The Big Update, Part 1- July 19, 2006

The Big Update, Part 1.... - July 19, 2006


Ok, so I promised you a big update, so here it is, starting from three weeks ago....

And sorry about the lack of pictures. They're on the way...

~ ~ ~

Well, the week of June 26th started off with a bang when I planned an excursion to River Tubing in Jamaica! It was really fun (and cold!) 10 people came along! (My excursions are becoming notorious...)

We met our driver, Mickey and English ex-pat, and he drove us around the island a bit before bringing us to the mouth of the river, where we recieved our innertubes. (Basically big black rubber things with plastic strapped to the bottom so you don't fall out!)

The river was swift and cold, so we had an exhillirating and quick ride. Every time it turned and twisted we would scream and hoot and holler like we were going to run aground (and a few times we did!) It was hilarious.

Halfway though the ride, randomly, in the middle of the jungle, the river got shallow, and there was a Jamaican standing there with a really nice digital Nikon camera, taking our picture! We got out of our tubes and on the bank was a bar and a line of flat-screen computers with our pictures for sale! In the middle of the jungle! Again, hilarious.

There was a 20 ft. cliff for us to jump off of (we always find those in Jamaica!) and we took turns on the rope swing. Some people were alternating between that and the little bar that ONLY had Red Stripe beer. (figures...)

Then we hauled our tubes back in the water, next to a Jamaican woman washing her clothes (Who we later found out usually washes ALL of her clothes at once... even the ones she's wearing!) and her adoreable children (who I played with for 20 minutes because we all know I can't resist children!) and we were on our way.

Afterwards, we ate in this awesome all-you-can-eat resturant with a waterfall in it called the Ruins, which was owned by a Jamaican-Chinese guy. (Figures...) hehe.
He was really cool though, and told me how his family, and most Asians in the Caribbean ,came to live there for generations because their great-great grandparents came over to work on the Panama Canal! (Then moved to other islands, obviously, since the canal's not in Jamaica...)

~ ~ ~
Then, on Friday in Cozumel, we went Jeeping with Xavier, Matt, Angie, Judy, and Katie. Xavier and Matt drove the jeeps, and since they're typical boys, they wanted to off road, so the first dirt road X found, we were on it, bouncing out of our seats. It was nauseatingly hilarious.

We toured all over the island, played in some BIG waves, and found a resturant called Coconuts on top of a bluff overlooking a beautiful view. Cozumel is a pretty desolate island, if you go to the center, because it's all a nature preserve, which I especially appreciated...

But the weather reminded us that it IS an island.... it started to POUR at one point and we stopped to rush and put the tops up on the Jeep... only to have the rain abruptly stop once we had secured all the canvas flaps....
~ ~ ~

Well, now that I've written a small novel and feel that you're well on your way to being fully updated... I'll go.... for now.....