My jamaica Holiday Photos..!!

Well it has taken a long time to get this thread started I know, but what with lost luggage & one or two other hassles I thought I was never going to get it started...!! :D

Anyway I will start it off with our Hotel. Not a large resort, but a privately owned & run one & it was superb.. We did not take an all inclusive, as the resorts look more like prison camps.. They tell you not go out after dark, only take their cabs, & preferably, stay on resort all the time except for their excursions.............!!!! Not my idea of a holiday at all..!!!
We had no trouble at all, even walking late at night..
Met a real Jamaican family & was shown some of the sites by themm!! It was a fantastic holiday & a fantastic place to go. We stayed on the cliffs in Negril. Had a cottage on the cliffs over looking the sea..

Good Morning Jamaica. The view from our cottage .


We had an outdoor Shower. This is the dawn breaking. Fantastic, showering under the Hibiscus flowers..!!



This is the bar swimming pod.



Swimming area to left.



Looking acroos the bay, our swimming pod id the smaal one in the middle.

 

There are caves all along under the cliffs. You can swim into some & walk to others.



This is one you can walk to.



Doesn't the sea look like swimming pool water. The temp was never less than 28 in the sea!!



There were Rat Bats in the caves. A little bigger than out bats maybe.



Bar swimming area at night..!



A sunset taken from our room..



Finally, this is a stitch of the bay from the dining area..

 

:D Oh yes HA, I have plenty more photos to post yet. Of some of the places we went & of trees & flowers I saw. These are just the 1st few I have uploaded.. Also a few underwater shots I took when snorkeling. Will go & sort some more now.... :D :D

 

Well as we were there at the end of May, which is the very start of their rainy season, their were some fantastic electrical storms to watch at night. It did rain a little, but mostly at night as well. It did rain buckets on us once. To be honest though it felt lovely as the temps hardly altered 31deg !! The day we took the cruise up the Black river it did rain however..!! It was still very enjoyable, even if there were only a few of us. Really one needs sunshine for this trip up through the Mangroves, then you can see to the bottom of the crystal clear water. It only looks black (hence it's name) because of the Morass, reeds & mangroves.


As you can see even the Egrets were not impressed with the rain...



It is a breath taking site as you pull out into the river & look upstream...



Boy, did it come on to rain!!!! It rained so hard it blurs the photos a little...



This fish trap has got caught on top of it somehow.



Yes.. The dreaded Water Hyacinth!!!!!



This is a Mangrove Tree. It has the nickname of the "Organpipe Tree".. Those roots are extending 30' into the water, so this makes it a very old tree.

 

As we went further along the river we were treated to the veiwing of a crocodile... It was an older one & it swam alongside the boat for a moment..!!



As we went downstream we came to an area of the river that was hit badly by Hurricane Ivan several years ago & they decided to leave it alone. It is much healthier for it too!!



We were then treated to a few more Crocs along the way...




The Black River is the last river in Jaiaca where crocs still live naturally.



This one looks like it is smiling....

 

The Black River is teaming with life, although hard to see much of it because of the rain that day..
A Black Crowned Heron..


A Snowey Egret



A Tri-colour Heron, not that you would know it in the rain, but as I didn't see anymore of them I have stuck it in anyway....



Did see a couple of Termite nests. This one in the Mangrove roots is very close to the water.



and this one a little better placed, further up a tree well above the waterline...


But this one is still in danger as you will see in next post...

 

As we rounded a bend you could see this fire in the distance..



It is caused by the spontaneous combustion of the swamp gas which is high at this time of the year. The rain helps to cause it, by rasing the water temp & to control it damping it down...!!! Oooh Mother Nature is so clever...
Close up of the fire burning...




On the return I was amzed to see how quickly the Egrets move in. There are so many tasty insects & small creatures & fish stunned by the flash fire..
I think they must have to go & cool their feet every now & then... You can see how hot it is by the smoke still rising..!!




Crazy or sensible..!!!



So you can see the other danger to the Termites....!!

 

:D Only saw a couple of sea snakes..!! I have to say I swam away gently. Did have an underwater camera, although it didn't take a very good pic, there was the odd one that came out. One was a snake. Will find it Strongy...