Printable View
Clarity and Tizzy - Ditto! What you both said
CherryNorth49 - Thanks! I need to finish this up quick because the last few days are foggy. The hurricane put us in a weird limbo.
Gerry - LOL! Nonsense! I remember spying you cruising down the west end road on your scooter in April, before we officially met and I thought OMG, I just had a real live GerryG123 sighting! Lol!
Guri - Storm's a comin
Bjritz - Awww, that's sweet. Now your making me blush:o
I remember waking up Wednesday morning thinking to myself...hmmmm, the seas aren't very loud. i remember the ruckus they made back in april, kept me up all night. now, not so much. I scampered down the death ladder to check it out. nope, not the destruction I expected to see...
Attachment 19792
I wanna say this is the morning that +1 went to the bar and brought back a fruit plate and coffee to enjoy on our veranda. Treated me to a little breakfast in bed if you will.
Eventually, we wandered over to the bar to find out the full sit. Dwight was supposed to be working today and I was eager to say hi. Turns out Omar is at the bar...Dwight called in sick, lol. Omar informs us the hurricane is supposed to pass over the east side of the island around 5pm today. Oh, so we are still in limbo here...waiting for this bea-atch to show up. It also dawns on me that today is moving day. I am kicking myself right now because not only do we have to pack up, but now I have to lug all of those "hurricane supplies" a.k.a. a 12 pack of Red Stripe, half a bottle of JB and 2 bags of snacks to Catcha. You would think I would try to lighten my load by a few beers or so, but the RS burn-out is fierce this morning. Dave happens to walk by and says "Have a nice time at Catcha. It will be rougher there." with a devilish little grin. Thanks, Dave! Not helping my nervous anxiety this morning. You happen to have a xanax or 5?
So here we are again, shoving 10lbs of $hit in a 5lb bag and checking out. Coco gave me a heads up that they have moved quite a few people around at Catcha, so the Xtabi staff calls down to see if they still have a room for us. Indeed they do, so we wait for a taxi. Interesting and so weird - we have to wait for awhile because there is NO traffic. The road is silent. It's erie and unsettling. I am beginning to re-think the move.
Before I can finish the thought we hop in a cab and are on our way. Arrive at Catcha. Say hi to Mr. Lewis and mosey on in to meet Andrea. She tells us that they had to move guests from Sagi and Libra, thus the room we booked, Virgo, was unavailable and they would put us in Gemini II. No worries, we totally understand. We drop our bags and head to Ivans, snapping pictures along the way.
Whoa. Coco had tipped us off saying that they completely took the bar down and cleared the furniture but seeing it in person was trippy. There was nothing left. Not even the electrical wiring for the light fixtures. I had no idea they bagged the plants to protect them from the sea spray.
Attachment 19793
Attachment 19794
Attachment 19795
Attachment 19796
The seas are starting to pick up. Not huge waves crashing into the cliff yet, but the rise and fall has to be at least 10 feet. We sit down at the bar and order lunch. Coco shows up and we have a chat about being in limbo. We are all just waiting.... And it's not like you can lay out in the sun to wait. Or cliff jump and wait. Or swim around on a green floatie and wait. Nope. All you can do is sit around at the bar and wait.
A few more pictures around Catcha. Sagi all boarded up!!
Attachment 19797
Attachment 19798
Attachment 19799
As we finish up lunch at Ivans, a familiar song comes on. Its funny how music weaves in and out of your life. A particular song may have a particular meaning on a particular day. While it's not my favorite Tarrus Riley song, it's been haunting me for weeks. Random shuffles on Pandora or showing up on XM's The Joint while I am driving home for lunch. And here I am, sitting at Ivans and the damn song comes on again! Coco makes the joke that this is "Mother Nature" trip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8cic0kL9EU
We decide it's time to get this hurricane party started with overproof and ting. After a few of those, we need to scurry back to the room. 2pm has crept up on us. Sure enough, Lenbert is right on time. We hear the beep beep outside the gate. Time to hit the One Love Pub Crawl and paint this town red!
The death ladder comment makes me laugh. When I was considering Xtabi for our next visit, I had sort of thought that I would be putting my life on the line every time I had to pee.
It is really interesting seeing the preparations that have gone into Sandy. I would never have guessed they bagged the plants. I had kind of wondered how these lush gardens survived Mother Nature's more vicious side. Turns out it is a lot of hard work.
Nothing like a hurricane to change the rhythm of your days. Not ideal, but it sounds like you made the most of it. :cool:
No, the good news is there is a bathroom upstairs as well! One does get used to the death ladder; however, carrying anything (i.e. luggage) up and down is a real test in acrobatics.Quote:
Originally Posted by CherryNorth49
I had the same thought about the plants. And yes, it was a lot of work in preparation, and again in re-building. I was amazed.
The One Love bus is fairly full already with shall I say...seasoned Negril lovers who aren't going to let Sandy get us down. We make the various stops along the cliff road and then beach road to pick up other like-minded brave souls. It just so happens we have coerced a beautiful lady friend from Xtabi as well as an awesomely hilarious British couple from Sandy Haven, who we had met earlier in our trip, to go along with this hurricane party on wheels. With the bus full, Lenbert makes an observation, “You all are the only tourists out today, yeah mon!” He is met with cheers from the crowd. You see apparently the big AIs have really enforced their ‘it’s not safe to leave the walls of the compound’ rule. They put their guests on lockdown, if you will. Reason number 4,347,128 to not stay at an AI, imho.
First stop on this hurricane party is Mi Yard! I scamper quick like to the bar, grab a couple of beers and make my way out to the deck to watch the waves. The wind is really starting to pick up. And the energy in the air is unreal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsluIWMeqH4
After we snap a few photos of the One Love Pub Crawl Hurricane Style crew, we pile back in the bus and hit…The No Limit Bar! I meet some sweet young boys, and give them the rest of my Hubba Bubba. I would have never thought bubble gum could be such a hit on a day like today, but a bunch of us on the bus were already digging it. I start to realize that Lenbert is making this up as we go along. Some places are already out of power, so Lenbert makes a phone call to see where our next stop may be…i.e. who bought gas today for their generators.
Yup, that’s a picture of 2Pac next to a picture of Obama, lol.
Attachment 19922
We load on up again and this time I call shotgun, but instead of heading down the West End Road, Lenbert turns to head up Ella Lane. Oh….I know where we are going;) We stop in front of the famous Bentley’s Crab House. Bentley hops on board and passes out his cards to everyone. He needs no introduction to us, and we do our part selling everyone on the experience that is Bentley. My food is gorgeous, baby! Five things on your plate!
Stop 4 is Xtabi. A familiar place:) Omar and Dave have a little chuckle when they see us walk in - not 3 hours after we check out.
Attachment 19923
Stop 5 is the Lighthouse. I was really psyched to drop by, as I had not been before. Granted, we don't stay long. The wind is pretty gnarly and everyone would much rather be hunkered down behind a bar somewhere.
Attachment 19924
Attachment 19925
Stop 6 is Sir D's. Not much of a sunset tonight, lol. A few boys were putting on a cliff jump show. The mom in me came out...I wanted to holler at them about swimming in rough seas for pete's sake!
Attachment 19926
As pub crawls tend to go...the night is getting foggier and foggier. Plus, my new found British friend and I decided the hell with beer it's time to put down some overproof. I am impressed. It's her first time to Negril and that girl can drink some OP!
At some point, I took this video. Obviously, it was before sunset... But it's out of sequence with my other photos. Operation mind erase mystery I suppose. One thing I noticed was that the West End road was D.E.A.D. Everyone just disappeared. However, every now and then we would drive by a local's hurricane party. And it looked like a GOOD time. A REALLY GOOD time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u8sjoVtwTc
Stop number 427, at some point in the evening, was Bella Donna's. OMG, she had pizza! Tomato and onion, I believe. It was delish.
The grand finale was at Seastar. It was fitting to be back with the Seastar crew - where our trip had started. It must have been 2 for 1 because before I knew it I had 2 OP's in my hand. Rut roh...time to pawn one off on someone who looks extra thirsty. Eventually, we called it a successful hurricane party and those of us still standing piled back into the bus. Lenbert mentioned he had to come back to the west end, so we asked him to drop us off last. I wanted to cruise up the road again to see whaa gwaan. It was so surreal. The road was pitch black. You couldn't see past the bus's headlights. Every now and then you would spot a light and you would know who had a generator running and which bar was open.
We finished the night off pretty early at Ivan's. Just long enough to order some food and find our way back to Gemini. Hurricane Sandy was coming to an end. However, her after-effects would still remain.
The next morning we woke up pretty early. I was seething with nervous energy. Call it hurricane energy. Call it the dreaded last day energy. Call it I have hundreds of bug bites and my skin is crawling energy.
I dabble a bit in Ayurvedic science. Ayurveda talks about 3 predominant energies that dominate the physical world. Every person is made up of a completely unique combination of these energies. I am pitta/kapha. The third is vata. Vata is the energy of movement. The force of the wind, if you will. Vata is strongest in fall/mid-winter. Vata is aggravated by travel. I am typically a pretty grounded person (that's the kapha in me), but suddenly I am realizing that all of this vata energy is really making me wig out! I remember Lorax2 making a comment about how hurricanes carry intense energy. I am feeling it and it's got me all out of sorts. And subs aren't helping.
We decide it would be best if we lay as low as possible for the day. Enjoy Catcha as much as we can, even though the seas are picking up. We had planned on meeting up with our British friends at Tony's hut this afternoon, but I just have no motivation to do so. The only task I can agree to is going to the Canoe bar for the webcast.
Eventually, we make it over to Ivans for breakfast. I had to get me some stuffed Johnny cake. Didn't even need to look at a menu. I just remembered the pic from Marley's trip report. After some food, we decide to find a lounge chair and chill-lax. The seas are rough, but not spraying over the wall like the day before. The wind however is still deafening and I just can't settle.
Attachment 19927
After I have my fill of “sunning”, lol, I suggest to +1 that we go take a nap. Well go figure, nap time turns into toss and turn time. Toss and turn time turns into RE TV time. A video that we discovered earlier in the week comes on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtCZhk62Qqc&list=PLsoNvLnDjmQVj5aE3J4KlZZn lq45N8Fw_&index=2&feature=plpp_video
Well, I can’t tell you exactly what happened next. But I can say the maid got a laugh. Those of you who know Catcha, may be familiar with Gemini II. If you are in your room in the middle of the day, typically you are in the maid’s way. +1 already discovered what that can mean at Xtabi. Well, I figured we were good in Gemini, because the front door is down a long hallway from the rest of the room. We could always call her off if she comes knocking to fluff the pillows. What I did not take into account was if she came to the back door, which she did. We see the silhouette on the veranda and freeze…thinking maybe she will just go away. Nope! A minute later the door swings open.
HI! HI!
OH!! So SORRY!
It’s OK! SORRY, SORRY! LOL, LOL, LOL!!!!!!!
I think I may have discovered another time warp at Catcha.
We wander on back over to Ivans to watch the staff put everything they took apart the last 2 days back together. These guys were carrying those heavy a$$ umbrella holders made of concrete and stone by what looked like a long stick of bamboo. Yeah, if I tried to do that, I would totally drop it on my foot.
Attachment 19928
Kevin was re-wiring the sound system.
Attachment 19929
Attachment 19930
Seriously??!! Safety first, Kevin! You are going to make the mom in me come out again, and she is on vacation!
Attachment 19931
After we share a lobster salad lunch at Catcha, we decide to take a walk down the road towards Canoe. We have a few stops we want to make. We start to realize how many great hurricane parties happened the night before as the trash cans are filled with empty JB bottles. Oh yeah.
First stop on the list is Eddies. It's time to say goodbye/until next time.
Second stop is Bentley's. I have a container of Old Bay for him, but we weren't able to make it his way for dinner this trip. Until next time.
Third stop is Canoe Bar. I'm loving the new set up. (Tis real nice, Clark!)
Attachment 19932
The rain comes and goes as the webcast goes on. I must say, it was the best chill evening to top off the trip. We have the funniest chat with Rob & Lisa & MrGlenzee & another lovely lady about tacos. It becomes an obsession of mine until I can get my hands on some the next night in the states.
Attachment 19933
Attachment 19934
At one point in the evening, I was sitting on the couch and +1 was sitting in a table across from me. He leans back and shows me something in his hand. He is pinching a small 1 inch strand of yellow hair. Yellow dog hair. My jaw drops. "Did you just pull that out of the fabric of your shirt?", i say. Yup. It's a yellow Sam dog hair. All the way from Colorado. In the Canoe bar. In Negril. Our final goodbye. +1 takes it out to the sea and lets it go. Not without completely soaking his shoes however. The surf is still really unpredictable.
We end up back at Catcha that night for a quiet dinner. Well, we were hoping for a quiet dinner but the wind was going nuts! Dare I say worse than the actual hurricane. The big round lights were swaying so ferociously, I thought I was in a club with strobe lights. We decide to carbo load for the marathon day we have ahead of us. All of our favorite dishes at Catcha. Pumpkin soup. Side of mashed potatoes. And seafood linguine to share. We couldn't even finish half. No kidding.
Ok I am laughing my butt off right now and at the same time drooling over the fact that you just mentioned like all of my favorite Catcha dishes in one day!
Yummmmmmmm
40 days!!!
Though I sincerely hope this is your one and only hurricane trip to Negril, if I find myself having my own hurricane party, I'd want you on the guest list. I like the way you roll. Those videos from the pub crawl give a perspective on the atmosphere.
Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum :p pumpkin soup
I thank you for knowing what to order at that place. I never had to look at the menu! (btw, i did have the calypso trio as well, lol!)Quote:
Originally Posted by marley9808
40 days?! That's so awesome...
Thank you Cherry! I like the way you roll as well. If I see you in Negril we are definitely having a few cocktails together...Quote:
Originally Posted by CherryNorth49
Slurp! I wonder if you could plug the drain in the moon shower and fill it with pumpkin soup? :p Ooops, I think I may have gone too far with that comment, LOL!Quote:
Originally Posted by TizzyATX
keep it coming - good stuff!
Then you really did eat all my favorites.....well done! Glad I could help :)
That last pic over at Canoe is quite awesome. The colors, clouds and wata - unforgetable.
Love that way you roll for sure, the windy video is great.
I agree with Bjritz, that last pic is really beautiful!
Loving all the pictures, videos and stories in this trip report. I feel like I'm right there with you guys!:D
Great report wpyogi!!! :) The domino playing night at Eddie's - perfect! Also love that you guys went on the bar crawl regardless of the storm!
"Death Ladder" makes me laugh, I fell down that sucker once - bat in the room - it's physically impossible to run down the ladder, lmao!
So glad the storm didn't hit hard, what an experience though!
Can't wait to see you guys in April!!!!
Thanks for reading, Seveen. I'm going to get this thing finished now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seveen
I am so jealous...please eat your favorites soon for me!Quote:
Originally Posted by marley9808
Thanks again, bjritz! Counting down the months until I can roll again, lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by bjritz
Means a lot Miss TR Queen:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Clarity
LOL, running down the death ladder from a bat?! OMG, I am glad you still have your teeth and/or didn't suffer any broken-ness!! April is gonna be great, muhhhahhahaha...Quote:
Originally Posted by Katho
Something has been looming over my head...oh yeah, this freaking TR!! I am officially finishing what I started. Now. I gotta warn you though, it's going to be uneventful...
I toss and turn all night. Call it too many carbs. Call it churning belly because I haven't had enough rum today. Call it i am dreading the trip to MoBay. Call it nervous traveler. Call it Sandy's aftermath. The wind was wicked all night. The seas grew massive, and we could hear it all happening. When the wind would whip up, it would knock coconuts out of the trees....BANG!!...on the roof of Gemini II. (ok, maybe they weren't coconuts, but GD whatever it was it was LOUD!) I can't even count how many times I literally JUMPed out of bed. Toss and turn for what felt like hours before I fell back asleep, then BANG!! OH, and you know when you go into that dream state that seems so vivid, you don't know if you are actually asleep? Well I began to think someone slipped me a hit of acid...I was seriously hallucinating!
We roll out of bed around 7am, groggy and grumpy! Sweet Carol comes to the back door and lets us know that they will be providing room service for breakfast because Ivans is closed due to the seas really picking up. (ok, i wasn't hallucinating that part, whew!) We ask her for a couple of cups of coffee and step outside to take some pictures. Yes, the waves are crashing over Ivans roof!
Attachment 20492
Attachment 20493
Attachment 20494
Attachment 20495
After a shower and the famous stuffed johnny cakes, we crash on the bed and watch RETV until Chicken comes. I am checking the clock every five minutes. Seriously, I am not the crazed traveler...it's gotta be the aliens trying to break into my room last night.
Krusty Crab joined us in the shower.
Attachment 20496
Chicken picks us up right on time and we begin the journey. You all know what it's like...i don't have to go there.
A few snap shots from the car...
Attachment 20497
Attachment 20498
Well that's all folks. As Chicken says, "You are one day closer to your next trip". We learned a lot on this trip about ourselves, met some new friends, spent time with old friends, and said our goodbyes to some 4 legged friends. Looking forward to the next time;) One Love.
Attachment 20499
Beautiful report! Thanks for sharing so much. It was great meeting you and +1 - will see you again soon :-).
Back at'cha Coco:cool:
Clap Clap..... Nice work Wpyogi in so many ways. The last pic with your reflection in the glass is killer by the way. And when it comes to the last day I myself am a beotch. I freaking hate the last day and what comes with the wakening of the next day. Somber is an understatement as our time there is so carefree and just wonderful. No worries, no alarm clocks, no Blackberry going off all day every day till you go to sleep. Nope, just great food, great people, great drink, great everything. I really loved your trip report and how you and +1 roll. I knew 2 seconds after I met you guys that your were the cool kids on campus. Really looking forward to April and all that will come with it.. Thanks for sharing.
I just came in and find this great Trip Report!!! Thanks for sharing your experiences. Your writing style was touching my soul and on my next trip I know for sure that I have spend time in "Just Naturel". Amazing and peaceful people. Btw the videos were great. Here is my favourite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyEP_st9csI
I hope this link will work
I couldn't have said it better, Boogs. Having to set an alarm on that last night is torture! I laugh when I think about what Chicken sees everyday with his job. He picks up the slap happy-let's go crazy-can't stop talking-tourist from the airport and then returns with the somber-i'm not saying a word-this drive sucks-tourist. Talk about 2 major extremes, and he has to roll with it!Quote:
Originally Posted by booger
Thanks Yazzi! Yes, put Just Natural on your to do list! You won't regret it. Thanks for the video...luvs me some Night Nurse!Quote:
Originally Posted by Yazzi
ENCORE!!!! Seriously....go back...so you can do another TR Hahahaha
This was great Wpyogi, loved every second....and can't wait to do it big with yall in April!!!
Hahahaha, if I had my way I would book a flight and be outta here tomorrow! If you think about, December is a wash. So busy with kids and Christmas and keeping up with all the other boardies that will be descending on the rock. April is a wash because we are going to be so freaking excited time will fly by. Really all we have to get through is January, February and March. And I know there will be some great New Year's trip reports for a crutch. So really, I'm thinking of it as only 3 months. YEAH! Soon come!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by TizzyATX
Oh and I came across a really sick flight deal today with a significant layover in Vegas! (LOL, we would probably miss the flight out) But it would extend our trip to 13 nights. I'm thinking I would wear out all of my grammy favors with that one...
I'm with Booger, applause is due, wonderful report, had so much fun virtually hanging with you and +1. You given a great time to all who read, watched and looked at your beautiful pics and person. Thanks! Be cool.
Excellent report and pictures,thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks bj! I can't wait to hang out for real at the xtabi bar and trade KC stories!Quote:
Originally Posted by bjritz
I enjoyed your report as well. Thanks for reading!Quote:
Originally Posted by billndonna