Location: Port Antonio, Jamaica
Today, a well-rested crew awoke to the promise of our first full day in Jamaica. Being tied to the dock afforded us the luxury of sleep uninterrupted by watches, and our protected harbor is as smooth as glass, which feels a little foreign after so many days underway. After a delicious breakfast prepared by our chefs Kelly, Casper, and Jake, we had a quick clean-up and were whisked away to enjoy what Jamaica had to offer. We enjoyed a scenic ride along the coast, stopping at the famous Blue Lagoon (featured in Cocktail and various other films) and other viewpoints before arriving at Reach Falls. We unloaded the vans and enjoyed a delicious snack of Jamaican apples before stripping down to our bathing suits and heading down to the falls. What we soon discovered was that this was no ordinary, run-of-the-mill waterfall that you simply swim in and admire for a few moments. What we experienced was a series of small jumps and falls that we swam, climbed, and wound our way through to reach a larger cascade. Once at the top, we crawled through the waterfall into a cave, in which we half-expected to find some hidden treasure from long ago. Once duly refreshed from our morning adventure, we climbed back up the hill to our vans, where we enjoyed more delicious apples and coconut juice directly from the source. Next- lunch! Jamaica is known for many things, and on everyone’s mind, at lunchtime, where can we get the best jerk chicken/pork/sausage (insert meat here)? We pulled up next to a series of stalls alongside the road and not far from a big sign saying Boston Beach- this is the Mecca for Jamaican jerk seasoning. For the next hour, we wandered from stall to stall in a haze, ordering meats in various weight increments and applying assorted degrees of hot sauce to satiate our palettes. The vegetarians in the groups also managed to find some delectable treats such as roasted sweet potato, rice and beans, and a delicious type of sweet bread called festival. Sufficiently stuffed, we clamored back into the vans for a few last stops to see the Blue Mountains (known for their coffee) and admire some final vistas before heading back to Argo. Showered and still full from lunch, we sat down for a delectable dinner and some last-minute studying before the marine bio exam tonight. It’s been another amazing day for our crew, and we will sleep soundly again tonight, anticipating what Jamaica has to offer us tomorrow!