A "Shiny" new Trip Report!

A sneak peek into the boring a$$ vacation of Big 7 and Julie

I've never had the desire to do one of these, mostly because our trips are pretty dull by most standards and also because I suck at writing, but with Groove and Flip both doing one, I want to see if we all end up at the same places. ;)

I'd like to start my first ever (and possibly only) trip report off with a bit of a....

DISCLAIMER***************
(cue the TV announcer voice)
Do you like reading reports about amazing places to go and see when you are in Jamaica? How about hearing stories of people eating fantastic meals in one of Negrils fancy restaurants? Or maybe reading about other folks that like to go out for crazy late-night debauchery is more to your liking? Well.....if that's the case.......you might want to skip this one. ;)
*********************************

However......if you can handle hearing about 2 people that really just go on vacation to RELAX and have fun, make a few new memories, and meet some very cool people that we now call friends........then stick around and we will see where this thing goes.

Now then, it seems to me that some people like to start out their first trip reports by telling you a little bit about themselves. (which is fine) I would just as soon avoid that this time and try to sprinkle some of that stuff in throughout the tale. Like this...

This trip started out like most others with the whole no sleep, way too long of a drive, stand around, sit around, and wait around thing. I know some people don't mind it, but I personally hate the whole airport/flying experience. Of course it doesn't help that I am a rather large man and I don't really do too well with the small seats, no legroom, huge crowds, germs, strangers being real close to me, babies crying, elevations above 20', etc. etc. You get the point.

After reading all the posts about Club MoBay I did a little research into it and decided it wasn't for us. We have had pretty good luck with the lines and such for the last several trips and this one was no different. We always try to come (and go) midweek and that seems to be doing the trick for us. We had about a 10 minute line at immigrations and the customs lines were even shorter. We did a quick price check of our favorite brands at the duty free shop for future reference and away we went.

Attachment 36668

Sweet!!! Looks like we are through in near record time again. Don't you just love that feeling when you walk through the double doors out into the pick-up area? The hotness and humidity that almost takes away your breath after sitting in the AC of the plane for however long. Believe me, after this last winter it was a welcome feeling to experience that heat once again!

So we find our driver and......he has a little surprise for us this trip.

Carry on...

Yay! Love it - is it LEGAL to take pictures in the Immigration area??? LOL

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mmtripoli@earthlink.net

Yay! Love it - is it LEGAL to take pictures in the Immigration area??? LOL

---

Nope, I wouldn't do it in the US especially. I hope Big Shiny doesn't break any more laws while in a Jamaica. On with the show!!!!

You most certainly know how to write! Can't wait for you to continue!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mmtripoli@earthlink.net

Yay! Love it - is it LEGAL to take pictures in the Immigration area??? LOL

---

You should've got a picture of the sign that says no pictures lol

I think your writing is pretty great, your sense of humor comes through very well. Looking forward to reading more.

I can't wait to read this one :) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is gonna be good.....

maybe next time we can try a combo trip report, all of our crap in one thread....lol

Ya Mon!

You are off to a GREAT START. Lol

Ready for more:p

Saddle up and ride!

Good start ,, I am reliving my trip through you groove and Flip.

Can't wait for the rest!

Nice start, don't stop, we are hanging on every word.
That guy in the black shirt spun around and pressed his camera timer, then nonchalantly spun back like nothing happened. "Wasn't me!" Shiny.

Thanks for the positive feedback so far folks! It helps more than you know!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bjritz

Nice start, don't stop, we are hanging on every word.
That guy in the black shirt spun around and pressed his camera timer, then nonchalantly spun back like nothing happened. "Wasn't me!" Shiny.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mmtripoli@earthlink.net

Yay! Love it - is it LEGAL to take pictures in the Immigration area??? LOL

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 2nutz4travel

You should've got a picture of the sign that says no pictures lol

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dash

Nope, I wouldn't do it in the US especially. I hope Big Shiny doesn't break any more laws while in a Jamaica. On with the show!!!!

---

Yes, Julie already yelled at me for doing that. But I just couldn't resist. I was pretty carful about it though. I don't think anyone noticed......untill I post it on the internet anyway. :rolleyes:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jojo p

I can't wait to read this one !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

---

You SURE about that? Hehe!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by groove16

maybe next time we can try a combo trip report, all of our crap in one thread....lol

---

It would be an honor sir! Your reports are the bomb! (you would have to do the pics though) :D


Anyway......I suppose I got time for another little installment, but don't expect this every day like those other guys. :p



And The Adventure Continues:

*******************
Disclaimer #2.....I guess what I meant by "I suck at writing" was that I can't actually type, (2 fingered pecker) and that I have the computer skills of a 5 year old. In fact, I've only just recently learned the difference between your and you're. (jk) So, please bare with me if the posts are too slow and full of errors. Thanks!
*******************

So, this trip we decided to take the mountain way into Negril from the airport. The Anchovy road I believe it's called by the locals. We don't go that way very often but we had a couple of stops along the way that we wanted to make so.....off we go right? Not so fast.

Our driver greets us in the usual hugs and fist bumps manner. It's always great to see our good friend Sparrow smiling at us when we walk outside the doors. He has become a true friend over the years and.....even though we "pay" him for his service, I think he feels the same way we do. He is definitely one of the good ones!

Well, this time he has a strange look on his face and he keeps looking towards the bar area. I ask him wa gwan? He looks strangely at me for a second and says, I think you might have one more person coming along with you if that's ok? I say well.....ok, sure, whatever you got going on, thinking it's probably a relative or maybe some girl he likes.

It turns out that before he left Negril to come and get us, a gal who was staying at our usual resort had asked him if she could ride along with him to the airport. Since this isn't really very customary, he explains to her that the vehicle will be full and he doesn't think that there will be enough room to bring her back. So she says, "that's ok, you can just leave me at the airport then". WHAT???

Turns out the whole thing worked out fine and we ended up having a great commute. There is a bit more to that story however and I will share it when the time comes. That's another thing we love about our trips to the island......nothing we do there is really ever the same. For any first timers reading this, one thing I always tell newbies is......Expect the unexpected!

We stopped at Border Jerk on the way and really enjoyed it. The jerk chicken was cooked to perfection and the cow skin soup was excellent.

Attachment 36757

Attachment 36758

Brother G getting himself some jerk. Man it was Goooooooood!
Attachment 36759

Up next......Mass confusion at the bar.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BIG SHINY n Mango

Disclaimer #2.....I guess what I meant by "I suck at writing" was that I can't actually type, (2 fingered pecker) and that I have the computer skills of a 5 year old. In fact, I've only just recently learned the difference between your and you're. (jk) So, please bare with me if the posts are too slow and full of errors. Thanks!

---

This report is great and fun to play with: "I guess what I meant by "I suck...2 fingered pecker" - guess you had to be there!
Border Jerk sounds so good, have to go next time. Skin soup? Wah?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bjritz

This report is great and fun to play with: "I guess what I meant by "I suck...2 fingered pecker" - guess you had to be there!
Border Jerk sounds so good, have to go next time. Skin soup? Wah?

---

Cow skin soup is a Caribbean thing in general, not exclusive of Jamaica. It's exactly as it sounds, I'm not a fan.

Great start Big Shinny...and yes, Sparrow is more like family than just a driver. Looking forward to more of the story....

Awesome report!.. Waiting patiently!

Well I think you're doing great and can't wait for more. Thanks BigShiny :)

This is great. Keep going. Cow Skin Soup!!!!! Never heard of it nor will I ever try it.

TAP,,,,,,,,TAP,,,,,,,,,Tap<<<<going to get some popcorn for the bar part.

Thanks everyone! The positive vibrations are what keeps me "pecking" away at this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Roy Mon !

Good start ,, I am reliving my trip through you groove and Flip.

---

Yes Roy, I was going to try to catch up to those guys but I don't think that's gonna happen. They must have desk jobs because they post like....3 times a day :) (your part in this play is coming up though)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by indybob

Great start Big Shinny...and yes, Sparrow is more like family than just a driver. Looking forward to more of the story....

---

WOW!!! Did I drag indybob away from the track long enough to get a reply on here? Awesome! For those that don't know, Bob and Cindy are our usual neighbors at CW and were actually the ones who told us about this board. (with help from some longtime lurkers Russ and Subrina, hope you guys are well!) We really missed them this trip. Good to see you on here Robert! (a reply from R+S would really blow my mind)



Lost In Translation:


So, before we left Border Jerk we wanted to grab a couple of cold drinks from the bar and that transaction went a little something like this:

Us: Can we get a couple of drinks for the road?

Barkeep: Sure....we have beer or soda.

Us: What? You don't make mixed drinks? (we could see a couple of bottles behind the bar, in particular, vodka)

Barkeep: No, we don't sell mixed drinks.

Us: Why do you have booze behind the bar then?

Barkeep: Well, because we sell shots.

Us: Wait.....you sell shots but you don't sell mixed drinks?

BK: Yes mon!

Us: So let me see if I got this, we can buy juice and a shot of vodka?

BK: Yes mon!

Us: And you can give us a glass of ice cubes with that?

BK: Sure I can.

Me: Well then, I hate to tell you this but......if that's the case, you DO sell mixed drinks!

BK: No mon! We no sell mix jink! (at this point I have her thoroughly confused and I decide to just let it go)

Me: Ok then, we will take a bottle of OJ, 4 shots of vodka, and 2 plastic cups of ice cubes please. I said thank you very much and slapped down a fat tip for the trouble. We got smiles from all around the bar as we mixed our own drinks and then, off we go with our mixed drinks that they apparently don't sell. :)

Have I mentioned how much I love Jamaica?!?



I forgot one.....anyone else have a permanent "going to Jamaica" pile in their house somewhere?
Attachment 36889


So we made our way through the inland route and enjoyed the ride very much. It is definitely a nice change of views and if I would have been thinking instead of drinking I would have had my camera out and snapped a few "shots". Oh well, not remembering to take photos will be a common reoccurrence during this report.

If you go to Negril a lot and have never taken the inland route, give it a try sometime. It doesn't take that much longer (20 minutes or so) and the change of scenery will be a nice treat for you. We made a stop in Sav and hit Lucky Tree Pastry for a snack. Then before you know it we are approaching the Westend.

We were pretty excited to be staying somewhere different for a few days this trip and the cliffs didn't disappoint.

Next up........We "take off" for the cliffs!

Sorry, I'm still trying to figure out how to post these in the correct order.
The princess at the Border bar

Ah, yes the "going to Jamaica" pile ~ it's a little different than the "going to Crivitz" pile ~~ but, we have one!!!

Looking forward to more of your report ~~

Crivitz pile?
I just laughed so hard I almost spit my beer out!


Oh, and I did just find 1 pic on the way in so here it is.
I think I liked the lichen growing on the current lines.
Attachment 36890

Yes. Desk job here. Good start

"WOW!!! Did I drag indybob away from the track long enough to get a reply on here? Awesome! For those that don't know, Bob and Cindy are our usual neighbors at CW and were actually the ones who told us about this board. (with help from some longtime lurkers Russ and Subrina, hope you guys are well!) We really missed them this trip. Good to see you on here Robert! (a reply from R+S would really blow my mind)"

small world, and Cindy is Tizzy's Mom

I found a few more pics from the last time we took the inland route back to MoBay.

Attachment 36894

Attachment 36895

Attachment 36896

Attachment 36897

Attachment 36898

Attachment 36899

Attachment 36900

As you can see we were driving so they are of no real significance but you can see a lot of the mountain views and the winding roads.

Loving your report, great scenery pictures :cool:

May have to try the inland road next year.
And yes we have a permanent pile of stuff we take every year, put in the basement till next year

Great job!!! Loving the trip report and the pics... keep em coming :)

Off to the Cliffs.....

You WILL Be Assimilated:

This trip we decided to try something different. We have been to many of the places up in the cliffs before, but we had never stayed at any of them......until now. With the help of another awesome boardie on here, (Thanks again for the advice and all the feedback Melody!!!) we pulled the trigger on a three night stop at Le Mirage before heading to the beach.

Mirage was great! It's a really nice place that's situated right on the water. It was pretty quiet when we were there. (except for a deranged wild jungle dingo that barked insanely for about 2 hours one night. I understand that's not really the hotels fault however) There were only 2 other couples there when we arrived and another came in the day before we left so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. All the other guests were very nice and we were glad to have met them. In fact, the couple in the room above us were Bears fans......and they were even pretty cool. ;) We did meet a cool couple from England the day we left and said we would see them around town but we never did so....Nicko.....if your reading this.....PM me man! lol

I should probably say that every person staying there told us NOT to tell anyone about the place so it wouldn't become too popular but, if I can get them a few more guests so they can better their business, why wouldn't I? Sorry everyone.....the secret is out!

Some shots of the view from our balcony.
Attachment 36905

Attachment 36906

No problems with the hot wata here!
Attachment 36907

A look at the property from down by the cliffs.
Attachment 36908

Attachment 36911

How's this for nice sunset? What a spectacular view of the sea. The infinity pool was incredible too.
Attachment 36909

So we checked in, met the hotelier Nadine (who is a sweetheart), Mr. Bobby grabbed our bags and off we go to the room. Two minutes later we step out onto the balcony to check the amazing view and BAM!!! Mental alarms start sounding in our heads. RRRRR! RRRRR! RRRRR! Naked Guy Alert!!! Naked Guy Alert!!!

Yes......that's right.....we found out after we got there that Mirage is a "clothing optional" hotel. (all you folks who are bummed about Firefly should check this place out) Not really a big deal for us, we are not prudes by ANY stretch of the imagination but it was a bit awkward for the first few seconds.....we just ended up having a good laugh about it after that.

We checked out the grounds and walked down by the water to absorb some of the Na-trall medicine that Jamaica seems to provide for us mentally. Does anyone else on here feel better, I mean actually Feel......Better when you're on the island? I know that I sure do.....and I ain't talkin about the brownies. (yet) :)

Next up.....first night follies.

you're welcome, enjoying your report!
Attachment 36914

Haha! That view looks familiar.
I wonder why?
Thanks again!

we were sitting at the bar next to firefly, sun beach, i think, a few trips back...did not know anything about firefly...wife got a full view of naked old guy as he was getting up from his lounger...i didnt see the guy, but her face was priceless...lol....

Go West Middle Aged Man:

We decide to take it easy on our first night as we are sure tomorrow will be an eventful day. (Boardie Bash) We take a little walk up to Fire Water to have a beer or six where we will meet up with a local friend of ours. Fire Water is a cool little bar that overlooks the sea and is a fantastic place to see the sunset. Here is something I've always wondered....Why do we say the sun is "setting" when it's actually staying in the same place and we are just rotating away from it?

So we take a little trek up the road and let me say, you guys on here weren't kidding when you said to be careful walking the West end. Woah!!! Its not all bad, but there sure are a few rough spots. We saw a few other people that weren't having a very good time with it and one lady actually turned her ankle and fell down right in front of us one day when we were sitting at AhhBees. Luckily she was ok. You definitely need to pay attention where you are stepping up there. (not so much on the beach) :)

When we got to Fire Water it was dead. One white dude washing glasses behind the bar who I erroneously assumed was the owner for the first hour or so, and two local guys selling herb/bracelets/artwork etc. So we sat there chatting with them and getting primed for the next ten days in paradise. We were actually sorta glad that it was gonna be a quiet evening and then..........up pulls the One Love Bus!

We actually burst out laughing and start high-fiving because we know it's gonna be a BIG party now. Well, we could not have been more wrong. There were about 12 people on the crawl and I could almost compare the vibe I got from them to going to a strangers funeral. Most of them just sat two to a table and talked quietly. There were a few people drinking and having fun but it was a small percentage. We chatted with them for a while but eventually we just sat and BS'd with Lenbert. He said that every once in a while he gets a group that just doesn't "get into" the tour for whatever reasons and this was one of them. Oh well. A few of them were having fun at least.

We asked what nights we could get in with him and he pulls out this ratty old crumpled up spiral notebook from under his seat that looked like it went through a car wash. We gave him crap for keeping his records for such a vastly popular and successful business in something like that. He just looked confused about that and laughed at us like it was no big deal.

Did I ever mention that I really like most Jamaicans a lot?

Nice notebook!
Attachment 37006

Lenbert, us, and the bus.
Attachment 37007

Attachment 37008

View from Fire Water
Attachment 37009

We have NEVER had a quiet pub crawl yet !!! I will not let that happen lol.