- Pet smooth and slimy bat rays, and watched mesmerizing jellyfish, sea turtles glide through the water, sea otters feed and play, procreating penguins and more at the fantastic Monterey Bay Aquarium.
- Walked the entire length of Cannery Row (on both sides of the street) searching for old canning labels imprinted into the sidewalk, played in the soft sand on the beach, and ate delicious saltwater taffy.
- Strolled along the Fisherman's Wharf while watching and listening to the barking sea lions.
- Enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing dinner seaside on the wharf.
- Continued driving up the beautiful coast and admiring the views.
- Stopped in Carmel for a bite to eat and to check out the festive Christmas decorations.
- Dined in a small Mexican joint, then watched the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in Cannery Row.
- Hopped in the car early in the morning and headed up CA-101.
- Stopped in Morro Bay, hiked around the rocks, played on the beach and admired the birds.
- Visited elephant seal beach just before sunset and delighted in watching the comedic animals.
- Camped in Big Sur and ate turkey sausage by the campfire in honor of Thanksgiving.
- Took a morning stroll around the neighborhood before breakfast.
- Ate traditional and tasty breakfast of mackerel, dumplings, yams, plantains and callaloo.
- Picked up at 10:30 a.m. for the horseback ride n swim. Rode horses for an hour through fields, lush greenery, a village and some ruins before returning for the swim portion. Got caught in a sudden downpour on the way back and got drenched, but we enjoyed it. Donned life belts and rode the horses while they swam and frolicked in the sea for about 10 minutes -- it was a BLAST!
- Returned to hotel for a quick bite before getting picked up for the sunset catamaran cruise (aka Booze Cruise) around 3 p.m. Sailed for a bit -- we rode up front and got splashed by the waves while drinking rum punch -- then stopped to snorkel. Afterwards we made a pit stop at Margaritaville to ride the giant water slide (into the sea) and play on the floating trampolines. Such a fun excursion!
- Met two girls our age on the catamaran and joined them for the evening at their all-inclusive hotel. Enjoyed the free buffet, free drinks, free performances on outdoor stage and the company!
- Took a little stroll on Seven Mile Beach before breakfast.
- Again ate complimentary bread, pastries and fresh OJ at the hotel while enjoying the lovely view.
- Picked up at 9:30 a.m. by German instructor Armon for morning SCUBA diving on West End of Negril. After pool training session, we entered water from cliffs and dove about 40 feet to check out underwater world. A bit more drab than Great Barrier Reef and Thailand, but we did see quite a variety of smaller tropical fish, various eels and even a good-sized sting ray!
- After diving, we walked up the road to Sit n Sip for a lunch of grilled fish, yams and festivals.
- Walked farther up the road to Rock House and Rick's to watch the cliff divers.
- Took cab back to hotel, then shuttle to Montego Bay. Stayed at the quaint Ridgeway Guest House and grabbed food from Island Grill in the airport. Capped the night off with Red Stripe and wine.
- Chowed down complimentary bread and pastries before being whisked off at 9 a.m. for our day tour.
- Drove through beautiful countryside and stopped at a local market for fresh fruit. Could have purchased a bra as well, but decided to just stick with the plums and apples.
- Arrived at a section of the Black River for a 1.5 hour river cruise accompanied by two German couples. Saw lots of birds, water lilies, crocodiles, mangroves and Blue Mountains in the distance. Treated to a filling lunch of jerk chicken, jerk pork, rice and peas.
- Continued to YS Falls where we rode a tractor, hiked along falls, jumped off rope swing and swam.
- Dropped off at hotel at 4:30 p.m. and we relaxed on the beach, read, and watched the pretty sunset.
- After dinner, we walked up and down the beach in search of a fun place to go, but it seemed to be pretty dead, save for one karaoke bar. We did, however, stumble upon two weddings on the beach that were right next to each other, so we had our own little party and danced on the beach and in the water to the wedding music for a bit before feeling too creepy and finally calling it a night.
- Arrived in Montego Bay at 11:30 a.m. after leaving L.A. at 10 p.m. the previous night. Immediately upon stepping outside the terminal we were offered weed. Welcome to Jamaica, mon!
- Took shuttle to Negril and checked into Coco La Palm hotel on the beautiful Seven Mile Beach.
- Ate delicious jerk sausage, jerk pork, and rice and peas at the hotel beach bar w/ fellow tourists.
- Traipsed up and down the beach, stopping frequently for a dip in the warm, yet refreshing, Caribbean Sea. Stopped at Margaritaville to play on the restaurant's floating trampolines with some local kids.
- Stopped to "hang out" at a bar on the way back for some rum punch -- we were delighted to learn that Jamaican bartenders don't skimp on the alcohol!
- Dined on lovely curry conch and steamed fish on the beach near our hotel.
- Drank more rum punch at the hotel beach bar while listening and dancing to the live Reggae band -- nice evening treat and a fun way to end a great first day.
