Kategoria: Jamaica, Dominicana, USA 2017

It is both hot and rainy here in Jamaica. It is a rainy season now so it rains every day and the rain is really intensive. Of course, after  rain,  the sun appears again and the people come back to the beach. There aren’t many tourists in Negril now so one can really unwind and recharge the batteries.

The mornings are always sunny, the ocean is calm and there is no rain. It is perfect time for the beach and the paddleboard. At noon, the weather changes. There is torrential rain and some wind and then the weather improves again at about 4pm. 

 

Today, this weather pattern has changed, there is no rain and it is beautiful and sunny.

Temperatury na Jamajce są obecnie bardzo wysokie a wilgotność powietrza wynosi około 80%. Trwa pora deszczowa, stąd intensywny, tropikalny deszcz jest praktycznie każdego dnia. 

Po deszczu ponownie pojawia się słońce i turyści, których o tej porze roku jest mało, wracają na plaże.

The food, when not bought in the streets, costs a lot though the street food is not as cheap as in Asia.

3-egg omlette with some baked potatoes (bought in a hotel) costs 12,5$ plus 20% taxes and service fee. Yes, the omlette is huge and yummy but the price is high.

The Benedict Eggs with baked potatoes cost 9,5$ plus 20% taxes and service fee. Again, the eggs are georgeous. 

Bananas cost about 1,5 – 2$ a kilo whereas pineapple costs 3-4$ a kilo. The fruits here are tastier than the ones in Polish shops but they often cost much more.

If you want some healthy and mouth watering breakfast opt for Ackee with Saltfish. 

It is served warm and it is great. Saltfish is cod and Ackee is a kind of fruit which when served tastes and looks like delicate scrambled eggs. In our hotel small portion of it costs 8$. 

Wspaniałym i zdrowym śniadankiem na Jamajce jest słony dorsz podawny na ciepło wraz z owocem o nazwie Ackee (żòłty kolor – podobne do jajecznicy).  Mała porcja kupiona w hotelu to 8$, jednak warto.

Jamaicans bake very good banana bread. It is often warm, moist and tastes like gingerbread. We love it. 

We also like Jamaican apples which are soft,  juicy and taste like rose jam. 

The Black River is about 53 klometers long and it is in the south of Jamaica, in Saint Elizabeth region. The black color is connected with the decomposing vegetation. 

About 100 species of birds live there and the river is also inhabited by the crocks. Jamaicans set crab traps in the river. We saw one man taking out about 5-7 crabs from the trap located in the water close to the trees.

It is worth visiting this place? I have got mixed feelings. The boat trip took only 30-35 minutes, the guide did not tell anything interesting, the water was murky and we saw only two, small crocks and a few species of birds. 

It was rainy and windy which did not make the trip pleasurable but even if it had been sunny I would’t recommend it. 

And that is the place where we had lunch. Lunch = as always jerk chicken and jerk pork with rice and beans.

The 8-hour trip to the Black River and YS Falls cost 95$ per person.  There were four of us plus a driver.The more people, the cheaper.

YS falls is a private property. It is actually a sugar cane farm where the owners breed cattle and horses. Admission is 20$ (for an adult) 

The falls are beautiful and it is worth visting them. One feels like on a typical Polish farm as tourists are taken from the gate to the falls by a tractor. The area is well maintained, there are guides and lifeguards to assist the tourists. It is possible to do some ziplining too. www.ysfalls.com

There are seven waterfalls and some natural pools.  Łacznie w YS Falls jest siedem wodospadow. 

What a country? Polish people grow flowers and vegetables in their gardens, Jamaicans grow marihuana. 

Did you know that it is legal in Jamaica to have 5 bushes of ganja in your own garden?

Below „baby marihuana”. Generally the plant reaches 2,5 – 3 meters.

We have continental breakfast in the price of room. It is sweet, delicious and unfortunatelly very calorific.

 There are freshly baked and still warm cakes, cup cakes, croissants, toasts,some fruits, juice, coffee, tea as well as jam and peanut butter.

What really surprised us, are very small portions of fruits which are kept in the fridge and do not look crispy when served. 

Unfortunatelly, the fruit juices are watery and too sweet and it is rather hard to get a refill of coffee not to mention some more tea. A shame, really.

Rick’s cafe is voted one of ten best bars in the world, so we decided to visit it. 

It is impossible to walk there from CocoLaPalm as it is really far, about 7 km and 4km are without pavement.

The place is famous for live music, great atmosphere and cliff diving.

Below you can see a young man jumping from the cliff.

The water near the cliffs is magnificent. 

Below are typical Jamaicans dishes:  jerk pork and steamed and fried fish with rice and red beans. The rice is cooked in coconut milk. 

Yerk is a very spicy sauce, they add it to every type of meat. 

We booked budget accommodation in Negril named CocoLaPalm and expected just a clean and simple place.

The reviews on Tripadvisor  concerning our hotel were very positive but the photos did not reflect the real beauty of this place. 

Below is the building with our apartment. / Poniżej budynek w którym  mieszkamy.

We were positively shocked upon arrival and we truely recommend this place.

And that is our room. / Nasz pokój.