Farsighted Fly Girl

Watching the Jamaican Bobsled Team at the Sochi 2014 Olympics conjures up memories of the classic '90s movie, Cool Runnings for a lot of people. Based on the storied 1988 Jamaican Bobsled Team that managed to capture global attention, you can't make up a crazier  and more inspiring tale. Seeing the two-man team reminded me of my own precarious bobsled run down Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Tucked into the lush rain forest, the Bobsled at Mystic Mountain  captures stunning tropical vistas as well as the nerve-jangling bobsled experience. An exhibit with the famous Jamaican bobsled uniform and stats on the original team's history fill a corner before you arrive at the bobsled. Before hopping on, I was greeted with the ominous sign above. There seemed to be lots of conditions and precautions for what I thought was a straightforward ride. Turns out that the bobsleds are actually a sports installation, developed to operate like a real bobsled. That means ...

You can't visit a tropical paradise without diving into the natural landscape and Jamaica offers lots of options.  In Ocho Rios, I explored Mystic Mountain which features a lush hummingbird garden in a rain forest. In the photo above, you can spot a hummingbird hovering over the feeder on the left. I love the delicate beauty of these winged creatures but I discovered that they are really hard to capture on camera. There were literally dozens of birds flitting around but I only managed to snap one. The green feathers and red beaks blend in with the scenery so well  and they fly so fast that I had to strain to see them. Look at the bird melting into the leaves to the left in the photo above. I learned that Ecuador claims the most species of hummingbirds and that the world's smallest bird does not migrate from the Western Hemisphere. It was fun being surrounded by these tin birds in the Jamaican rain forest but they did make me dizzy.