YS Falls

Alright everyone, prepare for lots of pictures this post! I have over 200 pictures already in these first 6 days, so you're just getting a small portion. All of them will eventually be posted on Facebook.

Yesterday morning, we traveled to YS Falls. It is in St. Elizabeth Parish (parishes are like counties here) on the South coast of Jamaica. Here is a map to show you the island, as well as where we were. The city we are staying in is Mandeville, which is to the East of the falls, toward the center of the island.

It was about an hour and a half drive, and the scenery on the drive was beautiful. Our driver, Wayne (pictured below), has given us so many great experiences on our drives.

He has stopped at some roadside stands for foods such as peanut porridge, fried fish, and corn on the cob, as well as to let us take some pictures of the scenery. The pictures really do not do this country justice, but I am trying my hardest to convey its beauty.

Here are some pictures of the roadside food place that we stopped at on the way to the falls and tried peanut porridge. It tasted like oatmeal, and was delicious.

Once we arrived at the falls, we climbed up along them to each level taking pictures along the way and playing in the beautiful, clear water. I took a few swings on the rope swing. The water was cool, but very refreshing. 

 

The pictures I took of the falls don't really do it justice, but again, I tried! 

 

We swam over to a rock at one level and one of the workers took some pictures for us.

 

Since last night was the Packer playoff game (which I am pretty sad about, by the way. It was hard to watch, but now I am cheering for Russell Wilson!), we brought our Packer jerseys to represent Wisconsin. We wanted to take a picture to send to a website called Packers Everywhere. They post pictures on Facebook of people all over the world with Packer attire, flags, rooms, etc.

We decided to wear it while we went ZIP-LINING over the falls!! This is the picture that we sent to them, and they said they would post it soon! We also took a picture doing the Aaron Rodgers Championship belt that I will post later. 

 The guides took some pictures for us on my camera while we were up there, and they turned out amazing.

It was definitely an experience that I would recommend to anyone to try. It went by too quickly, but we got to go on 5 different zip-lines. The third one was the one that is pictured above, and it was definitely my favorite. The falls looked even more beautiful from above, and I leaned back and went even more quickly. The final zip-line was at about a 45° angle, and I felt like I was going to crash into the tree at the bottom! 

Finally, we relaxed by the 2 pools that they have there, which contain water so clear it looks like you could drink it. They were placed in areas with beautiful views. 

After the falls park closed, we headed home and stopped at the fish stand along the way. This is a picture of my teacher friends and myself at a roadside stand by the ocean, eating the fish and corn. 

The fish is served differently here than we are used to in the states. Wayne took the head off of it for us, and we just ate around the bones of the fish. It was quite an experience, but the fish tasted good and was very fresh - it was caught that same day! The bread is Bammie, a Jamaican flatbread, which was also good.

Finally, we got home and ordered some Dominos Pizza to eat while watching the game. It was nice to have some "normal" food to remind us of home.

I've decided to try and include a quote with each blog post, so here is my one for today:

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

I feel so enthusiastic and happy about all of the traveling we have been doing and all that we have experienced in just the first 6 days of being here. I'm glad I am able to share it with everyone back home, and anyone else that is looking at this. Tomorrow is our first full day at Mile Gully primary, so I will have more about the school part of our adventure as this next week goes on! For now, I am enjoying my relaxing Sunday in this beautiful, warm weather.