Saturday, June 30, 2012

Our Trip To Jamaica

Hello everyone! I'm back from Jamaica! We had a wonderful time and I already miss the beach. The weather was great and the resort was really nice and definitely had the Jamaican atmosphere. One of the main reasons we picked this resort was for the snorkeling. There are reefs off shore that you can snorkel out to and see so many creatures and beautiful fish! We only left the resort a few times to shop and eat at Margaritaville. It was a little scary off the resort, but it was good to experience some of the Jamaican culture.

Here we are on our last night...

My mom and dad enjoyed the trip too. We all love the beach!

 Look at that clear water...
 In the shallow parts around the rocks you could see fish swimming around. See the small barracuda? Believe me...I saw some bigger ones with teeth! They usually don't try to bite unless they see something shiney. Some of the staff said there is an 8 foot barracuda that they named Johnny that hangs around sometimes. Glad I didn't see him!
 The views were so beautiful!
 This was taken from our balcony. You can see the reefs off shore. There was some sea grass in some spots right off the beach. It didn't bother me though, I always had my fins on and just snorkeled right over it. Lots of creatures live in there.
That is our resort in the background.

 We loved watching this pelican dive for fish...
 Here I am before going snorkeling. You can see Chase in the background.
 Chase loved hunting for creatures!
 He found several star fish, crabs and some really strange things too. There were also sea urchins and giant jelly fish we had to stay clear of.
 I did not have an underwater camera, but sure wish I did! We saw some beautiful fish including a few of these yellow tailed damsels. They were so beautiful and the spots just glowed! We also saw puffer fish, lion fish, white flounder, parrotfish, barracuda and even a spotted eel just to name a few...

(picture found on google images)

Our resort was really nice and had several pools and even a lazy river.
The lobby was all open and there was always a nice breeze. We loved to sit and enjoy an alcohol free pina colada or strawberry daiquiri.
One day we took a shopping trip. It was interesting to say the least!
Our last stop was at the craft market and we all felt like bait in a shark tank! lol...As we got out of the van all of the vendors were competing for us to come look at their booth. We only had 30 minutes and could only pick so many.  They are very persistent and really want to make a sale!
Here is this lady's store. She was a very nice lady and was very persistent. I did end up buying a bracelet from her for $20...I probably could have bought it for $10! I just don't know how to wheel and deal! She said I started her day off great so that made me feel good.
Here is the bracelet I bought from her. It's really pretty...

We also took a trip to Margaritaville.  The food was really good and it was a fun place to visit...if you look past the drunk people! lol... 
Margaritaville also had slides and trampolines you could jump on.
There are so many beautiful flowers and plants everywhere you look. These tropical plants were all over our resort.

The orange flowered trees are called poinciana trees and were everywhere! Aren't they beautiful? Our driver said the berries are used to make jewelry.
Well, I already miss this! Hopefully we will get to visit another beach next year. It was a great vacation!  
I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things around here. I'll be back to my normal blogging soon! Have a great rest of the weekend and stay cool! I think we are all in a heat wave right now. It's over 100 degrees here right now. It was only around 85 degrees in Jamaica...

10 comments:

  1. Glad you had a nice vacation! You look so nice and tan.

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  2. Oh, Kristen- I read every word. It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation...from the snorkeling to the shopping....to the alcohol free drinks. I am glad you had fun and I can tell Chase had a ball. You make a beautiful family- xoDiana

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  3. Looks like you had a wonderful vacation! We just returned from Hawaii and went on several snorkeling trips...I just could not get the hang of it. Something about putting my face under water and trying to breathe...my brain just would not work that way, I kept feeling like I was going to suffocate! :-) My 13 year old, however, LOVED IT! Glad you were able to get away and relax with your family Have a great 4th of July.

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  4. Looks like a grand vacation! We were in Falmouth, Jamaica last year - the people were not pushy at all there, BUT we also went to Haiti and they were brutal, fighting with each other over our attention, so intimidating! The resort looks so relaxing and lovely - lucky you - now back to reality!!

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  5. Beautiful pictures. Sorry we missed you at market...We had a great visit with Sherry and her husband....

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  6. Wow! Looks like the Brandenburgs had a fabulous vacation! Great pix Kristen.
    xoxo,
    Kim

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  7. So glad you had a great time! My favorite manager when I was working was from Jamaica and such fun! The food is to die for. She would bring back Jerk seasoning and scotch bonnet peppers ~ hot. :)

    The water is gorgeous and the people are wonderful. Just have to stay at the resorts...

    xo
    Pat

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  8. Your vacation photos are beautiful, Kristen! Thank you so much for sharing. Looking forward to more of your great blogging.

    BTW, if my last child had been a boy instead of a girl, she would've been named Chase as well.

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  9. Beautiful, beautiful! What a nice vacation! You look pretty in your pics too!! Happy 4th!

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  10. Welcome home, Kristen! So glad you had a wonderful time!!
    Tracey @ The Kitchen is My Playground

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