Wherever we stay on holiday, we love to explore the surrounding area. We were staying near Montego Bay in Jamaica, but wanted to see “the real Jamaica ” where tourists aren’t abundant. We found this trip being offered at our hotel, where they would transport you via mini bus to the other side of the island, up into The Blue Mountains. The thing that appealed to us was that we would be riding bikes down the mountain, through villages, seeing Jamaica in its natural beauty.
The day started very early! The first hour in the minibus was in the dark. The touristy surroundings soon vanished, as the minibus began weaving up the steep hills. The scenery was stunning with tropical plants in abundance,with beautiful red flowers on trees. We stopped after about two hours for breakfast, cooked in a little chalet on the edge of the mountain. Tiny shacks were dotted here and there, where local people lived, and happy children ran around the dusty track.
We carried on upwards in the bus. The road/ track got worse. We went over a river with its torrents of water gushing rapidly down. It was the main source of water for the locals.
Eventually we arrived at the place where our bikes were. We were given helmets, and knee and elbow protection. I wasn’t anticipating falling off, but protection was essential. The route down was gorgeous. The lead instructor rider warned us when terrain got too full of potholes and to take care!
We stopped half way down to swim in a waterfall, which was so refreshing, and something so different.
This was a fantastic day in remote Jamaica, exhausting but so rewarding.
