Welcome to Jamaica, mon!

Welcome To Ocho Rios!
see it in the bushes?!

After loving up a day in the sun by having a day at sea, we arrived at Ocho Rios, Jamaica for our first port. We were both pretty pumped for this stop because we were going ziplining through the canopy of the rainforest! I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous but I definitely was scared! Our group was taken by bus throughout the Jamaica country side and we drove right along the coast the whole time. On one side we had the view of the ocean which was beautiful and on the other side, we had the view of the mountain and rainforest area which was also a beautiful view. Jordan and I felt very sheltered because we knew Jamaica was a poor country but we didn't realize just how poor it really is until visiting there. We saw kids walking barefoot through gravel and on the side of the roads wearing nothing but scraps of clothes and they were all skin and bones. We saw some kids playing with rocks and sticks but still laughing and smiling with one another. There were huts and 3-sided "houses" throughout the countryside and a lot of run down looking areas. It was clear that people live there but it was hard to imagine how they live there. Seeing all of that made us feel very fortunate for everything we have in our own lives and made us take a step back to realize, we really do have it all and there are countless more people who have little to nothing or are worse off than us. It was a real eye-opener that's for sure...

We drove to St. Ann's and it was about a thirty minute bus ride. Once we got to the mountain, we met the ziplining crew who got all us suited up and in the gear so we were ready to zipline. We rode up a little higher in the mountain then hiked through the rainforest until we got to the first landing to start the ziplining. There were 8 totals lines and one rappel line we went down. In total, it was a 4 hour tour but it went by super fast and was a huge thrill! There were some sorority girls, an older couple and another couple around our age that made up our group for the afternoon so we had all sorts of age ranges and a good mix of guys and girls. After the initial line, all my fears were gone and it was nothing but soaring and taking in all the sights and sounds after that! It was an amazing feeling to be going over some waterfalls and some beautiful flowers and wildlife. Thankfully, we didn't see any snakes or anything but lots of vibrant colors and cool sounds! It was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so thankful we decided to pull the trigger and go for it! 

see that pole in the middle? That's where we drove up to and hiked to for the start of our ziplining adventure!

country side driving along Jamaica

geared up and ready to go!

weeee! here we go!!!

look, one handed!

half way done!
taking a break on one of the landing piers

walking back to the boat and had to stop to pose under this sign....

across from the beach!
we didn't want to pay just to go stand on the beach so we enjoyed it from afar!

Jordan posing with the boat

The Carnival Destiny in all her glory ported at Ocho Rios!

We decided that if we were to ever go back to Jamaica that it would definitely have to be at an all-inclusive resort. Once we got out around the little shop areas, it was pretty shady and lots of people approached us trying to get us to buy anything and everything. It was pretty alarming and not really our style so we happily went back to the ship to eat some lunch and lounge since there was only an hour left until we set sail again anyway. Ziplining was incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone who ever has the opportunity to do it! It was a rush and exhilarating all at once and left us feeling pumped up...I said we are one step closer now to being able to get on The Amazing Race after ziplining! 

Well, it's Christmas Eve (day) right now so that means it is time for me to shower and get some stuff packed so we can head to Jordan's parents for Christmas! We aren't fully celebrating until the 26th because his sister works tomorrow and I work the morning of the 26th but we will get some family time in now anyway... What would Christmas be without family anyway?! We are really looking forward to our yearly Christmas tradition of watching The Polar Express tonight and hopefully Santa finds us tomorrow morning in Cedar Rapids! I hope you all have a wonderful and very Merry Christmas! Enjoy all of the family time together! I'm really missing mine right now and wish I could see them all tomorrow or later this week.... but hopefully it is sooner than later when we are all reunited again! Until then, I'm sending lots of love and Christmas spirit to them all! 

CFC = Constant Food Coma!

If there's one thing we learned on our trip, it is that we can eat a lot more than I ever thought is humanly possible. If anyone were to ever go hungry while on a cruise, then they must be doing something wrong because there was ALWAYS some sort of food being served! There was 24/7 pizza, ice cream and frozen yogurt for starters. I would have been happy with that! There were four different breakfast buffets all served between the time of 6:30am-noon and then at noon, two lunch buffets opened up! It was like one meal after another... They had a grill that was open from 12-6 each day and the sit-down dining rooms open at 5:30-9:00pm. They even had a late night buffet at 9pm and 11pm... no wonder there was a gym on board and a running track on the top deck! Jordan and I throughout our trip only took the elevator once. That's how we justified eating so much delicious goodness because we were constantly going up and down the stairs and walked everywhere so we walked it all off... and besides, calories don't count on vacation anyway, right?! We indulged in plenty of amazing foods and got to try a lot of new foods as well or things we wouldn't have a chance to try somewhere else. We felt very spoiled and pampered eating the way we did that's for sure! Here are our favorites and some of the unique things we ate while on our trip:

mid afternoon appetizer of some fresh sushi! yummy!

beef brisket with roasted veggies and mashed potatoes with gravy

the BEST dessert ever and I am not ashamed to admit that I had this every night!
chocolate melting cake with ice cream (and it looks like Mickey Mouse!)

Jordan's choice for dessert...
New York cheesecake with fresh strawberry puree glaze

alligator fritters with onion strings...not the greatest but at least we tried it!

I'm not usually a big seafood fan but this lobster and shrimp was very tasty!
lobster tail with garlic herb shrimp, mashed potatoes and panko covered broccoli

a wonderful dessert and an even better husband to share it with

roasted turkey with cranberry cream glaze, mashed sweet potatoes with onions
and some veggie mix...all good!

orange jello and strawberry cream topped off with whip cream and a blackberry

more fresh sushi

honey garlic glazed chicken with grilled onions and zucchini and mashed potatoes 

I ordered the "tropical fruit tray" and didn't realize how much melon would be on it...
so I made a smiley face for our waiter :)

Yummm my mouth is watering now and my stomach is growling after seeing all of that food again! I wish we could get catered to like that everyday...now that would be the life! Well, enough with the food...time to recap Jamaica, mon!