TRAIL OF ASHES TOUR: The adventure continues as Gerry G returns to Negril

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

One was a visit to Oasis .... All these years, I had drove by that Oasis sign pointing up a hill on a small street, probably drove by it a hundred times, but never made the turn .... It was 10 p.m. one night, on the way back to Seastar Inn, and I thought I would check it out.

it's really quiet and really dark.

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stayed there when it was Thrills and mi kinda liked the place......nice vibe
it is secluded and a great getaway place if you tired of the rat race or hanging with a lot of tourist.....
of course if you afraid of da dark.........
you don't want Oasis as the lane gets pitch black.........
and the place is kinda dimly lit at night........great for privacy.......
bad if you like to mingle a lot........
the pool is excellent here..........and the rooms are clean and fine.........
plus they have tennis courts!
SeaStar tells a lot of people to go here when they are all booked up.......

Cool Runnings, Marko

When we went spearfishing, the ocean was about as calm as I've ever seen in Negril .... It was like an aquarium ..... On the way back, the fishing poles came out, and Vincent caught a big one -- with a little twist at the end ... Here is some video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_89KXvB3Pf4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtvhBfO5CrU&feature=youtu.be

A few more pics ....

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Dr. Grant gets ready to give me a shot ...

Sunset at Xtabi ...

Snorkeling trip on the boat ....

Cooking at Booby Cay ...

Wasted at the The Jungle ....

Cruisin' in a boat w Jodie ....

Yet ANOTHER plate of Jerk Chicken ....

Stawberry Daiquiri minus one big sip ....

Me and my yardie friend, Jaba (great guy) ....

I enjoy reading of your adventures, but I gotta say you seem to do more in a day than I manage to do in a week. Somehow the sand gravity always gets in the way.

Some more video:

TOP TO BOTTOM:

-- Enjoying the sunset at Xtabi on the cliffs ....

-- The Westender Inn rock pool on my last day ....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_T02wxn0dw&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uYow6COfNc&feature=youtu.be

More spearfishing video ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2x_tQt2w7Q&feature=youtu.be

Loved the trip report! It makes me even more jealous! I can't wait to return...

And, I think you will like this one: Here's a video on the last day of Gas and I arguing/negotiating about a scratch (no longer visible) on the scooter. At this point in the video, I have him down to 200 dollars .....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD8Hz50c6r4&feature=youtu.be

You're lucky he didn't charge you an arm and a leg.

ooooooooooooooooooh snap

A few last thoughts:

I've been home for nine days -- nearly as long as I was in Negril this latest reach -- and I already miss it.

I enjoy a little MORE about Negril every time I visit .... First I was so satisfied just to chill in the ocean. Then I discovered off-resort little food stands and restaurants .... Then the locals themselves, then the boardies .... It's getting to be a more COMPLETE experience every time ....

This was the first time, ever, I did the whole trip on the Cliffs, none of the nights on the beach. I rather liked it that way. I love the ocean, and it's kind of nice not dealing with the sand. I visited the beach, a lot, but decided seven-mile is a nice place to visit but i wouldnt want to live there -- all within the context of a short vacation, of course.

I had zero problems with all the hagglers and beggars, but there are more of them than ever, and they're getting YOUNGER. I do not like the mentality of teaching the really young ones to beg. I know it's a different culture, I know it's not my place to say, but there is something about that rubs me the wrong way, and I wanted to put it out there. Ten-year-olds begging in front of their parents is uncool.

That said, I LOVE surprising locals with little gifts. Something I left out of the report: There was a young boy at Debars, kicking around a tin can, over and over and over again. The youngster was obviously a budding soccer player. Instead of giving the kid some money, or tracking down who his dad was -- I assume he is a relative or cousin or a nearby neighbor of Eddie -- I went to Sunshine Plaza one afternoon and bought him a little soccer ball. It was roughly the same price as a nice chicken lunch with a water plus tip, and the look on the kid's face when I gave him the soccer ball, it was worth it a hundred times over.

I love seeing the same locals over and over again. I like seeing Ann on the beach. I know she will be there, selling her wares, on the beach near Bar B Barn the next time I visit -- a month from now, a year from now, 10 years from now, i bet she will still be there. I like that a lot.

I miss saying ya mon. I miss riding my scooter down to the roundabout, pulling out 300 dollars from Scotia, and letting the wind take me. I miss stopping at two jerk stands in a row, taking the second batch to go. I miss sitting at a bar, smoking up with friends, and not feeling like a criminal. I miss floating in the ocean. I miss that a lot.

Soon come.

I only mention it because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? But sometimes, there's a man. And I'm talkin' about the Dude here. Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's the Dude, in Los Angeles. And even if he's a lazy man - and the Dude was most certainly that. Quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide. But sometimes there's a man, sometimes, there's a man. Aw. I lost my train of thought here. But... aw, hell. I've done introduced him enough. The Stranger from the Big Lebowski

Go get 'em Gerry!

I love the feeling of being able to walk outside the door with a beer in my hand and not getting an open container fine...why are there so many freakin laws in this country?

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Originally Posted by rastagal

I love the feeling of being able to walk outside the door with a beer in my hand and not getting an open container fine...why are there so many freakin laws in this country?

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Stupid people do stupid things, grab a lawyer, sue, and now you have a new regulation, law what have you.

Nice close Gerry. I look forward to your next reach and report outs.... Hopefully they are less fragmented next time.... :)

Gerry. We are not the same. But somehow...we're the same.

I guess I have re-thought a lot about the times we chilled, and maybe (and I said this to you straight up) even though we don't necessarily ride the Negril wave the same way...I respect you. I had a ton of fun chilling...late. Early. Beers at 7 am. Crazy times bro. You rubbed off on me and I feel better for it...I think...you are probably a huge part of why I lived to tell my story. ahhahahahahahahahah

Especially that damn Jungle nite when i changed from your N.com acquaintance to feeling like your bodyguard. OMG.

And well...there are things that we just can't explain. We have that...a uncommon and incredible level of experiencing absolute debauchery. hahah. Yeh. The stories...they will remain.

You are to be admired 'cause you are always YOU. Rum-pole taught me that. In a POST.

The dude ABIDES.

Great report...see you soon, scooter!

It was an honor and a pleasure hangin' with you, too, Brasi. I think the funnest moments of all were chillin' with you, talkin' about our hopes and dreams. Those times are irreplaceable, my Eastern friend ....

A few more pics I managed to scrounge up ....

TOP TO BOTTOM:

-- On the beach with Booby Cay in background

-- View from bar at Seastar Inn

-- At Sir D Lookout

-- Chillin at Westender

-- Still chillin' at Westender

-- At the bar (this bud's for you)

-- Chillin' with friend Crissy at Seastar Inn

Gerry,
Mrs. Peel came over tonight for my birthday.
We're checking your latest post (or I was) and Mrs. Peel (looking over my shoulder) says, "Who's that? Oh, Gerry!"

Respect

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

It was an honor and a pleasure hangin' with you, too, Brasi. I think the funnest moments of all were chillin' with you, talkin' about our hopes and dreams. Those times are irreplaceable, my Eastern friend ....

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No diss intended.

In Britain they would call this the start of a beautiful Bro-mance.
Hope you guys live happily ever after.

One Love
B

I could not stay away from Negril. Jamaica is calling my name. I see Negril in way the wind blows through the palm fronds in Los Angeles, in the way the moon shines at night, in the way that every turn on every street reminds me of motoring along One Love Drive on my scooter.

I am coming back tonight. I am really feeling liberated. I love Jamaica so much, especially Negril, and I MUST be there. There's a special place in my heart for Negril, for the Seastar Inn, for all the magnificent snorkel spots and restaurants and -- now -- a lot of good friends, some of whom I've only met through the board. But that's all about to change.

Ya mon.

At LAX, waiting for my flight. It's going to be a good trip.

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Gerry Henry will be at the airport to pick you up at 11.30 am. If you get out early wait at the bar. He will be no later than 11.45.

Gerry, I love how you travel! Look forward to meeting you Mighty Californian and all you bring. See you Thursday around 1, if you will be at the bar. Good travels.......

Safe Travels Gerryg123!
We'll see you in Negril!:)

Fly well....walk good!

Is that like a mobster-sized wad of cash in hand?

The trips are getting closer and closer together. Rarely do I go more than few months now before returning, but this particular reach has a special meaning:

My life is changing in a big way. I've been in the music business in Los Angeles for 25 years, but I'm not making quite enough to secure my daughters' college future and beyond, so I have enrolled in Law school. This is my spring break, and I have a lot on my mind. Like a comfortable pillow, Rock Music has been very good to me, yet while I have helped many bands sell millions of records, a few bad breaks here and there have gotten in the way of a truly huge pay day for myself.

It was tough going back to school, especially being among the oldest in the class, but I am hangin in there and really quite enjoy it. Meantime, I have been doing two things at once -- working full-time and going to school full-time -- plus being a divorced parent, etc. I barely have time to check negril.com 100 times a day, lol.

This time, this trip, I am REALLY going to live it up. Hold on for the ride everyone because I'm not going to censor myself this time -- though the great man himself might do so, as he probably should, lol -- so what you're going to get is another gerryg123 trip report featuring a fun-loving man with a hearty zest to pursue to the fullest ALL of Negril's fantastic pleasures.

Don't leave me now. I promise it will be worth it.

Good flight Gerry........

Enjoy your trip!

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

This time, this trip, I am REALLY going to live it up. Hold on for the ride everyone because I'm not going to censor myself this time -- though the great man himself might do so, as he probably should, lol -- so what you're going to get is another gerryg123 trip report featuring a fun-loving man with a hearty zest to pursue to the fullest ALL of Negril's fantastic pleasures.

Don't leave me now. I promise it will be worth it.

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You mean you have been holding back?!?! WTH! LOL!

Tfw, I was thinking the same thing, lol

Safe travels, gerryg. See you on the rock soon!

We may have to hang with Gerry some in July, lol.

Safe Travels Gerry, see you soon!

I'm sitting at the bar at Seastar Inn, hangin with Tattoo, all checked in with my scooter parked in front -- so all is right with the world. My world anyway, I am very, very pumped about being back home.

Henry picked me up right on time, and we made a couple of stops along the way.

I've already seen a bunch of familiar faces, and everyone at Seastar Inn is in a great mood, as usual.

I'm drinking a nice fruit punch, waiting for the Bar Crawl bus to pick me up. I think Tattoo is coming, too -- it's going to be a good day, a good week, a good vacation.

Hope to see you around. Brasi & I are gonna meet up at Roots Bamboo tonight, have you seen him yet? Patty & gang are you guys coming out tonight?

Yes, I have seen Brasi. We've spent most of the day together, having a great time. We went down to digicel, so now Brasi has his own phone. We bumped into Loco from Jam Can and a few others. I'm starting to know a lot of faces!

Chris is totally in his element right now, chilling on a hammock. One of the Seastar Inn workers tried to help me fix one of the breaks on my scooter, as it does not work very well (the scooter guy told me this beforehand). But it was too hard to fix without a big hassle, so I think I might trade it in for another scooter.

I took a late-afternoon dip in the pool, and now I am enjoying my first official cocktail -- a hummingbird -- of the trip.

Brasi is going to Roots later. I might join him, though I am a bit played-out from being up all night on airplanes and at airports waiting for airplanes, so I will have to play that by ear.

Went to bar crawl with Tattoo, it was nice. I headed back after a couple of bars, though. Too much adrenaline for the first day.

I have to do a bit of work tomorrow, then some ocean fun or hotel hopping, then THE JUNGLE. I'm looking forward to it.

good start Gerry! It's all coming together!

Gerry come out with Brasi, no need to close down the place on your first night. This is my first night out this trip. I'll be the one with short boy hair!

This is great. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Juli

Hope to see you around. Brasi & I are gonna meet up at Roots Bamboo tonight, have you seen him yet? Patty & gang are you guys coming out tonight?

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We are waiting to hear from someone about the time and place..juli you around?

Joe and Manda are at the Bar..ill pick them up on the way past:D