10 Years, 12 Nights, 6 Hotels, ONE LOVE - April 2012 Trip Report

Great report .... is it just the lighting or is Sweetness already sunburned?

Markus - freeking hilarious!!!!

I'm already thinking about the next road trip as this one was EPIC. I freaking hate that word, however I cannot think of another word to best describe that day. The pic of Rahoooooool smiling takes me back as he and Marley took up the front and had a front row seat to the antics.
Hubby-man, the stop at the plantation was weird to say the least and you captured it perfect. For a second I was worried that I was on a bus with a bunch of tourist checking out random sites that were not on the radar. I remember as we pulled away that the rum cream and all else things ill came out and the rest is history.

Trip idea: Head south again with a quick pit stop at Tosh's place. Give thanks and head out to check out Bluefields for a bit and then enjoy the day in Treasure Beach. Take in the sunset and hit the road with a late night arrival. Looks like a good way to kill a day outside of Negril........

:D /\

I am in Booger

But I would go anywhere with you guys......it's always a fun time!

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Originally Posted by booger

[SIZE=3] I remember as we pulled away that the rum cream and all else things ill came out and the rest is history.

]

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Huh?? lol

Clarity - I am playing catch up here as I was away from Negril.com for a bit. I knew I was not coming back to Jamaica for a while and it made me crazy to look not knowing when I would return. Now that I have pushed the button, I can "lurk" happily. :)

I am loving your trip report!!! You know it's so funny that you describe yourself as being shy with people you just met. I too have that affliction, I am a bit of an introvert with extroverted moments - but can be awkward when meeting large groups of people for the first time. I feel a little better about it now after reading your comments. I was at the Luciano concert but unable to come back for the Belly Flop - I am SO sorry I missed it.

You are so blessed to have found this large, loving extended family. I hope you are able to keep and grow those relationships and that your relationship with your father also grows stronger because of this. It is such a small world, I think I may have met someone in NY who is part of that extended clan of yours. If I see them again, I will inquire further but they said their family owns the Mandeville Hotel.

Well, I am only partway thru this report but enjoying it immensely. I wish you many more adventures together and look forward to reading about them. :)

Ok where is the rest of the story? Is Clarity back in Jamaica with her sisters and parents? If you are hope you have/ had a good time.

QUOTE [A Danish family extended the line at the end. The mother and three nearly white-blond daughters, arranged by size, like organ pipes, looked like poster children for the Scandinavian Tourism board. Their pale unburned skin, indicated that they had just arrived. Dad was still at the pump sighing over a war torn map that he had spread over the tinted windows of his luxury SUV Rental. All of them were dressed in the most formal of business attires. A band of medieval knights would have looked far less out of place. They looked our group up and down with obvious disgust.

“We are driving our daughter to a volunteer organization in Mandeville, where she will work for 6 months.”, the mother announced with a heavy Danish accent. They looked in horror at our rowdy group. I felt really sorry for them. We must have given them have some second thoughts about her daughters philanthropic adventures. I could only imagine the discussion in the car that must have followed. ("Don't you get involved with those types, young lady!")]

I was chuckling but this part had me laughing out loud (at night, by myself, my family has decided that I am strange). Now I KNOW that I will have to make it my business to make an effort to spend time with the turtles on their next migration. Cuz "those types" be "my types!" Full Enjoy!

Thanks Marley, Tizzy, Guirigay, Spottycatz, Beebeluv, Ralonzo, Gerryg123, booger, wpyogi, sweetsue, Angel for your kind comments

Spotty, Marley – What?? You guys really don’t remember the Danish family?!
They were in line with us for the bathroom. They were last ones in line and Markus (who, as you know, talks to EVERYONE) struck up a conversation with them. I didn’t listen to what they had to say because I was much more concerned with the state of the bathroom. Lol!

Beebeluv – your “children of the corn” comment cracked me up!

Sweetsue – I wish there was a “like” button for your last comment. You definitely need to spend some time with the turtles on your next trip. I hope to be there too when it happens!

Angel – not yet, but soon come – my suitcase is in the livingroom right now. I’m so excited, it’s hard to think about anything yet.


Sorry for the delay, we’re back in business now and lets see how fast we can get through the remaining days of our trip. We’re determined to finish this trip report. :D

Markus is up next…

Trip Report Continued...

A few half consumed subway sandwiches rolled lazily back and forth between feet and luggage on the floor of the bus. Since the last stop it had gotten sort of quiet. I think a few turtles had nodded off a bit, happily digesting a belly-full of rum cream and red stripes.

The scenery had changed. Majestic mountains surrounded us on all sides, as we rode through a lush narrow valley. Holding hands, Daisy and I gazed out the window becoming one with the view.

Half dazed I felt like the landscape was chanting a thousand-year old melody to me. Big oak-like trees stood at the center of each parceled meadow, their thick branches reaching out far from their trunks. Each tree in turn seemed to carry a forest of its own, smaller species sprouting roots in the furrows of its branches, while horses grazed in their shadow.

The bus rolled to a stop at the side of the road.

“We are here! Ho, ho, ho! Get out!” Chicken’s voice boomed.

A few of us (like Marley) were ready to go, while the majority awoke slowly, like toddlers after a nap: stretching, yawning, a bit cranky and drooling. It took me a moment to re-orient myself.

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The entrance building to YS-Falls had a distinctly American ambience: cash registers, roped lines and lots of touristy junk for sale. We must have looked like the mangled tourist groups that get dropped off at the Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco after a three hour visit to Yosemite, confused as to how the beautiful scenery had mutated into a Hard Rock Café.

Groggy turtles are harder to move than fresh ones, so we had time to smoke several cigarettes in front of the ticket counter, which brought some life back in to me. Finally we rounded the building, where we were loaded into tractor drawn carts.

The rumbly ride, slower than a tired turtle, seemed to wind endlessly through the once again majestic landscape and terminated at a little platform in a the middle of village of changing rooms and shower houses.

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We gathered around a picnic table and The mood was rising. The crowd became happy, loud and rowdy once again.

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One after the other we changed into bathing trunks and bikinis and set out towards the path to the actual falls.

Turning a corner, behind a massive tree, the falls suddenly came into view. Extending from a panorama platform a river stretched straight ahead cascading down several terraces, before it veered off sharply in front of a small cluster of gaping-jaw tourists, clicking away at the magnificent sight.

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The water plunged down each of the steps as a white foaming wall of force. Spray rose high from each of the pools below, and as it rose it built glistening rainbows, before evaporating rapidly into the thin hot air.

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At the very end of the view loomed the mother of all falls, like a mighty goddess, sprawling a throne while delighting in the spectacle of her own creation of violent torrents and life-giving mist. Dwarfed in comparison, a tiny trail of colorful tourist ants climbed and panted up a jungle path, clutching slippery handrails, while their vacation attire competed with a multitude of otherworldly flowers for attention.

We all stood there for a while, all of us helplessly attracted to the same spot.

“I have taken the same picture in this exact same spot,” Ninja mumbled, camera pressed to his face, “and yet,…” click, click, click, ” … I have to take it again!”.

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It was hard to move any further. ‘This is it’, I thought: Real National Geographic coffee-table-book-rain-forest. Just like the watercolors from Disney’s Jungle book, the movie that first made me want to be an artist. I just couldn’t get enough of the sight. This is why I had become a tree hugger. This is why had protested for hours on end in cold German winter weather in front of fast food chains that served billions of rain-forest burgers and this is why I hadn’t washed my hair since 1981 to look the part -to save this experience for future generations.

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Without moving an inch there was a life-time of discoveries within reach, it made no sense to go anywhere else. Surrounded by people, for a moment I felt alone and intimate with the force and beauty of nature. I wanted to soak it all in, the rainbow wet, and greedily gobble up the moments with my camera. Even pointing straight up into the sky I found a picture worth taking.

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The group began moving and thinned out along the path up to the big one. We were all mixed up throughout the jungle now, Daisy chatting intensely with Sweetie Pie, I was engrossed in conversation with a flower and Sweetness leaned pondering against a handrail overlooking a calm pool in the river.

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As we passed each other in little groups, you could feel the group grow together. The boundaries, that formed a protective bubble around the sacred intimacy within couples and the privacy of individuals, were dissolving, with the force of Mother Nature refreshing our being and nurturing a whole new aspect of all of our relationships. Our roots broke through and grabbed hold in eachother, where we found fertile, inviting ground to draw strength in.

When the handrail finally opened up and allowed access to the water, we all were bursting with the desire to dunk ourselves into the river. Let’s get baptized in this experience.

Everyone was already splashing around by the time I reached the spot. Tizzy was swinging wildly from a rope fastened to an overhanging branch 100 feet up. The range of each of the long rope’s swings was enormous and though she moved slowly, just above the water surface, she could not control her trajectory and comically crashed into a laughing group of tourists.

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I filmed the whole spectacle from the platform, when Mr. Spottycatz urgently tapped my shoulder.

“Oh dear, oh dear! Look at my wife, she is gonna jump from that ridiculous contraption up there, while I am pissing my pants watching her.” I followed the direction he was pointing in and found Mrs. Spottycatz waving from up above, where she held onto a rope, about to swing over the river and drop 15 feet into the water below. Then she pushed off and disappeared behind a tree. A second later we heard a huge splash over the roaring of the water fall, followed by cheering turtles in the river.

“Man, that looks like fun, Mr. Spottycatz! Let’s do it.”

“Oh, I don’t think so! You wouldn’t do that, would you?” He responded shaking his head, as if this was thoroughly silly idea.

I chose the rope as my entry point into the water and joined the jolly fun in the wet.

We splashed around for almost an hour. Then groups of people explored onward. Marley and Ninja set off to splurge on a zip-line experience, they had budgeted for this reach. Everyone else trotted further up the path, back and forth, mesmerized by their surroundings.

Daisy and I observed Guiriguy, as he struggled time and time again against the current, trying to reach the fall just in front of him. As soon as he got close indeed, the forces of the water overwhelmed him and rapidly washed him some 30 feet backwards. He found his footing and with incorrigible termination set out to complete his Sisyphus task once again, of course with the same result. It was incredibly interesting to observe.

Later, after setting out on a solo exploration, I found my wife and Guiriguy talking at a handrail. I observed them from a platform high up above. The sunlight filtered green through a cathedral of trees and epiphytes. My vantage point was lofty. We seemed to have arrived at the well of life itself and I could see it all from here.

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When I made my way back down the slippery stairs, Daisy stood alone, looking across the raging waters, tears streaming down her face.

“Are you O.K., Baby?”

“I don’t know.”, she replied. “I feel so, … so intensely happy. I feel they are all here,… the people that left. The lost ones, I have been missing. I feel like I don’t ever want to leave this spot.” She was deeply moved.

Guiriguy joined from behind. He too was in a special state. He pointed out the strangest things. I followed him to the big waterfall and he urgently pointed out a tiny little trickle of water that ran parallel to it.

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“Look!” he exclaimed most excitedly. “Look there! The small waterfall! Isn’t it that most beautiful thing you ever saw?”

It was beautiful.

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Then time sneakily made its way back into our lives.

“Shouldn’t Marley and Ninja be coming down the zip-line any moment?” Daisy urged.

“Oh my god yes! We have to get in position to get some pictures.”

We grabbed each other’s hands for stability and ran back down the slippery path. The others were already positioned along the way with their own big and small cameras, so we took position at the remaining spot at the end of the line, where our YS- experience had started in earnest.

My battery was dying and my arm was getting tired, when a tiny little dot emerged far away at the end of the zip-line. I trained my camera on it and used the last batter power to capture the adventure. As the spot came closer I discovered I was filming a park employee, who set out ahead of the two. I stopped the footage.

The suddenly Marley appeared. I pushed my record button frantically.

“Operation cannot be completed. Writing to memory card!” , the screen informed me.

I pushed again and again and finally got it to work as Shauna had already arrived on the platform.

“Ninja then. “ I thought, but focused on not making the same mistake as before I held out to see if it was really him zipping down next. When I could finally tell, my zoom was extended too far and I only got a tight cropping shot of his spinning butt passing over me. – Sorry guys. Oh well.

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The group gathered merrily at the familiar picnic table. Everyone was in the best of spirits and hungry for more subway sandwiches, which were quickly prepared and passed about.

Ninja and tizzy got into a giddy martial arts fight and suddenly every one was doing gymnastics. It was as if we had all bathed in a fountain of youth and nothing could stop us.

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The tractor pick us up and delivered us back into the care of Chicken for our next adventure, which we were thoroughly ready for.

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The above picture is for Marley! - a little gem from the forest.

To be continued
Pelican bar & middle quarters – up next

I love you man. You describe things so perfectly and capture photos with poignacy that it takes my breath away. Thank you for sharing this with everyone - Jamaica sweet Jamaica the land that we all love - the beautiful place that brings us all together and brings us all so much JOY. ONE LOVE - one people (so looking fwd to more) Thank you.

Well you've done it again, written a great story and the part about Daisy feeling the connection to lost loved ones made me shed a tear. Now I also want to watch the Jungle Book to see all the characters. Looking forward to more. Thank you!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

I could talk about this trip all day long. everyday. In fact my friends (the few i do have here at home) are so tired of hanging out with me because of it. LOL

Been missin JA so bad....thanks for taking me back there bud. I miss you and Daisy so stinkin much <3 miss all y'all!!! Mrs. Katz....in case you didn't know....you are one BADA$$ Mamajama :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hubby-man

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The above picture is for Marley! - a little gem from the forest.

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OMG! I LOVE this....so much! Almost as much as I love the two of you....thank you for sharing this photo. It made my whole day :)
Wow!
Love it!
<3

Really great stuff, Markus. I love it.

Perfect pictures of paradise!!! :)

Hey Tizz, I feel rather proud to be a BADA$$ Mamajama ha ha (I hope)! Miss Ja and everyone, everyday .... Turtle ♥

It was a compliment of course! I was sure proud :) Love ya!

Attachment 16595

I am finally getting caught up on this after about a month... glad to see it is still going :)
Thank you for your thoughts, photos and memories Clarity and Marcus... these are a real gift to the rest of us.

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Originally Posted by msB

Attachment 16595

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LOL! Love it!!;)

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Originally Posted by TizzyATX

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

I could talk about this trip all day long. everyday. In fact my friends (the few i do have here at home) are so tired of hanging out with me because of it. LOL

Been missin JA so bad....thanks for taking me back there bud. I miss you and Daisy so stinkin much <3 miss all y'all!!! Mrs. Katz....in case you didn't know....you are one BADA$$ Mamajama :cool:

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Awww, I miss you too girl!!!

And yeah, my friends here in SF are getting tired of hearing about Jamaica all the time too! haha! Good thing we all have eachother and Negril.com!

And I agree Mrs. Katz IS one BadA$$ MamaJama! lol!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sweetness

I love you man. You describe things so perfectly and capture photos with poignacy that it takes my breath away. Thank you for sharing this with everyone - Jamaica sweet Jamaica the land that we all love - the beautiful place that brings us all together and brings us all so much JOY. ONE LOVE - one people (so looking fwd to more) Thank you.

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I Miss you Sweetness:o
I feel the same way, Our love for Jamaica is what brought us all together. I'm so grateful that it did

Quote:

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Originally Posted by marley9808

OMG! I LOVE this....so much! Almost as much as I love the two of you....thank you for sharing this photo. It made my whole day :)
Wow!
Love it!
<3

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It's amazing going through Markus's photostream because he caught so many moments in nature that I had missed... Butterflies and dragonflies, birds and bees.
He knew you would particularly love this shot :)
We miss you!

Thanks Sweetness, Angel, Tizzy, Marley, Gerryg123, Yetta, Spottycatz, Sam I am, Msb for your comments

Next update coming up!
(We're trying to pick up the pace here, but I don't think this TR is going to be completed before I leave... We're only half-way through the trip so I'm going to have to revise that plan....:p)

Trip Report Continued

I took Daisy's hands in to mine, looked into her deep brown eyes and gave her a big long kiss. Her lips tasted of sunshine and crystal clear water. Then I picked up my backpack and rummaged for a replacement battery for my camera. I was excited. All these experiences we had already had at YS Falls and Pelican Bar was still to come. I needed that camera battery!

The bus stopped unexpectedly. I looked outside the window, but found nothing that indicated why we were here.

“What's happening? Why are we stopped?”, I asked.

“Food, honey, we are stopping for lunch!” Daisy enlightened me. I felt like the kid in class, who hadn't paid attention.

“Ha, food, I had forgotten all about that! I can eat! Let's do it.”

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We stepped out onto the dirt road and found ourselves in front of a large structure, made of crude bricks, with glassless windows and a corrugated iron roof. Piles of timber of all sizes leaned against the outside wall, as well as a fiber-glass Jacuzzi-shell and other abandoned bathroom hardware. Fixer-uppers?

Following the pack, we entered a large mostly empty hall, with a few tables and benches. Graffiti-like artwork, depicting Jamaican subject matter like Bob Marley, lions and African scenes, covered parts of the wall where ever it hadn't peeled of with the plaster.

Several doors let further into the structure and out to the other side. The group splintered as everyone passed through the doorway they found most promising. Daisy and I took the longest route of course, but eventually ended up with every one else on the other side of the building.

As I exited the door-less opening and looked to the right I almost fell over backwards. Stretched out before me was an industrial scene that seemed to present itself unchanged from the iron age, as if it had come a straight from a display case of the Natural history Museum.

A long flat structure had been erected from bricks, above which a grid of metal pipes was raised. Pots had been placed on the grid and a wood fire was lit beneath them. Everything from the stone structure to the cooks was thoroughly covered in soot, giving the whole scene an appearance of having been made of one and the same continuous blob of black and white material.

A line had formed, but beside the turtles there were no other customers, far or wide. And yet, food for a whole army was simmering in the endless row of pots. It was indeed a baffling thing to behold, here in the middle of not really anything.

Daisy clutched my arm from behind, stood on her tippy toes and laid her chin on my shoulder, like she does, when she is excited about a situation, but unfamiliar with the 'customs' of it.

“What's in those pots?”, she asked.

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I looked for a menu and found a blackboard with faded marks under a cover of more soot.

“Mmh, not sure, honey, I think it says 'curried goat', 'jerk pork', 'festival',... I can't make out more.”. There were about 20 more unreadable items.

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“What did you get?”, I asked someone.

“I am not sure!”, was the answer, “But it's good!”

We ordered some curried goat with callaloo and festival. Three different chef's sprung to life. Despite the missing range and gas burner, the kitchen operated like a modern kitchen-line. A plate was passed, each cook added the ingredient of their station and in no time the food was passed to the 'window'. Slap, slap slap.

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We carried the steaming Deliciousness off to the empty building and took a seat at a long bench with the others, who had already moved on to resume drinking, screaming and play-fighting each other. A few Jamaicans had strolled in from the street, attracted by the commotion. Everyone was quick to make friends with the new arrivals and stood at a bar in jovial conversation in patois and 'regular' English.

The food was delicious, seasoned to absolute perfection. The festival was a buttery sensation. And the callaloo, ...I don't think you can get bad callaloo in Jamaica. I am still dreaming of that slight bitterness that rejuvenates the palette.

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I must warn you though, that when you go to Jamaica and venture out of your all-inclusive, expect to eat every and any cut of meat an animal has to offer. The Jamaican butcher makes no distinctions when he cuts the animal into equal size portions. If you get lucky, you'll have the tenderloin on the plate, but every once in a while a meal might be more sinew then flesh. You must learn to chew real good or you might find yourself a vegetarian.

I for one, learned to eat whatever is put before me. Jerk chicken for example is usually processed IN the mouth, meaning, you will put the whole animal inside your eating cavity, perform some acrobatic teeth and tongue action before spitting out a clean skeleton. Don't bather with utensils. Be prepared and you won't mind a bit. The flavors are sensational and in no time you will be sucking the marrow out of poultry bones like a true Jamaican (Many of them are vegetarian though).

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Ouside, Jon was eyeing the lumber and the employee, who was busy chopping the firewood for the kitchen.

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“Can I try?”, he asked

The Jamaican looked at him like he was crazy. When he saw that Jon was serious he smiled broadly.

“Ya mon! You cyan chop da whole lot of it!”, he laughed as he handed John the ax. Then he stepped back with a glint of concern in his eyes.

Jon strained with the heavy, yet dull instrument, then brought it down on the wood. The log just giggled at the attempt and then rolled off unscathed. The Jamaican gave Jon a few pointers and reposition the lumber.

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Jon swung and got a good thud out of the ax, but slipped off dangerously close to his legs. Lightning fast the more experienced man caught the handle and stopped the momentum just in time, giving John a wide eyed look, and shook a scolding finger.

An audience had gathered and John was in no mood to quit and continued until he got the hang of it. Everyone clapped and cheered at each successful thud. John, finally having split the darn log, took a bow and we could get on with the trip, with one more skill in this group of turtles!

Remember: a Jamaican will gladly share a chore with you, should you be interested. You just might get more than you bargained for.

Our next stop was the Middle Quarters for Pepper shrimp

When we all spilled out of Chicken's magic bus, I was surprised to see a very familiar face greeting the group!

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It was the same woman we had met only yesterday on the way back from Mandeville!

She recognized us immediately “You're back!!” she exclaimed with a huge smile

“I told you we'd be back” I said laughing.

Everyone began eagerly purchasing and devouring the delicious pepper shrimp in huge bags... seasoned to perfection.

“I have some new soup I made... it's right here”, She said gesturing to a big pot. It didn't seem like anyone really heard her.. and for a moment she looked disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm over her special creation. She saw me looking at the pot and turned to me with a hopeful smile “Daisy! Would you like to try my soup?”

I was hesitant because I had just eaten a huge meal and was munching on a massive pile of Pepper shrimp. I didn't know if I had any room left in my stomach. “Um..Sure, How much is it?”

“100 JA” She said. “let me scoop out some soup for you, you're going to love it. I promise. You just wait”

“Okay, bring It on!” I said handing my bag to Markus and gesturing for him to give me some money. He laughed and rolled his eyes.

I took the warm cup into my hands and took that first bite...

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I wish I could describe the taste of this soup. It was creamy goodness... absolutely delicious. I just moaned and closed my eyes. Markus had a bite and immediately rushed to get a cup of his own.

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I handed it to the spottycatz to try and they quickly jumped on board. Soon all of the turtles were eating the special shrimp soup and moaning in bliss.

If you happen to see this woman on the side of the road in the middle quarters and she offers you soup... say YES. You wont be sorry.

The fresh Jamaican air, the sunshine coming in through the trees and the tropical warmth combined made this moment feel perfect... on the side of this dusty road, enjoying fresh food... I was just so happy. I felt like the day couldn't get any better and we still had Pelican Bar to look forward to!

We all bid farewell to the smiling woman in front of her fruit and pepper shrimp vendor and piled back up into Chicken's magic bus.

I ate my pepper shrimp from the bag on my lap as we rumbled down the dirt road towards Pelican Bar.

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I had only seen this in pictures and I couldn't wait to experience this for the first time in person..

To be continued...
Next stop – The Pelican Bar

Great stuff ... not too many pics of Brassi so far!

LOL....Brasi hasn't come to life yet (poor guy)

I have but 3 comments

1) Every single time I recall, read about or remember this day I smile.....BIG
2) I am now super hungry and even more missing all of the wonderful food of Jamaica....I want some of that soup BAD!
3) I am super excited about your new found desire to get back on track with this TR....however I think the momentum will end abruptly soon and I doubt hubby-man will continue with such speed without his coach pushing him....but I am still loving every single second of it (maybe I will even finish mine soon lol)

Love and miss you all <3

Looks SO good, i'm starving now too! That was such a cool stop, I'll never forget the fuzzy memories I have of it. hahaha

Yall are coming outta nowhere with these pics!!! Love seeing new ones i haven't seen yet and these are awesome like all the rest. Do you mind if I steal the ones of Jon choppin wood? You know I can't help myself...

Thank you for this report, it's fantastic. Marley, Still checking everyday for you and Raul to update. ;)

Tizzy, you are so right about the fuzzy memories. I'm really getting a buzz from finding out actually what we did. The more I read, the more photo's I see, the less I remember. :rolleyes: :confused:

Mrs Katz here ..... I want some soup..... !! Best soup I have ever had, I can still taste it! The joys the turtles shared that day will never be surpassed! Great writing and amazing photos once again, thanks a million ♥

Ok Daisy you must be back from visit with your Mom Dad & sisters. So finish report please. Know maybe your parents might want to keep low key about their trip. Just hope they had a good time. Now guess it will be awhile before you make it to JA having made the extra trip. Hope you had a good time.