Day 3 (November 12, 2016): An amazing waterfall!

We woke at 5am to the sound of torrential rain and again worried it would put a literal damper on our day.  When we left for breakfast at 8:30am, we wore reef walkers and were literally up to our ankles in water in some places, so heavy was the rain.  But somewhere between the French toast and the omelette, the storm broke and the sun burst through with fury.  By 9:30am, we were on the beach, where we relaxed until noon.

[The rain stopped on a dime, everything dried off, and another day in paradise quickly got underway!]

 

[Melia Braco Village]

[The resort is comprised of 12 "villas", each with 16 units.  This was ours.]

We had planned on two main activities off the resort for our short vacay:  yesterday's visit to Falmouth and today's visit to Dunn's River Falls.  By 12:15 we were in the rental car, driving east towards Ocho Rios, which is Jamaica's third largest town.  It was just a 45-minute drive but white knuckle all the way.  The highway winds through mountainous terrain and small towns, and slow trucks make for frustrated drivers who pull out to pass in the most hair-raising of situations.

[The Jamaican government is doing its best to try to reign in the country's risky drivers]

[The bauxite mine in St. Ann, enroute to Dunn's Falls.  Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the world's main source of aluminium. This part of the mine operation looked like a craft from outer space.]

By 1pm, we arrived at the Falls - Jamaica's top-grossing tourist attraction.  Fortunately, most tour buses visit in the morning, so it wasn't too busy.  At 180 feet high and 600 feet long, the waterfalls are terraced like giant natural stairs. Several small lagoons are interspersed, which make for a refreshing dip. Many people climb the falls amid the cascading water.  We did a section of it only.  Our neighbour had hurt his back at Dunn's a couple of years ago, so we were wary of the risk.

[The incomparable Dunn's Falls.  Note the guy in the middle of the picture, to give some perspective.]

[Another view of the Dunn's Falls cascade]

[OK, this is a total cheat pic!  Yes, we did climb part of the cascade, but only about a third of it.  We walked the pathway to the top to get this picture with the sign.  At least we're honest!]

[A huge banyan tree in the Dunn's River Park]

[And if you want a kitschy wedding, the folks at Dunn's River Falls Park will gladly accommodate!]

[Fruit vendors are a common sight along the highway.  Like this one, selling oranges.]

[I don't know how often they cut the roadside grass, but there were huge garbage bags of grass awaiting pickup everywhere we went.  Sometimes the waiting bags stretched on for kilometres!]

By 3:30pm we arrived back at the resort to finish the day with another round of beach time and snorkelling.  I saw some colourful fish and a stingray today!  We ended the day with dinner at the resort's Asian restaurant, where a Jamaican chef prepared an amazing meal of beef, shrimp, salmon and chicken at the teppanyaki grill, while a group of us sat grillside and watched -- and were entertained.  Our chef turned out to be a singer, as well!  We enjoyed great conversation with a couple from Belgium and a newlywed couple from Ontario. 

All in all, the day that started out with torrential rain turned out perfectly.  Much relaxation, great food, and a wonderful natural scenic attraction.

[Sheldon, our talented teppanyaki chef and singer!]