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Blogs from Jamaica, Central America Caribbean - page 8
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Week 1 in Maranatha Villa
Published: February 19th 2010Central America Caribbean » Jamaica » Runaway Bay
February 19th 2010
Bonjour, sorry about the delay in a blog. We've been a bit swept away in relaxation that getting up and making a drink seems a bit of a chore. The Villa met our expectations and more. It's huge, with too many bedrooms to count, it has a pool table which requires a great deal of skill to rack up the balls let alone pot anything, but all good fun none the less. We have a bar that we stock daily, but we keep getting through the rum like it's juice so daily trips to the supermarkets have been on the cards. A favourite drink is rum and Ting. Ting is wicked, I also drink it with gin just so I can say 'can I have a gin and Ting please'. Little things. Steve's birthday went with ... read more
Final couple of days in Mobay
Published: February 13th 2010Central America Caribbean » Jamaica » Montego Bay
February 13th 2010
The last couple of days have been very chilled. We went to Doctor's Cave, a beach on the Hip Strip for an afternoon with a couple of neighbours from where we're staying. Two German student doctors who are working in the Mobay hospital and our room mate, Jon from Canada. The Docs had some interesting facts, the most crazy being that the most common cause of burns in Jamaica are acid burns. Women who are fighting over a man will throw acid in the other's face to disfigure them so that they're not attractive anymore. I've gradually started to notice over the past week that women are not considered equals. I am ignored by Jamaican men in conversations in taxis and on excursions. For someone like me who is used to talking, some might say a ... read more
February 11th 2010
Needing sun, beach and good food and swaying from China jet lag, I head off to Jamaica.... read more
February 11th 2010
Today Patrick took us up in to the hills around Mobay. We climbed up and up the mountain side, with the views getting better and better as the road got worse and worse. On the way we passed lots of local houses and shops full of interesting fruit. This was the area where Patrick grew up, and we passed his school on the way, learning about the different trees and fruits as we went along. Next stop was Patrick's sister's house, where he rumaged around and found a large machete. He then proceeded to chop down some bananas and another fruit I'd never heard of, I think he called it star fruit, although it was round. We finished the afternoon at Patrick's uncle's house. There we were given coconut water and jelly fresh from the tree ... read more
February 10th 2010
Arrived Montego Bay Saturday 6th at around 5pm. We were met at the airport by Steve, who is the owner of our guest house (Bethel Court Guest House). After being hit by the heat and a mass of people all wanting our bags and money we were bundled in to Patrick's car, our guide for the rest of the week. It was a little disconcerting having to get through three padlocks and a door lock to get to our room, but since our first night it's obvious that it's the norm around Jamaica. Everyone has guards and metal grates over their windows and doors. I think there are problems on the island, but we've had positive experiences everywhere we've gone. Yesterday we spent diving near Runaway Bay. We completed our certification to use sea scooters (diver ... read more
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December 23rd 2009
As is the story with most islands, I've been wanting to go to Jamaica for quite some time now. I've listened to the music of Bob Marley and heard of the laid back lifestyle of Rastafarians and Jamaicans in general. Montego Bay and Kingston top my list in terms of towns to go to, so I was pleasantly surprised to have Ocho Rios as a port of call on the cruise. I'd heard to be wary of people selling drugs at the pier, but that was the extent of the negativity I'd heard of. Ocho Rios means "Eight Rivers" and is on the Northern coast. It is definitely full of tourists and caters to the cruise lines, tourism is one of Jamaica's major income. One of the famous Sandals resort is there, along with many ... read more
Couples Tower Island 2009
Published: December 14th 2009Central America Caribbean » Jamaica » Ocho Rios
December 13th 2009
We spent ten great days at Couples Tower Island. The resort had been closed for approximately one year after undergoing renovation and after having been going there several times over the last 20 some years, we were very curious to see what changes have been made. It has lost some of its old world Jamaica feel which has been replaced with a 50's Miami Beach ambiance. The revitalize room bathrooms, swimup bar and additional snack bar were greatly appreciated as well as the outstanding staff service and food! ... read more
December 13th 2009
I awoke in a bit of a daze this morning after last night’s frivolities. I walked around my room and noticed a small card on the foot of my bed. Something from the hotel on checkout procedure I thought to myself last night. Then I read it. In fact, it was informing us that munchies were in the fridge, courtesy of the newlyweds. Sweet, breakfast. After my breakfast, I went out for another swim, starting at the pool, swimming to the cliffs and back. I zipped through the first half, going through the current. The way back was a lot more strenuous. Post-swim, I relaxed by the pool, reading some more. A short while later, Julia, Dan and Nicole Mascione and I went to explore the caves from yesterday. We casually swam out to the larger ... read more
December 12th 2009
I started off the day with some exercise, trying to remove the effects of the umpteen dirty bananas I drank last night. With the failed attempt at running yesterday, I decided a swim would be much more fitting. After walking down to the bridge, I jumped off and swam up the length of the water towards the pool, back to the low platform and then back to the pool again where I wrapped up my exercise. All-in-all, it took less than 15 minutes but that was plenty of swim work for me for now. I got cleaned up and joined some others at the pool. This morning was cloudier than the past couple days but the heat was still present. I took out my book and read for a while. Some of the older men were ... read more
![[/i]Pool](http://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/121550/460663/s/4561242-i-Pool-2.jpg "[/i]Pool")
December 11th 2009
This morning I set out on a run to burn off some of those beers I had last night. I headed out along the main road in the direction from which we arrived yesterday afternoon. I spent the bulk of the trip dodging oncoming traffic on the tight roadway. Along the way I searched for beaches in the area since our hotel is all cliffs. I finally found one over a mile away. Some beach. It might have been about 30 yards long. About a quarter mile later I found a larger one and stopped to take in the view. And catch my breath - the heat was getting to me. Pretty pathetic considering it’s only been a little over a month since the NY marathon. After I made it back I showered off in the ... read more
