Jamaican Journal- Monday

Another perfect day in Paradise. This morning we took an excursion to the Black River. We set out after a breakfast of pineapple pancakes to the fisherman's beach (walk along the beach and around the tree) to meet our captain, Ted. Ted and his dog Flora took us on a 40 minute ride across the sea to the Black River, the longest navigable river in Jamaica. We were in a 24 ft(?) boat powered by outboard motor. The river had such wonders as mangroves and waterlilies, a variety of birds including storks, kingfishers, and men-o-war (big birds). We saw a crocodile or two. And we stopped at Sister Lou's River Stop for some crab backs. Yum! Ted narrated our trip in a wonderful Jamaican accent, mon. (Occasionally he slowed the boat so he could take a cell phone call. Its an interesting juxtaposition of native and new technology). We saw a dolphin in the water of the cove near Black River. I'm sure I would have missed it had Ted not stopped and pointed it out. Just a brief glimpse or two, but magical nonetheless. On our way back we stopped at the famous Pelican Bar, a bar located ¾ mile out on a sand shoal. There were of course, pelicans all around, as well as a manta ray and some other small fish. The water was clear and spa-like warm as we waded nearby. The bar itself, like many buildings here, was little more than a hut, this one on stilts. Of course the only way to get there is by boat, so I expect the clientèle is mainly tourists. But we drank the local brews: Red Stripe, and Jamaican Ginger Beer (bottled by the Pepsi Cola company in Kingston).
The exchange rate here is about 60 Jamaican dollars to one American dollar, so its fun trying to figure out what we are spending. For example our drinks at the bar were 300 dollars. I considered that a reasonable price...it cost considerably more to get us there.
There were a few more rumbles of thunder this afternoon, but there is a lovely cool breeze right now. Our sunset may once again be lost in the clouds. Its hard to know what is normal, but this is considered part of the rainy season.
We missed the rum punch again yesterday at Duggies. We were too late and it was all gone, instead of being too early and missing it like on Saturday. Perhaps the rum punch is mythical. It seems like much of this is a dream....