01-01-2014, 04:48 PM
<P>The morning started a little different than most, the sun was shining brightly as we walked downtown from the hotel to get our morning take out coffees.. We had planned on making the longish drive to Reach Falls but I considered talking my wife into heading to the beach instead, it looked like a beautiful sunny day ahead. But in the end we hit the highway and headed south down the coast, the furthest we have driven out of Port Antonio since our arrival. As we passed the Boston jerk centre we made plans to stop on the way back. There is a guy there, Mikey, that makes jerk chicken sausage, and let me tell you, it is deeeelicious. I haven't seen it like that anywhere before, no casing just meat, spices and onions (we asked). After passing Boston and approaching Long Bay the highway hugs the cliffs for some great viewing of the sea, you can see the huge beach well before you get there. The waves roared in and it doesn't look very swimmer friendly, but the beach is really nice. We stopped and walked for a bit, despite the bright day there was really nobody there. On another day we might have dug in but we were so close to Reach now we got in the car and kept going, soon coming to the turn that takes you up to the higher elevation where the falls are. From our hotel to where we parked was 37kms, not far in distance but at the speed I drive, about an hour including the one stop. Just as you get to the final entrance to the falls there's a couple guys standing there ready to assist us. One guy (Byron) tells us the official place is closed today (Monday) but he can take us in the "back" way, and assured us it would be well worth it. I had read about people going in like this and that it was actually the best experience. Byron wanted 2000J for the 2 of us, but we settled on 1500. He showed me where to park and we were on our way. It had rained overnight and the trail leading to the starting point was really slippery, but Byron took his time and it was obvious from the start he knew what he was doing, and he wanted to make it an enjoyable tour. When we reached the water he showed us the safest spot to get in (if we wanted to get in). Well that's why we came, and as much as it hurt, I stripped to my swim shorts and waddled in. It was pretty chilly at first, I hate cold water, but after a minute it was fine. I think it was the first or second pool where there was a small undercut where a set of falls came down. You could duck thru and stand up to see the water rushing in front. Pretty neat. We continued making our way up, Byron leading the way in places we weren't actualy swimming. He stayed out of the pools, carrying our clothing and camera (when I wasn't carrying it). It was like he had suction cups on his bare feet watching him walking with precision in exactly the right spots, and making sure we were good to go. It really wasn't slippery in our sandals but some places the current is really strong making it a little challenging to keep your balance. He showed us a couple safe places where we could do some mini cliff jumps. Eventually we got to the main falls, there was a security guard there I guess to keep people out but as soon as he saw Byron he conveniently disappeared. At the main falls there is a cave you can enter by plowing your way thru the water in one spot. It was a little scary but once inside you could see it was a large space. I still have to download the pictures but I think I have plenty of good ones. We were never ever rushed, spent lots of time wading in the cool clear water. The way out was another short climb up a trail but it was in better shape plus its easier to go up than down. On the walk back to the car we learned Byron lived just down the road with his family. He made an excellent guide and I told him I would mention his name on the internet, which he was thankful for, he also gave us his phone number to post. I learned one thing, if you are going to go to Reach falls, you want to go when they are closed (Monday,tuesday). The experience from the tour we got is better than YS and Dunns hands down. I think if you go when they are open all you get is the main pool, which is pretty nice itself but there is so much more to Reach than that.<BR>When we reached the car I offered Byron a beer which he accepted. I joked with him, apoligizing because they were ice cold. I also gave him 2000J for the guiding even though we agreed on 1500, he was worth it Just as we were taking down his phone number a small van pulled up. Well Byron sprung into action and was at the passenger front window like a cat. The vanload was a little apprehensive, we could see from where we were, but then Byron pointed to us and I gave the big thumbs up. They still seemed unconvinced so I walked up and told the van full Byron would take care of them and give them a great tour. Eventually they had it figured that he was legit and we weren't a couple of whitey scammers lol. We said our good byes just as an older lady came walking up to us. She had a stack of coconuts and wanted to give us a chopped one for the water inside. I don't like coconut water but Rosie accepted. The lady just had to walk up the trail to get her machete. She comes back and chops one open. Even though she offered it for free we gave her 100J, which she really didn't want, but we insisted. We learned Byron was her nephew, and a minute later 2 young boys came down the road with a large load of 5 gallon water pails that they had jus filled. They were he grandchildren. It was funny when one of the kids says, I beg yeh for some coconut, but Grams shut him down fast. Every person we talked to there was extremely polite and friendly, this a a place I would send anyone looking for a true Jamaican experience.<BR>On the drive back we stopped at the jerk centre as planned. We purchased food from 3 different spots. A plate of pork from David, it was really good, absolutely no fat , a lb of chicken sausage from Mikey, plus some festival from another place, can't remember the name. We quickly demolished the pork, and stopped at a pull out close to Monkey island to stand outside and enjoy the delicious sausage. Yesterday we ended making the drive back to Boston just to buy a pound and a half of chicken sausage, its that good.<BR>The day ended like most, relaxing on our rooftop lounge enoying cocomania, and a nice spliff of the local vegetation. Did I say we liked the chicken sausage?? Oh ya, we bought a bottle of the boston jerk seasoning. Not cheap, 800J for a small bottle. But its good, and they didn't have any plans on negotiating on the price. Will probably buy another bottle when we go back there.<BR>