Soooooo I've spent the past week in Ocho Rios, Jamaica with a group of friends and it was definitely a rather interesting time! Let me start from the beginning. After arriving at the Montego Bay International Airport we had a two hour bus ride to our destination right outside of Ocho Rios. The whole ride ran alongside the coastline and was absolutely beautiful. Mountains, ocean, waterfalls...I definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore! After arriving at our resort, we soaked in the view and settled in.
The next day we visited Dunn's River Falls and if you ever visit Jamaica I strongly recommend visiting the falls! It's a 960 ft waterfall that gradually makes its way
to the ocean. When you first arrive there you are at the top and a walkway leads you all the way to the bottom at the beach...where you begin your journey to the top. It's safe for the most part although it's easy to lose your footing and take some spills...as a few of us found out! But it's a perfect place to see some of Jamaica's natural beauty and take a swim!
The next couple of days were spent soaking up some rays (and clouds!), snorkeling, playing beach volleyball, stuffing ourselves with food, and making friends at the resort. To say that we met some interesting people would be the understatement of the world! Our resort had an island about 400 yards out from the beach and it just so happened to be for nudists only. No one from our group made it out to the island for any of the daytime activities there but we sure did get some stories/details that were rather disturbing from some of them at the hotel bar at night!! (you can either ask me about it or use your imagination i guess...haha) One of the evenings we did go on a catamaran cruise and that was pretty sweet because it gave us some amazing views of the island from the sea and it also gave us an opportunity to go swimming further ou
t in the ocean. This is something I recommend no matter where you go if you are visiting an exotic location.
Another adventure that our group decided to partake on was zip lining through the jungle. The ride up the mountain was almost as entertaining as the actual zip lining itself. The driver of our bus was a Jamaican man named Joe. He claimed to have his PHD certification (Pot Hole Dodger) and it became evident that he needed it because the road that led us up the mountain was about half finished. Not to mention it was extremely narrow and there were times that I thought Joe was going to lead us off the side of the mountain. Let's just say the women were holding their breath! We eventually made it to the top though
and then started zip lining down the mountain. If you haven't done this before then you need to, it's a rush and you see some beautiful scenery.
I did however embark on one journey that I DON'T recommend. For months now everytime I told someone that I was going to Jamiaca I would hear the same thing. Stay on the resort property or on the tours and you will be safe...because residential Jamaica isn't the safest of places. However curiosity killed the cat. I decided to pay one of the workers at the resort, Davian, to take me on a short tour (in his Honda Civic) to downtown Ocho Rios at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday night. I'm going to make this short but I will definitely say that any rumors you have heard about the marketplace in downtown Ocho Rios...they are probably true!!! I have never feared my life more. I think swimming in a pool of sharks is a fair comparison. Ask me if you want more details but the skinny is don't try it. The ONLY positive of that experience was some Jamaican Jerk Chicken that I bought from a vendor....through Davian!
All in all Jamaica was a great experience. I was with some great people. Two of them I had not met before the trip, John and Jenna Moyer, but I definitely look forward to many more great times with them in the future!! They are amazing. This was a fun post for me because my true passion is meeting great people and traveling to new places!
Hope you enjoy the read and also get the chance to visit Jamaica! Yeah Mon!! Irie!!
dressed in Missouri colors at the Kansas/Missouri football game at Arrowhead Stadium this past weekend. We were there because our beloved Wildcats were playing an away game at North Texas. 
