Christmas in the Carribean

I have been waking up rather early here (4 a.m. Utah time) and so I have to try to amuse myself for a while before I start to slowly annoy my husband awake. Annoying someone awake takes years of practice and a careful balance of different nuisances, so I don't recommend you try it without a professional present.

Anyway, once up and nourished, we made way to celebrate the morning with a canoe-ing trip down the coast. I have wanted to canoe since we arrived, but the waters have been too rough. But Christmas, the waters were like glass, and we donned out life vests and they sent us out. We were aboard one of the two-person plastic canoes that floats high in the water and maneuvers easily. My husband, whose back has actually been bothering him, laid back for a good portion of the ride and lived the real life of Jamaican pimp with his woman doing the work. This allowed me to indulge in fantasies of being a native guide on an early exploratory mission. And, it was an exploratory mission! Because while my goal was pretty lofty -- to reach a far jungle and rock outcropping quite a ways down the coast--we simultaneously came upon a nude beach. Yeah, W and I have apparently NOT been good kids this year, because for Christmas we were given a lot of naked middle aged people on a beach!

In the afternoon, we made our way aboard a beautiful 65 foot catamaran for a dinner cruise/Christmas party/ waterfall hike. The boat was absolutely beautiful and complete with open bar (once we had completed all dangerous activities) and constant live d.j. We nested ourselves into one of two woven sections of the stern while the boat cut through the water toward the waterfall.

When we arrived at the waterfall, we were told to 'create a human chain going boy-girl-boy-girl'. Which we didn't know how to do immediately. But soon, we realized that they wanted us to hold hands in our group of about twenty individuals. I thought that was kinda silly and rather uncomfortable since, inevitably, we are all holding hands with each other's spouses, but then, when I realized we were ascending straight up the face of the waterfall, I was grateful for the husband assigned to me. Of course, my husband, who was behind me, practically carried his new charge up the rocks, but what can you do?

Ascending a waterfall up it's face while water is pouring down upon you and you are struggling to find footholds on the rounded, worn, slope of the rock is exactly what you could never do in the US. Damn attorneys. And, it was soooo much fun. I wished it went on for hours. It was, however, the longest, climb-able water-fall in the world. Which makes me a little sad, because I wouldn't mind planning trips around that activity.

We descended by staircase.

And then, we re-boarded our boat for snorkeling, then a delicious buffet meal with lots of cooked veggies and then quite a bit of red-stripe, dance contests and drinking contests, and the ride home. W, of course, asked to see the engine room before we left. We have pictures if you are interested:).

I hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas. My love to all!