YS Falls in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica

YS Falls are located near the Black River on the south coast of the island, in the parish of St. Elizabeth. The waterfalls themselves are located on a working cattle ranch and thoroughbred horse farm. We started our road trip out in Montego Bay and drove up through Anchovy. We took a turn a little early which ended up being a route to the falls but, it wasn't the quickest or easiest. The map we were using was not real helpful because the writing was minuscule and every time I would find my place on the map, we would hit a pothole and I would lose my place. A few times we stopped and asked if we were on the right road and every time we were assured that the road would lead to the falls. They were correct and we did arrive after an hour and a half of twists, turns and bumps.

Nathan and Uncle Howie unloading.

Nathan woke up not feeling well, but we convinced him to come along with us. I couldn't tell if he was truly sick or if he wanted to stay home and play with his Wii all day.

The boys paying.

The entrance to the falls is US$14.00 for non-residents and JA$500.00 for resident adults (about US$7.00) and JA$300.00 for resident children (about US$4.25). The cashier was very nice and gave Uncle Howie a resident rate even when he told her that he wasn't a resident.

After paying, they pointed us down the walkway to the jitney.

At first it seemed like we were the only ones there because there was no one else on the tram. But, more people arrived throughout the time we were there. A few park employees rode with us to man the gates. We rode for about ten minutes. We stopped twice to go through two gates. Each time we would stop, an employee would jump down, open the gate, we would drive through and he would close the gate and re-board the tram. I assume that was to keep the cows and horses in the proper pasture. The scenery was beautiful. The smell of the cow pasture reminded me of home. There were huge mango trees loaded with fruit as well as other flora and fauna.

We disembarked from the tram at the souvenir shop which led to a boardwalk. The trail was nicely marked with informational signs. They showed pictures of birds and flowers that were located inside the park and also gave information about them.

The rules were clearly spelled out for all to abide by.

Besides the seven waterfalls, their greatest attraction is the zipline. It starts at the top of the falls and has three separate "legs" to it.

A large gazebo was built around the base of a huge tree. The last leg of the zipline is built above the roof of the gazebo. The zipline fee is of course separate from the entrance fee. For non-residents the price is US$30.00 and the resident price is $20.00. They also have a price for going unlimited times. Uncle Howie did the zipline and again they gave him the resident rate.

This is a view of the gazebo built around the big tree and the platform above the roof where the last leg of the zipline starts.

Uncle Howie on the zipline.

Keep an eye out for Uncle Howie's blog. He actually has a video of him doing the zipline and he said it was a lot of fun. The only drawback was that you travel pretty fast down the zipline and it is hard to "sight see." That is probably why they offer a price for unlimited trips.

View of the first layer of falls.

The next layer of falls with the pretty red ginger plant in the foreground.

Nathan and Uncle Howie.

View of the boardwalk and steps along the falls.

They also have two rope swings. To our surprise there was not an additional charge for using the rope swings. Todd was the only one in our group that went off this rope swing. He even did a flip off of it on his second time going.

Checking out the rope.

Gloves are provided and required.

Nathan NOT going on the rope swing.

Todd prepping for his second go.

They had another rope swing on the other side of the big tree that was for those who weren't brave enough to swing down from a platform.

Life guards were stationed along the climb of the falls to help with the ropes and various other stops. They were very nice and helpful. The thing that impressed me the most was the fact that the park had a sign posted explaining that tipping was permitted but to please advise the front office if any of their employees solicited tips. That is very unusual for Jamaica. Here, if a service is provided, no matter how menial or insignificant it may be, a tip is expected.

Nathan wasn't real sure about trying out one of the rope swings.

After his daddy was pushed around for a bit...

...he was easily convinced.

Weeeeee!

Here is a short video of my boy swinging. I love how the guard stood at the top of the falls in case there were an unfortunate incident. When we got through here, we gladly gave him a tip! At another location on toward the top of the falls, another employee offered his services taking pictures of groups. We let him take ours and he remained friendly and helpful when we didn't offer him a tip.

The water wasn't too terribly cold. I even walked out to the top of one of the falls with a little help.

Another set of waterfalls.

Very pretty.


They weren't kidding!

More waterfalls.


Bird of paradise?

We enjoyed a drink before the return trip on the tram back to the main gate. When we arrived, we went over to the snack bar. They had a full menu ranging from jerk chicken, fish, pork and hamburgers, fish sandwich, and french fries. They also offered a full bar with juices, soft drinks, water, beer and alcoholic drinks. For some reason most of the places here keep food and drinks separate. You order and get your food at one place and order and get your drinks at another.

We didn't take the same route home. We chose the easier route through Middle Quarters which is shrimp country. We were glad to get home after a long day. DeeDee had roast with onions and potatoes, broccoli casserole, rice and gravy as well as salad ready when got home. It was all delicious. She also had a banana pudding which she made from scratch and it too was wonderful.

All Together Again!

Yesterday was a busy day for us. Uncle Howie arrived and surprised Nathan, Mama and Daddy. It is so hard to keep something like that a secret. All week I have almost said things like "when Howie gets here we can..." or "we need to wait and do...when Howie gets here." But, we pulled it off. My cousin April drove Uncle Howie to Orlando airport and knowing it was a surprise, she called and said, "The eagle has landed," letting me know in code that he had been dropped off.

Nathan had a football game yesterday too, so we had a lot of finagling to do. The plan was that Todd was going to go early to the football game so the DeeDee wouldn't have to sit in the sun waiting for the game to start. Really we just needed to drive separate so Todd could go to the airport to pick up Uncle Howie. And the reason he left the game early was to go pick up pizza for supper. Which he did after he went to the airport.

Nathan giving Uncle Howie a HIGH five.

Uncle Howie brought Nathan a "safari" style hat for culturama. Stay tuned... more to come on culturama later. He also brought him a Raiders of the Lost Ark movie and they were watching part of it on his portable DVD player.

Today we are off to Mega Mart. We are going to have an early birthday party for Nathan since the family won't be here in July when his real birthday is. He is so excited. On the way to school this morning he told me what he would like the menu to be for supper tonight. Let's just hope we can find everything at one store.

"You Are As Blind As Your Granddaddy!"

...is what I tell Nathan when I send him to find something and he comes back and says, "I can't find it." So, I go to find the object and it's right there in plain view. I was the same way though because I remember my mama telling me, "If it were a snake it would bite you." But Nathan is worse than I ever was. Every time I send him to get something, I know that I am going to have to go get it myself.

When we were home for Easter, I got pictures to show just how "blind" he is. When we went to Grammy and Pappy's to hunt Easter eggs I hid one of Nathans eggs a little lower than eye level on the side of the fifth wheel. I don't know how many times he ran past it, looking right at it and never seeing it.

It's an orange Easter egg, not a running light!

Then one day when we were at Mama and Daddy's, Uncle Howie hid the eggs for Nathan to find and I told Howie about the incident at Grammy and Pappy's and that he needed to remember where he hid them because Nathan would never find them all. I was in the house and he came and got me laughing and told me to get the camera that Nathan couldn't find an egg that was in plain sight.

There it is in the tree.

He couldn't find it. Uncle Howie started doing "hot" and "cold" with him. When he would get close to it he would say, "You're getting hot." When he would move away from it he would say, "You're getting cold."

"You're looking right at it."

He even posed for the picture with his egg!

"You're getting colder."

He still doesn't see it.

"You passed it."

"Look in the tree."

"I found it!"

He did finally find it but it took him a very long time and way too may hints and clues. We really had fun laughing at him and he didn't even get mad at us and run and tell his DeeDee.

Picture Day at Tomlin Middle School

Every year since Nathan's birth, I have taken Nathan to his Uncle Howie's school so they can get their picture made together. I think we may have missed a time or two when Nathan was in school himself. This year we barely made it. Picture day was Friday morning before we left to come back to Jamaica. Nathan has been some kind of icon since his birth at Tomlin. Primarily because his Uncle Howie's classroom walls are wallpapered in pictures of Nathan and he always talks about his wonderful nephew. Also, the assistant principal, Susan Sullivan, was one of Nathans swim teachers. Everytime I take Nathan to Tomlin and we pass students in the hallway, I always here one of them say, "There's Nathan." This particular morning was no exception. We met Uncle Howie in his room and walked over to the gym where the pictures were being taken. As we approached the court yard I heard several students say it again, "There's Nathan."

Walking to the gym.

Their special handhold.

On the way to the gym Nathan held Uncle Howie's hand. They have a special handhold that only they can use. The photographers weren't set up yet so we had to wait about thirty minutes until they were ready. Thank goodness Mrs. Gunn covered Uncle Howie's class until we made it back. Nathan got a little impatient but the trusty DS kept him busy.

It was nice to get a chance to visit with all of the teachers that my brother teaches with, especially Patti Hanks, who I use to work with at Lakeland Senior, and Susan Stephens. Susan is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Susan Stephens and me, with a fresh haircut.

I was worried that the background was the same color as Nathan's shirt, but when we left we had to pick which background we wanted. School pictures have come a long way. Everything is digital and you can pick your background and the photographer can look at the picture and tell if it needs to be redone. I know that cuts down on picture retakes.

The photographer got out of my way.

Below are all the school pictures that I have of these two. I am not sure of all the dates but at least they are in chronological order. I know one thing, Uncle Howie has more pictures with my son than I do. Professionally taken pictures that is anyway.

2001 - 2002

Cute little sweater vest.

I hate when they make you cock your head!

Nathan at age four.

I don't know if Montego Bay Christian Academy has school pictures or not. They have most everything else our American schools have, so hopefully they will offer school pictures, too. After all, I need a school picture of my handsome man in his school uniform.