HAHAHAHAHA, that's is SO funny, that video had me roflmao.....I can see that look on Markus' face. (Glad he's feeling better btw)Quote:
Originally Posted by Clarity
Looooving ya'lls report!!!
HAHAHAHAHA, that's is SO funny, that video had me roflmao.....I can see that look on Markus' face. (Glad he's feeling better btw)Quote:
Originally Posted by Clarity
Looooving ya'lls report!!!
Thanks SG, Angel, Gerry, Shauna!
Alisa & Rastagal –Bigga’s is definitely worth a stop on the way to Negril, especially if you enjoy spicy! Now that I have the “ketchup trick” down to a science, I know we’ll be stopping there again on our next reach.
PGW – Yes, The cottages directly on the beach are the best, aren’t they? I think I’ve been a little spoiled by this experience…
Tizzy – lol –Yeah, We were both pretty whacked out when we arrived at the hotel, After such a long red eye flight - any rational person would have gone straight to bed (for a nap at least)…but we were all way too excited.
Ralonzo –Of course, I’ve searched high and low for good Jerk chicken in SF! Sadly there is only one good Caribbean restaurant located in SOMA and only open for lunch. I haven’t been there yet because it’s too far away from where I work. There are some Jerk chicken places I’ve heard about located in Oakland and Berkeley. I wish there were more…
Maybe I should learn to MAKE jerk chicken myself – invest in one of those barrel cookers and keep it on the fire escape. ;)
Do you have good Jerk Chicken options in Florida?
NOLAnmr – I loved those pictures you’ve shared! Your wedding looked so beautiful, you both look so happy too! I really enjoyed our stay at the Coco La Palm, It’s the best stretch of beach on the strip and I loved their happy hour special. It was fun to read your trip report, especially since you also experienced the honeymoon suite at CCLP. It’s amazing isn’t it? You know it’s funny, on the trip I also had an experience with fighting Jetski drivers… except that me, Markus and Jamar were kinda trapped helplessly in the middle of it. ack! I’ll be writing about that later.
It was also interesting to read about your experience at Hedo II – I’ve always been curious about this infamous hotel. It sounds like you can have a pretty chill time there after all. I’m also interested in Sea Grape Villas! You mentioned you have a trip to Xtabi coming up. Where are you leaving? Look forward to reading about your experiences there!
Glad you enjoyed our last trip report (Can’t believe you read it all in one night – It’s like the “War and Peace” of trip reports. Lol – we got a little carried away) We had so much fun writing it. Markus and I would make dirty Bananas and listen to Reggae while we typed it together. It was fun reading each other’s impressions of the people we encountered and places we went.
This trip report is harder… now we’re far apart from eachother…in two different countries with two different time zones.
I'm really missing him
There should be a new TR update from Markus tonight. :)
Love your report Clarity! I am always so happy when I log on and you have written more. Jamar's report is nice too!
Shauna, have you found any good JA restaurants in the Clearwater area? I'm heading down in two weeks to visit my son and would like to go to one. He found one a long time ago in St. Pete but I don't know if it is still there.
Bonnie, there used to be a really great one in St Pete, but it is long gone. There are probably a couple there now though since there does seem to be a Caribbean presence in St pete.....Marko might know more since he lives in St pete.......there are none at all in Clearwater sadly. We had one but it closed rather quickly.
The Jerk Hut is in Tampa, several locations and they are really good, probably the closest to authentic that we have around here, and they have a full menu, patties, coco bread, oxtail, curry goat, jerk chicken, they even have peppered shrimp. I highly recommend them.
There is a more big name restaurant very close to our house though in Clearwater which has a caribbean flare, sort of like a Bahama Breeze, and they are actually really good! We love eating (and drinking) there LOL. It is called Rumba and it is right on 60 (Gulf to Bay) in Clearwater.
OK, I know exactly where Rumba is. I've always wanted to go because it looks like a pretty cool place. I spend a lot of time in down there. Will be there for the whole month of December. Will check out Rumba! Thanks!
Sweet! We are within walking distance to the place! We have been many times and always have fun and a good meal!
Jamaica Nov 2011 – Day 1
The Ride
The moment Chickens 4-door-Sedan pulled up Jamar called shot-gun. It was easy to see that there was some nervousness and apprehension in him, but his urge to finally make contact with a Jamaican brethren won out. He usually charges quickly and forcefully, when he is nervous and so Jamar struck up a conversation with Chicken before the poor man could even close the driver-side door.
Our new Jamaican guardian navigated through the crowds of students and honking vehicles into a lush green landscape dotted with colorful shacks, upper class-villas and free roaming livestock. Jamar poured forward question after question and barely waited to hear the answers. It seemed, as if he had carried the questions around inside of him for such a long time, that once he let loose, there was no holding back. Once the first question broke through, the whole dam came down. He had asked us many of the questions before. But he rightly felt that they were better gotten straight from the horse's mouth, than heard through the grapevine.
Question after question, he received answers that were contradictory to his instinct and one could soon observe the change in him, that is so typical in visitors to the island. There was a noticeable relaxation occuring and the inhibiting social anxiety, that has become second nature to most of us, slowly fell by the way side.
We soon pulled over at a small bar by the road to answer our craving for a sip of delicious mid-day beer. A round for everyone was quickly obtained, We soon felt our relaxation deepen. Deep in silent appreciation of the landscape, I think we all forgot that we had still a ways of driving to do and sort of settled into the place we were at.
Suddenly we noticed Jamar was missing, but immediately found him a few yards down the road, where another Jamaican was showing him some merchandise. Jamar returned with a bracelet around the wrist, obtained in record time barely an hour after touching down.
When we settled back into the vehicle, we were all jubilant, realizing our trip had barely begun and already almost nothing of who we had been just hours ago seemed to have any relevance. The only thing that really counted was this exact moment.
We delved back into our topic of acceptance and “respect” with much enthusiasm. We explored the nicknames Jamaicans have for each other and laughed about the directness of observations contained in them. So if your skin is white, why not call you “Whitey”. If you are tall, one ought to call you “tall-man” and if you’re big, your name should certainly be “Bigga”. The novelty being that “Bigga” is no more offensive than “tall-man”. In fact it's meant as a simple observation, and as such, it incurs no wrath.
We explored deeper into the feeling of all connectedness and absence of judgment and the whole conversation turned into a sort of clapping and dancing. Like a celebration of harmony and intercultural exchange. I was profoundly reminded of the book I had read a few pages of at the gate in Atlanta. It suddenly occurred to me that it all related.
Jamaica, might just be a craving for a long lost collective sanity, that for one moment lets us all be who we are and stops the damned continuous stream of criticism, comparison and competition, driving the motor behind our insatiable need for always more than what we have.
Then I pointed into the sky past the rear view mirror at a large bird. High up above the trees-tips the thing seemed to be aiming right for us, in a sort of meandering pattern, with about the same elegance Leonardo Da Vinci must have had during his first aviation attempts.
Me:” Look a Turkey Vulture!”
Chicken attempted to look straight up over the steering wheel... Then his face frowned: “Ya Mon! That's a Drunken Crow!”
Me:”a.. what?”
Chicken turned around to face me: “Drunken Crow, Mon!” The flight pattern did fit the description. “Bad Bird. That is also a very bad insult, Mon. When you call someone that in school?, o-ho!, Mon, you get beat up, Mon!”
“I see”, I thought to myself, 'so after all, all is not well in paradise. This is a tough spot for a Turkey Vulture.'
But then Chicken's face turned back to a broad smile and his low trademark laugh rolled down his tummy like an gently bouncing oversized bolder. “Ho ho ho ho ho!” And we all started laughing and roaring again, while the landscape rolled past us.
We finally reached Bigga's. Daisy had her camera ready and pointed as we rolled to a stop.
A large figure of a man was looking at us, over his shoulder. He had been in the middle of a game of Domino's, his face giving away no hint as to whether or not we were welcome visitors
When we made no sign of departing, and now rudely pointed two cameras in his direction, the man - amply called “Bigga” - slowly got of his stool and took position behind the counter.
Daisy (enthusiastically):”You must be Bigga!”
Bigga: “Ya Mon!”
...end of conversation.
Very Stoic, Bigga is. Not big into small talk and very focused on preparing an excellent meal.
We all ordered a quarter chicken each,
Except for Chicken himself. Chicken ordered the soup and declared that he had indeed been a vegetarian for the last 27 years. Go figure!
I don't think I need to report on the extraordinary spiciness of Bigga's sauce. Jamar made that point very clearly. :D
Our stomachs filled and utterly exhausted the last leg of the trip past wordlessly, but in the highest of spirits. Once we reached Negril, Chicken was a willing well of information and freely answered even the silliest questions we might have about such fanciful places like Hedonism II, The Roof Top, Triple X and Srub-a-dub and his own experiences there.
We finally pulled up at the familiar entrance to the Grand Pineapple, where we said our temporary good-byes to Chicken, making arrangement for some later adventures together. The transportation and its amenities had been so splendid, that we were all radiantly glowing with happiness even before our reach had begun in earnest.
As soon as we entered we were greeted like family. The amazing Tayshaun was there to greet us and we received warm hugs and welcome drinks. Check in was as quick and painless as the customs had been. We soon trotted behind our suitcases to our new abode: room 50, on the second floor of a beautiful little beach-side cottage.
Daisy was ecstatic and did her usual happy-to-be-in-a-hotel-dance. A pretty flower/towel heart adorned the bed and the light was shining brightly into the cool room. The warm ocean breeze was beckoning from the cracked open door.
We changed into swimming gear and sat happily on the balcony with Daisy
That was when Jamar appeared with his first Dirty Banana in hand…Time for the vacation to begin.
I’m sorry I have to end it here. It’s late here in Germany, I have to be up in six hours.
I will pick up where Daisy left off in my next update.:)
Hubby-man hope you are feeling better.
Another wonderful report! I am laughing at Daisy's first meet up with Bigga.....exactly the same conversation (or lack of) that I had with him the first time I stopped there.
LOL, Orchid....I was thinking the exact same thing! That is pretty much how my first conversation went with Bigga! ha
Markus, hope you are feeling much better by now. Thanks for taking time to write for us, you know how we all enjoy your reports! It makes me smile so big reading your stories of your ride with Chicken and of his laugh....you captured his manerisms and spirit perfectly.
You and Daisy just have such a way with words and how you can completely capture the moment, the scenery or even the person and retell it perfectly as if we were all there with you!
Awesome!
@Clarity There's a good set of products I use. I use to make it from scratch (cause well I'm an over achiever) but back before we were dating Shauna got me this good set that has A rub, a marinade, a dry spice and a barbecue sauce. I can get it locally in Tampa and I love it. In fact I just used the rub the other day. You can get away with a good oven broil. I mean its not as authentic as a grill but on days when I can't grill I'll oven broil or bake it.
I love the Jerk Hut and Rhumba's that Shauna mentioned but there's nothing like making some plantains, rice and peas and Jerk Chicken for the wife its a staple with me. Growing up I had alot of plaintains and rice & peas (mmmmmmm just thinking about it) and now my mom says I make it better than her (I just think she trying to encourage me) but not alot of jerk chicken but now they are my go to trio comfort food.
Clarity, Markus & Jamar, your trip report and photos have swept me off my feet...again! I am eagerly awaiting my 3rd trip to Negril in March and this has really helped me cope, seeing the great pics you guys have taken, especially the ones from the plane. I remember my face being pressed against the window staring at the majestic waters and the lush greenery of the island as we prepared to land. I have not posted in a few months but I have still been keeping up with all the reports. Gerry123 I loved your report as well, never got a chance to let you know since this is my first time logging in in like 6 months. But back to......Jamar...yes....Jamar. I think we need to be friends :o! Seriously! I live in Vallejo,CA and am in S.F and Oakland all the time. Clarity and Markus you guys are the cutest couple I have seen in a long time and love seeing young couples traveling the world experiencing life together as you should. Wish my ex-husband was as outgoing and fun as Markus. As of now me and my mom have been making our trips to Negril and she is cool as ice and we kick it real hard when we go(she is 52 I am 32) and we have a ball together we are like sisters. But...one of these days I want to go with someone of the opposite sex, but the pickings are REAL dry here in the Bay Area for passport holding, reggae loving, can get time off work,fun, outgoing,can afford to go to Jamaica & have a great time w/ a female friend type of thing. Soooooo, in a nutshell. Jamar I want to be your friend! Oh, and the pic of you guys at the bar at the airport w/ the drinks is CLASSIC!! If that was SFO, that is the bar I usually get my pre boarding drink from also, they make them pretty stiff and it makes the red eye flight a breeze(if the drink are stiff enough, lol) Cant wait to read and see more!!! Oh and Markus I am very interested to get the deets about the book that your neighbor gave you to read. Reading is my FAVORITE thing to do next to travelling, I want to know how the contents of the book relates to your trip. Jah Bless!!
Write a book!! You guys rock!! Thanks for sharing....
Thanks Orchid, Marley, Ralonzo, IrieLuv and Pretty40!
Irie luv - Hope you have a wonderful time in JA in March
Jamar would love a traveling buddy! You should send him a PM. He's about to embark on some big adventures soon.:)
Sorry we haven't been able to update in a while, but I'm about to get this trip report moving again now.
Markus is still sick in Germany with Bronchitis (the infection spread to his lungs, he saw a doctor again last week week & he's on new antibiotics – He's getting better) I'm going to continue this trip report so he'd have something to read in bed tonight.
***I'm sorry, This isn't going to be as interesting as Tic toc, Sweetness, Sprat, and Patty Sather's awesome on-site updates. I've been enjoying their reports so much– with a measure of guilt, because I know I've been a slacker and haven't finished my own TR yet. So here goes.... ****
Jamar will be chiming in too later this week, right now he's going through some life changing transitions. After the trip to Jamaica, he realized he wants to do and see more of the world..... so he's leaving the states and moving to Thailand. Yes, Thailand...
I'll let Jamar tell you more about that.
So we left off with Jamar on the beach...
He had just been approached by his first beach vendor... then another and another...
I watched nervously from the sidelines. This is the overwhelming part of being a newbie in Negril. I had prepared him for this. I remembered Markus's first experience. “are you disrespecting me, mon??” and his nervousness after that encounter. If you read our first TR, you already know, It took us a few days to get the hang of things.
I also knew that this was all so new to Jamar too. I started to get up to join him, but suddenly he started walking away with the group of five Jamaicans down the beach. Where was he going?
“Jamar!” I called out.
He turned around and gave me a thumbs up sign.
Hmmm... Okay. I sat there and felt a little uneasy. I knew he would be fine but I just didn't want him to get in over his head .
Markus shrugged “He'll be fine. Relax Honey.. we're in Negril. No worries.. look ...The sun is beginning to set..”
It was beautiful. We sat there on the beach chairs holding hands and taking it all in. Our hair was wet and skin still tingling from the salt water. (I neglected to mention that one of the first things I did was jump into the ocean.)
Yes, We had arrived
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...seonbeach2.jpg
Jamar finally returned, looking a bit frazzled .
“You're already getting into trouble, aren't you?” I asked him
He nodded.
It was pretty surreal to be there together, in Jamaica.. on this beautiful stretch of beach with the sun setting...After a red eye flight and an almost 14 hour commute including the flights, layovers and the drive from Montego bay, we were in this strange dazed state of exhaustion and total excitement.
http://youtu.be/w8Qt3vbWeA0
We sat together listening to the sound of lapping waves and watched the sun disappear entirely below the horizon.
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...pplesunset.jpg
Our first sunset, and I already knew this was going to be a vacation we were never going to forget.
Suddenly we heard someone yelling at us from the beach. “Hey!”
I squinted, they were just silhouettes... a man with short dreads and another one next to him with a baseball cap on. It took us a second to make out the faces. They were smiling and waving for us to come over.
It was Captain Sparrow and Shamma lamma ding dong! On our first trip we had taken a boat ride with them out to the coral reefs and went snorkeling.
We ran over to greet them. I couldn't believe they recognized and remembered us! Even our names, how crazy! Granted, we remember THEIR names, but those aren't exactly easy to forget.
They laughed and did the fist bump with me and Markus. We introduced them to Jamar.
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...hamalamma2.jpg
“Where's your boat?”, I asked.
“We moved further down just that way - towards the all inclusive “beaches”.. If you want to go for another boat ride, you know where to find us.”
It was good to see familiar faces. We saw the young man that had cut open a mango for me on the beach. He was on his way home, empty black plastic bag looped into his belt.. He waved at me.
Negril suddenly felt like home to me. I know Markus had this feeling earlier.. as soon as he stepped off the plane. But for me, that was my “coming home” moment.
That when I thought about Maureen...
On our first trip to Negril, we spent the last night with Maureen at “For Real” Bar – we sat there with her for hours and she kept the bar open much later than closing time because she knew it was our last night .. We were the only ones there. She opened up to us about her life and we talked to her about ours. She left such an impression on me. She was beautiful, intelligent, street smart, funny and possessing so much inner strength. I kind of look up to her and I wanted to see her again. She made our last night in Negril really special and I never got to thank her for that.
“Hey Shamma – Do you know where I can find Maureen? She used to work at “For Real” bar , I know she has a new bar “sunnyside”now ...but I can't remember which way I'm supposed to walk on the beach to get there”
Shamma lamma ding dong pointed into the distance. To the right of the Grand Pineapple. “It's right down there, mon..you can see it from here. Green and Yellow. See it? I think Maureen left for the day, but Robert is there now. They're good people”
So we bid our farewells and headed down the beach towards Sunnyside bar....
Sunnyside bar is a small beach bar painted bright green and yellow with bench seating all around it, kind of like a smaller version of “For Real” bar. It felt cozy and I immediately liked the vibe. There were some people playing dominoes at the table next to the bar. They all greeted us warmly, Jamar started chatting with them and suddenly he was gone again. Not a big surprise at this point.
Markus and I eased onto the benches around the bar and we were greeted by a man behind the bar. He had a big smile and a broad muscular chest.
“Is Maureen here? Is this Sunnyside bar?”
“yeah, Mon – you're at the right place. Maureen just left – let me call her” He suddenly whipped out a cell phone and pressed a button.
“oh no! Please don't bother her! It's okay...”
But suddenly a phone was thrust into my hand and I could hear ringing! Markus laughed at my confused expression.
“Hello?”
“Hi is this... Maureen?”
“Yeah, this is Maureen”
“Hi, I'm sorry.. I..um....” Well, this is awkward. I glanced helplessly at the man and he nodded encouragingly. “Okay...I'm Daisy, we met 5 months ago at For Real Bar.. with my husband, Markus.. the German, ..I just..wanted to say Hi!”
“Daisy! I remember you!! You're back in Jamaica?!I'm on my way home, but will you be around tomorrow? I'll be there all day! It would be great to see you again!”
We made plans to meet up tomorrow and hung up. I handed the phone back to the tall man. “Thanks for letting me use your phone”, I said with a sheepish smile “it was nice talking to Maureen again, what's your name?”
He smiled and extended his hand. “ I'm Robert”
So we spent the next hour talking with Robert and having Red Stripes, until it was completely dark and the tree frogs started chirping. Jamar eventually came back (from where ever the heck he had been), shaking his head and laughing. He had covered a large stretch of beach in a short period of time and Everyone on the beach already knew his name.
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...nnysidebar.jpg
We all enjoyed a round together on the beach...we were in a happy state of bliss. It's all kind of blurry . I'm sure Markus remembers more but to be honest... I don't. I know we left with Robert's phone number scribbled on a piece of paper. He had invited us to a house party in Sav la Mar. We never made it to that party.
I know we went back to the Grand Pineapple and I found this picture and video footage here in my camera...
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...nightdriks.jpg
http://youtu.be/-d_mgMqEbyA
That's Andrew, best bartender ever.
I believe that was the round of rum shots & Red Stripes that officially did us in. I have no more pictures or footage from that day.
It was a good night.
And our first of six beautiful nights in Negril. I knew we had so much to look forward to.. Mayfield falls, the Jungle, Luciano at Seastar, 3 Dives, Catcha Falling Star...
I think we retired to our rooms at around 9:30, I was snoring before my head even hit the pillow. I remember just feeling grateful and very very happy.
To be continued...
wow, those are HUGE shots -- and big beers, too .... i guess Europeans and their loved ones don't mess around.
LOL - no we don't:D
But That round knocked us out cold, so we're not as tough as we sound!
at first, it was such a large amount of Rum that I thought the bartender was pouring wine!
Thanks for the shots of the sunset and the little vid...that is my second fav time of the day! My first, is waking up in Negril. Love the report. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for continuing Clarity. Markus hope you get to feeling better before heading home.
get well soon markus
clarity - you are doing fine on your own- write on
jamar- sweet pea - i'm so glad jamaica sent you to your destiny - please add to the report - 'cause i feel my runaway upcoming too
jamaica jamaica! yeah baybee
Thanks, Northerncaligirl, Angel!
Seveen - Aww, thanks! Markus is the better writer....I wish I had his way with words.
but I'll continue on - see how much more ground I can cover before I fall asleep tonight.:)
….Continued from previous page
I woke up with a start and sat up in excitement. Only one thought was running through my mind:
I'm in JAMAICA!
I blinked my eyes trying to adjust to the darkness in the room. I crawled over Markus's sleeping body.. feeling with my hand for the edge of the bed. I didn't calculate the distance correctly and stumbled over the side into the divide between our bed and other empty bed. I literally fell onto the open yet still unpacked suitcases. I managed to get my footing and pulled myself up by grabbing the sheets. The only thing I could see was the alarm clock blinking “12:00” - I stared at it until I realized that it wasn't going to change. There was probably an electrical outage at some point and the clock was never reset.
I had no idea what time it was.
I guessed about 6:00 AM, but I fumbled for my cellphone in my purse.
Battery was dead.
The excitement of being in Negril was so strong, I thought my chest would burst. I couldn't wait for breakfast, ackee and saltfish and followed by a long swim in the ocean,,...we had made it, we were here and I wanted to make the most of every minute!!
I stumbled over to the television and ran my hands along the bottom looking for the “on” switch. Once I found that, the television flickered on and I saw a colorful spinning 3D logo that read “RE TV”, that broke into a loud reggae music video. I quickly lowered the volume and changed the channel until I reached the Jamaican weather channel to find out what time it was
12:12 AM. (seriously???)
That was a disappointing discovery. I know Manda will understand what I'm talking about.;)
I was wide awake and it was only a bit after midnight? I didn't know what to do with myself. I eventually gave up trying to sleep and stepped outside to the balcony for some fresh air.
The night was warm, Tree frogs were chirping loudly all around me.. and reggae music was drifting over from Alfred's next door. The palm tree leaves rustled in the soft breeze and I could hear the waves crashing on the shore in the distance.. and a drunk couple was walking across Grand Pineapple giggling and stumbling over themselves to their beachside cottage. I watched the light in the GP bar shut off and the staff quietly disperse.
It was so peaceful, just sitting there alone on that balcony..
My thoughts drifted back to the car ride from Montego Bay to Negril. Markus, Jamar and Chicken's laughter.. the spicy taste of Bigga's chicken.. the rolling landscape...
I found myself wondering what it must have been like for my father when he first arrived in Jamaica back in the 1960's. He was only 11 years old. I could picture him sitting beside his 8 year old brother, Junior, with his face pressed up against the car window ...watching the foreign lush landscape pass by.. Coming from his home in New York City to Kingston, Jamaica. He had no clue what he had in store for him. It must have been such a culture shock for a young child.
There aren't many pictures from that time in his life. I've only seen one. He is standing in a Jamaican school boy uniform. He is inbetween a group of school boys. His paleness made him stick out like a sore thumb, his blond curly hair was so light in that old black and white picture that it blended in with his skin.. parted on the left side and slicked down. He was standing up rod-straight. His expression was so serious and he was squinting in the bright sunlight. There was a rickity fence behind him and palm trees
*****Okay, I'm going to open up about a bit of personal history that I haven't shared yet with anyone but Rob and Lisa....*****
After my first trip to Jamaica, I traveled home to New York and asked my father about his time there during his youth. I wanted to know how he ended up in Jamaica of all places. When you're a kid, you hear these stories and It just makes sense.. You don't even question it. But now I wanted to know.
“My father was working 3 jobs and my mother was sick in the hospital. We had no one around to care for us. My brother and I were going to be put in Foster care...The family in Jamaica didn't want that to happen and they took us in for 4 years” My Dad explained.
What family? I needed answers.
“It was my uncle that took us in”
I had to take a second to digest that. I know very little about my father's side of the family. Sadly, I didn't even know that my grandfather had a brother. I know my great grandfather was from Scotland.. how did some family end up in Jamaica?
“So wait, that means I have relatives right now living in Jamaica?”
“Yes, of course”
“Where are they now?”
“I don't know, last I heard they were in Kingston, Mandeville and Sav la Mar. I lost touch with them in 1974. Unfortunately, I don't have any contact information anymore ”
He told me that My grandfather would have had more information, but sadly we're estranged. The only one that had close contact with him was my brother. Jared couldn't stand discord and made a point of doing everything possible to bring people together.
I remembered my last conversation with my brother, Jared shortly after he visted my grandfather for the last time. This was a few months before he passed away...
“Sis, we need to go to Jamaica...”
Suddenly it all made sense! It was like a light bulb turning on!
I signed up for the free trial at ancestry.com, but didn't find any good leads I had a some names but I was lacking a lot of important information (Date of birth..for example). The only thing I found were some ship records. My Grand uncle was listed as one of the travelers on a ship from England to Kingston, Jamaica in the early 1950's. That's where it stopped.
I realized that the only thing I could do at this point is ask around and see if anyone in Negril could help me. I didn't have high hopes, but I was definitely going to give it a shot. Now I knew in my heart that I HAD to go to Jamaica again and this was a bit more than just a vacation for me. I didn't know if I would find my family members on the Island and If I did find them, How would they respond? would they even accept me? Would I see a strong resemblance? I started imagining all these scenarios in my mind of what that initial encounter would be like...
I sat on the balcony for two more hours, just listening to the sounds of nature and contemplating life...
Until I was finally feeling exhausted enough to retire to bed.
****
The next time I woke up, it was 9:20 AM. The sunlight was streaming in from the open window and illuminating the bright yellow room. I was still tired and could have easily slept another few hours, but I was way too excited to do that.
I sat up straight and shook Markus awake “Jamaica! Jamaica! We're in Jamaica!”
Markus smiled and rubbed his eyes. “mmmm”
I gave him a kiss and jumped out of bed, (avoiding this suitcases this time). “I'm going to grab us some coffee... be right back!”
I ran into the bathroom and pulled on my bathingsuit, threw a sundress over it and ran out the front door.
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/.../viewporch.jpg
I sprinted excitedly across the lawn, waving at the staff as I passed them.
First stop was the beach.. I wanted to feel my feet in the sand and stand on the edge of the water.
I love how the beach looks in the early morning...crystal clear calm waters, hardly any waves at all, It was so peaceful. I was surprised that Gilbert wasn't there doing his daily rounds.
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...82/01beach.jpg
http://youtu.be/pAfJGQMCw2M
I filled up two cups with coffee at the bar and carried them carefully back to our beachside cottage.*
Markus was already wide awake when I returned and we enjoyed our first cup of coffee in Jamaica together on the balcony.
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...irstcoffee.jpg
“I can't believe we're here... this is beautiful...I still feel like I'm dreaming”, Markus said looking around. The sun was shining brightly, the weather was perfect. “What's the plan for today?”
“Eat, swim, eat, swim...Tonight is the Canoe Website, we're going to meet Rob, Lisa and Bella Bea... then ladies night at the jungle”, I said
“Oh..geez, That's right...”The Jungle””, Markus laughed and rolled his eyes “I can't wait..”. He wasn't as fond of the Jungle idea as I was. He thought he would have to fend off a bunch of men trying to dagger his wife. (thanks TicToc for giving him THAT idea – I should never have shown him that footage! lol)
.. and to be honest, well...he was kind of right. We probably should have remained upstairs. But more about that later. I'm getting ahead of myself.
Once we finished our coffee, we walked to the buffet for breakfast.
http://youtu.be/sMEijrNWt7A
(Here's some video footage markus took of the view from the balcony while we were getting ready to head out to breakfast)
Ackee and Saltfish... so delicious. I ate each bite slowly, savoring the taste. Pure heaven!
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...eesaltfish.jpg
Markus ordered an omelette and he loved it.
Jamar arrived after we finished breakfast.
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1breakfast.jpg
“I'm going to get a full body massage in 10 minutes...”, Jamar said sheepishly “so I can only have a quick cup of coffee with you guys”
Jamar smiled. He looked happy. Happier than I've seen him in a long time. I knew he'd be even happier after that massage.
“Okay, we'll meet you on the beach then” I told him.
We headed out to the beach, and jumped into the water. The water was the perfect temperature. I was in bliss.
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...achmid-day.jpg
We decided to put on our snorkel gear and float around in search for shells or fish. I loved floating in the ocean with Markus, holding hands and pulling random shells out from the sand. We would examine them together in the water..kiss, laugh... It's like being kids again.
In those moments, there are no worries or stress. You're just there together and enjoying life. This is one of the many gifts that we get from Jamaica...one of the reasons we come back. This is what I look forward to the most...
...These beautiful moments in the ocean with Markus.
After an hour, Jamar joined us in the water, he looked really chill and relaxed. The massage did him good.
I got out of the water to order a dirty banana from the bar and I was approached by a man on the beach.
“Jetski ride?”, He asked.
I gazed at the Jetski bobbing in the water. It did look a little appealing but I'd never been in a Jetski before. It wasn't really my thing.
“Thank you but no.. we're just snorkeling” I said.
“You can take the Jetski out to the middle of the ocean and see some REAL fish”
Now he had my attention.
“People do that?”
“Yeah, Mon... just ride out to those corals” he pointed to the distance “Jump off and explore the ocean. You can put your snorkel gear right here in the front compartment. Your camera too, cause it's waterproof.”
I contemplated this.
“$40 for 30 minutes... For you, I'll give you 45 minutes”
I bit my lip and continued to contemplate this. It sounded like an adventure. “I've never driven a Jetski, is it hard to drive?”
“No, Mon – real easy” He smiled. He had a beautiful smile, but underneath that smile I could tell that he'd been trying all morning to get someone to ride his jetski without any luck and I felt compassion. I know it's hard during low season and His eyes looked hopeful.
Why not?
I looked at Markus, snorkeling in the distance. He would LOVE this.
“Okay, you've got a deal” I said shaking his hand. “Can you fit three people on that thing?”
“Yeah, mon”
“One minute”
I dove back into the ocean and started swimming towards Markus and Jamar.
To be continued....
Interesting story Clarity. Wow! Your connection to Jamaica is very deep. Thanks so much for sharing this story.
I hope Markus gets better soon. And Jamar is moving to Thailand? Interesting indeed. Keep it coming!
WOW!
That's about all I can say at this point!
I thought I was excited, interested and waiting anxiously for more before......HA! Now I am REALLY hooked!
Can't wait to hear more about all of it! And I hope Jamar does log back on and tell us his story, I am really interested to hear that as well!
Thanks Clarity for sharing with us
Markus, get better soon, and have a safe and hopefully fast journey home to your "Ooman" :)
Clarity, your trip report is so moving, I can just imagine what else is in store. Whatever it is it must be very moving for you. Everthing happens for a reason. Again you have great writing skills, I always feel like I am right there experiencing it too. (I sent Jamar a PM, let him know:o). Thanks!!
I'm enjoying this report. Do you have any names of your family in Kingston? It's a small world and you just never know if any of us have a connection.
Thanks Sandy-Girl, Marley, Jamerican71 and Irie luv (I just told Jamar to check his inbox)
Yes, the experience I had during my last trip was really moving for me and forever changed my relationship to Jamaica. It IS a small world, I didn’t realize HOW small…:) I'm looking forward to sharing the whole story. I'll have to change some names though because my whole family is really private.
I will update again soon. I have to log off, tidy up the house and run some errands. Markus is on a plane right now on his way home! He’s arriving TONIGHT!
I’m so happy! I can’t wait to see him again!!
That's GREAT news! So happy for you both! Also hope he is doing MUCH better now!
Thanks Shauna! Unfortunately Markus lost his voice (from all the coughing) so he can only whisper.
He says he can still whistle though and he's really happy about that. lol
Otherwise, he's doing so much better now!
I'm relieved! I've been so worried about him for the past four weeks.. I can't wait for him to be home already!
LOL! Well at least he can still whistle, thank god!
I am relieved too, I know how worried you were and that is so much harder when you are far apart. I am glad you will both be reunited soon and all will be right with the world again, and of course, you can start planning that next trip....or at least adding to the irie box for it! Yay.....now log off and go pick up your hubby!! ;)
O.K., Folks, I am almost back. Thank you all for your kind concerns. It does matter to know you guys care so much :). I am slowly getting back to health. It's good to be home!
This years trip to Germany was definitely one of the most exhausting experiences I can recall. In four weeks I grew bacterial cultures at just about every place of interest to an Otolaryngologist (ENT). Once it was getting better in one place it started in the next. My voice still tells the story of all the coughing and hacking. (My wife just told me I sound like the pedophile in Family Guy. That IS a good description!).
My brain is also recuperating, lacking any form of creative energy after 3 weeks of having to be creative at work, when all I wanted to do was to lay in bed. So please have a little more patience and I will continue to report on this journey. I don't want to let you down after you became invested in our story, but I just need a little more time to get myself together and back to writing. Love always! Maybe more tomorrow? :)
We'll gladly wait! Glad you are better...
Markus get well no hurry on trip report. Welcome back!
Yay, Hubby-man, you're back! No doubt you missed your wife and are feeling better already. Looking forward to the rest of the trip report, but get well first. It has been so interesting (again) especially with finding out Daisy has family in Jamaica. How cool is that?
Well...as long as he can whistle....Quote:
Originally Posted by Clarity
LOL
Glad he's on his way back to you and good health.... and we will soon get our long awaited trip report. HA!
Hey Markus! Glad to hear you are home and on your way to feeling better! Not as glad as Daisy though, I am sure.
Take your time getting yourself better and spending some much needed time with your woman, she sure missed you, as I am sure you did her as well.
We will still be here when you are feeling up to writing again....we don't mind waiting, it is nice to still have the reports to look forward to, if you take your time, it lasts longer!!
But I am not giving Jamar any excuses....he needs to chime in, I am REALLY interested in hearing his experience especially if it lead him to make such a life changing move....my curiosity has really peaked on that one!
Hope you are back to your non-pedophile sounding self in no time!
~Shauna