Jamaica: Day 3

This day started much like the previous day--and hopefully what will become the morning trend for the next mornings. We lazily lounged while reading, drinking coffee, and pondering our next meal--breakfast. Like all that had come before, the food did not disappoint. There was fruit, pancakes, cheesy eggs, fish sausage, and the always favorite fried plantains. I definitely overate.

After breakfast, we hurried around collecting our belongings for our day at sea. Our captain, Terrbit, picked us up and we were on our way to the Black River. Having no idea what to expect, I was stunned by the river's beauty. First, before even making it to the Black River, we rode along the coastline admiring coastline homes and private beaches while riding on turquoise water. I was--shocking--most interested in how much the shoreline has moved following the hurricane damage, namely Ivan in 2004.

The Black River is very dark in color, in a way that is hard to describe. The sides are lined with a variety of green vegetation, from tall grasses to mangroves. I am not sure if it is this vegetation or a result of the bluest skies that causes this dark--but not dirty--coloration. There were several species of birds and enough crocodiles along the banks of the river to keep the journey interesting. At our turnaround point we stopped a Rudy's, a local bar, for swimming, drinks, and rope swings. Our captain promised me I was not going to be consumed by crocodiles because they don't like white meat. He also thought my concern with becoming crocodile meat was humorous, after he pointed one after another out on our trip upstream. The humor was lost on me.

When it was finally time to say goodbye, we migrated to the Pelican Bar--an "in the water" bar built on a sandbar off shore. Has this been done before?! All bars should have such perspective! We had white fish for lunch with a yummy, almost Chinese-like sauce served with white rice. The fish, as most seem to be here, was very bony, providing a slow-paced savory meal. When we were through with lunch, we took one last dip at the Pelican Bar and then headed to our vacation home, where the rest of the afternoon passed lazily by.

The chefs prepared yet another delicious meal as we watched the sunset. Boyfriend and I strolled the beach for a short while after dinner, and I nearly dozed off--around 7:00 pm--in a lounge chair immediately after. For the record, I made it until 8:00 pm before officially calling the day over.