Runaway and Green Grotto Caves

So this morning I had a sleep in and got shocked when I woke up and saw it was 09:30 considering that Aunty Donna wanted to leave at 09:45. After I got dressed and emerged from my room the table was set for breakfast. Then I remembered that we planned to have bacon and eggs for breakfast. So Aunty Donna sets out to cook the bacon lovely and crunchy none of this soft business, while Nan is cooking scrambled eggs. Eggs are cooked and Nan is putting them on the toast while Dad and Aunty Donna make mango smoothies. Dad cuts the mango's up. 1 1/2 normal sized ones and one the size of and R2E2 it's massive. Once that is done Aunty Donna puts in ice, milk and the rest of the ice-cream and blends the hell out of it until it is drinking consistency.

so we get everything to the table and notice that Dad and I are the only ones eating bacon. Aunty Donna doesn't eat pork because she finds it too salty. Carline and Uncle Michael don't eat bacon and Nan had already had her breakfast when she got up so she was just having some fruit. To be honest I think Dad and I were both a little over the moon about having extra crunchy bacon. I don't like mango so everyone one is having fresh mango smoothies and I have some fruit drink.

Aunty Donna was itching to go the the Runaway Bay and Green Grotto Caves ever since she landed so that is what we set out to do this morning, via the Battle Museum at Rio Nuevo which we missed out last Saturday. It cost us US$3 to get in and our guide was Eldon. The first thing that he showed us was the Pimento tree who's berry is the main ingredient in a popular Jamaican spice mix Jerk. The smell from the leaf alone was quite pungent and lovely. Eldon told us when the berries are ready they are black and the aroma, taste and heat are doubled.

After looking the the trees we went down to the back of the yard where you saw this amazing view and you got to see the bay where some of the battle actually took place. It is amazing to see how the ocean and the sky eventually melt into each other.

So after our look at the setting we go into the museum which is actually small but very well done. http://www.jnht.com/news/2009/07/_rio_nuevo_battle_site_officia_1.php. The next photo the original design and outline of the fort. All this is left today is the bottom left hand corner.

After Eldon tells us all the info we go and buy some books. Aunty Donna buys one where Dad buys two. Go figure. We jump back into the car and drive 20 minutes to where the Villa is located and continue to drive in the other direction towards Montego Bay and the airport. All the time we have been here we have tried to get a photo of an old water mill ruin that is on the side of the road. So this morning while heading to the caves we pulled off and Dad and I got out to get some pictures and it was worth it and the few honks of horns we received. 

After a short while we get to the caves. We jump out and walk out to the administration area and was met by Mario who is a lovely man with a good sense of humour. He told us that the admission fee's were.J$1,845 or US$20 each. Uncle Michael and Carline paid for all of us on their card. When talking to Mario he was asking our names and got a bit confused with the two Michael's and so to make it worse Carline said her name was Monica, the same as Nan. The poor fellow had a heart attack. So we went through with all real names.

One we had paid and went to the loo as a percussion, there are no loo's near the caves and the tour is 45 mins to and hour. We were taken over to the entrance by Mario and there we met Avrol who was our guide. We got given our hard hats and a hair net. i had trouble with my first hat as it was a little small. I got it on my head but as I tried to take it off to get it to sit right it came apart and was met by a wall of laughter and then I was given a new helmet.

We then got some group photo's of us. Dad and I couldn't resist on giving bunny ears. I did take lots of photo's inside the caves but as per usual I am not putting them all up.


As soon as we walk into the caves we are hit by a smell and then the bats. They are tiny fruit bat and really quite cute. We are advised that is we look up to close our mouths. Some unfortunate sole in the past has obviously had guana fall into their mouth. We were told that the holes in the cave with muck were not called guana or excrement. They were called holy crap. That comment received a round of uproar from us laricans. The first caves we went into were the Runaway Bay Cave. It got it's name by the leader of the Spanish back in the day Ysassi ran to the caves after the English came and slaughtered all his men. He lived in the cave for two years before he found is escape route and fled the country to Cuba.

Funnily enough everywhere in the caves where these clusters of bats. I couldn't get over how small they were. On the odd occasion we would see a decent sized bat flying around. I tried SO hard to get a picture of a bat in mid flight but unfortunately that never happened so these clusters of bats will have to do.

All around the cave were all these stalactites and stalagmites. For people who don't know get a dictionary. Just joking. Stalactites are a type of limestone that droop from the roof of the cave the secrete a mineralized solution. When that solution hits the floor of the caves it reacts with calcium carbonate and that forms stalagmites which come from the floor and grow up to the stalactite and they will eventually meat and form a coloum. This process take decades.


As we were moving among the cave we came across all these stalagmites with odd shapes. I'll these tour guides have certainly got an imagination or they just have alot of time on their hands. Look at the next two photo's carefully. The first one is a candle with the wick at the top and all the was dripping down and the second one there is the wife on the left hand side holding a baby looking up at her husband on the right. He is looking up and you can see his beard and all is hair falling behind him. Quite cleaver don't you think?

So as we were continuing through the cave we finally come out to see that the all the rocks are actually huge pieces of coral. Obviously there was a earthquake to push the land up and the coral and the caves stayed. Here is Dad acting like nutter (as per usual) exiting the cave. We walk round to the next cave through this rain forest scenery. The next cave is Green Grotto Cave it is called that because of the natural green colour of the rocks and the grotto of water.

In this picture you can see the green rocks and all the tree roots behind it. These roots are actually longer that the tree itself. The tree roots go all the way down the 37 meters to the grotto. It is unbelievably beautiful nothing like we have ever seen. We thought we were looking at the floor and ceiling of the cave. It turns out that is was a perfect mirror image on the stillest water that as so clear you didn't even know it was there until Avrol told us. Avrol said he wanted to show us something so we turn off all camera and he turns off the the light and shines his torch on a particular part of the ceiling and in the water is shone is the shape of a bat with out stretched wings. Aunty Donna then shout "that's Batman's sign! It's the bat cave!" We all then start to sing nananana, nanana BATMAN!! With laughter following. I tried to get a photo but is was too dark. So when we came down we had to go down 67 steep and windy stairs. To make it worse the stairs were odd shaped. Down I was more worried about falling down the stairs. Coming back up the stairs I was more worried about falling back on whoever was behind me.

So we get back up the stairs and get out of the cave where I catch my breathe don't know about anyone else.

We walk round to the next cave which is the wishing well. We all got coins thanks to Carline as no one else had coins. We got inside and waited for someone to go first. Aunty Donna did but unfortunately she didn't throw it quite right and didn't make it to the water. So she got another coin. We watched Avrol and got the gist and started to hear the drops of coins as we throw them in. We then walk out and into the last cave. The way back to the administration hut. On the way we saw the Map of Jamaica.

Can you see the similarity between the sign and the cave. So just before we exit we go through what is known as the Spanish Exit. It is known that because there is a rock that looks like a mans face and when a torch is shone onto it, the Shadow looks like a mans face with a helmet on side profile.

So we exit the caves to a lovely and welcomed breeze we take off out hard hats and hair nets. Go and wash our hands and buy some drinks as we are all thirsty. We pile back into the car and head to Falmouth and unfortunately this is where i fell asleep so I missed that. Sorry. But from what Aunty Donna has told me it seems to be a big crime area as there are police everywhere and has so much potential. So as we are heading back to the Villa we see a sign that says Stewart Castle. So in the spirit of being a tourist Aunty Donna pulls off the road. After going up and not seeing very many signs and almost chucking a u-turn there it is. A crumbled ruin and quite a sight. Then the stories surfaced between Dad and Aunty Donna of the castles and ruins is the UK and Europe. And there goes my eyes rolling. Live in the present people.

After walking around the old estate and the ruins of Stewart Castle for quite a while we jumped back into the car and headed back. On the way we stopped at a supermarket and got the things that we needed. Milk, bread, butter, cheese etc. On the way back we went through Priory. Remembering that we over shot Seville House the first time we went slow this time. Not seeing any signs Aunty Donna pulled into this drive way which looked like it belonged to a grand house. After almost getting bogged on the biggest pothole on the crappiest road we make it to the house. I have never seen so many anchors in the one place. This place is once again a ruin. I have never seen so many separate building belonging to the same estate. We didn't get to see them all as some people still live there and we didn't want to disturb them. The house even has it's own little bridge and river.

This house actually reminds me of a Sherlock Holmes movie, The Last Vampire. So after spend quite a bit of time going over the estate and looking at all the ruins we climb back into the car and drive back. We get back to the Villa around 19:00 hours. We put the groceries away and Dad cooks dinner tonight of spaghetti. SO happy it wasn't chicken. So it has been yet another full day and an even bigger one tomorrow having to leave early, but you can all read about that tomorrow.

I'm going to have a much needed shower and an early night of 00:45. Nighty, night. Talk tomorrow. Happy reading.