the pub crawl . . . . not my cup of tea . . . glad you enjoyed teddy's party . . . looking forward to more . . .
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the pub crawl . . . . not my cup of tea . . . glad you enjoyed teddy's party . . . looking forward to more . . .
Keep up the good work Cherry! I am heading to Negril around the same time as you are and this report is a great way to count down the days.
"I hear a rather loud voice proclaim, "Well it's just never the ones you expect, is it."
I laughed out loud, how funny! You are just priceless, thanks for taking me along.
i'm savoring this . . .
Chapter 6
How far we travel in life matters far less than those we meet along the way.
- Anonymous
We awoke well after dawn in our castle by the sea. We were sorry to be saying goodbye to our private piece of paradise, but at the same time we were pretty darn excited to be heading to Catcha Falling Star.
We had enough scraps of food around to qualify as breakfast, so we opted to dine in. We goofed around a bit taking pictures of the penthouse. The place is hard to describe even with pictures, so we wanted to make sure we had some good material to work with.
It is such a special place.
We hadn't yet made it down to see Connie in her new space at Jenny's and we planned to correct that this morning. We got our bags packed up and moved to our lower level and then wandered down to the front gate. We both agreed we'd likely kill ourselves trying to get our bags down the stairs, so we asked if someone might bring them down for us.
We had been staying at the castle for three days now and technically we had never actually checked in. I actually didn't even know where the office was. The security guard found Petrona for us and we settled our bill. We made arrangements for a ride to Catcha in about an hour and headed out onto the road. I know the road can get busy, but it sure wasn't this morning. The sky was a perfect blue above us with hardly a cloud in sight. The sun reflecting off the stone wall along the road was bright and made a sharp contrast to the shade cast by the various trees and bushes along the way. We encountered a couple of people and simple 'Good Morning' and a smile seemed to elicit a welcoming response.
I say seemed because I was still struggling to understand much of what was being said to me. I'd been listening to reggae music all year in part with the hope that it might help out a little with my ear for the language. I was mostly still just hearing 'Wah woh wah wah.' I was claiming a small victory because I seemed to understand at least a few words when folks repeated themselves the first time. Sunshine remained at a total loss.
We arrive a Jenny's and are greeted with a warm smile from Connie. Her niece was also working that day. We each ordered a juice. Sorrel was on the menu and I just had to have a glass. I absolutely love this stuff and there is nothing like it at home. I know of an ethnic grocery store in town that sells bags of the dried sorrel, but I think if you aren't making the juice with Jamaican water, it just isn't the same.
Sunshine was also keen to acquire some of Connie's special brownies. He is a big fan. I'm pretty sure he all but cleaned her out. He also acquired some fancy fungi. I was horrified by the bill, not because it was unreasonable for what he had bought, but because it wiped out the better part of days budget. On the way back up the road to the castle I was pretty clear that he'd best be pacing himself with this stuff.
Back at the castle our bags are down and the driver is waiting. We say our goodbyes, load up and are off down the road.
It sure is speeding my countdown along! I hope our paths will cross somewhere along the way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam I Am
I mean really, who says that out loud to a group of strangers!?!?! Thanks for coming along.Quote:
Originally Posted by bjritz
Awww, you are too kind :oQuote:
Originally Posted by Seveen
i love your writing style . . . your trip report is the highlight of my day . . .
I think this is one of these once you go you know kind of things, but I have a hard time making people back home understand the purpose of moving 3km up the road from one cliff side hotel to another.
In my mind, Negril not only has distinct neighborhoods but distinct micro climates as well, all in a stretch of less than 20km. The beach is one. The near west end road from the roundabout to 3-Dives is another. This stretch is more sun baked and windswept. The vegetation looks more like the type that survives in spite of the conditions. As you make the corner at 3-Dives you can see the subtle changes almost instantly. The vegetation is bigger, thicker and lusher. Plants aren't simply surviving, they are thriving. This lushness continues to at least the lighthouse.
To our cab driver I must have looked like a bobble head doll in the back as I tried to see it all I was drove down the road to Catcha. Thanks to all the twists and turns, the drive at least felt a bit longer than it actually is.
As Mauvette checked us in, she quite endearingly issued forth a series of orders to our taxi driver, which included taking our bags to the Gatehouse. He was clearly a known commodity. She gave us a quick tour of the property past Ivan's and back to the Gatehouse. The details of the room covered we found ourselves again standing a little dazed in our room, not quite sure what to do first.
Our first impressions of the Gatehouse were that it was bigger on the inside than I thought from the pictures. The patio was totally private and the canopy of trees over it made is seem more tucked in the jungle than hanging out into the road. We had been joking that moving from the Penthouse to the Gatehouse was a bit of a hero to zero move. When faced with the reality, I had no doubt we were going to be happy there.
We had decided before we left home that we would treat our 3 days at Catcha as though we were in an all inclusive. We wouldn't be ridiculous about it, but we would eat and drink as we wanted and not worry about the tab. The visa bill would find us eventually, but we didn't need to fuss about it yet.
It was lunchtime, so we decided our first stop would be Ivan's. I already knew it would be the Calypso Trio for me. Sunshine had a blackberry milkshake (and a sandwich, but he doesn't actually remember it). Though he wasn't letting it slow him down, he was still not entirely himself. He claims that milkshake was what finally got his digestive system back to 100%. After my first few bites I was pretty sure I was going to be very happy here. Having heard such good things about the food, I was wondering if it would live up to the hype and it absolutely did.
After lunch we claimed a pair of lounge chairs and settle in to do absolutely nothing. Catcha is such a perfectly calm and peaceful place. Everyone who was around, which wasn't really very many, seemed to be in a pretty mellow place. There was absolutely no hustle and bustle. For the beach die-hards I suspect that is what is missing from Catcha. For us, that's the reason I'll be back this year.
It was Saturday and Luciano was performing at Seastar. Before sunset we headed back to the room to clean-up and bit and get changed. From the deck at Pisces I hear a voice exclaim, "Is that a Cherry North I see?"
There was boardie Mamade11 . We'd been chatting on the board and knew we would likely be seeing each other around and she and her partner Frank were moving down to CocoLaPalm the day before we were. It was great to put a face to the name. Another boardie, Irie Always had very kindly offered to book a table for us all at the show, as they were checking into Seastar that day. We made plans to meet up at Ivan's bar a little while later to walk up the lane together.
Our first sunset at Catcha did not disappoint.
It was nice to see the activity at Rick's, but it was also nice not to be a part of it.
Loving the report! I agree... its making my day as well!!!
i loved my stay at catcha also . . .
Oooooh, CherryNorth - I'm so excited for this part of your trip and to hear about Catcha generally and the Gatehouse specifically. I'll be spending my first night ever there in less than a month!! Can't wait to hear more - thank you!!!
This:
. I had packed and repacked, second and third guessing most every choice. I don't know why I bothered. Judging by the pictures I appear to have only worn two things the entire time.
LOL Cherry, Jim and I also LOVE the Penthouse... <3 . Keep it coming. TY
Great and easy vibe to your writing style...you tell a fantastic story, I can picture it all.
Just great! Love the pictures and the great writing. It is fun to look through another's eyes at these Negril resorts, roads and restaurants. You have a great eye!
Walking up the lane to Seastar was a really nice experience. There was a group of young teenage boys coming up the lane at the same time. They'd been on the cliffs diving. They had that universal swagger that only boys who aren't quite men can achieve. They were a pretty jovial bunch. At one point one of them said to me "You know you never need to be afraid walking on this lane. Everyone here will take care of you." In that moment I felt the impact of Seastar's commitment to be part of the community. We weren't going to some gated resort trying to keep the locals at bay. As a result, I felt as a guest I was welcome in the community as well.
We arrived and met Irie Always and her husband Charlie. They are regulars at Seastar and our table couldn't have been more front and centre. They were the warmest and kindest hosts. One of my few regrets from this trip was that our paths didn't cross more often.
Having never been to a regular show, I don't know how big the crowds get, but it seemed very available inch of the place was jammed with tables.
The food on the buffet was good and despite the huge crowd, the bar was managing to keep up. Stephen West and the Seastar Drummers were all on their A game.
The stress of the travel day had pretty much wiped out Mamade11's other half. Not long after dinner, she took him back to Catcha, returning in record time. It was very nice, the Seastar driver had insisted on giving them a ride. We spotted a few people from the pub crawl and headed over to say hello (one of which I just discovered was boardie Rocknrollfarmer). Random Bob had indeed made it to the show. He was traveling solo, so we invited him to join our little party.
Irie Always and Mamade11 were dancing machines. They sure seemed to be having a really great time. On another day I might have been right up there with them, but that just wasn't my mood that day. Isn't that one of the nicest things about Negril? Within reason, you can pretty much do things in your own way and time; everything is all IRIE.
When Luciano took the stage the crowd went wild. It was a heck of a show and I feel really lucky to have seen him so up close and personal. The man just would not cooperate and stand still so I could take his picture! Every shot is really just a blurry mess.
After the show and as the party wound down we said our goodbyes and wandered down the lane. We were still pretty stoked and feeling no pain, so made the likely unwise decision to pour another round and head to the cliffs. I think I gave the poor security guard heart failure when I did my level best to take a header down the stairs. Sunshine is more used to it as even sober as a church mouse I am rather clumsy. If I tell you walked into a door, it isn't a line. I actually walked into a door. No harm was really done, other than to my drink. With my solemn promise not to move from my lounger, Sunshine went back to the room to refill it. We hung out for a while under the stars just marveling at the day and trip so far. Eventually we climbed carefully back up the stairs and called it a day.
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Originally Posted by JitterBug
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Originally Posted by murph
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Originally Posted by Pisces
That is very kind of all of you to say. Knowing that you are enjoying following along totally makes my day :)Quote:
Originally Posted by bjritz
I went back through my photos to see what photos I might have of the room, but neither of us seemed to really take any. I have three pictures of a toilet paper roll from the Penthouse and not a single interior shot of the Gatehouse. That just doesn't seem right. I will try and do better when we arrive in 11 days. No promises, but maybe I'll even manage to share while we are there.Quote:
Originally Posted by iowagirl
It is magic. It's the kind of space where I might actually pick my dates around its availability!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim-Donna
And here I am a year later, kind of doing the same thing. Well at least writing this report is taking up a good amount of repacking time!Quote:
Originally Posted by Misti1
Loving your TR CherryNorth! Looking forward to more :)
Your still doing a great job of keeping our attention Cherry but you have to make this last 10 more days before we head out to make our next report!!
OMG I wondered on here and a trip report from CherryNorth - SOO excited. Even when I realized you had that picture of us dancing and
me dying of humiliation up there not knowing how to quite shake my butt like she wanted me to!!!!
Oh how I wish we were coming back this year! I'm going to have to relive last year through your report and hopefully it can hold me over until we can get back. Damn.... why did we have to try Mexico this year!! It was nice, but just not quite the same.
I hope you enjoy your trip this year - but I know you and Sunshine will :) And as I have told you before, you writing is sooo awesome!!!! And IrieAlways did snag us some great seats for the show!!
Awesome report! I love seeing the view thru eyes that are reasonably new to the experience,
as compared to some of us... These reports replenish my love of Jamaica, in a different way...
It reminds me of the initial fire to return back to Negril and Jamaica... P.s... As a writer, I can totally dig
your style... Just really getting started (page 4) and looking forward to the vibes
Thank you so much.
Happy Travels
Skb
Oh Dear Lord - I had completely forgotten about the attempt at jiggling our butts like those dancer gals do ! Oh that was too funny, obviously I was well past the "I'm too shy" phase :)
mamade11 not to late to plan a February trip :)
CherryNorth - thanks for the memories ........
So good to see you back on the boards! I am sorry that you won't be getting back this year. Just think of how much more you will appreciate Negril having just contrasted it against Mexico. I'm not done with you in this report yet - you haven't introduced me to the overproof rum yet! Sunshine sends a big hi hello your way. Pass on our best to Frank too :)Quote:
Originally Posted by mamade11
If you have a "I'm to shy" phase, I did not witness it. I think you both were showing the dancers how it was meant to be done :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by irie always
Mamade, you should listen to Irie Always. February is already next year...
Chapter 7
"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
I'll start this day by saying we had a perfect day. Not a really good day, an actual perfect day. As with beauty, perfection is in the eye of the beholder but to us, this was one of those days where everything that happened did so in just the right way and at just the right time. Every little detail of the day was just exactly right. I figure if we are lucky, we all might get ten perfect days in a lifetime. Sunshine and I both agree this was one of ours.
We awoke that morning in the cool darkness of the Gatehouse well rested and rather amazingly, not hung over. With no plans to move beyond the walls of Catcha that day, we got into our swim/lounge wear and headed to the cliffs. Our same loungers from the day before were still open, so we staked our claim and then wandered into Ivan's for breakfast.
This was the view from our table. I look at this picture and I know I was there because I took the darn thing. Somehow though, it still doesn't seem like a place that beautiful and serene could actually exist on this earth. It seems even more amazing that they'd let me in.
I did not understand the brilliance of having no outside guests until 5pm until I experienced it. It creates a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. So many of the cottages and rooms have such lovely porches and balconies that I think a lot of people actually spend most of their time in their private space. This leaves a lot more lounging spots on cliffs than people who want them. This picture was taken at 10:30 in the morning; no need to get up early to reserve a good spot here.
So getting back to Ivan's, did somebody say stuffed johnnie cake? Well we will be having a couple of orders of those please and a fruit platter to share. We are totally worth the extra couple of bucks for the freshly squeezed juice. I think it is food like this that had me waking up fresh as a daisy each morning, despite my indulgent behaviour the day before.
It was so nice to just sign everything back to the room. We never tipped that way though. I had gone to our bank before leaving home and got a wad of $1 and $5 bills. We made sure to always have small bills on hand so we could tip the staff throughout the day. It seemed the surest way to make sure that the money got into the right hands the moment is was earned.
Happy and full we settle into our loungers. It isn't long before the heat of the sun had me seeking a bit of relief. I love that little pool. They must be chilling the water, because it is just so refreshing. My comfort completely restored it was back to the loungers, our books and the view.
Breakfast was pretty satisfying, so we opted for a blended lunch. I don't know what Sunshine picked, but it was yummy. It might not have been the only one.
Great report and pix...quite the adventure so far...many similarities to our two previous trips...looking forward to more...please!!!
i don't see a picture --- and i'm craving that view lol
The whole vibe at Catcha changes at 5pm. There is a different energy in the air as business in the restaurant and the bar picks up. I think after the calm of the day it is a welcome change. It is fun watching the first time visitors walk out to the cliffs with wonder in their eyes. I recognized the look from such moments as the two of us the day before.
Sunshine was eager to sample some of the funky fungi he had picked up from Connie. We agreed that they were unlikely to hurt the sunset any, so when we went to back to the room to clean up a bit, we munched on a few.
One of the nooks a bit lower down on the cliff had been vacated and we made ourselves at home. Sunshine had the sudden need to take my picture from just about every angle imaginable. He did get some good ones.
I know they aren't even remotely Jamaican, but I do love me a good frozen margarita. I had promised myself at least one on the trip and tonight was going to be the night. Sunshine left me with the setting sun and headed up to the bar.
He returned with this glorious mountain of margarita in a beautiful hand blown glass. It was perfect. I was terrified I was going to break the glass, but it was so worth it. A swear the lovely presentation made the drink taste that much better. It was so good I had another.
We could hear the buzz of the dinner rush up above us. I know from a few back-and-forths to the bathroom that is was really pretty busy. It was like we were in our own little universe. There were all these diners above us staring out at the sea with no idea we were lurking one level down on the cliff face, totally obscured from sight. We'd found our groove and were having a ball. At one point I was laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face. I had resorted to using the hem of my dress to mop the tears away, which seemed to only make me laugh harder. Laughing until it hurts is good for the soul.
How's that for quick service? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Seveen
I think it was about 8:30 when we finally wandered up to get some dinner. The bar was still busy but things had slowed in the restaurant. When we walked up the stairs together, one of the waitresses simply asked "Are you ready?"
With a nod, she led us over to the high table by the pool which was all beautifully decorated. It sure felt like the best seat in the house. It also totally suited the 'lost in our own little world' day we'd been having. It felt like we'd gotten the elements of the Night of a 100 Candles we'd appreciate most without have asked for a thing.
Sunshine had the pineapple chicken. I had the seafood linguine. He let me have a bite of his. Yummy, but nothing could have possibly been better than that bowl of linguine. The pasta was perfectly cooked and though the sauce was rich, it wasn't overwhelming. I loved that there was fish in it too, not just seafood. He thought his was the best, so I guess we each chose really well.
Though we absolutely didn't have room for it, when our waitress came to ask if we wanted to desert we couldn't say no. She was about to turn to get us menus when instead I asked, "If you could only have one, what would you chose?"
Without pause, she replied, "Peanut butter swirl cheesecake."
"Sounds perfect; one slice and two forks, please!"
As we waited for her return we looked around. We were the only people in that half of the restaurant. So we pulled out a sub and lit it up. When our waitress returned with our cake, we clearly caught her off guard. For a moment that perfectly composed wait staff veneer dropped and a genuine laugh bubble out. She caught herself quickly and with an "It's all irie," she placed the cheesecake slice between us and left us to our dessert. She'd made a good choice, it was so good we almost licked the plate.
When we finally returned to the Gatehouse, we sat out for a bit on our patio. The street was hopping and we really enjoyed listening to the locals coming and going. There seemed to be a bit of a gathering at the base of Seastar lane, at least that is what is sounded like from our vantage point. It was nice to hear but not be seen. When we eventually called it a night, it was the happy sounds of the neighborhood that lulled us both to sleep.
I can relate to all of this. Great report so far!
you definitely GET IT! and you all have so much more to do --- lol --- gotta get your own driver for the day
Great report! Thanks! Riding me over until our trip perfectly!
Ditto that Kikn!!
LOL the overproof rum!!! Please send my hello to Sunshine :)Quote:
Originally Posted by CherryNorth49
Between you and Irie Always I was actually checking airfare for February!! Oh how I wish - Once Bri is out of college I'm hoping not to have to think so hard on planning a trip!!! I am going to play the lottery each day and cross my fingers.
I agree so much about Catcha with you. It is such a special place.
Cherry really nice pics Sunshine took of you...
Thanks so much for your report now I'm considering staying at the cliffs some day :o
Fantastic report! Keep it coming!