Falmouth, Jamaica

Out of all the ports of call, Falmouth was the one I was looking forward to, the most. Located on Jamaica's North Coast, 18 miles East of Montego Bay, Falmouth is one of the first ports in the Caribbean and, also, a  wealthy city that has had piped water even before New York. 

But, despite the technology and the incredibly-well preserved Georgian architecture, Fallmouth's treasure is Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, born and raised here. While driving towards Ocho Rios for our adrenaline filled shore excursion, we passed by the place where Bolt used to train. It's impressive to see where determination and hard work takes you, considering the fact that the track is smaller than the one I had in Highschool.

I mentioned in a previous post that we chose to do zip lining in Jamaica, mainly due to the breathtaking view you have of the rain forests, and to the slightly higher difficulty of the track. I watched people zip lining in Haiti, so I thought all I will need to do is basically be safely and tightly strapped on a slope and descend slowly in the sea. I couldn't have been further from the truth. The ride to Ocho Rios takes about 40 minutes and is a fantastic opportunity to take in the surroundings and get familiar with the local culture and habits. From passing by kids coming back from school, dressed in what looks like military uniforms, to witnessing locals smoking pot, to enjoying the ragge music that here seems to be the soundtrack of life itself. Upon arrival, the tour guides will provide you with the  professional equipment you need in order to safely zip line : a jacket and a helmet. I must admit that my favorite part of this experience were the guides. Three bubbly, full of life Jamaican guys, with an incredible sense of humor, that will make you feel safe, relaxed and most of all, happy, the entire trip. We started our ascend by car, and we still remember one of the tour guides yelling at the driver to go faster by telling him ' Yo, man! Drive it like it's stollen', which made the entire group burst into laughing

The good mood lasted until we got to the starting point of our zip line. I have no idea how high we were, but all I could see was a long wire hanging from one tree leading to another at the opposite side of the forest. Basically, about 20 meters of gliding with nothing but levels and levels of rainforest vegetation underneath your feet..The guides took about10 minutes to demonstrate how it's done, but all I could hear was my hart beating out of my chest, so I couldn't tell you what they actually said..All I remember is one of the guys strapping the belt from my jacket to the wire and giving me a push..all of a sudden I was rapidly drifting down the line and, since there was no way back, I decided to open my eyes and look around me. That was the moment when I realized where I was and how insainely magical this entire experience actually is. I felt like I was flying over the forest! We continued for 10 more lines, but I don't want to tell you more about the entire track, I'd rather you get surprised. Have a look on their website if you would like to book a tour http://chukka.com/tour/zipline-canopy/ or, if you are on board of a ship talk to whoever is in charge of the shore excursions. 

If you are not an adrenaline junky, there are plenty other things you can do. Have a walk through the port and take in the magnificent british colonial architecture, take a trip through time on a horse-and-buggy ride, relax on one of the beaches in Montego Bay and don't forget to buy some of the Jamaican Jerk, the island's signature spice mix.

That is all about Jamaica...next, you will get to have a virtual trip with us in one of my favorite places in the world...Grand Cayman!