Jamaica!

Mike and I had the chance to go to Jamaica last week. Jamaica is where Mike served his mission and he has always wanted to go back. I have never left the country before so this was a whole new experience for me. We flew into Jamaica at 8:30p.m and made it to our resort even with the crazy Jamaican drivers. I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched cars doing basically anything they wanted. They follow no rules down there and I am lucky I have a husband that is an awesome driver! The picture above is the view from our room. The Caribbean water is such a pretty blue and I would find myself looking at it and not believing how blue the water was.

The next morning we headed over to Dunn's River Falls. This was one of the highlights of our trip. Dunn's River Falls is this waterfall that falls right into the ocean. So, you start down on the beach and climb to the top of the falls. The water is like bath water and it was really fun to climb the falls. We went to the park right when it opened so we had the whole falls to ourselves. Mike would look at these falls as a missionary but, could never go in the water. He was loving being able to go in the water this time!

Mike and part of the Falls. We had our little guide above us making sure we weren't doing anything that would hurt us.

Me under the falls. The water was so warm and it felt so good to be in the water. We felt like little kids again climbing all over the rocks and playing in the water.

The Jamaicans all have little shops and they live for tourist. They are the best sales people in the world and they know how to get you to buy something from their shop. There shops are just these little tents and the people there are just so poor. The picture above is Pamela and she braided my hair. She did a really good job and Mike said her fingers were moving so fast. Pamela had a shop off the resort and her and the other Jamaicans loved Mike. They couldn't believe all that he knew about Jamaica and they would call him Yardy( which means local man) So, we found some pretty good deals in this little area

This Jamaican is at Discovery Bay and he stands there and sings songs all day. We would see guys like this all over the island.

Mike and I at Discovery Bay. This is where Christopher Columbus landing when he discovered Jamaica. He said it was the prettiest of all the Caribbean islands. I would have to agree. I haven't been to any other Caribbean Islands but, Jamaica is so pretty. I have never seen land so green and beautiful.

We toured some Jamaican caves and when we were there a school class was on a field trip. When we walked in the cave all the kids just stopped and starred at Mike and I. They just do not see many white people around the area and Mike and I are especially white! Ha Ha Anyways, they all wanted to give us five and they were so cute. I love how Jamaicans wear uniforms to school.

This is the Fern Gully and it was amazing. I have never seen a road so green and thriving with life. The road up Fern Gully is narrow and I thought we were going to get hit by another car about 50 times.

One day we headed in to the city called Linstead and this was one of Mike's area. The picture above is the home where Mike lived as a missionary. When he was there the house was junk. Mike was surprise to see it taken care of with new paint and all. The missionaries don't live here anymore so a person actually takes care of the home now. In Linstead we were the only white people in the whole city and as we walked down the street everyone would just stare at you. I needed to go to the bathroom and we walked in a bank. The bank wouldn't let us use the bathroom because we were white. It was a real interesting experience but, even though they would stare and not let us use the bathroom they are the nicest people in the whole world. I never felt like I was in danger and if you actually stop and talk to them they are really fun to talk to. We stopped by the Linstead church and talked to some members there and that was fun for Mike and I.

We went on a snorkeling trip with our resort and had a good time. We saw all kinds of tropical fish and we even saw a puffer fish! I had only seen those in pictures and it was so cool to actually see one up close. The water in the Caribbean is so clear and it was fun to see the ocean life

In picture above Mike is eating authentic Jamaican food. On the beach at our resort they had a Jerk Hut where they made Jerk Chicken and rice. It was sooooo good and we would look forward eating it everyday for lunch. This is what Mike ate all the time on his mission and it was fun for him to be able to eat it again.

This is Mike driving a Jamaican car with the steering wheel on the other side. It took some getting use to but, when we got back to the states we had to re-think again how to drive normal. We had many adventures in this car. We were just getting ready to go to church which was another highlight of our trip. We went to the Branch in Ocho Rios and there were maybe 15 people there. These 15 people have to be some of the strongest members in the world. They are all so humble and have desires to grow the church in Jamaica. They all love the temple and long for the time they can either go back or go at all. My heart would ache when I met a couple that couldn't afford to go to the temple to be sealed. They are working for hard to save right now but, it's hard to make any money in Jamaica. They don't complain and just keep having faith that the Lord will provide. It was the best 3 hours of church I had been to in a long time.

We had so much fun being together and I loved seeing where Mike served. From the moment I met Mike he has talked and talked about Jamaica. I can see why now because it is such a unique place full of the best people. It was so nice to spend time with Mike and to actually talk and laugh and not have the the kids whining at us. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Jill for taking our kids and giving them the best week. I would call home and the kids would be having so much fun. We missed them so much and it was so much fun to see them again and here about all there adventures. It sad to think our vacation is finally over but, we have made so many memories and have so many stories to last us a long time.