Marley and Ninja: Having Their Cake And Drinking It Too! Trip Report - April 2012

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Day 4 (cont.)

So the bus is finally on the road…..we pass through towns like Sheffield and Little London. Chicken points out sights along the way but of course the rowdy turtles are having too much fun laughing and singing to hear him. I just laugh. On down the road we go, now through Savanna-la-mar. We notice there seems to be a bit of a short or something with the radio….one minute it is on, the next minute it is BLARING LOUD…the next minute, no music. It ends up being quite the comical occurrence throughout the trip. Nothing a little BANG on the dash can’t fix, right? The cd player begins to play Bob Marley and the music comes out through the speakers……it is the first time everyone focuses their attention on one single thing and then the turtle chorus begins in unison “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cuz every little thing is gonna be alright……” then the music stops……but the turtles do not….we all kept singing….and the sound was so sweet. I still remember that moment so vividly! We were all singing and then the stereo kicked back in and we were right on target with the song…..everyone cheered and then we kept singing…..who needs a stereo anyways?!?!?!

By this point there had already been an impressive amount of red stripes consumed, so the classic “I need a restroom break” call comes from the back of the bus and with that we stop at a gas station in the town of White House. Everyone gets off the bus and we head to the bathroom….Tizzy was first of course as it was apparent she was the one in the most need. So as we stood there waiting, the men all plotted for their nearest bush technique and the women sadly waited. After the much needed potty break, there was an ice and beer restock and a smoke break for some and then back on the bus.

Next we passed through the town of Belmont, Brasi’s country spot. As we approached Bluefields I told Sweetness (well I tried to tell everyone, but Sweetness was close to me so she heard most of my attempts of bus announcements) how every single time I come through this area the water is always the most spectacular color, it is literally breath taking. And this time was no different. It surely did not disappoint. I had tried to make the announcement for everyone to hear so they could be sure to check out the water, but soon Mother Nature made the announcement for me. Because as you round that road and first see that water, it is so unbelievably memorizing that it immediately captures all attention. Soon you hear the ooooohs and aaaaahs all throughout the bus. Cameras come out and pictures are taken. Oh, that water!



The water at Bluefields

Not too terribly long after that we made that very familiar slight left turn and headed up into the beautiful area that leads to YS Falls. We passed by Howies cook shop (where we ALWAYS stop for lunch) and I pointed it out to the turtles letting them all know we would be back here for lunch after the falls. About this time there was a lot of fuss and chatter about another bathroom break and then a rather weird and unusual discussion on asses, even cows asses and an appreciation of them! Ha, does anyone remember that? But I assured that person that in mere moments we would be at the falls…..but I don’t think that bumpy road helped too much! But sure enough, just as I said, we entered the parking lot and saw the familiar YS Falls sign. Everyone got off the bus and headed in to get our tickets and/or use the restroom LOL. Once you purchase your ticket you head to the deck area to board the tractor that carries you down to the falls. And the ride is very pleasant as you see the green pastures with the cattle (and their asses) and then into the wooded areas with shade and the river surrounding the road, it is simply beautiful! I believe that only a few of us had been here before so I was beyond excited to see the gang’s reaction to seeing the falls for the first time. Though it has been many years, I still remember the very first time I laid eyes on YS Falls and how it actually took my breath away….and funny enough, it still does.



Tractor ride to the falls



headed up the path (that is the tree and deck area where the zipline tour starts)



walking towards the falls, this is the moment when you first get a glimpse



YS Falls

Gosh this place is beautiful. YS Falls is a series of several different levels of falls and pools of water. It starts way up top there and then spills into the first level, the next level is where the rope swing is and the largest “swim area”. The next level is usually where the guides will take folks out and lead them over the rocks to pose for photos. I highly recommend this. If you are interested, any guide will take you out there. They will hold your hand, lead you out, and show you exactly where to step. They will also carry your camera for you and then they will tell you certain places to pose and they will use your camera to take photos of you. They are amazing, and so are the photos. You just give them a tip when it is all over…and the whole experience is well worth it. The next level down is usually the one you first walk up to, which is also where most people stop and pose for a photo. There are several other pools of water to swim in, all very cool and refreshing. Down at the bottom there is a makeshift pool that is filled with the actually water from the falls, and it has a deck around it and tubes to float in, very nice chill area. They also have just recently built another similar pool just as you enter into the YS area on the tractor, just before the gift shop. There is a large gift shop that also has some snacks and drinks and there are restrooms and changing rooms.



Rope swing and swim area




Guides leading folks out along the falls