We spent some real quality time roaming around Port Antonio ~ this business caught our eye ~ could not help myself ... just had to capture these ;)
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We spent some real quality time roaming around Port Antonio ~ this business caught our eye ~ could not help myself ... just had to capture these ;)
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Fire Fly ... WOW ~ what a glorious place. Truly one of the most romantical places ever!!
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Laurel, I have been loving your report and photos. The pots place and Rebecca was wonderful (I am a Rebecca also), what a lovely girl and great pots. Good for you for trying out a scooter. I rented a motorcycle a couple of trips back and hadn't ridden one for over 20 years--it was an adventure to say the least.
The china, crystal, and silver was used when Noel Coward entertained the Queen Mum ... the glass table on the patio is where the lunch was served~
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Hello Rebecca ~ seriously ... I can not even express how awesome this adventure was! I hope everyone gets the opportunity to extend themselves "beyond Negril" .... while I will always love Negril and all it has to offer ... the whole of Jamaica is SO SPLENDIFEROUS!! I knew I would love it and in usual fashion ~ Jamaica did not disappoint ~
and regarding the bikes ... LOVE THEM!!! We rented cars on several weekends during my stay - and I would have Bim carry me to The Palladium and I would have Clives pick me up from there to carry me to the airport to collect the cars ~ and the same for the return ... Clives would carry me to the Palladium, and he would pick me up .... ANYTHING to get a nice long ride!!! I just LOVE it!
Hey Laurel: some reason I felt more comfortable riding a motorcycle on the left than driving a car-- I thought if I was in car I would have less wiggle room if my natural US driving habits took over and I veered to the right side of the road. I have yet to get up the courage for a car but really want to do the Port Antonio road trip so I must get brave!
Oh Laurel, how pleased I was to see your posts. You really look great. Maybe Jamaica can do the same for me when I return.
Great Laurel...things do seem big and lush over there! We too loved Firefly, chatted up the tour guide for a while...the view...well what can we say about the view...Beyond words... :)
Thanks ...seems you were just a stones throw behind us ....
Laurel, This is side splitting hillarity at its finest...Thank you for making my day.. :)
YaHoo on the driving Rebecca ... I have been enjoying driving for a few years now ... just have to get solid on that scooter ~ then I will be set.
JaMissie ... you need to take care of yourself properly first!! You have had a tough time of things for too long now! Hope you are feeling well these days ~
Spratts ... :) - it would have been fun to have seen you over that side ~ but we were both just too busy enjoying everything to worry about 'boardie meetings' ~ nuh tru? I could feel your spirit tho ~ we did show up in spots just after you had been!!
Patts ~ glad you are enjoying ~ I think I met you briefly at Spratts Party - right? Happy Holidays!
~~
finishing up with a couple more shots from Fire Fly -
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Noel Coward's famous bed shown above ... it was gifted to him from his friend ~ the posts each had a lovely Pineapple topping them, but it was too tall to fit into the bedroom - so they cut the Pineapples off ~
His final resting place ~
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Laurel, great report so far. You are doing what I hope to do one day. Ride motorcycles all around Jamaica and stay for months at a time. WOW thats the life! I think I am going to do some OT today at work so I can start prepping for my "transition", lol. Some of your photos just so took me away, 1st- the ass shot on the poster on the wall at Seafood Heaven and Natural Juice Bar really made me want to do some squats! 2nd-the goat on the back of the scooter tied up and looking directly into your camera for help was heart wrenching but, I have eaten curry goat sooo......, 3rd-I have never in my LIFE seen a lobster that big, then to see it cooked OMG, and I just stopped eating shellfish, but DAYUM that was irresistable, I almost wanted to bite the screen, lol! 4th-Those lovely hand made benches are just adorable, I could sit there all day, just serene. 5th-the pic titled "bredren in the garden of eden" loved it! And lastly as if your trip report and photos were not majestic enough...the gorgeous white "buff" horse with the beach in the backdrop. Talk about breath taking. Well, it looks like you are really living your life. I want to be like you when I grow up!!!:cool:
:) ... my birthday in The Garden of Eden was truly serene and awesome. The lobster and the fish ... ha ha ~ he had to have one of the fishermen travel home with him to carry the goods ... cuz they were too big for him to carry and drive the bike. And good to eat!!! oh my gosh!! it was AWESOME!! I had a girlfriend join us that day for lunch - so amongst the 4 of us ... we enjoyed it ever so much, plenty for all of us.
There was an entire herd of horses roaming loose next to the sea side ... it was so lovely.
regarding the goats in the scooter box ... they were so small, I can only think they were headed to a new home for grazing ... I have never eaten goat ~ and likely never will .... nuff said.
regarding living my life .... funny you should say that ~ more than once I was approached to participate in various videos for promoting tourism for Jamaica ... I declined each time ~ but offered my long time mantra:
The United States is where I have earned my living ~
Jamaica is where I learned to live my life.
We had the opportunity to spend time at Strawberry Hill ... I have wanted to visit this property "forever" ... what a wonderful thrill!!
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mi kno yu have more shots of Strawberry Hill .post them pls!! I fell like I am there rite now just by looking at the fotos ... post more pls...
hi Ackee ... you are right - I do have a bunch of photos ... I was out busy having some Holiday Fun with my son ~ :D
the property of Strawberry Hill so special ... we photo'd tons of flowers, and the views .... **SIGH** ~ I can't wait to go back there with Bim one day, ever so romantical ~
where did I leave off?
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I love the name of this shop ~
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We so much wanted to extend our stay at Strawberry Hill, but - we just had to make a move on and head back to Kingston - as long as we were that close - we decided to indulge me and take the time to stop by 56 Hope Road ~ I just could not resist.
we are so glad we did ... it was VERY interesting ~ Ari loves history and I love EVERYTHING music history - yada yada.
We got an excellent rate for entry ... so - it was just meant to be:
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Ari handled the drive thru Kingston like a pro!! They have family over that side, along with their business dealings, so she is very familiar with getting around town. I was hanging out of the window grabbing random shots, but nothing worth posting.
I have heard stories about the tedious process of applications and interview processes ... lots of time that has to spent waiting in lines - but still I felt compelled to grab a shot of the American Embassy as we cruised past -
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As you can see by our Flag ... there was no breeze that day ~ and it was sweltering in town!
Mavis Bank was not open that day when we were up in the Blue Mountains, so the choices for buying coffee from the source were limited. We settled for this little shop instead - really a cute little shop.
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Before we left Kingston, we were in line at a cash machine Ari in a little strip mall. Of course there was a massive sound system blasting the tunes. Could not just stand still, so the music starts to move me & the lady behind me. We begin a chat and she finds out we are headed to Port Antonio ... she and her sister are headed there as well. She asks where are we staying? Ari had booked us a good priced deal at a property - she asked why not stay at Goblin Hill?? She said her sister owns it - she is certain we could be happy there.
Well - Goblin Hill is Ari's favorite property over in Portland ... but - we were trying to be budget minded - so we took the best $$ deal we could find.
Anyhoo - our new friend invites us to her sisters home that evening when we arrive in Porty - we can decide what ever we choose ...
photos from our first location:
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The room was ok - very dated, the furnishings were just a mish-mash of jumbled up cast off "stuff" ... the room was large, and very clean; fine - but just ok. I am not fussy at all ... and thought it was 'good enough' - given the price.
Well ... after our evening visit with The Ladies ... we were invited to come back in the morning for tea, breakfast, swimming & snorkeling with them off their dock in The Famous Blue Lagoon:
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We visited with The Ladies for hours long into the wee hours of the morning the night before ... in a home that is THE EPITOME of indoor / outdoor living ~ and it was even more stunning to see the property in the light of day. It was beyond glorious!
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There were the most lovely touches all around the home ... we could not have felt more welcomed; and had the blessing to make wonderful new friends.
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Wow, beautiful. Seriously I think you and Sprat were following each other. LOL
not sure about what The Spratts timing was ... I know we were in Port Antonio at the same time. I left a message for them to come to our Villa at Goblin Hill (we made the move over there), but - there is so much to do and see, I think they did the same as we did ... we filled our days with adventures of sight seeing and taking in all there was to see and do around this wonderful community ... spent evenings in a relaxed atmosphere over wonderfully prepared dinners and drinks, and I had to crash out in my bed to grab a couple hours of rest. Sleep eluded me - on a good night, I could sleep from about 9:00pm until midnight if I was lucky ... then I lay awake anticipating the next days thrills ~ and we had so many. We had such a great trip.
I think the Spratts left Porty before we did tho ... we loved it so much ~ we extended our visit.
Laurel--- is that the same villa that has the two little barking dogs?
We saw them when we were at Blue Lagoon in October
Wow....that place is beautiful, I would LOVE to stay in one of those villas...they all looked amazing!
Hi Marley - it is possible. The Ladies did not have dogs with them while we were visiting them; because they were only there for one night prior to their rental Guests arriving ... they do have dogs tho, as I recall. They have homes & other businesses in Kingston; so if I am correct - they might have left the dogs in Town.
The Ladies moved up to Goblin Hill, so we were able to spend even more time with them - what fun.
Ari and went to Boston Jerk for some lunch:
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We enjoyed Jerk Chicken, roast breadfruit, festival, cold beer for me ... it was hot, juicy, fresh, finger lickin goodness!
Dickie's Best Kept Secret - we never found the time to visit this spot for a meal ... next time for sure.
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We visited Port Royal - enjoyed the historical tour
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We enjoyed a lovely dinner at a marina near Port Royal
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We took the time to stop at various Fruit & Veg Stands when the spirit moved us. Plenty of fresh lovely snacks here:
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Cousin Marion would spend weekends with us when we were home - she has become my dear friend, companion, as well as my helper with cooking and household stuff. She joined us for the party at Sea Star for their Grand Opening featuring Luciano ... it was such a fun night out.
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The food, music, dancing, cocktails .... just such a wonderful night of fun!
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