Pier 1 restaurant in Montego Bay,Jamaica for dinner.
At 5 p.m. after an afternoon with Chukka ATV Caribbean Adventures, we departed for dinner at the Pier 1 restaurant in Montego Bay for a great open air dining experience. I hear this is the place to be on a Friday night when they start the live music at midnight with the band “Pier Pressure”.
Of course, before entering you need to read the instructions at the door. Don’t try to sneak in any “heat”. See below:
Don't bring any "bad vibes" into the Pier One in Jamaica
I had the seafood chowder followed by the coconut shrimp. Both of them were really good.
The seafood chowder is really tasty at Pier One Restaurant
Shrimp dinner with salad and rice and beans
Several people in the group ordered chocolate cake for dessert. I was stuffed and couldn’t eat any more. All in all, it was a great dinner with my blogger friends at Pier 1 restaurant.
Lest you wonder how I managed to keep up with all this activity without getting tired…..I didn’t. I was done for the evening. I knew that tomorrow was going to be a big day at the Chukka Caribbean Adventures Excursion on the zip line tour and a Braco Bike and Hike Tour. I needed my beauty rest. Stay tuned for my next post on Jamaica.
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Jamaica ATV Safari with Chukka Caribbean Adventures
The check-in for the Chukka ATV ride
our group of travel bloggers getting ready to conquer the ATV ride
safety first with our guide from Chukka ATV ride
Our ATVs are lined up and ready to go!!
Look at the denseness of the forest, just having left the bamboo jungle
This is where your great training from Chukka pays off
The top of the hill marks the halfway point in our tour-time for a rest
Our guide on the Chukka ATV tour gives us a botanical lesson
Lots of Ackee fruit hanging in the trees on top of the hill
a beautiful view of the Caribbean from the top of the hill on the ATV ride
JJ @HarleeQuinn stops to take a photo of Wayne our Cinematographer
Kool Kat Kelly Snorkeling Catamaran Cruise in Negril, Jamaica
To do a snorkeling trip in Jamaica, you first walk down the beach
then you wade out to the Kool Kat Kelly anchored off the beach in Negril
Then you simply sail away!
Then, you get ready to go snorkeling
getting ready to do some cave swimming near the Rock Hotel in Negril
Approaching Rick's Cafe in Negril, Jamaica
World Famous Rick's Cafe in Negril
The DJ likes to dress up in a wolf's mask
They set up a good bar on the Kool Kat Kelly
Lots of fun bouncing around on the Aqua Trampoline
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Scotchies Restaurant, Jamaica- Caribbean Jerk BBQ
Entrance to the famous Scotchies in Jamaica
The entrance into Scotchies in Jamaica
a table full of Jamaican jerk-yum!
From L to R, Teresa, Dave and JJ chowing down! Hey, save some for me!
Scotchies special sauce. A little hot!! Jerk Chicken and Pork, roasted yam, Jamaican Bread, a bottle of Ting!
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Mystic Mountain Jamaica Bobsled Run
The starting place for the Mystic Mountain Jamaica Bobsled Run
The skylift up to the top of Mystic Mountain for the bobsled run
A view of Ocho Rios from the skylift
The skylift ride through the trees on the way to the Jamaica Bobsled run
Visitor Center at the top of Mystic Mountain
An overview of the Jamaica Bobsled in the vistitor center
Written instructions for the Mystic Mountain bobsled run
Steve Barrymore ready for the Mystic Mountain Jamaica Bobsled run
I turned my life over to Jamaica bobsled and away we went!! 10 minutes of twists, turns, ups, and downs at speeds reaching almost 40 mph per hour! Yikes!
You control the speed with an accelerater handle and brake. Go as slow or as fast as you want. Once you start down the run and gain confidence, you will really want to push the speed. After the run, there is a cable that pulls you and your sled back to top for another run if you like. Or, if your nerves are shot by this time, you can simply just visit the gift shop.
As your trip advisor I would say, “don’t leave Jamaica until you have done the bobsled ride!!”
If you want to see a really cool video of the ride, Rob at stophavingaboringlife.com does a great job of narrating his own run down the mountain. You can see his video here. I think you will find his travels very interesting.
After the bobsled, I was ready for that food that made Jamaica famous-Yep, Jerk! That’s my next post, “Scotchies” Jamaican jerk.
Iberostar Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica-the pools and the grounds
Lets take a look at the outside areas of the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand and some of the things you will encounter on the property. Here are some shots of the common areas-pretty nice, huh?
A view of all 3 of the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand pools
Iberostar Rose Hall Grand pool, Jamaica-looking towards the ocean
Infinity pool of the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand Hotel-Montego Bay, Jamaica
Can you picture yourself sitting in the infinity pool and just staring out to sea? A great way to daydream about how lucky you are to be in Jamaica.
Looking back from the inifity pool towards the main part of the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand Hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica
Iberostar Rose Hall Grand pool and beachside snack bar
Late afternoon snack at the pool and beachside restaurant
Iberostar Rose Hall Grand Hotel- Montego Bay, Jamaica
The beginning of a great vacation at Iberostar Rose Hall Grand-Jamaica
LObby of the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand-Jamaica
Lobby of the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand-Jamaica
Lobby Bar of the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand-Jamaica
Central Stairway of the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand-Jamaica
One of the hallways leading to the rooms in the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand in Jamiaca
Rose Hall Iberostar lobby check in
Jamaica, Montego Bay Arrival
Reminiscing about the very first island I visited many years ago is like wondering about the first girl I ever kissed; how have things changed over time since I last saw her? Jamaica was the island that was my very first trip to the Caribbean back in 1984. Since then, I have traveled to many others, but few with the magic of Jamaica. Now, 27 years later, I had an opportunity to make a quick trip to return to the place that addicted me to island travel. It was time to see, “WHAT’S UP MON”?
For this visit, I was on a “soft adventure” trip with a group of fun travel bloggers from N. America. “Soft Adventure” is one that is filled with plenty of activities, but stops short of anything too stressful.
The Delta flight from Atlanta is ready to go!
Travel to Jamaica from the central U.S. on either American Airlines or Delta is relatively easy. The flights land in Montego Bay which is the entry point for travel to either the north shore or Negril. It is an island with stunning tropical beauty.
A beautiful stream at the base of the Jamaica Bobsled Run
The airport at Montego Bay has done a good job keeping up with modern air travel. They did a lot of remodeling 4 years ago. The customs and immigration process is very easy. There are plenty of transportation options to the hotels, if not previously arranged.
On this particular trip, my HQ was Montego Bay. My hotel, Iberostar Rose Hall Grand, had arranged transportation. It is a short 20 minute ride by bus or taxi from the airport. My next post will give you a glimpse of the hotel property.
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Conch Fritters Restaurant-Nassau, Bahamas
If you have traveled much in the Caribbean there is a good chance that you have had an opportunity to try one of the food staples of the area….Conch. Conch is the delicious meat that comes in that big beautiful shell that grows under the water on the sandy bottom of the Caribbean.
We love conch and look for any opportunity to dine on it. The Bahamas is one of the many places in the Caribbean where it is easy to find this tasty morsel.
It can be prepared in a variety of ways: in chowders, fried, cracked, conch fingers, raw, pecan encrusted, marinated, fritters, boiled, burgers, stews, etc, etc, etc. I think at one time I counted I had eaten it 14 different ways. Hmmmm…I wonder if there is such a thing as a conch hot dog? Maybe someone reading this blog has some suggestions in different ways to prepare it. Conch lovers unite!
On a recent trip to Nassau we discovered a restaurant named “Conch Fritters” located on Bay Street right across from the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. It’s hard to resist a restaurant named “Conch Fritters.” Yes, it was time for an overdose of our favorite food! Here is a pic of the outside.
Conch Fritters restaurant in Nassau, Bahamas-the place to eat conch
Conch Fritters is a half bar-half restaurant. From the looks of the clientele, my guess is that it gets a little noisy and crowded in the evenings, but we were there for lunch. They have quite a selection of of conch. Here is a partial photo of their menu. Check it out for yourself.
Conch Fritters menu in Nassau
To get things started. We quickly put our chompers into an order of conch fritters with a dipping sauce. Wait for those fritters to cool off, because those puppies are hot! Sorry, I started eating them before I took a photo. From there, it was an order of conch chowder that was absolutely some of the best I have ever had. It had just enough pepper (or something else) in it to give it that Caribbean kick. It was so good; I had to resist just chugging it out of the bowl!!
Hot, steamy bowl of Conch chowder at Conch Fritters' in Nassau
Finally, we were ready for our main course of “cracked conch”, which resembles an order of calamari. It comes with a side order of fried potatoes and cole slaw. Again, there was a dipping sauce for the conch. Does this look good or what?
Nothing better than a plate of cracked conch at Conch Fritters' in Nassau
Needless to say, after that meal we were stuffed, but at least our conch appetite had been satisfied! It was another great meal in the Bahamas! The tab for the three orders plus a couple of bottles of water was right as $50. They automatically include a 15% gratuity on the check.
The check for conch at Conch Fritters' restaurant
If you arrive on a cruise ship, you will have plenty of time to walk to the restaurant and stuff yourself on conch. If you are getting off a cruise ship, turn right on the main shopping street and continue to walk until you get to the curve in the street (about 5 blocks). You will see it on the left. You can rest assured that you will enjoy one of the great foods of the Caribbean.
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Copan Ruinas, Honduras-a dangerous fall while leaving Honduras
After a week of successful studies at Ixbalanque Spanish School, and recovering from a respiratory illness for stupidly wading through dirty, muddy, flood waters in the streets, I thought the rest would be easy. Wrong!!
Central American countries don’t have any OSHA oversight, so you have to use a little intelligence on your own.
In the town of Copan Ruinas, You need to watch where you walk. There are some holes in the street grates, sidewalks, and some very poorly designed steps. Some of the streets have inclines as illustrated by this photo:
tough sidewalks to navigate in Copan Ruinas, Honduras
My last day in Copan, I was hurrying back to the school to pick up something I had left behind. I was trying to be really careful, but just before I got to the school, I slipped down some slick steps and twisted my ankle really bad. I had not had anything hurt like that in a long time.
On the way home, I saw a store owner who recognized me and asked what had happened. He said there was a clinic in town, but he would not recommend it. I hobbled home and just fell into bed in pain. I was supposed to leave on a bus the next morning at 4:45 a.m.
There was a small store across the street from my house and after I awoke I limped over to buy some Ibuprofen–the pharmacies were all closed. The owner was very concerned about me when I told him I had to walk 4 blocks to the bus station with my suitcase early the next morning. He cautioned me that it would dark and in my shape, I could easily fall. He said he would get up at 4 a.m. and carry my bag for me and made sure I got there safe. Needless to say I accepted.
When I got up the next a.m. I could barely walk. Thank goodness, the store owner was sitting outside the door of my house waiting for me as promised. He helped me to the station and made sure I got on the bus.
From Copan, I traveled 3 hours by bus back to the station in San Pedro Sula. On the bus, I met another student who offered to help me get back to the airport. I was glad for the assistance.
When I arrived in Oklahoma City, bruised, battered, and limping, my wife met me at the airport and just looked at me and said “when are you going to learn?”
In spite of everything, on the way home, I just smiled to myself and thought about the challenges of the trip and how I managed to survive everything and have such great memories.
P.S.-BTW-it was a bad ankle sprain and it took several months to heal. It still gives me a little trouble from time to time.
Ok, I have some other trips to write about. I will start those next week.
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
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