subs

Lola is correct - at this present second there are 756 Users Online reading (95 members and 661 guests) - so guests (non-registered members) always out number the registered members, today being about 6 to 1...

The Mayan Riviera has the same beaches and climate as Negril and arguably a better reef eco-system, but the Mayan Riviera lacks the warm welcome one receives in Negril.
The M/R is also also a lot more up tight.

The last time I was in Playa Del Carmen I noticed a cop leaning against an alley wall, there was an Uzi dangling from a lanyard around his neck.
My point is something sets Negril apart and I believe that something is the laid back attitude and warmth of the folks who welcome us there.

Westender do you really think Negril would be the same vibrant Negril if it's only guests were the AI crowd?

I've been reading this thread, trying to decide if I should add my two cents or not... So here goes...

There are many reasons I keep coming back to Negril... for me, one of the most important reason is the availability of "subs" (Not the quality of said "subs", but the availability) and the fact that I can sit at my hotel, or at some bars, and partake as if it was legal.

It's not the ONLY reason - but most, if not all of the other reasons (The food, the friendly people, the beaches, etc) can be had elsewhere. I've been to Mexico numerous times, travelled the Caribbean, and keep ending up back in Jamaica.

We haven't been back in about a year, because we decided to skip our twice yearly trip to Negril and save up, and just spent 15 nights in Amsterdam, my second visit there in 5 years.

If they were to fully legalize, I would expect that the quality of the "subs" would skyrocket, as would accomodations specifically for people who eat "subs". A Caribbean Amsterdam, so to speak. (Which isn't what we have in Colorado - you can buy it, but you've got to smoke it at home)

Yes, I can smoke at home. What I can't do at home is enjoy my smoke out in the open... while it's illegal in Jamaica, there are plenty of places where it is safe to sit and smoke... on my balcony, watching the sunrise with a cup of amazing coffee... some bars are more than happy to have you smoke and enjoy a beer, same with some restaurants... Being able to enjoy a smoke the way others enjoy a beer is priceless.

Now, that being said, I have to add something... I keep seeing people talk about how it's the "vibe" of Negril and "the locals" who make it such a "chill, laid back place"... I have to call "bull****" on some of that. We forget the men who grab your wife's hand, not letting go, holding tighter as she tries to pull away, until I realize whats happening and intervene, all the time trying to sell something whether its a trinket, or weed, or bracelets, or something. The hustlers on the beach, who even after being told NO continue to bother you every time you walk by (lets just say my appearance is somewhat distinctive, they know they've asked me already).. Bartenders who "tell" you that you're buying them a beer... guys who are all smiling and happy to your face, then turn to their friends and start talking **** in patois about you (I know what a bumbleclot is, thanks)...

That being said, when not being bothered/harassed, I love the place, not just for the ganja. I get what everyone means by the "vibe"... but we are pretending that there aren't instances where that "vibe" gets shattered, if only for a moment... and then back to your "sub" and/or red stripe... The truth is, my wife goes along because she knows how much I love it - but she HATES the hustlers, and ONE stressful interaction can ruin her whole day and make it impossible for her to relax. I do my best to shield her from it, but without fail, if I let me guard down for a minute someone is approaching her, and at times SCARING her. Yes, she's a bit timid and gets uncomfortable more easily than I do - but what does it say about "the people" if on an almost daily basis my wife is feeling uncomfortable? And I'm not talking about when doing things like buying "subs"... I'm talking about when we're at a bar and I walk away to use the bathroom... or she waits outside while I run into a store for some supplies... or walking the cliff road to go to a restaurant... common every day things... If it was up to her we would go A/I and never leave the resort.

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Originally Posted by Westenders

Limo man, Jamaicans call weed many names as do the rest of us, I mean please who have you met that calls it subs other than people of this board??

Also in answer to your comment directed at me, I use a lot of route cars, when I'm there and sometimes a charter as well as drive myself. I don't ask for anything other than a ride, nor is anything else offered.When you say 99% drivers do, that is your perception as you obviously ask them as a smoker. I think your stats are very wild and based on your own experience.

FYI, I am , nor do I look like a church person, or anything other prim and proper . I am a normal woman who carries myself with the same values and respect for me and for others than I do at home. I don't come to Jamaica to smoke as it's readily available in the UK. I dont have a limited view of Jamaica and Jamaicans either. I live in the real world all of the time, I don't need your reality check.

I like ECO,s response in terms of selling crack to a crack head . Some tourists, not all, definitely fit a certain stereotype and that's why you get offered drugs all the time. Your known for buying, and they target you. Some people do get asked a couple of times but after saying no, this dies down.
Most of the places to stay or socialise, recommended on this board by members are full of a particular crowd that do come to Jamaica to get high, and don't have any real experience of Jamaicans outside of the service industry. Again a very limited view as you are in a target market that has been cultivated by tourists as well. Outside of this, life is very different.
I actively avoid these places and that tourist experience.

I think some on this board give very mixed messages, boast about how many times they visit Negril, use Jamaican dialect, say they love it, then are quick to offer a negative stereotypical view of Jamaicans and Jamaica.

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My comment was about your post that you would not want to have part time drug dealer driving you around. My response to that is the reality check is finding a driver who is not a part time dealer. If you don't ask Westender how do you know if that they are not a part time or full time dealer ????? Fact: Westender you have been driven by a part time dealer if you are in a route or charter vehicle in negril.

@Harry,

Interesting insights!

Though they leave me feeling like a wallflower.
I've run into some minimal street hustling, but nothing that brushed me back from the plate.
I've been in Negril with two different women (both were serious relationships) and never run into these problems you've outlined.
. . . and this while being out socially with GerryG.

I'm thinking I go to bed too early . . . which I guess takes us back to ganga(sp? Ganges = Ganga?).
Hoho!

And yes Westenders it was the Hippies who opened up Negril as a tourist destination in the 60's. Before they arrived Negril was simply a sleepy little fishing village that not even easily accessible from other parts of the island. Only the " Roots Negril People" inhabited the area with very few outside families. There were maybe two or three residents living there who weren't born there. The herb trade assisted in opening things up and building roads so that the herb trade could be facilitated. Many of the roads were built by the residents themselves for this very reason.

There were the days when the Rastas would go down to the round about and use the Ganga plant as a broom to sweep it out. When Manley went to Negril the people lined the Boulevard holding their finest herb plants. Herb has very much been a part of this culture dating back to the days of slavery and that's not all bad because if you are unable to identify with your culture you have nothing. Although it is true there are many more Jamaicans that don't smoke herb than those that do it has never been as taboo as it was here in America before it became legal in many areas.

I am in favour of total legalization for the people of Jamaica so that it can create the revenue for Jamaicans that we are seeing in Colorado. I believe the Jamaican government also has a good understanding of this. I just read an article in the Huffington Post that states that crime has decreased 5.9 percent from this time last year since the legalization of cannabis in Colorado.

I also am elated that this topic is open for discussion in many areas of the United States because of the wave of legalization that has swept across our Country. There is also a very different vibe when smoking herb in Jamaica than there is here although both vibes are good. In Jamaica you have the sea, the music, the people and the overall "No Problem" vibe.

To each his own, Jamaica enables one to experience this aspect of life enjoy relax. just chill..............Lacdeloo

Ummmm, hey Karilynn... did you have your question answered?! :)

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Originally Posted by Fred Stripe

Jamaica should "wake up" like America has finally done and start to Legalize what the people want.Remove the criminal aspect,no money for incarceration, tax it to death like they do cigarettes & alcohol & gambling.

Uruguay just legalized it. Portugal decriminalized ALL drugs Ten years ago and we don't hear of any carnage in the streets,do we?

O/K Rob,I will repeat the mantra fr the Newbies,,,Weed is illegal.

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Many countries have laws based on treaties and other agreements with the US. Now that the US has legalized it for recreational use in 2 states many countries will follow.

The best answer I've seen given to the OP in another similar thread is that if you're looking for cold cuts for your sub you don't need to find the Oscar Mayer man.....he will find you....loved that one!

Just wanted to add.....

I think it's a little disingenuous to make it seem as though its something that goes on in the margins. I read so many reviews where people are shocked at how prevalent it was. I normally assume these people didn't do enough research about where they were visiting\staying. Downplaying it does a disservice to those who would like to avoid being exposed to it.