Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

This story is two months old now but I decided it was too funny not to post. It was a long summer. The kids and I had lunch at Jennys restaurant in Negril one afternoon. I drove down the cliffs from our home here on West End and ended up parked directly in front of the restaurant on the wrong side of the street.

While pulling away from the restaurant I had to leave with a large truck in the road in front of me. I saw a van coming down the hill and he saw me coming out. The idiot decided he could squeeze between me and the wall and ended up bumping my front bumper. I stopped instantly and barely had even moved. I was only traveling like 3MPH at the time of the accident.

The other driver came out with his arms swinging in the air and he was already cursing me. He walked over to my window and yelled to me that he was calling the police. I looked him in the eyes and said, “Go ahead call the cops. I have insurance”. He turned away from me and went back to his van where he reached in the window and came out with a machete. It was a nice long one and he proceeded to slap the windshield and side of my van with it. He was unaware the kids were in the van but he stuck the knife inside the rear window where the kids were and shook it around inside my van.

I did not even think about it. I started my van and drive off. I took back streets and ended up on the road to Sav. I decided to take the kids to the grocery store and we made an afternoon trip out of town. I made it back home at around 5pm and apparently just in time to meet with the lunatic cab driver who had somehow tracked me down to my apartment. This nut met me here at my home with a metal pole he found poolside.

This was a little too much for me and I took his road rage and added a double dose of my anger management to the situation, thats one dose per kid he endangered. I was glad to fight any ass who threatened me and my kids and then had the balls to bring it to my home. We battled in the yard for a minute or two. I took a whack with the pole over the head and shoulders that was hard enough to knock me on my knees but I was able to tackle him on the concrete and remove his weapon in the same motion. I did loose an inch of flesh on both knees as I landed on the sidewalk and he proceeded to drag me around a bit.

This guy was nuts and the only way I could get rid of him was to hurt him which I did not want to do. I ended up holding him locked on the ground until we agreed to go our separate ways. They called the cops who I was actually glad to see until they decided to try to blame me for the whole thing. They took me down to the Negril police department and tried to say I was going to be arrested for fleeing the scene of an accident. I told them I was forced to do so by a man with a machete. It got kinda heated after I told them I had expected this to be turned against me. I explained to them that in America its always the black mans fault and in Jamaica its the white guy. I am considered a white man by most people here and the cops normally try to blame me for things.

I told the lead cop there was no chance I would be treated fairly and he should just go ahead and do what he had too. I told him this was the second time I had been sat down in the same room with the handcuff chains hanging on the chair in front of me and for the second time I sat in the station as a victim while the criminal walked free. I asked him how a man could attack me with a knife and I should be arrested for running away.

After quite a bit of loud talk and explanation on my part I was released with no arrest. They decided to drop everything and leave well enough alone. I think it was the blood running down my leg and all over the floor that set them straight but I’m not sure still. They may have simply been tired of my mouth as most Jamaicans will after awhile.

Look for some pics and more as I heal my wounds with a natural antibiotic in the next blog post.

It could only be more perfect if the name were Alfie’s Paradise instead of Benjii’s Paradise but sadly Benjii got there first and made it his place before the rest of us found out about the river head of the Roaring River and one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been.

It’s a perfect place to be by yourself and appreciate the natural world around you. The sound of gushing water as the river comes bursting out of the ground is as relaxing as the cool crisp waters where you can get a fresh drink while you swim.

There is not much to say about the place except that it is a place where you can spend a day loving the beauty of nature and the sounds of birds and the mountain breeze blowing through the palm trees. Benjiis is past the Roaring River attraction and well beyond where the tour bus stops. It’s a tough steep drive that on a pretty bad Jamaican road but it is well worth the 45 minute drive from Negril and a great way to spend an afternoon alone if possible or at least with close friends or family.

I’ll start by saying don’t listen to this guy, he’s a sucker and him and his type are made to pay these kind of people. They prey on him and his type because they can and they let them. Don’t let them and they won’t bother. His experience is very similar in fact to mine but I’ll explain how things can go differently. I too was approached by a man on a motorcycle as I pulled into the local gas station for a refuel. I had actually just driven past the station and was on my way to the Roaring Rivers Park when I realized I was about to run out of fuel and it was best to turn around rather then risk it. I went inside as the attendant pumped some gas and I purchased a cold drink. While taking a sip outside the guy on the motorbike asked me, wa’ gwan?

I told him I was on my way to the river with my kids, generally a likkle more information than most will need or I ever give out but I was feeling talkative that day. He said he lived near the river and was one of the best guides in the area. He claimed to have been born there and a lifelong resident. I’m still uncertain about that part but he does know the area and was a decent enough guide. Does a person or family even need a guide at Roaring Rivers? Not really but it’s kinda nice the first time to learn about the place and it’s history as well as the natural flora and details about the river and its workings. They lay claim to being one of the first and most natural attractions in Jamaica with little to no development of the park. The Roaring River is actually the meeting of an underground spring which is a no swim area and used solely for drinking purposes or the river which is fed from the surrounding mountains and tropical rain fall. The summer months are the rainy season and the river peaks in October when the banks nearly overflow with the freshest, coolest and cleanest drinking water on earth. It’s a very nice place and the surrounding mountains and lush tropical setting is enough for a visit. The river and underground mineral springs cave bath are a plus.

Roaring rivers cave is a nice place for a cool swim in the healing mineral waters of Jamaica in the Westmoreland Parish. The cave is simple underground cavern with built in steps and some added lighting so you can truly enjoy the beautiful walk down into earth. The cave walls and ceilings are covered in shiny crystallized minerals which are awash in the waters at the base of the cave. The mineral springs inside the cave are said to offer the most healing of all mineral springs in Jamaica.

The Roaring Rivers park wiki says the park is on the site of the Roaring River Estate which belonged to the Beckford family: Peter Beckford, William Beckford. The river and cave are now manage by the Roaring River Citizens Association, a local community group that charges a small fee for park entry and use of the cave and mineral springs.

If you love swimming in the natural mineral springs as much as I do then you may spend quite a bit of time at Roaring Rivers. Thus far it’s the best choice near Negril for a relaxing dip in the cool refreshing waters and a great half day trip for just about anyone.

Take a look at 94 total pictures from Roaring Rivers Park and Underground Cave

We decided to take a day trip down the South Coast of Jamaica from here in Negril and visit the YS Falls Nature Attraction and the surrounding area. We have taken numerous tours down the South Coast of Jamaica from Negril since we bought the van and have seen a number of places we would like to stop in but YS Falls comes highly recommended as one of the nicer waterfalls in Jamaica and we thought it would be nice to see the difference between this and Mayfield Falls.

We took a long drive and stopped a few places so it took almost 2 hours to get there when it should be more like 1 1/2 I would think. It did seem a bit farther than Mayfield but if waterfalls are your thing then it’s well worth the trip. YS Falls has a total of 7 much larger and more majestic looking waterfalls when compared to Mayfield. The height of some of the waterfalls must be over 30 feet or more and the water moves with much more force here than it did at Mayfield. The YS Falls trip was more for the kids and they were very excited about spending time in the river again like we did at Mayfield but YS Falls is a little different. There are only but a few places to actually get off the trail and into the river. There is no riverwalk like at Mayfield and the only time spent will be in the few large pools and swimming holes. I also found that most of these pools were more tailored to adults as the water was turbulent and too deep in many places and the rocks were precarious and no fun to stand on in the two pools we did try out.

There was one pool with the rope swing that seemed the more popular swimming hole but this spot is definitely not cut for young ones as the water moves to swiftly and the drop off from the next waterfall is right there. They actually keep a guide posted to watch no one slips over but he’s got a lot of people to watch and a lot of ground to cover if one does slip. I wasn’t very excited about having the kids in this pool alone and we ended up taking a trip further up to see how those were. Of course the water is pretty cold at all the spring fed rivers but there is a much denser treetop canopy at YS Falls and little to no sunlight in many places. The damp dark feeling is nice but very cold for young ones and they could not handle the water for more than 10 minutes without need for a sun break which was hard to come by.

In the end all of the pools were nice but not exactly what we were looking for. We truly enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the waterfalls are much nicer but for a day swimming in the mineral waters from Negril I think Mayfield is a better choice. The fact you can easily rest in many arts of the river and truly enjoy the rushing waters plus the ability to walk directly up the river to the top is much nicer a day overall. We ended up spending most of our time in the man made pool with water recirculated in from the river. It’s very nice to sit in the calm mineral waters under the lush vegetation but I think we would have much preferred actually being in the river.

YS Falls also offers a unique “Canopy Tour” of the area with zip lines tied high up in the trees. You can ride the zip line from the top of the falls down to the bottom for what must be an exhilarating tide. The cost was a bit more than dad was willing to spend for himself and the kids of course are too young. I would say that YS Falls is much better suited to adults and older kids interested in swinging from the ropes and zip lines available. If you’re looking for a relaxing day in the mineral springs I would suggest you try Mayfield Falls instead.

Click here for more pictures of our YS Falls Adventures