia, I LOVE Australia" she tells us and we all proceed to shout Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi.

On our way up Dad spots this little piece of history.

We continue to drag ourselves up all these stairs and when we finally get to the to I just want to sit down. Knowing that if I sit I will not get up again. So we continue on the this little cafe tent where we get some drinks. Dad has.............Black Coffee quite surprising. NOT! Aunty Donna and Nan have Lemon Squash which is NOT soft drink. It is lemon juice and ice and blend it down. But the sweetness is pineapple syrup and it is so delicious. I decide to have an Iced Mocha. This was so delicious also nothing like the American and nothing like the Australian with crap coffee and loaded with chocolate syrup. This has milk, coffee, cocoa powder and ice blend it all together. It is a lovely balance of coffee and chocolate and isn't watered down by the ice. Oh she used Jamaican coffee. Blue Mountains coffee. Will have to get on DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and see if we can bring it back with us.

So to get out of Dunn's River and into the car park we have to go through the markets. I didn't think it was going to be that bad, but oh boy wasn't I SO WRONG!!! The people with stalls and the people who just brought things to sell even marijuana (YES people here openly ask us if we want to buy dope) latch onto us like leaches. I tried not to stray to far from the others of safety because some of the characters looked really shady. However I thought it would be mean not to shake their hands when they extend theirs. So I shook this ladies hand and she places her other hand on top of mine so I couldn't take my hand away.

At this point two other men are trying to talk to me and sell me stuff at the same time and all three start to argue. She removes her hand and I thought that this is the moment where I can get away. However she didn't change her grip and when I tried to pull away she would pull me back. So I am starting to feel a little nervous and the only way that I can get away from here is to buy something. So I do I pay a ridiculous price for it but I don't care I'm away from her.

I manage to catch up with Dad when this other man comes up to me and he has the longest dreadlocks I have ever seen. They were past his knee's and so thick. So he says that he wants to give me this wooden turtle that he made because he felt bad abut before. I tell him that I don't want it and he says that if I do not take it I would be disrespecting him (The Jamaicans are big on respect). So I take it and he takes it back and says that he needs to finish it. He proceeds to write my name on it. He is starting to act strange and making me feel very uncomfortable. So he gives it back to me and asks for money. I proceed to tell him that he said it was for free and walk away. He comes back and asks for money.

I say again that he said it was for free and that I don't have any money. Before he can say anything else Dad comes to my rescue. This man demands American dollars. Dad tells him that he doesn't have American and only Jamaican dollars. He starts to complain so Dad tells him fine and nudges me forward. As we start to leave he changes his tune. So Dad offers him offers him $1,000.00 Jamaican and he whinges. So he gives him an extra $500 Jamaican. He still whinges. By this point he is pointing to Dad's last note another $1,000.00 Dad tells him no but other Jamaicans have started to gather. So Dad thrusts it towards the man and we are finally allowed to leave. In all Dad gave $2,500.00 which is roughly $27.30 Australian.

That experience was definitely a shock to the system. So we get to the car and head back to the Villa discussing our experiences. When we get home we decide to have lunch and head down to the beach. So Nan and Aunty Donna makes us some sandwiches. I then proceed to get changed into my swimming togs. The day was nice not too hot and not too humid, but as we were near water all day and in a rain forest setting it was horribly humid.

So when I get changed my clothes are literally drenched with sweat all over EWWWWWW!!! I pull on the swimmer over my sticky body and put on my board shorts and more sunscreen. We jump into the car and head to the beach. It is now overcast and no where near as beautiful as yesterday but we still head in and spend 1-2 hours there where Aunty Donna tries desperately to get some colour. I spend about half the day in the sun with two layers of sunscreen and I still get burn. Dam it!!!!!!!

So once we have had enough we jump back into the car and head back to the Villa. Where showers start and yes another load of washing. We decide to have chicken schnitzel for dinner so Nan and Aunty Donna start to prepare dinner when Uncle Michael and Carline get back. So I tell them about the day and particularly the markets where they first laugh their heads off then turn serious and give pointers. Some good, others not so helpful.

So dinner is up and because there is no bread crumbs they have coated the chicken in crushed cornflakes which I have never seen before but it was delicious all the same. My time in the kitchen is coming soon so trying to think I what I can make that I don't need a recipe for. Throw any Australian recipes my way so Carline can experience it.

Well the blog is done for another day. Talk to you all tomorrow from a new and exciting place.