Musical Cue: Bobby Bloom, "Montego Bay"
Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line to make port in Falmouth, everyone else goes to Montego Bay or Ocho Rios. Our cruise director Casey Pelter explains that we're halfway between the other two ports, giving us access to more attractions.
Musical Cue: Jimmy buffett, "Jamaica Mistaica"
Our excursion this morning is to the Green Grotto and Dunns River Falls. The bus took us to the caves first, and we all donned hard hats.
As we walked through the caves our guide explained their role in Jamaican history, from pirates to slaves to James bond movies. Bats ere flying around as we explored the rock formations.
These are the stairs that did me in. They are wet and neven, and there are no handrails. I got about halfway down before I abandoned the effort.
Musical Cue: Joni Mitchell, "Help Me"
And then it was on to Dunns River Falls.
I climbed Dunns River Falls!
On the steps, that is.
I planned to climb the falls. I really wanted to climb. But I put one foot in the river, slipped on a rock...and that was it for me.
The Pirate King climbed, and I met him at the top.
Back on the bus, we dined on jerk chicken, curried goat, and rice and beans.
Musical Cue: Bob Marley, "One Love"
Wherever you go in Jamaica, you are going to hear Bob Marley. It's like a rule or something.
We did a little shopping, then headed back to the ship. It sarted to rain while we were on the pier.
Musical Cue: Harry Belafonte, "Jamaican Farewell"
It was a very relaxed evening aboard ship. We found a bartender on the Promenade, selling Bahama Mamas in a souvenir glass. Of course we had to indulge. In the dining room, the waitstaff were wearing Hawaiian shirts instead of uniforms. I hadn't realized that the three dining rooms -- Galileo, Isaac and Leonardo (named for three famous scientists) were really one huge space. the waiters performed a dance on the floor of Leonardo, and those of us in Galileo went to the balcony railing to watch.
The show that night was Edge Effect, five guys who sing a capella. Their repertoire includes Michael Jackson, the Beatles, and other pop artists.
Musical Cue: the Sandpipers, "Guantanamera"
We ended our evening on the balcony. It was too overcast for stargazing, but we were able to see another cruise ship, and the lights of Cuba.
When we were on the Carnival Valor in 2010, as we sailed past Cuba I thought: "This is a close as most Americans will ever get to the island". Funny how things change.
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