Roaring River and Blue Hole; our time in Jamaica - Day 6

We got up early this morning to go look at properties, hopeful that the real estate agent would come this morning like she told us yesterday.  There was no water, and I mean not even a drop, coming out of the faucets.  I guess sometimes water is an issue in Jamaica.  Welcome to a third world country.  So, we went down and skimmed off a few hundred of the thousands of mosquitoes that were floating on top of the water in the swimming and took a quick dip instead.  Bruce carried a couple of buckets inside so that we could flush the toilet.  It's really nice to have an smart and ingenuitive husband.  After getting dressed and packing up our things, we had a quick bite to eat, and waited for the real estate agent.  She was right on time and we couldn't have been more thrilled.


She wanted to show us a couple houses in the neighborhood and then headed off to see a small hotel that is for sale outside of town.  Nah. It just didn’t feel right.  So, next we went about a half hour west to look at a retreat center up in the mountains.  We fell in love instantly.  It is in a pretty remote location and very beautiful.  Multiple cottages, a large gazebo, a spa, a conference room and office, and so much more, all finished with bamboo, stone, seashells.  So cute!  Modern yet simple. Nine acres with water and electricity all the way up to the top of the mountain. The owner, a French lady named Beatrice, was there and showed us all around. She gave us some lemon grass tea that she has made and a cold peppermint compress to wash our faces with and put on our necks in the heat. Luxurious! She walked with us all the way up to the to the tippy top of the mountain where she had built a tree house. Wow, what a view.

From there we drove just a short distance to the little village of Roaring River and Blue Hole Mineral Springs.  We were planning on coming here this afternoon, but were probably less than a mile from this town when we were at the retreat center.  Luckily, our real estate agent/human GPS (thank you, Lord) brought us all the way out here. I doubt that we would have ever found this remote location without a lot of turning around and asking for directions since signs for this were very scarce until we were right in front of it.  We paid a small fee which we weren’t really sure was on the up and up, changed into swim suits behind an empty abandoned concrete building, um....okaaay....it's all part of the adventure, right?....and then we found a guide who told us his name was Lazarus.  He took us around the grounds a little, showed us the rushing and roaring river, the springs, and told us about some of the vegetation.  He knew all about the plants and flowers, and what to chew, boil or cook for what ails you.  He was really very knowledgeable.

After walking around outside for a little bit, we then went down into the caves where he told us about each rock, the bats, the stalactites and stalagmites.  We got to swim around in the mineral springs and saw where they were coming up from the ground.  Lazarus told us that a diver once tried to find the source, went down 160 feet, got scared and gave up.  They have never determined how deep the hole is.  In one place in the cave the water was rushing so fast that it almost swept me away.  It was very cold, but felt great on our sore muscles, mosquito bites, scrapes and cuts from trekking around off the beaten paths.  Bruce says I’m taking home a lot more souvenirs than most people.  It will probably be awhile before I wear a skirt to church!

After we left the cave, our guide gave us a long tour around the village.  We talked to a few people on the street, and we asked him all kinds of questions, too.  This was a part of the tour that not just anybody would get.  We saw many children and extreme poverty here, but everyone was so friendly

and I never felt unsafe, even way back in the remote areas with nothing but my swimsuit on.  We really liked Colin Lazarus and Roaring River.  We think that this is a place that we will probably be back to....I have a dream of a big playground and park here...

After leaving that area, we drove about 45 minutes to look at another property on the ocean.  It is a former resort and has 7 or 8 buildings on it, needs some work, but is right on the ocean cliffs and we are absolutely in love with it!  It would be a great small retreat center, a resort, or a family compound.  

The real estate agent tried to show us a couple other properties, but they ended up being way too far from where we want to be.  We were getting tired, hungry and frustrated, so we turned around and took the long way back to Negril just to see another view of things.  We had a nice dinner on the ocean just down from our hotel at Rockhouse Restaurant, did a little window shopping at the shops along the street and walked back to our room for bed.  So many things swirling through my mind, but after more than 12 hours of non-stop go, go, go, I’m sure that listening to the waves crashing on the cliffs, sleep won’t be a problem tonight.