Our day off has finally arrived. The students have worked very hard and endured humid temperatures; they were ready for Dunn’s River Falls. Although it was a day off everyone had to get up earlier then they had all week. Mr. McIntyre was schedule to arrive at 7:30am and so breakfast was served at 7:00am. The eggs and the bread looked fairly normal; however, the round fried meat looked suspiciously like bologna. At least, that was our best guess.
On our way to the falls we picked up Rajive and Heather. Also on the bus were Mrs. Gallimore, her sister and nephew -- Ricardo. We headed out for our two hour drive. The first twenty minutes was on a fairly smooth highway. The last hour and a half was like the App-Gap…through the jungle. The road was narrow and had tons of switch backs along steep embankments; this scared me more than 100 Lane yesterday. By the time we arrived nearly half a dozen students and leaders felt like vomiting. The nauseous feelings soon passed when we reached the falls.
Instead of trying to describe this experience, check out http://www.dunnsriverfallsja.com/
Now that you have seen the pictures you can probably imagine how much fun we had! I can also report that there were no injuries. Ally Wetmore, if you are reading this I made sure to show the team where I saved your life. We were able to ascend the falls twice in two hours and had plenty of time to explore different routes. A small group of us were able to climb one of the more challenging sections. Props go to Shannon, Carolyn, Nancy, Adam, Meyer, Isaac and Matt. Although I have been to falls twice before this trip, I don’t remember ever seeing such large spiders. For one group photo, I had everyone stand on the river bank; Emily bumped a web and revealed a two inch black and yellow spider. That group photo ended quickly.
By 1pm we were all ready to head to lunch. I was told Island Grill was a good Jamaican restaurant to bring the students to. We drove to downtown Ocho Rios and enjoyed some jerk chicken-- and probably the best tasting French fries we’ve ever had. The plan was to bring the students snorkeling at Turtle Beach. When I inquired about the rental costs, “Jamaica Joe” met me and offered to take the students out to the reef on his glass bottom boat. It would cost $20/person for the boat, $10/person for snorkeling gear and $3/person for beach access. I said that was too much and asked him if he would take $20/person for everything. “Because you are a mission group, I can do that”. That works out to about $27,000 (Jamaican). I went back to the bus to ask the students whether they wanted to take the deal. “Yes” was the answer. Our Jamaican passengers said that was too much money. They suggested that I offer him $18,000 and to bring the group with me. I went back to Joe with $14,000. He did not like that number. Just then, thunder clapped overhead. As if rehearsed, two students said “I’m not sure if I want to get in the water”. I responded loud enough for the group and Joe to hear me, “Oh, would you rather not go?” Jamaica Joe felt the sale slipping…”Ok, I’ll take $14,000.” (That’s about $11 US)
For most of the group this was their first time snorkeling, let alone in the Caribbean. Although there were occasional sprinkles the conditions were very nice. The students had a full hour to explore the coral reef, colorful fish and sea urchins. Personally, I love to see students experiencing things like this for the first time. Their excitement is fun to watch. I mention sea urchins because Kerry found one with the inside of her right arm. The two puncture wounds are not dangerous but did need to be cleaned out. Beyond that incident, the whole afternoon was a success.
We arrived back at the hotel at around 7:30pm. A dinner of spaghetti and meatballs was waiting for us. We had a quick team meeting and then split guys and girls for devotions. Matt prepared a message for the boys and Carolyn spoke to the girls. I think the students appreciated a break from me tonight. The only other mention for the night would be “Ho down, throw down”. You will have to ask Nancy for more details on that.
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