Suzy and Andy: Jamaica Part One

Here are a gazillion photos from my trip last week to Jamaica. Thanks again, Sweet Rob, for such a great Mother's Day gift. Me, Deb, and my camera had a fantastic time! :)

Our resort had a private little island that you could wade out to. We spent lots of time there in the blue chairs. :)

There was a little shanty town right next to our resort. The people were persistent, yet friendly. I will do another post soon about the local way of life. But, it's a bit more serious. The story for this photo is that Deb and I were walking along the beach in front of this area and she smelled a "skunk" (think a little sweeter and rasta). Ha! I love how naive Deb can be. I have lots of funny stories about her along these lines from this trip.

Our resort catered to children and families. It was nice to not be at a couples resort with my friend. However, many people still thought we were a "couple". Seriously? It's MOTHER'S Day people! Sheeeez.

Lots of fun architecture around the resort.

The view from our room. OK.. I confess... this is our view with my 200mm camera. It's a bit zoomed.

Lots of beautiful sunsets due to the cloudy evening weather.

We saw a few weddings on the same little jet out that the above photo was taken.

We did self pedicures to match. Hmmmm... maybe that was where people got the "couple" idea...

A genuine "pool table".

The nightly entertainment was really fun. This photo is of the Jamaican Native dance show. The athleticism displayed here was amazing.

This guy was an athletic anamolie. My brother kite boards, so I have a small awareness of just how much skill this takes. This guy was flipping out of the water just as much as skiing along the top. It was really cool to watch.

One of Deb's favorite parts was the waves that were provided by the windy days.

On Saturday, we paid a cab driver to just taxi us around for the day. I had to pull over and photograph these colorful boats. More on this story in the next post.

I just love all the blues.

Our guide showed us some local flare and produce. Did you know this is what an almond looks like?

I was a little surprised at how much work went into getting just one little almond.

A side of the road fruit market. Best. Banana. I. Ever. Ate. Plus a cool way to drink coconut water.

Yes, I am a super tourist. Hey, the husband was home. I was super burnt on my shoulders from the day before and frankly, I didn't care how crazy tourist lady I looked. Ppppllllbt! :P

Upon the advice of my wise sister-in-law, Vickie, we climbed the Dunn River Falls. Amazing. You could rent these fun shoes at the bottom of the park. We just opted to wear our tennis shoes. But, I couldn't resist the photo. I love all the bright Caribbean colors.

The falls are 900 feet of amazing beauty and refreshing, cool, fresh water. A definite trip highlight.

Some areas were a bit slick and so our guide had us make a human chain.

At one point, there was a "slide" that we tried out. Our guide was wonderful with Deb. She had trouble seeing the rocks and getting sure footing. This man was amazing and so patient with her. By the end, many of our group members were helping as well. It was a really sweet thing to experience the human kindness and assistance this day.

This photo just cracks me up. Her tennis shoes floated, her head and bum did not.

Another highlight was the Luminous Lagoon. It's one of a few spots in the world where the fresh and salt water mix and house a cool plant/animal that lights up when agitated. It's like the water is full of fire flies.