40 years later

[Piggymon]

My how time flies when one is having fun. I remember the first time I heard about Negril. It was 1971. I was with my college buddy, Bobby, and we had escaped the cold Pittsburgh winter and were hanging out on the beach in Key Biscayne's Crandon Park. We were having a great time, but there was a guy on the beach who was telling some girls near us about the terrific time he had in Negril. He said that you just flew into Montego Bay and then took a taxi along the beach road to Negril where there was 7 miles of white sand beach. He said that the accommodations in cottages were cheap and people were friendly.

We were staying at Coconut Grove at the time at the house of a relative of Bobby's and we did not have much money, but it sounded like fun. We went to a Travel Agency in the Grove and bought two cheap tickets on Air Jamaica to Mobay. I remember that this was in the days before age discrimination, so we were able to buy youth tickets that were cheaper than regular tickets. My memory is a little fuzzy, but it seems like the tickets were only $90 round trip. Of course minimum wage the minimum wage back in those days was $1.60 per hour, so $90 was still some good money.

Loved the rum drinks on the plane down to the Island and the free rum punch in the airport before we cleared customs and immigration. It was the first time either of us had been outside of the country, except for going to Canada, so the clearing customs and having our bags searched new, but relatively painless.

We caught a minibus that was headed to Negril and were soon out of the jumble and hurly-burly of Montego Bay and on our way. We were delighted and entranced by occasional glimpses of the turquoise sea through the verdant foliage. We were in a great mood and were only slightly put off by some of the hard stares by some people along the road in the small towns on the way to Negril.

The driver went directly to Miss Ruby's Tip-Top cottages in Red Ground since we had no idea where we wanted to go. We were a little dubious until we learned that a room was only going to cost us $2.00 per day. Back then, a dollar US was only worth $0.88 JA, but still, $2.00 was fine for a nice clean room with two beds.

It did not take long before a local guy asked us if we wanted to buy some ganga, which of course we did. He rummaged around in the bush for a while looking for something and eventually came up with a smoking device called a chalice. It was an empty coconut shell with a length of rubber hose with about an inch protruding stuck in top and another 12" length of the same hose stuck in about 45 degrees from the top. Into the short hose on top he stuck a limestone chillum, well packed with some local bud. A few hits of the chalice and the sale was made. After making the sale, the teenager gave the chalice a heave back in the bush, presumably so that the police would not find it.

I did not smoke, but Bobby did. Sharing squares with the locals was a great way to get to know them and it was not long before we were friends with Mrs. Ruby's son Eddie and a little guy known as Presidente. Presidente also appreciated a drink of rum now and then. We loved the beach, eating curried goat at the Wharf Club, and drinking rum and cokes at the Yacht Club. When there was water pressure, we took showers under cold water only in the public outdoor shower behind Tip-Top cottages.

The highlight of the entire stay was a party organize by Erica. Everyone staying at the Tip-top cottages kicked in some ganga and some money and did some work helping to make the ganga cake and get the ice, soft drinks, and rum ready. Erica got a little local band to play at the party, three musicians, a banjo player, a guitar player, and El Presidente on the bass or rhumba box. Of course all three also sang and there were volunteers using rattles, shakers, and percussion sticks.

The moon was full, the music was as intoxicating as the rum and ganga, and the girls were beautiful as they swayed and stepped to the beat.

After having such a great time on our first visit, we knew that we were going to be returning to Negril often.

That first trip I walked the entire length of the beach to the island and there was very little the beach back in the day. There was the Sands Beach Club with thatched huts and hammocks. Further on down, there was a guy who had a nice private house right on the beach. He also had a Jaguar and a Cabin Cruiser was often anchored a hundred yard or so off the shore from the house. The last place on the beach before I got to the island was the Sundowner Hotel. This was obviously a high dollar hotel that was way out of my budget.











Swimming out to the island, there was very little on it except a couple of old fish traps. With a mask, fins, and a snorkel, I saw beautiful coral reefs only a few feet from the surface. I also saw a couple of sea snakes and a very large barracuda that seemed interested, but not afraid, of me.

I saw indications that there was going to be some building done on the area near the island and eventually that is where they built Hedonism. There was not much going on toward the Cliffs when I was first visiting Negril. The Yacht Club was just about the limits of what there was down that road as far as I knew. It was a couple years later that Rick's Café became the in spot to catch the sunset.

Erica and Miss Ruby were always great to Bobby and I. I wonder if anyone on this board can tell me what happened to the people I knew back in the day?

What happened to El Presidente? I heard that Miss Ruby's son Eddy was pushed through a window during a scuffle and bled to death from a cut behind his knee.

What became of Erica? I know that she married a white American, Steve, and had a son with him, named Jason, if I recall correctly. Used to buy balloons in Miami and bring them to Jason to play with. Can anyone on the site tell me what happened to Steve and Jason?

In any case, I am glad that I found this forum and I am able to read that so many people are still enjoying visiting Jamaica and having vacations that they will remember more than forty years later with fondness.