The awful truth..

Ok, here it is...I can't write a trip report! Honestly...I am just not that talented...I think my trip report will come about in little snippets... I got home on March 26th and have been stressing about that...and decided to just get it out there! I have tried posting pics in the past and I believe my computer hates me..I do promise that if any of my kids can figure it out..I will post some in the future.. I just want to say that I am so grateful for this message board..I had a great time in Negril..We made some newbie mistakes..but I think all in all we were prepared due to this message board..Thanks soooo much!.. We are definitely going back next year..and changing our location to the beach with a couple of snorkel trips up to Ixtabi and to Samsara..Wheww...glad I got that off my chest!!!!

how was immigration? what did you think of the drive to Negril - did you stop for a snack? when you arrived at your hotel - what did you think? where'd you eat first?

that should get you started :-)

ok..Here I go...Immigration went well...no problems and not a long wait...Did not do Mobay and it worked out for us..The drive to Negril was fantastic..I had only been to Jamaica once and that was 9 years ago at an AI south of MB. We saw little of the countryside at that time..this was sooo much better.. So many different landscapes and so much to look at.. I think my husband was in awe..This is the first time he said...Next year when we come...... So I think I have him hooked! That and I also made sure we had some leftover Jamaican money for the next trip..(as I have read on this message board!)The trip from airport to Samsara was approx.. 2 hours plus..letting some people off at other hotels...I I don't think my hubs was prepared for the driving..but got used to it as we went...After checking in..I felt the need for my Red Stripe...my better half walked down to the L&M..His first of many trips to the store.. encountering Ganja Bob on each trip..He always started with the same line..Hey! I'm from the mountains and I have some real fresh stuff..come.. I'll show you! My husband would say..I don't smoke...Ganja Bob would say...Just come and look at it!! Ok..the first mistake.. no matter how I tried..(ok at the last minute) I couldn't get a copy of the map..I knew that we needed it...My Mom and the Les (the hubs) kept telling me..we will find another map when we get there..ahhhh I knew better than that..I will NEVER go there again without the map! Day 2 ...I was thinking..how the hell am I going to find things...So I put on my walking shoes..told Les..we're outta here!..Made it up to Ricks with a straggler..nice kid....here comes the second mistake..we really didn't know why he was walking with us. On the way I was noticing a lot of things mentioned on this board and became HAPPY! I am here, I thought!! We got to Ahhbees and since I am a hamburger freak..I planned on a big ol burger from this famous place..Dang, we were there at 10:00 and they wouldn't be open til 11:00 we were told by the guy selling stuff outside. So our 'straggler' wanted us to continue walking so he could show us Ricks Cafe.. I told him that I was on an exploratory mission..was not planning on going there this early in the trip..He insisted we go..I actually thought he worked there..So we get to the gate.. this kid with us asks the guard if we can go in and look around...the guard says.."Sure, when we open." Ok, back to Ahhbees...its a little past 11:00...and I am grateful to sit some where in shade. The owner showed up and said they wouldn't be open til 12:00..dang...So this kid with us is saying he will make sure we don't get ripped off by a cab to go back to Samsara...we believe him..but I think we weren't reading between the lines..I think this kid wanted to go to Burger King...He mentioned it earlier and I told him I can eat at BK at home..We start off in the cab and soon I tell Les..we went to far..He looks around and tells the cabbie to stop and we told him we were going to Samsara..The cabbie was confused..For another $4..he will take us back.. I believe this kid had his own agenda. When we got back to Samsara the kid got out with us. I just tapped his shoulder and said 'See ya.'..We left him standing there..or I think he would have moved in to our room...Ok..Those are the first mistakes we made.. More to follow!

This has the makings of a great trip report!!
What happened next?

Regards,
Bob

What were your impressions of SamSara?

Great start - looking forward to more :)

Yeah~ another trip report! Love it so far! :)

YES!

so what'd you have for lunch, dinner --- how'd you sleep? did you hear the tree frogs, roosters and dogs?

and breakfast the next morning?

LOL --- we'll pull you through this ha - a newbie report is always the best

and yes the kid would be back in Minnesota if allowed hehe . . .

great report --- thanks for sharing


pssst --- you're doing a trip report (((Juls))) and we are all here salvitating :-)

My thoughts of Samsara were positive..It was a clean hotel..it looked like it was making changes to upgrade everything..I brought everything I heard people complain about..extension cords, bug spray, towels..I was pleasantly surprised and felt comfortable there..Actually seeing two dolphins jumping on our first day..what?? How cool was that! We only ate there twice..we didnt do inclusive..the food was very good. We felt a little odd at times not being inclusive.... kind of had the feeling that they thought less of us since we weren't AI..Could have been just us?? The young girls at the desk were great..as was the young girl in the giftshop and the housekeepers..I would recommend it to others...that being said..we kind of like the beach better...but Samsara was a great starting point that let us get to know that side of Negril.

The next few days we were trying to find a map...and trying to find Rhodes Plantation...You would not believe how many people had no idea what we were talking about..they would say Rose Hall?? Umm nope, Rhodes Plantation.. We asked everyone.. Finally, the bartender at Ixtabi said of course he knew where it was..I was getting the feeling that it was like Vegas..they didn't want you to know what was going on other places so you would stay put...Ixtabi was great...we went to lunch there and I snorkeled there.. Looking at the ladders..I wasn't sure I could climb them..RArthritis and all..but when I found the stairs that led down to the cave...I was stoked...got in..no problem...Did not see a lot of fish but saw enough to make me happy and just the looks of it underwater..it was remarkable..We returned there that night and had some red stripe...Oh yes, thats the part where I was supposed to say...that we made another mistake by walking there in the dark..and I had been warned by yall...but we made it...and cabbed back!...In fact, it was like magic...we were heading for the road to get a cab and a cabbie came up on foot...and said.."cab back to Samsara?" Ummm its like they were watching out for the 2 dummies that walked up there in the dark!

Great report.....keep it comin :)

Glad you had a positive experience @ SamSara ~~ enjoying your report, hope you have some pictures to share :)

good stuff --- you're not a virgin anymore --- Negril and writing a trip report <grin>

keep it coming!

:cool:

Good stuff.... keep it coming :)

Thank you juls, really enjoying your report and style of writing.

great trip report so far, reminds us when we were newbies and made the same mistakes lol

Oh and I am not done with the mistakes, unfortunately! So we finally find a cab to Rhodes Plantation..ok here we go...$70 to get there! The guy started out at $90...Les was saying..NO..thats too much ... and I was saying to Les..but I need to see if there is snorkeling there!! A guy..(owner of Samsara???) came out and started yelling at the cabbie.. I guess the problem was that this cabbie was going to have to wait for us there and therefore the large fee..This guy that was yelling at him just said "Its simple...you take them there, and then you come back and keep working til they are done and go get them.! Cabbie not liking this guy very much..and I just want to get to Rhodes!! Finally, Les says .."Ok lets go." So we hop in .... When we get to the gate at Rhodes..we get charged $10 to get in..I honestly think it was $10 a piece but Les remembers it at $10...which is plenty..We didn't want to ride horses, or take a tour or anything..just wanted to frikken snorkel..Quite confusing there..We found the beach area and it has markers..not too far out and I am thinking..I won't see anything on this side of those markers..I assumed that was for the people using the beach area..I remembered the map of the beach area and where it said it was good to snorkel and I thought..Just grow a pair and get in!..I got in and swam around the little island..there were only 2 snorkelers there and I wish I would have buddied up with them because maybe they saw more..I am kind of leary about swimming all alone far out..in case of a leg cramp or something..and Les cannot swim.. His Dad always told him..dont go in the water and you won't drown. He took his advice and has never felt comfortable in the water unless its just bobbing up and down. Took him snorkeling quite a few years ago and it was more hassle then it was worth..Then I had an unfortunate incident on a beginners scuba lesson and thought that I understood how my husband felt about the water...so I don't push him anymore and he enjoys just sitting and keeping an eye on me snorkeling..(I really don't know what he would do if I ran into a problem!)..Anyhoo, I swam around that island and it was beautiful..again not an abundance of fish but did see a cute little trunk fish..a couple of starfish and some random fish..again..it was a cool terrain to snorkel around in..When I got tired we went up to the little restaurant and had lunch.. I had the grilled chicken quesadilla and Les had the jerk fish quesadilla..and we shared a fruit plate of papaya, banana, pineapple, and watermelon, soo good. We then tracked down our cabbie who was sleeping in his car and went back up to the cliffs..We really didn't feel like eating dinner..we were just going across the road to Ciao Jamaica..to get some icecream..so we had Shrimp garlic pizza and a piece of the best Key Lime Pie...ok..then we were stuffed!....Every morning I sat on the balcony drinking my blue mountain coffee made from the little travel coffee pot I bought for vacation..that was the best buy EVER!..Its very quiet at Samsara so its peaceful there in the morning and also all day... We ended up eating at Pressas also across the street from Samsara the next evening..The lady there was very gracious..She enjoys talking to everyone that comes there and it really added to the experience...I had the fried chicken w/fries and Les had the jerk chicken..It was the first time we had the caloloo..(sp)..never thought I would like it but really did! As we got to know the lady she asked me if I could give her a pair of my jean shorts...I said sure..when I was leaving I would give them to her..She talked us into coming back on Monday for breakfast.. We said we would be there.. We went back to the hotel...we had made reservations at Presleys and realized that was a bad decision to have such a big lunch..nap time...The trip up the cliffs the day before led to us making the reservations at Presleys..Holy Mackeral..if we had known how big the meal would be..we would have skipped lunch and the sweet rolls we had for bfast..I actually have never eaten a fish that big in my life... Les had the fish as well.. Sooooo gooood! We will definitely go back there next year and try the shrimp..we saw the food the other patrons had ordered and its a win-win...its ALL good! When we got to Samsara we walked around a bit...(flashlight)..We saw some divers..under the water..the glow of their flashlight was eery but so cool! A lot of firsts on this trip.. The next day was a beautiful day...again...every single day was beautiful..I decided, ladder or no ladder I was going to snorkel at Samsara to day..I just lack the strength in my arms to go straight up a ladder..(I have the same problem with a deer stand ladder..if it has a little lean, I can do it..but straight up..NO! This is the main reason I don't go out on snorkel tours anymore..The last few times we have snorkeled (with my daughter in Belize) we have made sure that the white bumpers be placed between the boat and the lower part of the ladder so when I start climbing the ladder doesn't pull straight out..that is harder yet..A few years ago..the guy that took us snorkeling in Belize (someone we knew) actually had to leave us out there and go back and get a different ladder..I thought I had a story for readers digest at that point but it all worked out..But thats why I am skiddish about the ladders..Anyway, at Samsara over by the rooms on stilts I found the perfect ladder..wasn't too tall..and all I had to do was get my gear on and wait for a swell in the ocean and plop right over..I did, it worked.. all was well...So I am snorkeling around there..various fish...a rock fish.. or stone fish..not sure what they are called but saw one of those...I am in heaven at this point..Suddenly here comes two of the biggest barracudas I have ever seen snorkeling..giving me the EYE..So I put EYE right back at em..and turned around as to not let them be behind me..They just stared at me with that steely look..From my left side my eye caught something moving..it was soon apparent..a spear fisherman..Yay, I felt like the cavalry just arrived..Those barracuda took off so fast with the hunter in pursuit..Whew..Ok I think..lets travel on..I went to the border of Samsara toward the Blue Cave Castle and noticed 3 rather large barracuda dead on the bottom..not sure what was happening..but it was sad to see them..Heading back to the place I entered the ocean..I got a little lost.. I didnt know it at the time because I thought I was right where I came in..Just waiting for a swell to deliver me..when the swell came and I entered the cliff area..oops..that is not where I came in..no ladder..Got out of there in a hurry..ididn't want to touch any sea urchins on the walls of the rocks. I swim out and look up at Les like..Where the hell is the ladder???? He shrugs..doesn't know how to read my mind..Now I am agitated..and yell, wheres the damn ladder. Ok he heard that and pointed it out...I was quite aways away from it..So I righted myself and let the swell bring me in..No problem!.. After getting out Les said that spear fisherman almost ran into me.. I said I was glad that he saw it to as I was thinking it was a duppie..mentioned in 'Walk Good', of someone that was destined to chase barracuda for all of eternity..PS Loved reading that book while on vacation..absolutely perfect!

PS..we had lunch at Pressas, not dinner!

PPS please pardon the grammar and the over use of commas, parentheses. etc..I tend to type as fast as I am thinking. And if I go back to proofread..I will delete everything..so no looking back!!

Great start.

Great! Just relax and tell your story. No one is judging grammar here!

You are doing GREAT!

wonderful report Juls!!!!!!!!!!!

Lovin it!

:)

Thanks all.. I appreciate your support and also to you Seveen for getting me started. After the snorkeling at SS we started walking down the road..and hit Pee Wee's.. I said we HAVE to go in here..Well, it was lunch time and they only served bfast..but I did get to see Elvis that yall talked about it..I think he was flattered that I knew who he was..We turned around and walked back til we got to Pablos Restaurant..Started off with the Ting that we loved so much..Les had some stewed fish...thats what he said..I thought it was stewed chicken..anyhoo. I had the chicken catcitori (sp)..So delicious! And the owner was so nice..I fed a dog my bones that patiently waited for them..Great experience there! We walked back to SS..got to our door and we couldn't find the key..that I had on a long jeweled necklace sort of thing..so we wouldn't lose it.. Panic..Les started walking back and I started looking in our new beach bag we bought on the walk..I found it..went out front and gave him a whistle..(two fingers...very loud) so he knew it was me..I was surprised a half a dozen cabs hadn't stopped..Les was on his way back already .. the lady where we bought the bag said to him " You gave it to your wife to put in the bag." Really, I think we had something stamped on our foreheads that said...take care of these two people from Minnesota. Naptime...followed by bedtime...very tired walking.. I found out I could walk farther than I thought without any repercussions from the RA...but it could have been that beautiful smell in the air, wafting here and there...soooo relaxing! The next day, we decided to go to the beach.. I voted against the shuttle..I thought..just in case we decide its not our bag.. I don't want to be stuck down there all day..right...So we cabbed down and got dropped at Legions..It was already crowded and the SS gang wasn't even there yet..So we started walking down the beach a little..trying to decide where to sit..We sat a couple of bars..couple of Red Stripes..I was totally enjoying myself. We ended up by Yellowbird..asked if they had any coconut pie..nope not yet..Ok..walk back a little..Sat on a cement slab. A girl came out and offered manicure, pedicure, facial, massage..anything..At first I said no thanks..then I thought..If I have something done..we could probably sit there for the duration..I got a hold of her and she said she could do it at 1:00. That was fine..told her we needed to get some lunch..She says, "Lunch?" I'll show you where you can get lunch!"..We followed her out to the main road..(thru Merrills)..Headed to the right.. I'm thinking, Wow, where the heck is this place??? Finally we end up at a cute little shack...One chair inside..The name in my picture of it says..Welcome to the Fish Hut! The guy came out..got a little folding table out..brought a couple of chairs, wiped it all off and took our order..There we sat right by the road..We are so fortunate that these things happened to us..things that were not of our making because we saw and ate things we probably wouldnt have seen or eaten on our own..Les had snapper with the beans rice and callaloo, and I had fried chicken and the same..The guy says "What would you like to drink?" My mind going towards Ting..Les's mind going towards Pepsi...The guy looks at me and says, "I'll get you something that is good for your blood!"....umm ok...I think. So he leaves and walks down the road.. Comes back with some purple stuff in a bottle..looks like grape juice..looks delish..Well, heres the thing..I don't like beets. Its beets, ginger, carrot and I am not sure what else..but the taste is definitely beets..I took a big swig..and thought..oh no.. Les took a swig and said.."not bad"..I drank some of mine to be polite and then tried to get Les to finish mine..but by then he had too much of a good thing..So I downed it..I just kept telling myself how good it was for my body!..the food at this place was super good..the guy was super nice..it was great..When finished we hit Times Square?..Bought a couple of souveniers..I brought EVERYTHING on this trip...almost EVERYTHING...What did I forget????? Bottle opener for my Red Stripe, REALLY?? So the first thing I bought was a bottle opener for myself! ... Then back to the beach for my manicure....The girl was sooo nice... Her name is Imainie Walcott.. We had given her $10 down on a $25 manicure..She did my hands and to tell you the truth..I hadnt had a manicure before and it hurt some..but not sure if thats the norm..Then she looked at my husbands hand...umm how I can say this..he only has the one..hand..the other one is gone due to a sawmill accident..I am sure yall get the picture on that one..And she says to Les "I could clip your fingernails for free." He says, "Sure." Which shocked the H E double hockey sticks outta me. Les owns a logging company..his hands are very rough..and just thinking of what people back here would say about that.. I laughed myself silly...(and took some incriminating pics, of course! Can't wait for deer season!)...While she was doing Les's nails..and guy came in..didn't understand a thing he was saying..but when he left she said..she had to tell him that Les was paying for his manicure..or she would get in trouble..oh dear..did not believe that at all..so we paid for his..(should have been 1/2 price if you get my drift)..but we are nothing if not suckers..to the point of also tipping her..I know, I know..and don't forget we had given her $10 down..and that wasn't considered in the final bill..OK..so we think, she gave us her address and told us the next time we come..she would be glad to find us a place... bring us some cheap fruit.....etc...So we think..this money was just an investment in our next trip..Back to her later!!!..We went up to Yellowbird..the lady with the coconut pie was there..We bought 2...Les didn't care for his...So I ate his also!!! I loved it! We walked back up past Kuyuba..there was a little bar there with a table and we had a couple more redstripes..and just stared at the ocean..man, I loved it there! This guy at this place said he could get us some lobster and cook it the next night..which would be our last night..$15 a piece! Are you kidding me...we are sooo IN! We walked out to the road..got a cab back and ended up being several hours behind the shuttle's return! Who would have know we would love that beach so much..even being scammed..we LOVED it.. We had bought a bunch of bananas there..cheap..sweet like honey..The kind of bananas my son-in-law from Kenya tells me about..real sweet bananas not at all like bananas in Minnesota..I got what he was saying..no comparison! Les was very surprised at the cheap food down there..So we were in love with the beach!

You are bringing back memories of our first trip. Looking back we have learned a lot of lessons. Your attitude is sparkling. Tell us more!!!

LOL --- hanging on every word Juls ---- glad I got you started -- it's a fun report

next trip you need to learn to "higgle" --- whatever price someone gives you negotiate starting at half and work up --- it's expected and is usually taken in good spirit --- I even higgled visiting Kenya --- they were shocked I knew how --- even threw out a few Jamaica curse words when folks tried to scam me --- heck I forget where I was hehe

I don't even want to tell you what the manicure should have cost :-)

keep going . . .

and you write a dyam good trip report miss --- do you see how many views you have?

This is such a fresreshing trip report!
We ate a bunch of times at Pressa's. His son waited tables and was the most polite server I've ever had. The food was always good and they had beet juice almost daily for my wife. We also ate a few times at Pablo's, but stopped going when we had to wait 2 hours for a meal. Even though the places wasn't packed, (I believe it was Pablo's son) was overwhelmed. The food was always good, but 2 hours is even long for a fresh Jamaican meal.
Sounds like you had a great trip. Now I want to hear how the lobster meal turned out.
Regards,
Bob

Well, we didnt make it back to Pressa's on Monday..I had Les run over there and tell her we would come by on tuesday instead..So tuesday morning we went and just couldn't decide what to have..but I always go back to french toast..I was trying to talk Les in the ackee and saltfish..(so I could say I ate it by tasting his!)..but he wanted french toast also..When they bring us our bfast...she comes out with a separate plate of ackee and saltfish for us to taste! Awesome, and we both liked it!! Then she brought out an ackee and showed us how it looks raw and how they cook it!! Perfect..we just met the nicest people!! She wanted to visit some more but we had to get to the beach..We went back to the room.. I put my jeans shorts, 3 prs of earrings, bug juice, fly swatter, dish soap..you name it...into a bag and Les brought it back to her..He said she was so appreciative. Ok, here we go..We get a cab..older man..very nice..We tell the driver that we really haven't been much farther than Kuyuba so if he could just bring us a few blocks from there we could see a little more of the beach..on our walk to lobster..We did have a few hours to go..We really cannot get it thru to him what we want.. He says, "I will bring you to a place you will like...beach chairs...bathrooms...good food..etc..We say, "but we just want to go a little farther than Kuyuba..so we can walk back." Hes not getting it...we finally give up..We let him go...more and more scenery and we are thinking..Where the F are we going?? Les says to me, "You know we are going to have to take a cab back when he drops us off..?" "Yes." I say..we will....(just too Minnesota nice..with a little passive thrown in!) He is such a nice guy..and he tells us that he would like to go on a vacation where he can relax and go naked if he wants to ..etc..I'm thinking OK whats happening here?? He lets us off at Cosmos..I hadn't even heard of that place..We say 'thanks' and I kid with him some and say.."Well, I'm not getting naked!!!" (lol?)...he says "oh I would like to see you naked!" Les says.."He was totally looking at your a-- when you got out!" Now, I am not a small woman by ANY stretch of the imagination...and am almost 60..so I feel sorry for his taste in women.. but we laugh while we are walking thru Cosmos..straight to the water, hang a left, and hit the beach walking..We actually were glad for this little mishap..We saw soooo much...and stopped to have Tings in a few places..Awesome!!! I cannot believe I walked all the way past Kuyuba from Cosmos..I have a bad right knee...had absolutely no problem! We get to our lobster hut...and its all boarded up..this guy told us he was open 7 days a week..24 hours a day..while we didn't quite believe that..we did think he was going to be there..We hadn't given him any money..so I really do not care..I am just looking at that beach!!!!The sign on the hut says...24 hr cafe..lobster...We were a little early so we just waited..pretty soon the guy with the food stand next door comes over and talks to Les..thinks its a shame this guy isn't here yet...Les tells him we are a little early...I go into the ocean..I just swim, and bob, and swim some more..I tried leaving a couple of times but the ocean kept pulling me back..literally..just couldn't get out! But did not care! Pretty soon there is a crowd of locals around Les..talking, visiting..I think..I better go see whats happening! The guy next door is still there and tells us..if we change our minds..hes got some lobster cooking..we say cool..and we wait..and we watch him give food to soooo many people..we are starting to get hungry! There are also 2 ladies there now..and another young man..they think this guy is very irresponsible..we tell them that hes not that late.. The one lady tells me she used to be fat like me..nice...but she didn't mean it in a bad way..just honest! The younger guy is telling us that he knows someone at Jamrock a few feet the other direction that will cook us some lobster..We tell him we will let him know..in the mean time the one honest lady keeps trying to call this guy that was a no show..and just shakes her head! So the young guy comes back with the actual cook he was talking about..he tells us that this guy can cook us some lobster..we finally say.."OK!"..We go to his bar/hut..now thats my idea of a beach bar..old wooden benches..just a parrot-heads dream! he says I can cook you lobster for $20 a piece..Les tells him that we were told we could have lobster for $15!!!!! the cook says...'OK!"..Here we go! He says, it will take him 15 minutes..(we are thinking, gee we have to get back to SS to check out by 9pm since we were leaving so early the next morning...so were a little concerned about time.)..The cook leaves and we sit there oh, maybe 1 1/2 hours...(thinking, thank God, we didn't give him any money!!)..He comes back with live lobsters..and shows them to us! Yes, they look good..(like I would know the difference..never had a live lobster before..)He gets us a Red STripe, turns on the tunes and goes to work cooking..In the meantime there is a lady next door with the cutest little boy..like 7 months..just a cuddler..we had to go over there..I HAD to buy something..and I HAD to hold that baby!! She was a nice lady also..She was asking me about Les's missing hand and I was telling her about the accident and she kept saying..OH LORD JESUS!!.When I told her the accident could have been worse she says...OH THANK YOU LORD JESUS!!!.. When she closed up shop she came over and blessed us and our family!! I am totally going to buy all souveniers at the beach next year..Finally, the cook brings us a placemat..fork...etc.. Les had asked him if we could have it to go..and he had said that it would be no problem..so we were wondering about the placemat..Les reminded him and he said.."Yes, but taste it first and see if you like it." Like it..are you kidding me...SSSSSSOOOOOO good! While we were getting the dinner the original cook came over and said.."I was late because I was on a tour..you should have waited for me." Les told him that the night before we had said we may be pressed for time..and reminded him of that..He said, 'OK' and left.. a little hurt by the whole thing..The cook that cooked our lobster just laughed..His name is Omar but they call him Big Daddy..because he just had a baby..We ask, Big Daddy, the quickest way to get back out to the road..we kind of hated to walk past the original cook to go the way we came..Big Daddy says, "Follow me."..We do..and let me tell you..it wasn't long before we thought..we are sooooooooo stupid!!! He led us thru an abandoned resort area..telling us to duck under the live wires..there was a girl in one of the abandoned rooms...I think making a living!..It looked like the end of the world..deserted...We thought to ourselves..nice choice..follow some guy we just met thru this maze of old buildings..yes, wise decision! But sure enough..he led us out to the road..opened the big old wooden gate and we hugged him and he kissed our cheeks..(yes Les also)..and we were on our way!! What an incredible experience!!! When we got back to SS and officially checked out..Les said we needed to go back over to Pressa and talk to the lady that we gave the stuff to...he said he told her we would..so we did..hugs there also..Back to the room..pack, pack, pack! The next morning security woke us at 5am..we went out front and waited for the shuttle..as we waited...it was soo quiet and peaceful...no traffic..so no honking noises..nothing but a rooster..what a perfect morning, even though sad for me..The shuttle picked us up and had a few problems with other people in other hotels actually getting out of bed but we made it in time to the airport..We didn't have a long line..perhaps because we were leaving on a Wednesday..not sure.. An uneventful 4 hour trip back to Minnesota.. The next day I am visiting with my Mom who had stayed at our house to watch our dogs and cats..and the phone rang.. Les said..."Its for you." "Who is it? I ask..he just smiles..and hands me the phone..It was the manicurist..Imanie Walcott.. Asking if we made it home safely,...yadda, yadda....I tell her yes, everything is fine..she tells me that the guy that was her boss when we were getting our nails done..found out she did Les's nails for free...(which she did not and she had the original $10 AND the tip) and she got fired..She would like to get a job at Seasplash...but would need $5000.00 to rent the space!!! I told her.."Gee thats too bad..let us know how it works out for you!"...she says "I will just have to find $5000.00 and it will be ok..." I say...."Gee and we don't have any money to give you...Good luck with that and keep in touch!".. Do not think we will hear from her again..Ok ...Message board..thanks for all the advice and comments...My next years trip will be easier to trip report now...I will still be trying to post some pics when I get some help from one of the kids.....or get a new computer!!!!!! <3

Bravo!you did it. Excellent. Very excellent. Next year? lol. See how jamaica traps you

Thanks for sharing.

We can walk you through posting pictures next - easy peasy

I'm enjoying every word.

Great report, thank you for sharing your 1st time experiences in Negril.....

You people are awesome!!

Awesome report. Seemed like you ran into quite a few dishonest and/or irresponsible peeps, but that's part of Negril's charm. You simply never know what to expect. As a general rule, the more people you say hello to, the more money you will be fleeced out of.

But you have a good spirit, and perhaps you've now learned what the phrase "no problem mon" really means. Thumbs up big time on this report.

PS: Roundtrip to Rhodes should have been $40 max. I've done it like ten times.

I imagine the report is good, but I cannot read it. The complete vastness of the post is just too much for me. I am not a grammar freak but man I do appreciate a paragraph here and there, sorry. I am the queen of the run on sentence and understand full well the need to keep moving when typing, but come on, man, there is a reason why some rules of writing exist. I am just saying.........

I am not able to get to Negril this year and like to hear about everyone's trips, but yours just looks like a big blur to me......Sorry folks.....

I loved the trip report. I couldn't care less about grammar or punctuation in this instance.

Thank you juls !

roundtrip 1000j , for 2,with tip,via RT