Trip Report - DAY 6: Last full day in Negril

Day 6 – Our last full day in Negril

if you missed the first four days you can find them here http://negril.com/forum/blog.php?127-Clarity
Day 5 - http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...-La-Palm-DAY-5

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I woke up after 10:30 and realized we had missed yet another breakfast at Coco La Palm.

I don't know how people can get up at the crack of dawn on their vacation. The idea of being there on the beach to see the Jamaican sunrise sounds beautiful in theory, but has proven impossible for us. Maybe it's because I have to be up at 6:30 every work day. Our vacation is our only chance to actually sleep in..

I stretched out in the cool sheets and enjoyed the soft comfort of the bed.. I gazed up at the swirling ceiling fan and just listened to the sound of the surf.. the sound of the birds in the trees.. the sound of reggea music in the distance from the beach bar..

I looked down my legs.. They were so tan now that they almost looked like they belonged to someone else! There is nothing that compares to that feeling you get after a few days in Jamaica..After days of laying in the warm sun and walking through the soft sand, swimming in the salty ocean..eating the good food... It's like an all over transformation. I felt so good..

Then the realization that this was our last day in Negril hit me like a ton of bricks..

NO.....no.......

I was determined to not let this cast a dark cloud over my day.

Even though the feeling of sadness at the prospect of leaving was so much stronger than anything I'd ever experienced before...

I decided to just be in the moment and try not think about how our trip was coming to an end. I was just going to stay in the eternal vacation mindset and imagine that this was just yet another day of many days in paradise.

And I managed to keep that mindset and a brave face the entire day... except for when I stood on the cliffs gazing at that last beautiful Jamaican sunset, but I'm getting ahead of myself...

I woke up Markus and we enjoyed fresh brewed coffee together on the balcony again.

Then we decided to skip breakfast and head straight to the beach. The weather was beautiful and we didn't know if rain would hit again in the afternoon like it had yesterday and the day before.

We found 2 perfect loungers again and gazed at the beach before us..

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...cocobeach6.jpg

We waded into the water and swam around together in the warm crystal clear water.

Someone parasailed overhead.. His bathingsuit trunks had gotten caught on the seat, so he was flying above proudly exposing a full moon to everyone below. I couldn't help but laugh involuntarily at the sight along with the crowd of people below.

Eventually I climbed out of the water and slid back into the lounger to enjoy the sunshine.

I closed my eyes and then I heard it..

“Three little Birds”

Someone was singing it on the beach while strumming his guitar.

My brother used to play that on the guitar and his voice was so similar. I had a flashback of sitting in his bedroom back in New York while he sat on the floor singing that song... I remembered my brothers smile and his laugh. I remembered our times together when he last came to visit me in San Francisco and our talks about visiting Jamaica together.

My eyes filled with tears and I kept them closed.

I remembered watching my brother hang two flags up on his bedroom wall. One flag was a Puerto Rican flag and another was a Jamaican flag. The two places he longed to travel to. He made it to Puerto Rico. He had traveled to San Juan two months before he passed away.

He never made it to Jamaica.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...82/06jared.jpg
My brother, Jared

Rise up this morning
smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', "This is my message to you:"
Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,
Every little thing is gonna be all right....


As the words of this song drifted across the beach, I felt his presence at that moment, stronger than ever before and I just let myself cry. It was healing and therapeutic. This trip was so meaningful to me in a way that I can't adequately describe in this travel report. There is something about Jamaica that strips everything away. It leaves you exposed and vulnerable. Forcing you to face the pain in your life that you try to hide away, Only after going through that can you truly see the beauty.

After a while, Markus returned. The sun had dried the tears from my cheeks and I was feeling calm now.. at peace.

“Ready to eat something?” He asked.

I nodded.

Markus took my hand in his and we walked across the street to enjoy some more Jerk Chicken at Best in the West.

Jerk Chicken – Best in the West

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...6bestwest2.jpg
So delicious!

Our taxi driver, Tall man was there! We discovered that he lived right next door. Al was working behind the bar this time.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...ndbestwest.jpg
Al and Tallman

We chatted with them for a while while enjoying our meal. We needed to go to the ATM machine for a little more cash. Tall man offered to drive us to Timesquare.

It began raining again as we drove down Norman Manley blvd. Of course, the ATM wasn't working again at TimeSquare So we headed to the Negril town center to go to the bank there.

During the taxi drive we asked Tall man what place he would recommend for snorkeling off the cliffs.

“Xtabi”, He said “I hear a lot of good things about the snorkeling there. Do you want a ride over there?”

We told him that we'd have to grab our snorkeling equipment and walk along the beach a bit first.

“That's cool, I'll be hanging out at “Best in the West” with Al this afternoon.. so just walk across the street and meet up with me when you're ready to head on over”

Sidenote: Big up for Tall man. Not only is he fun to chat with.. his rates are really good . During our time at CCLP, he was always available and ready to take us whereever we needed to go. So if you're staying at that hotel and you're looking for a ride, I highly recommend requesting him.

Back at Coco La Palm, we decided to check out the “FOR REAL BAR” It was a funky little bar with bright colors on the beach so close to the water. You could sit on the stools with your feet in the sand.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...rrealbar-1.jpg

That's when we met Maureen and instantly liked her. She was warm, witty and fun to talk to.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...06forreal5.jpg

Red stripes were cheap and ice cold. We drank a few while enjoying the sunshine that had emerged after the rainstorm. I loved how the bar was right in the middle of everything. It was great for people watching.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...06forreal2.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...06forreal4.jpg

Our new Canadian friends from Coco La Palm were there too. We chatted about the adventures we had gone on over the past few days and they talked about what they'd been up to.

“So what are you doing tomorrow?”, They asked us.

“Flying home”

“WHAT?!ALREADY?? You just got here”

I nodded and quickly changed the subject because the thought of leaving caused a lump to form in my throat. I quickly gulped and switched gears.

I glanced at my watch and realized the time was slipping away. We still wanted to walk down the beach to the vendors station and pick up a few more last minute souveniers for my friends before heading over to Xtabi for some snorkeling.

So we said goodbye to everyone and told Maureen that we'd come back for another cold one after Xtabi.

For Real Bar had quickly become my new favorite hang out bar in Negril. It was so chill and I couldn't believe we hadn't checked it out earlier. I wanted to see her again before leaving Jamaica.

We headed down the beach, walking through the water...The soft warm waves lapping against our ankles was so calming.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...lkingbeach.jpg

Our stroll was relaxed now and surprisingly we didn't have anyone approach us to sell anything. It was so different from our first days on the beach when we were staying at the Grand Pineapple. It's always the same rotation of people walking the beach. I realized that after a while, they just get to know you. They just waved and walked on by. It was really nice.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...walkbeach2.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...6/06beach2.jpg

We bought some carved turtles from this vendor

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...06goodsale.jpg

We also bought some keychains from another vendor and then headed back to the hotel

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...06/06beach.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...coentrance.jpg

Back at the hotel, we packed up our snorkel supplies and walked across the street to see Tall man again at “Best in the West”.


“Ready for Xtabi?”, Tall man asked

“Ready!”

We packed into the Taxi and headed up to the cliffs. The weather was perfect and for the first time we could see the view as we headed towards Xtabi.

“Have you been to Ricks Cafe yet?”, Tall man asked during the drive.

“naa”, I said “I heard it was a tourist trap”

“True, but the cliff divers are a must-see on your first trip to Negril. You can't fly home without seeing it!”, He said “I can take you there after Xtabi for sunset viewing if you'd like”

“Okay!”

So when we reached Xtabi we made arrangements for him to pick us up in 2 ½ hours and bring us over to Ricks Cafe.

Xtabi was beautiful. Little hummingbirds darted around through the lush fiolage in the front area. It was so quiet and peaceful up in the cliffs. We walked along the pathway to the front bar and sat down gazing at the view of the water in the distance.

I ordered a Dirty Banana at the Xtabi bar.. It was thick, creamy, strong with chocolate syrup laced around the inside of the glass.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...82/06xtabi.jpg

It was hands down the best Dirty Banana I have ever had. I still dream about it...

This was my first experience standing on the cliffs.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...206/Xtabi3.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...206/Xtabi4.jpg

I gazed down at the clear blue churning water below.. It truly looked like a snorkelers paradise.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...206/Xtab2i.jpg

Markus was already pulling out his snorkel gear and walking quickly down the winding cliff staircase. He had picked up a cheap underwater camera at the CCLP giftshop. He was eager to take his first underwater shots.

“Come on!!”, He said waving me over “This is amazing! Lets get in there!”

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/.../06markus2.jpg

Markus has a lot of underwater pictures to share and He can describe the experience better than me because He snorkeled a lot longer than I did

This is due to the fact that 20 minutes of snorkeling off the cliffs... I saw a fish that caused me to rapidly scramble out of the water and tremble. I feel like my fear wasn't entirely irrational. Markus on the other hand was fascinated and thrilled with this encounter. He stayed in the water and continued swimming far out past my comfort zone.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/.../06markus3.jpg

I watched him and then gazed off past the cliffs to the expansive ocean stretching out before me.

Negril, Jamaica has entirely captured our hearts and I knew at that moment that this trip was just the first of many in the upcoming years...

This was only Chapter one.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...06ricks112.jpg
Our last Sunset - Ricks Cafe

Love it Clarity! Your stories and emotions always touch me and I thank you for sharing them. I too am feeling your sadness as your trip is coming to an end....it's like I am feeling that all too familiar feeling I get at the end of each of my trips, no fun!
You know I have actually cried either on the plane, at the airport, or on the way to the airport at the end of each one of my (so far) 10 trips. Even when I have already booked another trip there is just such an overwhelming feeling of sadness every time I leave that beautiful island.

So glad you made it to the cliffs...Xtabi is one of my faves too and I agree so far it is my all time favorite Dirty Banana as well!

Wow, what a trip. I think I was at Xtabi, too, on the Sunday after that Luciano concert .... I'm assuming you saw a lionfish???

There is something about Jamaica that strips everything away. It leaves you exposed and vulnerable. Forcing you to face the pain in your life that you try to hide away, Only after going through that can you truly see the beauty.

Couldn't agree more.

Sad that your trip report is coming to an end. Really enjoyed it. Loved seeing the photos of Tallman and Maureen.