**Off-site Trip Report [[ part #1 ]]

* sigh *

i HATE these OFF-site reports

:-(

they're harder to do,
and they *feel* different

'tis a LOT better (for me) when i'm THERE and in-the-moment

* sigh *

oh well
so it goes
.
.
let us begin:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Last Wednesday/Thursday,
knowing I was soon-leave-ing,
i scurried over-to Negril
to get a hair-cut and beard-trim,
'cause the in-foreign prices were too-too expensive (for me)
and my Negril barber IS the best-est in the world/galaxy.

after jumping out of the route-taxi,
i paused at the round-about to shoot this video::::::::::::::::::::::
.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlBla5PspFM
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f.y.i..... early last week, the party-signs, placards, etc started popping up ALL over the place (including in Lucea). Once again, the island is coming alive, and getting ready to BLOW-UP with the ValentinesDay festivities.

they loooooooooooooooooooooove ValentinesDay in Jamaica.
sometimes, i *think* ValentinesDay is bigger than Christmas.

[[ continue in few minutes ]]

Valentines I found very Big in Negril. But in the country last year nope they did not want my gifts. I was kinda disappointed.... what ya mean you no want someting red to wear today. I do not want to repeat what one person say to me.... I tell him to gowan mon.

[[ continue-ing ]]

that day, my barber was off-duty

:-(

Jamaica is a tricky place, when it comes to when a business is open and when it's closed.

for a foreigner like me, this is a weird circumstance, and takes a lot of mental effort to navigate all those who's open who's closed and when peculiarities:::: it's really confusing & frustrating.

for example,
HurryHurry (aka Sinclairs) is closed on Thursday (or is it Wednesday) to let the employees have a day off, in order to have a full-staff for the prime-time weekend selling.

a lot of other Jamaica business do this, too.... some Wednesday ... some choose Thursday.

THEN,
there's the 7thDayAdventist businesses which close on Saturdays.,... and but some will open on Sunday (such as Mr.Browns Hardware in Lucea)
.
.
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While in Negril,
i remembered a seeing post about Cherrios, earlier that day, before i left for Negril.

so,
i peeked into HiLo to see whagwan.
.
.
.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UITpM8l-_Eg
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yep yep

Cherrios were there, and a whole bunch of other from-foreign stuff was in there, TOO..!!!..

* whew *

after being on-island for 4-weeks,
and shopping in Lucea and other Jamaica China-man supermarkets, and other places,
this HiLo visit scared the bee-jee-zus out of me.

it was like being in another country --- a foreign country.... NOT Jamaica (as I'd been experience-ing)

:-(

my my my
you/me/we-foreigners in these tourist towns, like Negril, are so-spoiled....!!!..

i could NOT believe what i was seeing on the HiLo shelves.

while in HiLo,
i remember-ed my To-Do list and the *need* to compare & contrast the HiLo produce with what's available in Lucea-market and other non-tourists places.

* sigh *

____No comment____

:-(

but,
let me just say this::::>> Folks ..... go to Sav, Lucea, SOME-place(?) else to do you produce shopping.

* sigh *

[[[ to be continued in a few minutes ]]]

LOL smith and so so true.

Cheerios here we come.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jamaicamary/jamaicalance

Valentines I found very Big in Negril. But in the country last year nope they did not want my gifts. I was kinda disappointed.... what ya mean you no want someting red to wear today..

---

ummm

that's interesting:::: not wanting your *gifts*

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

i need more info/details

mi gut tells me that something is missing from your account (as written)

ummmmmmmmmmmmmm

please, tell me, what one of your *gifts* was

i'm curious & nose-y
.
.
p.s... you said you were "..in the country.." ..... *country* where..??..
in country with-who..??..
in country why..??..

am having a hard-time *visualizing* this 'gift-rejection' thing-y

Bill; loved my 6 pack of Butterkist peanut butter cookies from the Hi Lo last week. About 35 J for big nuff snack. They have a Giraffe on the label. Good cookies.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by smith744

ummm

that's interesting:::: not wanting your *gifts*

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

i need more info/details

mi gut tells me that something is missing from your account (as written)

ummmmmmmmmmmmmm

please, tell me, what one of your *gifts* was

i'm curious & nose-y
.
.
p.s... you said you were "..in the country.." ..... *country* where..??..
in country with-who..??..
in country why..??..

am having a hard-time *visualizing* this 'gift-rejection' thing-y

---

The country above Mobay
I had all kinds of gifts you name it flashy red everyting. The girl or young woman I should say took some later but not want to advertise it at school...college. The other young man her cousin which are both are neighbors for our stay......say no that is gay......The others on hill said no mon.
I thought is strange and said no romance mon...oh well to each there one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big_frank

Bill; loved my 6 pack of Butterkist peanut butter cookies from the Hi Lo last week. About 35 J for big nuff snack. They have a Giraffe on the label. Good cookies.

---

Have to remember that Love those type of cookies, if there not my homemade cookies.

Cheers

[[ continue-ing ]]

i forgot to mention,
that day,
on my way
via route taxi
from Lucea to Negril (to go to the barber)
i had to make a couple of stops

first,
i had to stop at Mr.Bigga
to give him a dvd-copy of those videos i'd taken a few days before,
with info on how to find them on YouTube & on the negril.com message board.

mi-SAY (to self), as i sat in the taxi on the way to GreenIsland:::>> ".. if i stop, and get out of the taxi,,,, that'll mean I've got to catch ANOTHER taxi, with an additional fare, to go to Negril..."

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

that (above) was my from-foreign brain and mentality talking ..... that was NOT the Jamaican-side of my likkle-pea-brain speaking.

i immediately switch to my Jamaican brain-cells.

.
.
.

when the taxi passed the GreenIsland HighSchool,
i lean-ed over
....i was sitting in the front seat...

and told the driver:::>> "..I wanna stop, and drop-off '..this..',,, [[showed him the DVD]] at Bigga's blah blah raa.."

he-SAY:::>> "..Sure.."

we reach Bigga's

taxi pull onto the shoulder in front of Bigga's
Mr.Bigga is sitting in the shade at his shop, on his throne

he see's me .... waves... i wave.... i jump out the taxi .... trot to him ... he get's up ... comes toward me ... i hand him the DVD .... "..I'll call you back later about this.." .... "..OK.."

i turn around
trot back to the taxi
get in
we pull off::: onward to Negril

mission accomplished

NOT one of the other 3 passengers in the route-taxi said a word.
:-)
'cause THIS is how they roll in Jamaica, with the '..tourist-don't-use.." route-taxi system
.
.
* sigh *

i sure-love that Jamaican route-taxi system

BUT DON'T you other tourist/foreigners use 'em ----- the route taxi ain't for you
lol
lol
lol
lol


[[[ to be continued in a few minutes ]]]

.
.
lol
lol
lol

opps..
sorry

can't stop laugh-ing

lol
lol
lol

They have oreo type 6 packs as well (by Kingston's Butterkist brand)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big_frank

Bill; loved my 6 pack of Butterkist peanut butter cookies from the Hi Lo last week. About 35 J for big nuff snack. They have a Giraffe on the label. Good cookies.

---

yep yep
:-)

those cookies are nice
i developed a fondness for the peanut butter, TOO.

but my FAVORITE is the ones with the pink-hippopotamus --- the strawberry flavor

most-days I end-up eating about 4-5 packs of them things....they're addictive

:-)

by the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay:::::: i'm sure you already KNOW, that when you buy those cookies, 3-packs at a time, you save a few Ja-dollars, na tru --- China-man knocks-off 10% of cost.

dunno how or why, but at one China-man store, i got 3-packs for Ja$80...!!!..

i didn't say nutin'...
just took my Ja$20 change (from the Ja$100) and walked out.

this buy-3 save 10% thing-y works on almost all purchases ---- i'm not for-sure that they do the same thing at HiLo.

the local taxi a lot of fun times. you have no choice when in the country,
.
Anything come along.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jamaicamary/jamaicalance

The country above Mobay
I had all kinds of gifts you name it flashy red everyting. The girl or young woman I should say took some later but not want to advertise it at school...college. The other young man her cousin which are both are neighbors for our stay......say no that is gay......The others on hill said no mon.
I thought is strange and said no romance mon...oh well to each there one.

---

ummmmmmmmmmmmm

'tis an *interest-ing* tale, mi fren
very interesting

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

next-time,
instead of Mobay-suburbs,
take your *gifts* over to the OTHER side of MoBay:::>> over-to Flankers-area.

lol
lol

nevermind
DON'T do that..!!..
Don't go over-to Flankers

lol
lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big_frank

They have oreo type 6 packs as well (by Kingston's Butterkist brand)

---

yep yep

saw those, TOO... but didn't buy 'em...

the key-word is "..oreo-TYPE.."

even though (to me) all those Ja-snack thing-ys taste VERY good, i didn't want to *try* and/or taste-test a pseudo-Oreo.

I'm hoping to see some back roads videos Bill. Take your time though.

Seen! Nobody needs foreign type cookies to mash up their Jamaica vibe.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jamaicamary/jamaicalance

the local taxi a lot of fun times. you have no choice when in the country,

---

ummmmmmmmmm

i'm not so sure if I'd call it "..fun times..",
but
tru tru::: you have no choice, and it's the only game-in-town, if you have no-car.

but,
AGAIN::>> it's NOT for tourists/foriegners...!!!.. because ____ ______
ummmmmmmmmmm
i forgot why

nevertheless,
don't use the route-taxis

/
/


hey hey heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey..!!..

PULL-UP..!!!..

i gotta stop all this chattin' back & forth you-all.......i got a trip-report to type

Geezus

:-(

[[[ to be continued ]]]

Flankers??? Me going to mention this to me friend. Bet we been there...maybe
lol

[[[ continue-ing ]]]

ok.... where did i left-off..??..

.
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on my way to Negril
[[ continue-ing ]]

.
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my next-stop was the Negril craft market,
down by the Negril airport
to take/deliver MissPauline's copy of her DVD
of the stuff i'd shot a few days before

after a quick visit with her,
i went to the roadside
to catch a taxi to down-town Negril

but,
remembered i had ONE-MORE stop to make

.
.
.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRyKhqEInXQ
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this lady ~~ MissPrecious~~ is the SWEET-est person you'll ever meet in your life..!!...... EVER..!!!..

i'd made an attempt to make/record this video (above) on my first-visit to the craftmarket area.

but,
there was a GrandLido female staff-member sitting in the bus-shelter with MissPrecious, and the staff-member wanted to mess with me.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
:-(

she didn't want to be in the video,
and
wouldn't let me photograph
unless i gave her some money to move out of the way.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

she was playfully relentless in her determination to mash-up my video-mission.

me being me,
and not Patois-proficient enough to tell her to bumba-whatever blah blah raa raa,
opt-ed to walk away,
and return at another time to-do the video (above)

[[ continue-ing in a few minutes ]]

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jamaicamary/jamaicalance

Flankers??? Me going to mention this to me friend. Bet we been there...maybe
lol

---

LOL

yeah..!!!..

you do that..!!!...
and be-SURE to post a report as to how things go for ya, when you go over there.

lol
lol
lol
lol
lol

You crack me up to say the least. You really remind me of a good Trinnie friend. he always say grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and so on....LOL
Great post's

Cheers

[[ continue-ing ]]

ok......... two more videos for the night
it's late, and i wanna go to bed

..
.
firstly,,,,,, before leaving Negril,
without getting my haircut & trim
:-(
i made my way toward the BeachRoad,
to get a last-look at the beachfront
and a couple other things.

as i crossed-over the bridge,
past the craft market,
i looked at all the nice cars & vans that belonged to the craft vendors

* sigh *

some of them be-doing VERY-good with their craft-vending thing-y
..dem got some sweet vehicles

nevertheless,
i saw this guy [in video below]
, whom i hadn't seen in a looooooooooooooooooooong time

i approached him to chat.
.

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J05G3HCXPY0
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after shooting this video,
he and I chatted for a loooooooooooooooooooooong time ::::: about 30-minutes

'twas a HEAVY-discussion::: i won't bore you-all with the details ..... and i don't wanna prick no-Ja-bubbles...

i'll just say this:::>> we didn't chat about cold-est RedStripe, sunsets, ganja, etc etc etc.

[[[ continue-ing in a few minutes ]]

.
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p.s.... ONE-day, in the future, soon, I AM gonna buy/get one of those drums....!!!...

price..??..::: mi no know ... and me no care... I MUST have one of his drums ..... I MUST...!!..

[[ continue-ing ]]

ok.
.
.
THIS is the last video & post for the night....

sometime between now & Sunday, I'll continue my OFF [[[[grrrrrrrrrrrrr]]]-site trip report

stay tuned...
.
.
.
'twas Friday afternoon....
at the arrival-exit/entrance of MoBay airport

i have a *tradition*::::: after checking-in and checking my under-plane bags/luggage,
i go OUT-side the airport,
over-to the arrival-area,
get a beef pattie (or two),
smoke a couple of CravenA's (depending on the time)
and sip on one last on-island Heniken

and watch the folks just-arriving to the island,
and watch the drivers, and other airport hang-ers on

i went over to a quite spot,
sat on a stool,
munched & sipped & puffed & watched

i looked down,
on the floor

:-(

idiot from-foreign me,
had pattie crumbs EVERY-where.

an airport lady, who tidy's up the area, walked by,
looked the crumbs around my feet,

glanced at me

i apologized profusely,
pleading forgiveness,
and feign-ing from-foreign stupidity
and my lack of pattie-eating proficiency

"..No problem..", she said.

THEN,
WHAT to my wandering eyes should appear..??... waaaaaaaaaaaaaay off in the distance,,,, in a quiet secluded corner of the airport grounds.....

a *familiar* sight... a structure, i'd seen before .... but NOT at MoBay airport.

"..What's that..???... over there..." ... i asked the tidy-up-lady.

she had a mi-no-know response

actually it was a "..I ain't tellin'.." response.

me being nose-y me,
got up
and moozy-ed over to the spot/area
with the *mystery* structure.
to inquire & investigate,
.
.
.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phz5R0GObGI
.
.
i'm having mixed feelings about posting this video

:-(

'cause i KNOW why it's there::::::: it's a chill-spot,,, a hideaway ... an oasis ... for the drivers, and other airport staff personnel, etc.... their refuge ... a place where they can get away from us ---- us tourist/foreigners .... it's their likkle piece of *home*, pure yardie,,,,, a sanctuary of relief from their busy busy work-days at the airport.

p.s.. i chatted up a couple of drivers ---- dem said they got permission from the powers-that-be to build the '.hide-away.' .... with their own money.

as with the Ja-route taxi system,
this-spot is NOT designed for the tourist/foreigner


so,
when you're at MoBay airport,
DO NOT go over there..!!..



[[[ end of post & thread ]]]

more soon-come in a couple of days

stay tuned.

Loved the vids! I want one of those drums too...very unique compared to the made in china jewelry thats always for sale.

So much love to feel in Jamaica!

smith's statement:
p.s.... ONE-day, in the future, soon, I AM gonna buy/get one of those drums....!!!...
price..??..::: mi no know ... and me no care... I MUST have one of his drums ..... I MUST...!!..

Make him an offer - I have one and love it.
I'm surprised your conversation only lasted half and hour. He is hard to get away from once he starts with this stories and viewpoints.

Great videos Smith. Sorry you are posting off site now. Your time seemed to go by fast!

I have a question?

Are you still using your laptop to make video,s?

I only ask because I kinda can invision standing right behind you when I watch them, so I can do this properly I ask this question>... :0

Oh, and if you ever want to feel back at home in the supermarket!\ I have pictures but cant find,:( In Ironshore there is Progressive Foods, just like a North American big! supermarket!

I believe he is using his GoPro for this year's video's. Sweet little camera.

I have one of the Lion Claw drums. Bought it at his old location by the traffic circle. It's great, especially if you want to do a likkle nyabinghi drumming on occasion. ;)