Jamaica > Climbing the Mayfield Falls

It’s a bit nerve-wracking whether breakfast will be served on time. Over the past few days, it has often taken more than an hour before breakfast is ready. Today, I am picked up at quarter to nine for a day excursion. At quarter to eight, I am ready for breakfast. Earlier is not possible. The omelet with bacon and toast also takes nearly an hour today.

Jamaica - A suspension bridge in the jungle

Outside the hotel, I meet Patricia again. She will be guiding my excursion today. It’s nice to see her again. I also meet John, who drives an open pickup truck. Benches are built along both sides under the canopy, so I can easily enjoy observing local life along the way. John drives in the same direction as yesterday. Just before Half Moon Bay, he turns right onto a small dirt road that runs through the reed fields. At one house, there is a small plantation. Patricia talks about the fruits and trees. It’s mainly a repeat of my earlier visit to the Sun Valley Plantation. Here too, coconuts are cracked open, and I get to drink the coconut water. It’s nice to experience this again. A little further on, a Rastaman is sitting outside when I arrive. He is smoking a large joint. Although he is sometimes difficult to understand, he proudly tells me he smokes twenty-five joints per day. He grows his own marijuana. I am allowed to see his simple wooden house. He shows me a photo of himself holding an enormous fish—caught by him! When I ask how old the photo is and cautiously suggest “five years?”, he laughs. The photo was taken on his birthday when he turned 54. In a few months, he will turn sixty. I think he looks remarkably good for his age, considering all the marijuana he smokes.

Jamaica - Diving into the Mayfield Falls stream

In the same community, there is a small school. Two teachers teach nine preschoolers. The children show their progress and sing a few songs. It’s lovely to see how much attention the children receive from their teachers. Around lunchtime, I arrive at the Mayfield Falls. The Mayfield Falls are a series of rapids in a riverbed. Wearing swimwear and water shoes, you can climb up against the currents. From the parking lot, I first descend a steep path. At the bottom, there is a small restaurant and changing facilities. The lunch had been ordered by phone, but the owner still seems completely surprised. Another group is ahead, so my group has to wait about half an hour. I can handle that. The chicken with rice is disappointing. The chicken is more bone than meat, and for others it is cold. I quickly change and place my bag in a locker. Then I follow Sian, my guide, to the river. He proudly tells me he has been doing this work for eleven years. I step into the river water. The water is cool but crystal clear. I can see the stones at the bottom. Sian gives instructions on the best way to climb the rocks. I climb from rapid to rapid.

Jamaica - Riding the banana boat on the sea

Sometimes the water is just a few centimeters deep; other times I go completely under. At one rapid, Sian shows that water flows under the rocks. He dives in and emerges on the other side. I don’t try that myself. At another rapid, there is a hollow space behind the rocks. I go in here and stand behind the waterfall. After about an hour, I reach the end of the course. It has started to rain lightly. As I walk back along the path, I hear thunder in the distance. I make it back to the restaurant just in time. A heavy downpour begins. Rainwater trickles everywhere. How lucky that I’ve already completed the course! Now I only have to walk back up the path. When I reach the top, I am soaked. A construction worker is waiting with his pickup truck at the bottom. For a tip, he is willing to drive the group up. He has to make three trips. In low gear, the truck crawls uphill. At the top, I quickly transfer back to my own vehicle. John has closed the side flaps in the meantime. In about an hour, I drive back to Negril, first toward Savanna-la-Mar and then to Negril. Although the rain has stopped, there are still large puddles on the road. Nobody seems bothered—they just walk around them. By half past five, I am back at the Coral Seas Beach Hotel. I quickly take a shower. For dinner, I walk back onto the beach. Tonight I choose Italian. I order a kind of spaghetti with jerk salmon. Delicious!