Gerry G's TRAIL OF ASHES TOUR Final Chapter -- The Mighty Californian's return

Hey, GerryG just wanted to give you a big "Thank You", for the rides,hanging out with you at Xtabi on Christmas day, Dinner at Catcha for Brasi's special day. Brethren for Life.. Until next time, love ya GerryG!!!

Mighty Californian & Juli,

Thanks a ton for the reasoning sessions and the birthday dinner @ Ivan's. It was very nice to spend time with you both and get to know Juli in 3D.

Soon come again, I hope...

I am lurking more than posting now, but am loving your report Mr 123.

Bless.

Thanks Juli! It was great hangin' with you, too -- but don't give away too many plot lines!!!

Meantime, here are shots from the country and along the coast:

Here's some video of some incredible scenery deep in the West End near Westender Inn ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE5AwApWMoE

Thanks for all the vids Gerry. Those are high cliffs out by Westender. Lots of John Crows make their nests up there.

Thanks for what you do gerryg123.

I have followed along from the beginning, and your reporting/pics/video in this final chapter are epic.

Not worried about the end of the TRAIL OF ASHES TOUR though, the name of the tour always changes. Maybe the next act
will be on the Travel Channel, "This is gerryg123, from Negril, Jamaica on the Travel Channel, brought to you by Negril.com".

And thanks to everyone else that takes time to post reports, I read and appreciate every one of them.

Here are some more pics (top to bottom):

1, Nice drink at Xtabi

2, Lobster plate, 22 dollars at Seastar Inn

3, Scenic pic on the way to Negril

4, Little shack in country


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what would we do without a "Mr 123"? Thanks for taking us along with ya...

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Originally Posted by pretty40

what would we do without a "Mr 123"? Thanks for taking us along with ya...

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Indeed.

Hey Gerry,

Any time you want to go out to hills let me know. You can visit my family.

cap

Margi soon arrived and joined all of us at Bourbon Beach.

Here was the scene: It was Brazzz and his two teen sons watching the NFL game; Juli being pampered by a local worker who was beautifying her eyebrows (why, I don't know because you should never mess with perfection!); a group of fellow tourists enjoying the sun (including a topless European lady, bam!); the oversized but clueless security guard; and of course myself, the Mighty Californian indulging in subs one after the other.

I don't think you could point to anyone who was not having a great time. But you know me -- I am always on the go go go. Margi, a sweet soul who is utterly artistic with a love for nature and trees and animals (a Vegan) and that sort of stuff, jumped on the back of the scooter with me, and like someone squishing a watermelon seed we busted out of there, hit the open road, and pushed it to full throttle (40 mph) to Half Moon Beach.

Half Moon was just as lovely as ever. When it's a bit windy and choppy on seven-mile, it's usually calm at Half Moon, located about 10 miles towards Green Island and Lucea.

We had the place to ourselves, and it was bliss. We frolicked in the water, enjoyed a red stripe or two, and of course told each other our life stories with all the dramatic twists and turns. There is a special bond between Negril tourists, a mutual love of Jamaica that brings you close in a flash. A day together in Negril can form a life-long friendship quicker than you can say: "gerryg123, ya mon!"

We had a nice time. God I love Negril.

Here's a nice little video of folks filling the Seastar Inn shuttle van to go to the beach. Among those featured are owners Francine and Chris, driver Henry, tourist Brasi (rare video footage) and of course myself with the usual ya-mon commentary ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQNWlyQ3MDA&feature=youtu.be

Here are some more pics (top to bottom):

1, Famous Vincent's new second mate, Babyface

2, Nice drink at Seasplash

3, Seastar Inn's Garrett hangin' in room No. 19 and unwrapping American gum

4, Perfect sunny day on the beach

The lobster came out so nice at Seastar Inn that Barbara, the hotel's esteemed server, suggested we do a little video of the plate. I was using my USA cell, so the volume is a little shaky, but I think we get the idea .....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ59E8IUOng&feature=youtu.be

'Was that" bring your kids to work " day for the servers at Seasplash?

another KOOL video and pics THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Margi wanted to hang at Seastar Inn, so we made our way up the hill. We ate and swam and smoked, all the fun stuff there is to do in Negril, and we promised to see one another soon.

We said our goodbyes, and I took a little rest in room No. 19 and prepared myself for the night's festivities -- not sure where I was going, what I would be doing, or with whom, but I just knew it was going to be a great night. When the sun sets and the stars come out in Negril and the tree frogs let you know all is gleeping well in the world, there is no where more relaxing than Negril.

I went to Bentley's later and hung out with Marko, and we must have sat and talked for three hours about everything Negril, and of course Bentley would chime in with his wild thoughts and unbelievable memories, all of which he swears are true even though some are so outrageous you have to raise an eyebrow. One thing for sure, when you eat at Bentley's you get a floor show because the host sure knows how to tell stories.

I guess one of the reasons Bentley embraces life with such passion is because it almost ended many years ago when he was 15 and was hit by a car while walking his grandmother home. Bentley almost died in the street that night, but he says now he still remembers a guardian angel from above helping him to stay alive -- his surrogate father, a white tourist from the East Coast who joined his mother in raising him, drove Bentley to the hospital that day -- and Bentley now says that when he closes his eyes at night, he can still see that guardian angel. I believe him.

I gave Bentley a big batch of candy bars when I left. He doesn't ask for 'em, but I know he enjoys them (he never has dessert!). He also loves Pepsi. Sometimes I bring a bag of stuff (rum, punch, candy bars, etc.) and tell him he can sell what he can or otherwise he and I will consume it ourselves. Marko helps him too. Bentley doesn't ask (well, he does ask for some stuff!), but he's got the kind of personality that draws people in.

On the way back, I ran into a local guy I've known for a while, a friend of Jodie's when she used to live near Sir D, and through the years I've seen this guy go through a lot of ups and downs. He often begs for dollars but on this reach he was way up on his luck with fancy new clothes and a brand-new shiny red motor scooter. He even paid his own way into the Seastar Inn party later in the week.

After yet another drinking and eating session back at Seastar Inn, I fell asleep and dreamed of good things. I dreamt of being on the ocean, of riding my scooter through the hills, of meeting new friends and reacquinting with old ones, of writing trip reports and watching the view count shoot through the roof!

I am really in my element in Negril. People say I have a good time in Los Angeles, but that ain't nothing. I don't know if I could keep the pace for 52 weeks here (or even three weeks), but wow I am feeling good, having left all of my troubles 4,000 miles away. Let the good times roll.

Oh, and if you're wondering if I am exagerating or over-doing it about how fun it is to be a single tourist in Negril, please believe me 100 percent: This is the greatest place on Earth. If you like beach vacations and having the F-ing time of your life, then please, I beg you, buy a round-trip ticket from wherever you are in the world, book a Negril room one category higher than you can usually afford (lol), and strap yourselves in. It's one heck of a ride.

hell ya, soon come

I hear ya gerryg123..... Leave your worries behind & party like it's 1999!!!

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

When the sun sets and the stars come out in Negril and the tree frogs let you know all is gleeping well in the world, there is no where more relaxing than Negril.

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Always a magic time in Negril.:)

Gerry,

I was remiss in not offering my condolences for your family loss.

Glad to see you moving forward.

Regards

I'm sensing it's almost the end of the trail. Until the next time.... Thanks for another great tag a long.

:) you have the best trip reports!

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Originally Posted by MoFromMonroe

I'm sensing it's almost the end of the trail. Until the next time.... Thanks for another great tag a long.

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No no, the best is yet to come .....

It's Monday morning, Christmas eve, and it's snowing on the east coast in the USA but a perfect balmy day in Negril.

The plan was to go spearfishing early in the morning, but Famous Vincent had to switch things around for a fishing trip -- more money, so I understand -- so I did a little work on the Net (only ONE non-boardie in the whole world knows where I am, and that's the way I like it!), and then I hung out at Seasplash for a bit with the new friends I've made.

One is the previously mentioned John, a boardie from Canada who is staying there, a single guy on a scooter so you know we can relate to each other. He's a boardie lurker who says he loves my reports but does not want to be in it (imagine THAT), yet it's all good. I don't want to be in it, either, but I guess I have no choice since it's all about me. ha ha.

Another is a nice expat named Steve who runs a recording studio in Negril and lives in the hills in a big house. He invited me over a few times, but I never made it there, and he also was considering going spear fishing with me, but he says he prefers underwater tanks. I scuba, too, but not this trip.

The third is an older Negril vet staying at the Palms -- he says the place needs some updating -- and he's one of those typical tan tourists with the gold chains. Nice guy. God was he bummed on the last morning when he had to go home and was counting down the minutes.

Anyway, I am laying on my raft, kind of thinking about my life and about my father, who had died in November from a disease. God, how I loved my father. He was my Little League coach, my mentor, my moral compass before the desocialization kicked in (just kiddin'), and a good provider who above all else loved to have a good time -- and who does that remind you of???

It was a sad ending to his life because I would visit him daily at the hospital, and he would always implore me and my brother to stay a little bit longer. He did not like being alone, and he was always optimistic he would get better, though the doctor had privately told us this was the end. It's incredibly heart-breaking not being able to tell your dad he's dying, to keep a happy face when confronted with such a morbid reality. He was suffering at the end, unable to breath without a machine, so God took him at the right time because there was no way he was going to get better, and he did live a full life through 76 mostly happy years. But the last two or three months were very tough, and it took a lot out of me to bury him.

I needed some relief. I needed to get away. I needed some 'me' time. Negril was the cure, the elixir, the feel-good potion that renewed and invigorated me and made everything OK again.

Meanwhile, during all this deep thinking and sentimental looking-back, I had unwittingly drifted on the raft all the way past Treehouse, and when I finally looked up, for a moment I had no friggin' idea where I was!

Eventually, I toweled off, found my way back to the Seasplash bar and ordered two of everything to go.

Here's some pics from Half Moon Beach (top to bottom):

1-2, Beautiful Half Moon Beach (no rastagal777 sighting)

3, "Chris, please have my lobster plate ready, mi soon come!"

4, Doesn't Margi have great hair???

Great report. Negril is a healing place. I've been sharing your reports with the Mrs. who suggested yesterday that perhaps I needed some time in Negril to recover from my loss, as well. That was always my plan, but having used all my vacation and sick time on FMLA, that went by the wayside... Now in 2013 with 25 new off days at my disposal, I am starting to dream and thanks for giving hope to all of us, that Negril can help heal!

Happy Travels

Skb

It is a wonderful place for healing "what ails you"; no matter what that is. So glad it is not almost over. Can you try to keep it going until April???

Gerry:
Nice trip review...you party like a rock star...good for...

Here's a little video of having a smoothie on the Cliffs at Xtabi ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpPzCLc5E6w

Always great reporting, but keep it going - I don't arrive till May.

Here's a few pics from your trip last summer . . .

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Here's some more pics (top to bottom):

1, Here is Marko, and he speaks patois

2, Chris behind the bar at Seastar Inn

3, Alvin at Seastar Inn

4, A contemplative moment at Xtabi

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

Here's some more pics (top to bottom):
1, Here is Marko, and he speaks patois

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mi try to speak Patois....lol....lol......at least mi understand most Patois these days......

Bentley says hi Gerry123..........wi miss you guy!

Cool Runnings, Marko

Spearfishing was poppin' today. I got a few nice ones, but in a typical fish story, the big one got away -- I speared a huge moray eel, must have been six feet, but it was too fiesty and fast and slipped away and went under a rock.

The fish I did catch I brought to Bentley as a bonus for him. I did that a lot last reach, but this time I've been giving them to Roger, Vincent's first mate. Roger helps me a lot and has kids, and he loves to cook the fish and kind of looks at me with those puppy-dog eyes when I pack them up to take somewhere.

I ate some Seastar Inn left-over food for lunch, asking new server Nicky to heat it up for me. She's a new face at the bar, and she looks like a fashion model from South Beach Miami or something like that -- very pretty and very American-looking. She's also really nice.

I tipped the one-armed gardener, then headed to Westender Inn to visit Kelvin, but he wasn't there so I jumped in the rock pool for a bit. Later, I stopped by C & D/Jenny's for more special cake -- I've been eating it fairly consistently this week, and I love it. One piece is just perfect.

After sunset, it was time to get ready for Brasi's birthday dinner at Catcha Falling Star. I think he is turning 21 today.

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us Gerry!

What a beautiful night in Negril, Christmas eve with Brasi, his two teen sons and a few others including Juli, all celebrating together at town's most reputable restaurant.

Under the moonlight with the waves gently caressing the Cliffs in front of us, the service and food were both superb at Catcha, the evening an conglomeration of fancy cocktails and red stripes, shrimp and lobster, spicy pasta dishes and fancy desserts. We laughed, we toasted, and, remarkably, we showed constraint by not singling out Brasi with an embarassing, candle-lit version of "Happy Birthday."

Brasi and I know each other well, having been in Negril together for the same week three or four times now and often talking on the phone when we're in USA, and he is a shy type who would not appreciate the attention. Me, I might have done it to him anyway, but I was relaxed because of the Jenny's special cake that kind of saw me sinking in my chair, so I didn't care much to move around much or to make sneaky arrangements with our server, Nichollette, the same one who waited on us last reach when we had a feast for the ages with M & G Montreal and their young daughter this past summer.

We all walked back to the Seastar Inn together -- rare for me, as I don't like to walk anywhere that's more than 100 steps away.

I slept well that night. Tomorrow is Christmas.

Here's a video of lobster at Booby Cay island:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K33hvojWl8A&feature=youtu.be

Thanks for sharing gg123...soon come!

Here are some more pics (top to bottom):

1, Braz kids ....

2-3 Catcha Falling Star entrees

4, Seastar Inn's new server, Nicky

Braz boy on the left is a spitting image of his father.