Yah mon! This is one of the most common phrases in Jamaica, and at one point you'll start saying it too.
For this post, I will specifically talk about Ocho Rios (Eight Rivers), Dunn's River Falls.
The name "Ocho Rios" is a possibly misnomer, as there are not currently eight rivers in the area. It could be a British corruption of the original Spanish name "Las Chorreras" ("the waterfalls"), a name given to the village because of the nearby Dunn's River Falls.
- Wikipedia
Supposedly Ocho Rios is where Columbus first came on land. Travelers can visit the Columbus Park, see maritime artifacts and Spanish colonial buildings.
It used to be a fishing village, but caters now more towards tourism. They still have been upgrading and transforming the fishing village in the parish of St. Ann into a modern facility, where it will hopefully boost the business opportunities for local fishermen. They also want visitors be able to enjoy the local culture and freshly caught seafood.
Alright, let's get to the fun part. Several friends of mine and I went to Dunn's River Falls and we had a such a blast. We started at the very bottom of where the waterfalls ends and climbed our way up.
Climbing up the waterfall isn't as easy as you may think. You are fighting upwards towards a stream that is running down. On top of that, you can't really see where you are stepping. This will cause some hilarious moments, such as me thinking I'm the king of the hill and my next step was a drop causing my whole body to plunge into the water.
It is extremely refreshing to plunge around the water; its so clear and the area is beautiful, despite the fact that there are so many other people, you still feel completely surrounded by nature. It's really relaxing, and having so much fun getting up the water fall is a bonus.
I had such a wonderful experience, and if you are ever in Ocho Rios, you absolutely must climb up the Dunn's River Falls. This is an experience you will never forget. But be careful, there are some big badass spiders on your way up. But don't worry! They aren't aggressive neither do they hurt :)
A big reason why traveling is so much fun and why everything I do, is because I get to share all these special memories with my wonderful girlfriend. We have come a long way, we have had our ups and downs, but we always shared and cherish all our memories together. These are special moments in life we will never forget and are absolutely thankful for everything and everyone.
I hope you enjoyed the first part of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I highly recommend to not only visit Ocho Rios, but tour around the entire Island of Jamaica. There are so many beautiful places to visit, a lot of cool activities, great people to meet.
Fun little fact: Jamaica is the largest English-speaking island in the Caribbean. They also speak Patois, which is an English-based creole language with West African influences!
