Trip report of sorts and such

If my iPad can upload pictures I'll post them, if not imagine them or make pretend you see them....lots of nice photos taken over the past few days.

So it's Bob Marley's birthday or so dem say....

Random thoughts....Ahhbee's makes a most excellent burger. This is coming from a long time veggie/vegan guy....any animals that died for his burgers had it coming.....try one...or split one and you will know what I mean. Oh....take a taxi out there though he is way way out.....not a gentle walk from the beach.

Hammock park....aka Dennis' place....aka whoopies (sp).... His daughter is running it and doing a very good job....worth a trip to the west end to support a good family and enjoy some hammock time.

Xtabi, great snorkeling as always....but less fish this reach? Good food as well even though I think it's pricey.....girl friend thinks I'm a cheap Charlie complaining about a meal costing 6-9$...

Sips and Bites is once again a hands down for great food at a great price. Sort of silly having to walk 20 yards to get a beer since they don't sell them there anymore. Lol, that adds so much stress......kidding.

Seastar.....kicks ass for a light meal, drinks and a swim in their pool. Hopefully everyone knows you can enjoy their pool and grounds by doing their bar business. Oh and they have poutine or whatever that wonderful stuff Canadian people eat ....gotta go back and try it.

Canoe....sort of a let down this trip. The waitress said they no longer sell fish with the head on.... Service was also rather slow....I've had way too many good meals and drinks there so I'll return and give them another try if they can get some fish with the heads on....not a hard task.

Supermarkets.....China man one kicks ass as always! One next to the cambio gets two thumbs up for holding all my bags that I bought at the china man store for a day since I forgot them. Some people and business's here are sooooo honest.

Miss Sonia....As always......what a blessed lady to spend time with!

Miss Norma's place.....aka Barbara's place....aka Thunder the coffee roaster place....this Yawd has felt like my home for the past several days as it has on every trip that I have stayed here. For a 30ish a night place this place is wonderful. My girlfriend who is sort of new to 3rd world traveling loves this place and how it makes her feel safe In a local Yawd.

Higgling/vendors/beggars.....my most enjoyable trip to JA ever....no bull**** from anyone yet! Lots and lots of people were suggesting that the pressure was a high now but I have yet to see it.....hopefully it stays that way.

Be careful on that west end road....dead man there this morning..oh and an ambulance did come....we saw it! We thought he got hit by traffic but rumor mill has it that he just died.......still sad though.....either way be safe walking up there.

Miyard.....Delroy has his stuff together!

And....the biggest winner goes to MangoTree.....Murray and wife did a giant 180 on that property and turned it into a proper resort style yard. Two years ago it was a dump.....now.....wow....stop by for a drink, a tour......just stop by and see what a a wonderful place it has become. Close to the Canoe and Miyard as well.

Let's see who else made our vacation a really good one as well....Myrna's (sp). Wonderful prices on the beach, Jah Earlockes.....who is playing tonight at Roots Bamboo and a long time friend, oh that out west bakery place.....most excellent patties!

Lots more soon come.....ran out of beer

Good info...........keep it coming. Thank you.

Soon come can't come soon enough!

Excellent! The Canadians have come up with some great stuff. Poutine and bloody Cesars... yum! Seriously need to make a point of getting to Canoe the next time I'm there as I prefer eating fish without the head.

Poutine in Jamaica?? Not something I thought I'd eat there.. I guess if you live there you get a craving for food from home... I do LOVE poutine.. and it loves a person right back! Especially on the hips.. the legs.. must be the cheese..

Today was a lazy day of using the route taxi system over to a Likkle Bay,Sav, Roaring River then back "home". Really nice seeing the country without paying $70 plus for a chartered ride.

Dude down by the roundabout sells calabash bowls for 100j....good price!

St Anthony's ......showed up between meals so we couldn't eat for free.....donated a bunch of school supplies though and exchanged some smiles. That placed is blessed and shares that blessing.

Boot, my tour guide of sorts in likkle bay (bob Marley summer home tour, mineral springs), is still alive and kicking. We ending up taking him over to a Roaring River as well.....he loves to play tour guide and works for small money. Oh and if anyone wants a cheap ass room on the beach in little bay for 20 a night he can hook you up....bar owner on the beach can hook you up as well....in my opinion the room is worth 8 a night but whatever.....

Roaring River was nice nice but I was out in thee sun too much by then....sort of a drunk sick feeling without being either. Nice to see Robert, Carlos, and Solomon the guides I've been telling people to use for years.

I've discovered that if I sleep every afternoon during the rain I can pretend that it never rains here....lots and lots of rain though.

Bourbon Beach for diner....great food...really great food......slow service....even for Jamaica it has slow service....I would like to stress that the service was slow....was not prompt....not proper.....nothing that would even remind anyone that it was not self service...it was horrid if you don't get drift.....but very good food.

Still zero pressure from beach vendors!

Went to the Bob Marley birthday thingy last night and somewhat vexed.....20 to get in and the main act did not get on stage.....I'm not going to guess what the deal was but I would not of paid the 20 if I knew he was going to be a no show or whatever. Oh.....I took 600 or so photos of the event though....being on stage taking photos of the crowd ....all that positive energy.....wonderful and ok, it was worth the 20.

I hope you figure out how to upload from your iPad because I would like to see your pictures of the crowd at the Bob bash.

Enjoying your posts. Liking the way you give brief summary of each stop along the way. Couple of questions?

Where is Mango Tree? Sounds nice.

Roaring River - Is the lagoon still there? Someone posted that it had dried up?? I am having a hard time picturing it.

Saw the answer to the question about Mango Tree in another post. Located at the top of Tigress Lane.

Nice

Hi Eco, just to respond, Canoe Bar has never sold 'head on ' fish. Yes they are easy to come by, and many restaurants have them. we buy mostly large (30+ pound ) fish from local fishermen and filet them on premises. The reason that you do not see many small fish snorkeling - as you mentioned- . is that they are being fished out, one of the reasons that we don't sell them. Spearing and netting of fish here (which is illegal I believe), coupled with lionfish , have decimated the local fish population. Larger fish have had many cycles of reproduction. All of that aside, a fileted fish is easier to portion and serve as the size and weight can be made consistent, and the customer actually ends up with more fish. We have recently added a new chef to our team, he is amazing! We do hope that you will give us another try and let us make it up to you. Cheers!

Patty, in 2008 you sold them with the head on. None the less, I planned to eat dinner at the Canoe tonight and overslept....so all is well, you folks still have me as a customer.

Roaring River is flowing water like it's going out of style. I have only seen it dry up once I think.

New stuff....discovered that I will try my best to attend the donkey races every year....what a blast!

Oh...some pro advice now that I've walked 4 miles twice to get simple meds for my girlfriend in the middle of the night...Bring stuff from home, stock up when here or take a taxi. If you get stuck going to the second gas station heading towards Sav or really anywhere that stocks their meds behind the counter, ask 20 different ways to Sunday for something for belly issues. Every place said they have nothing but come to find out most stock some product that is like a liquid tums.

Begging still way way down from other trips and that's a good thing! With that said those school kids on the west end road each beg for soda money or a dollar. Must of had 10 of them beg within a minute.....people have gotta stop handing them money!

Moved into the west end the other day and love it here. We now have hot water for showers, a pool, a real nice garden like yard, great neighbors.....I could go on and on. Some lady here had some of her stuff grow legs last night or this morning, police said she's not telling the truth....I'm not a judge nor jury and it's none of my business but the property now has security which is comforting.

Seastar....Saturday night meal= excellent value! Barbara one of the waitstaff remembered us by name from a few days before and got us a table even though we forgot to reserve one. We didn't care much for the music....to each their own....but the food and staff kick ass!

Alfred's.....the
Breakfast sandwich is worth waiting a hour for. Service there is slow....deadly slow but the food is worth it. Pro tip, order 2-3 drinks at once if you want to use their hot sauce and have something to wash it down with.

Yellow Bird= a wonderful bar but we did not fall in love with their 2-4-1 banana drinks....still a great deal.

So the no smoking law...it's complete bullsh!t and the enforcement at some places does not happen. We had a snack and drink at an Italian place on the beach today and they had no smoking signs everywhere and EVERYONE except us was smoking. I asked the bartender why he was giving people ashtrays and allowing people to smoke.....I guess if you want to eat without smelling all sorts of smoke support places that support the laws.

GREAT posts, mon..!!..

:-)

thanks..!!

20 to get in and the main act did not get on stage.....I'm not going to guess what the deal was but I would not of paid the 20 if I knew he was going to be a no show or whatever.

Once again,,,another rip off by the club promoting a live band and charge YOU $20 but then when they don't show they say it's not their fault.

Great read, enjoying your report

I'm in Negril right now, and the main improvement that I see is.... NO JET SKIS!!! Its sad that something so tragic had to happen for this change to come about, but its wonderful. The water shallow this season, so we are going beyond the bobber lines. No smell of gasoline, no one yelling at us to take a ride, no film of gasoline on the water, and most of all.... You can swim without fear of getting run over! Since I have no interest in being on a jet ski, I personally, hope they are banned from the bay forever. That's just me.

Canoe has never, ever sold whole unfileted fish. Never ever, perhaps you are mistaking us for another restaurant?

Patty, I'll did up a picture for you when I get home.

Thanks Eco
Need some Pro Advice about lounging on the beach, if your not staying at a resort there.
Besides Margaritaville, and Alfreds.

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Originally Posted by baracus

Thanks Eco
Need some Pro Advice about lounging on the beach, if your not staying at a resort there.
Besides Margaritaville, and Alfreds.

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Protip....buy a flask/booze/mixer elsewhere and enjoy the comforts of Margaratville with their nice showers and bathrooms and trampolines for free. Other than that Myrna's for cheap ass beer 130-150 depending on the bar or the store. Over a vacation buying it at 130 compared to 250-500 is ash!t ton of money.

Oh and the 2-4-1 drinks....sometimes a deal and sometimes not. White Sands today with 2-4 660 j was a good deal but the normal price is 100j less.

Pretty much every place will let you chill in their chairs but some places charge way too much for drinks. Beachcomber comes to mind....but their toilets are nice enough to leave a proper turd in comfort. Proper pissing and pooping spots have to account for some of a places overall rating. Clean secure bathrooms with proper lighting....oh and good toilet paper.

New stuff for today....had a most excellent breakfast at Irie vibes down by Canoe. Sort of pissed how their pussier or whatever the term is for someone that brings in business was fed rum and allowed to beg up patrons....but we will go back.
Beach crawl....then to red ground for a party....then to red dragon...then missed another sunset....now it is time for dinner...

Woke up late at night hearing someone messing around at our door. I buy a machete each trip and got a nice 26" one this trip.... The person at the door claimed to be security claiming correctly that my door was left open and was looking out for my well being. Minutes later I flew out of bed.....the guy at the door was not the security guy and he didn't wear a security shirt. I felt the need to sort out who he was.....with my machete for safety....girlfriend thought it would be better if I left the room with my little 4" knife. My dreams of being Zorro we're crashed, I had to fight crime with a pocket knife. The guy ended up being a second security guard....oops, my error for leaving my door open and him doing his job....

Food for thought, resorts should really spend the time introducing their security staff to guests. At 1am is the guy messing at the door security or someone claiming to be?

All that aside, we feel very very safe here and everywhere we have traveled here.

love the poopin reviews....

Rented a scooter from "Gas"......what a character and that's an understatement. Explored Orange Hill, the road to Sav, Good Hope, Little Bay.....all over the place. Took another tour of DB Farm (farmer Debbie's place).

Working on a little math about the cost of renting a scooter.... Scooter cost per day+ cost of gas. - savings not having to use a driver - the savings not drinking any beer......starting to think a scooter saves me money.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eco

the savings not drinking any beer

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:)

How much are Gas scooter's now per day?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by x l ent

How much are Gas scooter's now per day?

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Lol, he made me promise I would not say my price to anyone. In general you can find them for 20 per day if you rent for a week or more....maybe 25 if demand is high. Renting for just 2 days I planned on paying 25-35 per day. I rented the last one on his lot, I guess business is good. Actually, while I was picking mine up a dude waiting in front of me was delivered a dirt bike with "JB" on it and I know that the logo was from Jah B's on the beach.....maybe they help each other out with supply?

Whats up Eco, Glad to hear you rented a scooter from Gas I spoke to him recently and he's cool. Sound like your the adventurous type. Im sure the beach is cool and all but its nice to get around and see the sights right. So Whats about DB Farms? Is it a stop by place you hit when out on the road?
Your girl is on the back of the scooter? any problems with the roads out to little bay?
And whats you take on scootering it up to Half Moon Beach or cousins cove, I hear theres a big cave (Arawak) up there.
Peace.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baracus

Whats up Eco, Glad to hear you rented a scooter from Gas I spoke to him recently and he's cool. Sound like your the adventurous type. Im sure the beach is cool and all but its nice to get around and see the sights right. So Whats about DB Farms? Is it a stop by place you hit when out on the road?
Your girl is on the back of the scooter? any problems with the roads out to little bay?
And whats you take on scootering it up to Half Moon Beach or cousins cove, I hear theres a big cave (Arawak) up there.
Peace.

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. Yes girl on the back of scooter....she tried riding one last year in the Dominican Republic and it didn't work out. You can actually hold up to 4 people on them but when I tried that a fey years ago I blew a tire and crashed.

The roads to little bay are fine, prolly the worse part of it is the payment and potholes from the negril gas station out to the golf course. The route over orange hill is wonderful but have someone draw you a map. Some of the locals up there can be a little odd...hailing you to stop or yelling crap at you.....just keep riding by if you don't feel comfortable. The other way is on the road to Sav, ask where the race way is and when you come to the final y in the road turn right. Everyone down that way is very friendly if you get lost. You could also hire a bike route taxi guy from the Sav road turn off onto the marl rd to escort you down.



DB Farms is a small produce and goat farm owned by a lady from Maine who married a JA farmer. Call ahead and farmer Barry can give you a tour. It's cool walking around looking at the baby goats, the baby donkey and the other animals. Barry farms all sorts of stuff including some GIANT yams. If you are into animals or growing veggies it will be lots of fun. Contact Debbie at 470-0418

Also while you are down there check out the rat bat cave by the school, Marleys mineral pool...all sorts of things. Ask for Boot or call him at 416-2292 for tours down there.

Not sure about half moon beach, think that is the one I went to that wanted an entrance fee. Might head over to Percy's Riverside retreat today if the weather holds up. Google Percy's, it's a nice little scooter ride heading back toward Mobay and only maybe a mile off of the main highway.

Thank you for this most enjoyable report, lots of great info :)

Gas is definitely a character lol. My dude rented a scooter from him on our 2nd to last day, and we only wished we had for the whole trip.

So yesterday evening we missed yet another sunset....getting comical that we have not seen one yet this trip. Watched the lack of a sunset at hammock park, our second or third time at the park this reach. The older local guy that hangs out playing the guide/host/waiter part is really a good guy. I met him a few years ago there and ended up giving him a ride home after business was done for the day. As soon as he saw me the other day he remembered my free taxi service. I have no clue what his relationship to the business is but he seemed to cater to the tourist crowd more than the male bartender who was to busy washing glasses than taking care of guests.

Later in the evening my girlfriend didn't feel well so I went out for dinner....I so wanted to enjoy a nice meal while she felt bad in the room...but I'm not a dick. I ended up getting pizza from the German bar......important....their large comes in a large box but it's a rectangle shaped pizza that takes up 60% of the box.....it says so on their menu which I didn't see. I thought I got the wrong size but didn't care....I was hungry and GF needed food. I gotta say for a 1500ish pizza it was great....correction....it was one of the best pizzas I've ever had outside of Atlantic City. Oh....and it filled both of us up.

This morning we rode up to Sip and Bites because it was one of those mornings where we didn't want to risk anything going wrong or taking too long for a meal. Their orange juice is expensive compared to the places that sell 500j a bottle oj but it was excellent. 350j for a tallish glass.....buy one! After that it was over to Xtabi for diving.....but the water was a little rough and it was raining.

This afternoon we took a ride over to Percy's Riverside retreat which was cut short when my GF figured out she had. An ear infection. But in the time it went from my ear hurts to I need a doctor we spent some time at Percy's and Rhode's Hall. Rhode's Hall was a delightful place with grounds and critters running around that dreams are made of. We even saw a few mongoose just chilling.....first time I ever saw them not running away. Some worker gave us the details of tonight's webcast and all you can eat.....we were sold....now except for the ear infection thingy. Pro tip....if you go there and a larger security lady is working the gate say something other than we want to look around. Lol, she gave me stern look and said I had 3 minutes and then I had to leave. For all she knew I might of been interested in staying there or whatever...so I didn't honor her 3 minutes....I took 8 minutes.

Back to this nagging ear infection, I remember a recent thread on here about clinics but driving down the road on a scooter with no computer I didn't have a way to find it. I did however remember seeing a clinic past the second gas station in negril heading toward Sav. We were told by the desk lady that an office visit was 60-70us then 5 minutes after being seen GF walks out and says he wants 200us and wants to talk to me. I was fine paying the 200 but she was pissed about the cost of everything....he kept lowering his price until he got to 150us. I was done with a simple medical thingy killing my vacation vibe so I paid up. While I generally pinch pennies a silly ass ear infection can not hold GF up from flying home.

Oh so I'll have to post a picture when stateside as proof....the doctors name is " Dr. Ganga Reddy Mutyala".......note it's not Spelt Ganja but funny how close it is.

You mentioned Barbara from sea star a couple posts back. We have never stayed at sea star, but have eaten there a few times (only once for the buffet/show, too busy for me), but Barbara has remembered our names for the last three trips. I only go once a year, and I know Jamaicans often say "I remember you", but she honestly did. The woman must have an eidetic memory.

Nobody ever expects to get an ear infection, that sucks man, hope your girl is feeling better.. Not something you can plan for either, who brings ear drops with them on vacation.
Never the less you bounced out of it well I see.
When are you done in negril? Are there more Adventures to come:)

Oh ya I checked out Percy's Riverside retreat, not my thing But will definitely go visit debbies goats, I dont know why but my girl loves baby goats so I thinking I can Do the blue hole then boots tour of ratbat cave and Marleys, the head over to debbies.
Any advice on decent snorkelling spots? If your into that sort of thing.

I was in the water snorkeling for a Long time once and got an ear problem.Now I wear the ear plugs.

Thanks for your reports, Ive rented from Gas, he will pick you up and take you back to your room too, nice guy.

Barbara is a wonderful server. Did you know her husband made the front gates for Seastar Inn?