Me again, still frizzy haired and now a certified diver with one open water dive under her belt. Putting all of my skills to the test despite being nervous was a proud moment. Once I had my gear on and the boat headed out the nerves calmed and the adventure began. I was encouraged to go by my new friends (shout-out to Ashley, Corrie, and Jeff) after saying I was going to pass on this dive, and for that I’m grateful. My dive buddy (Erin) and I are a good match 🙂 stay close together and communicate well (were still working on the hand signaling but we made it), which is important 60 ft down.

Scuba buddy Erin with the photo credit.

The day after dive day we headed into Ocho Rios and climbed Dunn’s River falls. The waterfall has a more challenging side to climb up but I chose the path of least resistance, per knowing my limit and enjoying my bones inside my body. I still managed to bruise my shin, knee, and almost face plant into the biggest spider I’ve ever seen. But it was well worth it.
After climbing the falls we headed into the town to shop for souvenirs and have lunch.

Said scuba buddy featured here, doubles as a water fall buddy.

The straw/flea market was a lot of fun. Bargaining prices, talking to locals, and eating jerk chicken with festivals (fried pieces of bread heaven) were all topped off with Grapenut cereal ice cream and a walk back to the bus.

Yummy !

We had formed a group of about 6 from our trip and explored together. I love experiencing different cultures via good food, conversation, and exploring. Shopping at the grocery store was a great way to see the daily life and food options of Jamaicans, some of which are coming back to the States with me. The rest of the day was spent studying. Mother Nature has other plans for the reef and water. Choppy surf and murky water has limited our dive/snorkeling ability but hopefully she’ll change her agenda soon. In the mean time we spent some time talking to O’Neill (a dive instructor here) about his life in Discovery Bay, his favorite travel spots, and how he ended up at DBML 6 years ago. The rain in Jamaica is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Short bursts of the heaviest loudest rain that stops in a few minutes. O’Neill and Camilo call it liquid sunshine. I don’t disagree. I’ll take it over snow on January any day!! I’m already sad to be leaving in a week. Here’s to the next five days!

– Lucy