Horse riding in a tropical storm

We got out of bed, on our penultimate day, at 9.30am. Which was our first lie in all week, probably
something to do with the late night balcony antics. After breakfast in the sunshine (scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and bucks fizz), we whiled away a few hours on the beach before our horse trekking tour.

At midday we got on the coach to head for the ranch, which was up in the hills a few miles east of Montego Bay.
Our tour guide, Herbert, insisted we only used Jamaican terms during the horse riding. So made us practise saying "yeah man" "irie" and "no problem". He told us there's no such things as 'problems' in Jamaica, just 'situations'.
As we put on our horse riding helmets the heavens open and torrential rain started. The sky was black and rain\ hail was crashing down, making fast flowing streams all around within minutes.
We took off our helmets and waited for 20mins sheltering anywhere we could from the rain. However, the rain continued, with water bouncing off the pavement and bucketing down around us. Eventually we gave up and mounted our horses, soaking wet, mid rain storm.



The tropical downpour continued for the whole hour and a half ride. Our horses (Scrappy, who had a broken ear, and Danny Boy) loved the rain. And the locals (who we kept bumping into along the way) kept telling us it  was "liquid sunshine", insisting it was a "blessing from above."
We rode up hills, through the forests looking at all the different varieties of fruits and plants. Meeting a few locals who live in the forest on the way. We passed over streams and small rivers. Through mangroves, where lobsters and crabs hide out. It was pretty amazing and worth every penny.
We finished the ride by removing the saddles and riding our horses out into the sea. Them swimming (more like racing) and us hanging on by everything and anything possible.
Definitely an experience we won't forget for a while.

Even though we spent the whole day soaking wet, with rain continuing to beat down on us, it's impossible to be disheartened in Jamaica.
The locals are so happy, constantly singing and smiling like lottery winners. Their excitement for life is infectious.

We arrived back to the hotel and once again our butlers had run us a romantic bath, this time with yellow rose petals.

It's safe to say there's no way me or Jimmy want to go back to London tomorrow.