TRAIL OF ASHES TOUR: The adventure continues as Gerry G returns to Negril

Really a nice vibe at the Seastar Inn this week. I ran into countless familiar faces and met lots of boardies including Mo From Monroe, who was really nice. Often there was Percy hangin' about, he usually drives Tattoo Charlie around but he's usually available to drive anyone. Chris was always doing nice things like buying a round of drinks for everyone -- try that on seven-mile beach, good luck, lol.

I decided to rent a room at Seasplash today because I had heard so many good things about Jim Hurt, plus there were some boardies staying there and also two doors down at Country Country (Booger and Crew). Jim was in a great mood when I met him, and we talked a bit about how things were going and some of the promotions he is running in the future that hopefully will be great for the hotel. He gave me great rate and a fantastic room, No. 5 right near the beach! It had a king bed and AC and nice trimmings and details. I really liked it.

I had a nice meal, some jerk chicken, then Famous Vincent picked me up and we went spearfishing and snorkeling. Suzie Q came along, too, and we saw lots of fish. I speared a moray eel, a flounder (cheeky fish got away) and one little fish. The moray was NOT happy, and trying to bite me like crazy even though it had a spear in it, and Roger suggested maybe not to mess with them cause they're teeth are like razors.

I brought all the fish to Bentley so he could cook them for himself and his extended family -- there are a few kids and cousins that he supports, too -- and I generally wanted to take it easy because I knew the THE JUNGLE was coming up tonight.

Thanks for bringing us on vacay with ya. Can't wait to check in at Seasplash!! Soon come....

Gerry-it was a pleasure meeting you and Suzie Q too. She's a great girl. Wish I could have spent more time with you guys. Would have loved to go to Bentley's with you but couldn't do it since Seastar had picked us up for dinner that night. That just would not have been right. Believe me Seastar did not disappoint. We had a great meal. Came back for the Saturday night show but did not see you there. It was also a pleasure meeting Tattoo Charlie and hanging on the beach all week with Rasta Stan & Betty and also Island Bouy & Rita. Had a brief meet up with Clarity and Hubbyman too. Sorry I didn't get to meet more boardies but there is always next time. I shy'd out of all the boardie meet ups. You think you are shy Clarity? Gerryg123 is a great guy!!!! (and he told me it was ok to say it) Ha

Love the video. Your reports are so much fun. You know you have that announcer voice right?

I took a leisurely nap at Seasplash. i woke up a bit past midnight, perfect time to hit THE JUNGLE on Thursday nights (ladies in free, and where there's girls there's boys).

Suzie Q was at Seastar Inn, and we had planned to meet at Jungle, but she was not around. In fact, there was not a single boardie and just one fellow Seastar Inn guest in the whole crowd upstairs where I like to hang. On past visits it's been much more comfortable with a posse with folks like Brasi, Shayne, Chris from Seastar, et al. Now, it's just me being circled by the usual party girls, one of whom kind of invaded my personal space and maybe I was oversensitive after being pick pocketing last reach but I would have sworn her hands were feeling for my pockets, and I was having NONE OF IT tonight.

I drank the obligatory two rum punches and headed out.

Outside was even more pressure. I couldn't keep the hagglers off, but I was hungry and had not visited a single jerk stand yet, so I agreed to buy a plate from this one particular vendor on the condition he protect me by fending off the higglers. He said OK, and the chicken was really good, but every couple of minutes or so, there was another vendor trying to hit me up for something -- it's rough out their for single American guys on Thursday nights at the Jungle.

I was a good boy. I went home to Seastar Inn (had two hotels at this point). Ten bucks there, ten bucks back, five to get from Seasplash to the club -- I thought about it for a moment and realized I could never vacation in Negril in the style to which I am accustomed if I did not have a Scooter. Motoring along is a big part of my lifestyle.

Here's some pics:

1, Tattoo Charlie -- the guy just has a presence when he walks into a room

2, Ricks Cafe -- Nice server as sundown approaches

3, Here's a nice lady I met who works at Bentley's (did not jot down her name but she said she wants to be in report)

4, Early morning at Seastar Inn. I am up every morning at 630 a.m. or so to do some work for back home to get it out of the way for the day

5, Negril seven-mile -- best beach ever

Miss You Here Gerry. Hurry back. Miss our great conversations/interviews.. One day I will write a book but not for now so please hurry back so we can add additional chapters. Your good friend.

Chris

Very cool... Seems like a good A&R person could make some awesome discoveries in Jamaica. I was always surprised that some of the mainstream talent like Tessanne Chin, Cherine Anderson, Colin Levy and Taurus Riley have not broken big in the U.S. I've heard resort karaoke singers, nobody knows that would rival the Star Search talent...If your part of the record biz leans toward A&R or someone likes your vibe enough, you might just be able to disappear into Jamaica and get paid for it. I of course would gladly be your assistant! All it takes is one person to see your vision! Beautiful report...Live long and prosper!

loving it gerry -- making me miss negril - lol

I had good dreams Thursday night.

I dreamed of the ocean, of snorkeling through the coral reefs and that little popping sound you hear as the fish nibble at the coral.

I dreamed of riding through the hills in my scooter, of eating Jerk chicken, of laughing away the hours with friends while relaxing on bar stools at DeBars and Seastar and Catcha Falling Star, of being mesmerized by Seastar Chris' life story that combines taking risks and working your butt off to succeed in grand fashion, of sitting late at night in Room 7 with Tattoo Charlie talking into the morning about our lives and dreams and our successes and foibles, of eating peanut butter n chocolate cheesecake like it was the last morsel of food on Earth, of sexy girls, of floating on my raft while Popcaan's "The Only Man She Wants" reverberates over and over and over.

Yes, this is really turning into a special trip. Whenever you celebrate life's pleasures, you can't help but look back at what has brought you to where you are today. No, I am not a millionaire. But I've worked hard enough for enough years to give my two daughters, 8 and 6, anything they want, and to be able to go to Negril as many times as I want -- and oh what a special place Jamaica has in my heart.

Jamaica is where I go to HEAL. It's wear I go to reflect, to feel better, to bite into a big lobster tail and let the butter drip onto my bare chest (except when out of season, of course). God how I love talking to fellow tourists in Negril about where they're from, what they're name is, and how much we share a love for this little vacation town that takes 16 hours to get to from Los Angeles, door to door.

It's Friday, and today is the boardie party. I can't wait.

16 hours door to door...that is dedication

Although since there is nothing direct from boston I leave Tuesday at 6:30am 3 hour layover in atlanta leave there at 12:15pm arrive mobay at 2:25pm 2 hours to blue cave castle after a couple of stops so 10 hours from Boston. Used to be 5 hours with free red stripe on air Jamaica. But no more.

Thanks Gerry. Your tales have filled the tedious time between booking and going. Again thanks.

Here are some more pics (top to bottom):

1, Ricks cafe, who is ready to jump?

2, Chillin' with Jodie

3, Boardies Jon n Tizzy (great folks)

4, Brasi from New York, a true gentleman

gerryg,THANKS for the report!!!!!!!!

Here's another typical gerry g YA MON video of Seasplash resort:

http://youtu.be/ofVPMI7qUKw

Can't wait to take a dip in the jacuzzi again!!

hahah Gerry G lovin' your on site videos! Negril Tourism should hire you to promote their hotels! Keep em coming!

I woke up early on Friday ready to embrace a day that included two complimentary breakfasts at my two hotels, first at Seastar Inn, then at Seasplash, where I sat with owner Jim Hurt and enjoyed Fish Escovitch -- so spicy that tears were streaming down my cheeks but oh so good.

The big news at Seastar Inn was Tawnee had showed up, a long-time boardie and Seastar affection-ado with whom I had spent a lot of time with on my last reach. She's a really nice lady with a great enthusiasm for Negril, and tomorrow is going to be her Birthday!

Clarity and Hubby-man were at Seasplash, too -- "Clarity, you have FIVE things on your plate" -- and I also bumped into Mo from Monroe.

In an incredible coincidence that truly shows how small the world is, Jim (from Chicago) happens to be good friends with my friend Joe from Los Angeles -- my best friend growing up! What are the odds????

After my usual swim and snorkel with Famous Vincent, I headed up to Bentley's around lunch time because he had some left-over food he was holding for me -- even gerryg123 can't always finish his plate there!

Just as the boardie party was about to start, I was cruising on my scooter near the Corner Bar (just when you make the turn to go up the hill), and whom do I see but the great New Yorker Brasi, who was sitting on a picnic table near the shore and kind of taking it all in. We had not bumped into one another for about three days, so it was nice to see him. Shayne was there, too, and we soon followed one another up the road to Canoe for the big party.

At the party, it was fun. A band was playing, the place was rockin', and I met a lot of boardies like Spottycatz and hubby, Sweetness and others. I spent most of the time towards the back watching the band and chillin' with Tattoo Charlie, and together we ate french fries and other stuff. It was nice.

Love your Trip Reports Gerry. Love that picture of you and Jodie too, she looks beautiful. Glad we crossed paths, I'm quite sure it wont be the last time....looking forward to the next!

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

floating on my raft while Popcaan's "The Only Man She Wants" reverberates over and over and over.

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I meant to tell you Gerry....That song was reverberating in my car this a.m....made me run over some stonework orwhathaveyou that some wise guy put there for no good reason....and totally blew my tire. But you knwo what, there was a service station right across the street and I'm still in a great mood. lol I love that song.

LOL-My kids know that song word for word.Before mi boys baseball game i play Popcaan's "Clean-up"

Tizzy.....you make me smile girl! You are one of the only people I know who can tell a story about a bad circumstance with a smile and a laugh! :)

Awe Girrrrl...you know me, I cant be sweating that small stuff. ;)

Nice one, Vince my kids love that one too...

Back to real time, I found a crumbled 500j bill in the dryer this morning, lol .... I guess it's my official souvenir. .....

I found a $100J in my back pocket of shorts that I haven't worn since last summer. :) Along with a business card of a taximan. All freshly washed and crisp :)
Awesome report Gerry! Thanks for sharing!

Later I went to Ricks, as I often do at Sunset (it's right up the road from Seastar Inn), and all of sudden I hear: "Hey, Gerry G!"

It was Devon, a cabbie who used to hang out in front of RIU Club. He took me to the airport a few years back, and as we approached Sangster that day, he says, "Hey, are you missing something?" and pulls out my wallet -- I had absent-mindedly left it behind on the counter of a convenience story halfway back. There were hundreds of dollars inside, and at the time Devon REFUSED to take a big tip for covering my back.

That's how nice a guy he is and how honest he is. We laughed and talked for a bit, and it was so nice to see him again just to thank him one more time because, my gosh, I had met so many hustlers in the interim, and the man kind of restored my faith in humanity.

This time, I slipped him $20. When he started to protest, I said don't be silly, it's for your kids, and he said OK. Best $20 I spent all vacation.

Here are some more pics (top to bottom):

1, Hangin at Ricks with Devon, a VERY honest cabbie

2, Here's the great bartender Natasha from Seasplash (she wants to be in report)

3, Here's the comforting security guard from Seasplash, Dave (he wants to be in report)

4, The band plays great reggae at boardie party

Here's a little video of Blue Cave Castle:

http://youtu.be/rKUMr92LLFM

LOL, You are awesome. Please submit to the Travel Channel, you are sure to be a HIT!!!!! GerryG- 1--2---3

I second that! Gerry G, love love love your on site reports! You videos make me smile, especially when you end with your trademark, "yaaa mon!"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Juli

LOL, You are awesome. Please submit to the Travel Channel, you are sure to be a HIT!!!!! GerryG- 1--2---3

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As the evening moved on, I went to hang out with my friend Keith and another expat, Tim, a really nice guy who is a former stand-up comic (funny guy!) who has been living on and off in Negril for about 20 years.

We played dominos with Jodie (she is really good and loves winning!) at Banton's for a bit. I made arrangements to meet her later, and in the interim I had arranged for a nice batch of fish soup at Bentley's -- I was experimenting with different dishes, and at this point one more crab cake would have seen me spouting claws -- and it was nice. I figured it was going to be my last meal at Bentley's cause I was leaving in a couple of days, and both of us really enjoyed it.

I hooked up with Jodie later, and we went to Travellers for karaoke. Keep in mind, I am NOT a singer by any stretch. But Jodie is actually quite good, though MUCH TOO SHY to actually get up and sing, even though there were only about 10 peeps there, several making a fool of themselves which is exactly what I wanted US to do, lol. Frustratingly, Jodie would sing into my ear when the others were up there, and she sounded good, but no amount of persuading would get her up there!

Heavily motivated by Rasta Stan's great performance at Seastar Inn on the the Saturday before, I tried "Stand By Me," and it was BAD, but honestly I did have fun. When the chorus would roll around, I would try to get everyone to join in: "Come on everyone, won't you staaaaaaaand by me!" .... Silence. LOL.

We did not stay out too late. I knew tomorrow would be my last night, and I didn't want to miss precious moments of my vacation sleeping during daylight hours the next morning. I am almost OCD about it -- I do NOT like to waste time on vacation even more so than I don't like to waste time at home because being in Negril costs money, so I feel like I am missing something!

I can relax when I get back. My Negril trips are about fun and adventure, not much sitting by the pool working on my tan!

Here are some pics (top to bottom):

1, the rock pool and ocean at Westender Inn

2, Hangin' with Rambo, the great security guard for Seastar Inn

3, At Banton's playing dominoes with Tim and Jodie

4, Here is me and reggae superstar Luciano (I am the one on the right!)

5, Nice blended fruit drink at Catcha Falling Star

What a trip you had. The little pool at Westender looks inviting, and so does the fruit drink!

Great pic w/you and Luciano... I enjoyed that concert from here in SC thanks to Rob & Lisa!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

4, Here is me and reggae superstar Luciano (I am the one on the right!)

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Thank you Gerry for sorting that out for us lol

Saturday morning. Last full day in Negril. I had some leftover pasta for breakfast at Seastar Inn, and this kind of set the tone of the day. I cruised down the hill, stopping in front of Legends to say hello to my cabbie friend, Shayne, whom I've known for years and always drives me and Brasi around. He was hoping to strike a deal to take me and Braz to the airport tomorrow, since by coincidence both of us are leaving the same day, and I said it was OK if it can work out, but as things would turn out, we would go with Clives.

I went by Elvis scooters and hit him with another $20 for one more day 'cause I had paid for 10 days and this was the 11th day. I had my floatie raft at Seasplash, so I made my way there, as that had become my "beach" home. Vincent came at 1030 a.m., as usual, and we went snorkeling and spearfishing.

All week, Vincent's snorkel assistant, Roger, was hoping to make a deal to keep my spear gun. He loved it, and he only had one other gun. As we made our way back to the shore in front of Seasplash, I asked if he still wanted it. He said yes but did not have any extra money, he said, so I said WTF and just gave him the spear gun -- on the vague condition he and Vincent take me snorkeling for free a couple of times next reach, and Vincent readily agreed.

The spear gun was about 100 bucks in USA, but they cost a lot more in Negril. When I suggested to Roger that if he has Net access, an email and a credit card, he can buy one from amazon or eBay and have it shipped to Jamaica, he just looked at me like I was from outer space, lol.

Back at Seasplash, I hung a bit at the bar with Natasha, a really good server who has been there a long time through all the different owners. She says she really likes Jim Hurt -- "the best hotel owner in Negril!" she says -- and she is always in a good mood and smiling, and that makes it a great experience to sit at the oceanfront bar and enjoy some fruity drinks.

Back at Seastar Inn, I hung at the pool with Tawnee and some of the other Seastar yardies. I called one of the Jerk chicken guys who runs a little restaurant on the Cliffs and said, "Hey, can I order a plate to be picked up at 3 p.m.?" He says ya, so I say, "Please, not too spicy, bbq style," and he says all good.

It was about 115 p.m., so I had almost two hours before the chicken would be ready, I figured. I hung with Charlie for a bit, then motored down the hill. I had a bunch of little things to take care of, including buying my two girls a nice stack of Jamaica dresses so they would not be quite so mad at me for going to Negril without them! Charlie suggested the Indian store near the roundabout. On the way down, I bumped into the chicken guy, said, "Hey, don't forget my chicken, I will be back in 45 minutes -- bbq style!"

Ya mon. He had yet to move a muscle, lol.

After some intense negotiation, i bought six dresses for 72 dollars USD. It was 3 p.m. on the dot when I arrived for my chicken, but, alas, he just began to cook it once he saw me again. I was like WTF and said I did not want to wait long and that was why I made special arrangements for 3 p.m., so he said OK it will be ready soon come, like 15 or 30 minutes.

Meantime, I said OK, went to Home Sweet Home, where I had never been, to have a quick drink, chill on the hammock, prepare myself mentally and physically and spiritually for my chicken lunch. At Home Sweet Home, I met the chef and one of the managers, Marcea (she wants to be in report), and I was thoroughly impressed with the property, which lives up to its name. You really do feel like you're in your own backyard there. I want to come back there one day, for sure!

So, finally, I pick up my lunch. Spicy as all heck, Jerk style and not BBQ, so I could only laugh after all this. I had a few bites, paid the bill, took the rest home in my little compartment in my scooter. Just as I was pulling away, I thought to myself that I had never been to Chicken Lavish, and I know they have BBQ style, so I figured what's wrong with one more plate? I went to Chicken Lavish, where I bumped into the server Natisha (wants to be in report), who I had known from Seastar Inn because she is tight with Knoxley, the great keyboard player in the band (Negril is a small town, after a while you're always bumpin' into someone you know).

Knoxley, btw, is a rare find, a top musician with a real job who not only works at Seastar Inn but also plays at Alfreds and Ricks, so he has a good gig going. Chicken Lavish was great. I decadently poured a half cup of BBQ sauce on my chicken and loved it.

Back at Seastar Inn, Charlie was still hangin' about. He was supposed to meet me at the first chicken place, but I guess when I jumped away to Home Sweet Home, I missed him.

Suzie Q and I went to Bantons to meet Jodie. Then we all went to Catcha and hung out with Gugiray and Sweetie Pie, and I bumped into Clarity and Marcus just as I was leaving to ready myself for the big show at Seastar Inn. I gave Jodie all my shampoos and soaps and pens and reading glasses and snacks and other stuff because I was leaving tomorrow, and she wanted to go home and freshen up before returning later.

Sad day Gerry, our last meet up at Ivan's. I have a horribly taken yet nearly perfect portrait of you at the bar there. ("You've got your finger over the lense fool!") I'll post it if you're good with it... Your resurrection skills were impressive. Really glad you got a chance to drop in at Home Sweet Home and agree with the feeling of a yard. And Chicken Lavish! Shoulda gone with the Lavish all along! :) You are a mighty whirlwind Big California! In comes Gerry, flash goes Gerry, out goes Gerry to the next flashpoint! You weave through my tale daily I believe. Thanks for everything, truly memorable!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guirigay

I have a horribly taken yet nearly perfect portrait of you at the bar there. ("You've got your finger over the lense fool!") I'll post it if you're good with it ...

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No prob, my friend, but can you do a photoshop fix to eliminate my double chin???? ha ha

So here they are, No photoshopping necessary, I bid adieu to the Mighty Californian....

Attachment 14326Attachment 14327

Here are some pics (top to bottom):

1, Hangin' with Shayne

2, Seastar driver Henry, always in a good mood

3, Tattoo Charlie and Suzie Q

4, Sweetie Pie and Gurigay at Catcha

5, Blue Cave Castle, very unique hotel

Thank you for that pic Gerry, Wow!