Takin' the Newbies along Part 2 - a trip report

[Jenn]

Continued:

So, we are sitting at Sunnyside and it's about 10:45 - 11:00. We're wide awake. We told a couple people we would meet them at the Jungle, but then decided not to go - but no way to notify those who we had told we would go. Hubs looks at me and says - wanna go? Sure - what the heck! I need to change though. Hurry back to our room - change into a dress and off we go. We were like two teenagers sneaking out. Just laughing the whole walk. Not that we had any intention to leave our friends behind - it was just a spur of the moment - we're still up - we've never been - what the hell kind of a decision.

It's ladies night. We get there around 11:15 - take a look around. Not super busy....yet. Find one of the guys we are planning to meet and grab a round of beers and take it all in. So whoever says that it's cool for all ages and types wasn't there this night. I just kept laughing to myself that 7 older white folks doesn't make it an all ages club. hahaha Now - I mean NO disrespect by that comment because we had a lot of fun. There were just a LOT of younger people there. We danced, laughed, and had a few drinks. By about 1:30 we decided to call it a night and headed out. Would I go back? Maybe. Was it worth it? You bet.

[never2many]

Can't wait to read more!!!

[Jenn]

Look for more this weekend.

[Jenn]

Day 3 in Negril:
Woke up a bit later than usual...but I was out later than we ever are! So...down to breakfast and then off to the beach. Today is Pub Crawl day...so I'm pacing myself...like drinking water. Stayed on the beach until around noon. Off to get ready because we had to run to Scotia for some cash recharge. Ready and walk out to the road to catch a taxi. Seriously? Not one in sight. There were no taxis at the hotel. None on the road. None coming. What the *&^%? Finally, a route comes along and we hop in. The driver was a little cranky because it took us a bit to get money. Oh well...sorry buddy - we tossed him a tip and he dropped us back to Rooms. Decided to get a jump start and went and had a beer while we waited for Lenbert. It was HOT today - YIKES!

Finally, Lenbert shows up and the bus is PACKED. A lovely young couple - Josh and Taylor made room for one of us to sit (me) and the others had to stand. It became a joke to get back on the bus sooner so you could get a seat. Picture a drunken game of musical chairs. Literally! Josh and Taylor were on their first trip to Jamaica - we chatted as we packed more in and left some behind. Either way - this group was already much more fun than the bus we were on last year! There was a big crew from White Sands who were also a blast. We saw them frequently on the beach and always stopped to chat. Our stops were:

Palm Court
The Horizon West
No Name Bar (love!)
Easter Bar
Xtabi
Bella Donna's
Sunset Pub

Some pictures:

[Jenn]

The Pub Crawl is one of my favorite things. I know it's "touristy" and we stopped at some of the same places, but it's something I wouldn't do at home. Meeting so many people from all walks of life...just was a great time! Bella Donna's pizza is perfectly timed. Seriously. I love her pizza. But by the time we roll in....I'm ready for something to snack on!

We get dropped back off a bit after 7:30 and grab some jerk chicken and pork from King Dust across the road. We grabbed a couple beers from Rooms and ate our dinner. Tom and Amy sat by the pool and Brian and I headed over to Sunnyside for a nightcap. Ok, I'm lying. We always say - let's have one more before we go to bed. It never ever works that way. We met a great couple from Maryland who recognized Brian's shirt (from a bar in Ocean City) and sat and chatted the night away. Doug and Jen - if you are reading this - sorry we never met back up. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip!

Finally decided to call it a night and headed back to go to bed.

[JDd]

good stuff........looks like you guys have fun

[Jenn]

Indeed, we do, JDd! hahaha

[LivinInThe603]

I've never used a route taxi to run errands before. Was it an actual route taxi, or a taxi with a red license plate that you hired? I thought routes were like buses where you "pull the cord" when you want to get off. Versus hiring a driver to take you somewhere, wait, then take you back. Perhaps that's why he seemed annoyed? Perhaps, I'm wrong!

I want to add that I'm asking out of curiosity. I'm still not 100% confident on the route taxis and I try to learn as much as I can so I can make sure I'm "doing it right".

Edited to add, when I get in a route taxi, I have my $200 ready, tell the driver where I'm going and get out when he stops. I never agree on a price because I pay the route price (well, actually a little more as you can see - please no comments on overpaying. It's like $.40 and I don't need the change). So I'm curious why you would use a route taxi as a hired taxi, I guess is what I'm saying... There are taxis that have red plates that aren't "route" taxis, correct? Thanks for the clarification! I'm always learning!

[JDd]

as soon as you set an agreed price.............

[Jenn]

You are correct - we chartered him. A gentleman on the road was helping us find a taxi. We offered him an amount to take us to the bank, wait, and bring us back before we got in. He readily agreed. We normally charter a taxi because it's easier with 4 of us. There just were literally none around at that time. We did take a route taxi out to Calico Jacks and back.