Visiting Ocho Rios
Visiting Ocho RiosI’ve been in Ocho Rios only for a couple of hours, and I think I didn’t miss anything interesting: a small, ugly city, with a couple of modern small malls where tourists buy the same articles sold everywhere.
American tourists are the target but they weren’t many!
Beaches
Beaches are the best program in Caribe and Ocho Rios is no exception.
Our resort had a couple of artificial beaches and a natural good one, but the best that I saw out of Negril was Dunn’s River beach.
Everybody concentrates in the falls and forget the beach, what is unfair. It´s really a very nice beach.
Dunn’s falls
It’s the top attraction of Ocho Rios, and maybe of Jamaica. Advertised as among the most famous falls in the world, we must be aware that it comes from the fun of climbing it, and not for its spectacularity.
There is no comparison for instance with Niagara or Iguaçu falls, but along its 180 meters there’s always people laughing. The water is cool (cold for Fernanda, but she risked to go), but you’ll soon forget it.
The entrance for foreigners is US$15 but prepare tips for the guide, the guy that offers to carry your camera (and take pictures if you ask him), five dollars to rent the inevitable shoes, negotiate a crazy film they will make with your group and… have fun
Dunn’s River Film
It’s not safe to use your camera while climbing Dunn’s river falls, in Ocho Rios. A few guides hold a camera offering themselves to tape your group. Check the price and identify who’s filming you, because, at the end there is some confusion.
Don’t expect good quality in the film (you only need to watch the way they balance the camera to have an idea of the final product).
Making some plans from outside and using them in the final mixing was my (good) idea.
Craft works
The best of our visit to Ocho Rios (Dunn’s River Falls apart) was the crafts market.
Though clearly oriented for tourists, there we saw real people, and a reasonable popular look.
Prices were high as usual, but, bargaining, they dropped quicker than in regular shops
Island Plaza: Another mall
Jewels and touristy crafts – the architecture of the malls change a little, but the contents is essentially the same everywhere.
A break in sun and swim, but nothing special.
Anyway, this was, maybe, the best mall that I saw in Jamaica.
Sony’s Plaza: Modern mall
Modern mall, waiting for tourists it didn’t add anything to our visit – jewels and touristy crafts, and that was all.
As a matter of fact, we had nothing in mind for shopping there.
