**On-Site TripReport ~~ Sat-day night ... 03/12/16

hey hey heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey..!!

:-)

""Houston, we back-online ... can you hear me now..'''

today,
finally linked-up with my Ja-mentor, to pick-up my Ja-cell phone
...scurried over to Digicell, to activate a one month internet/hotspot package thing-y
cost..?? --- can't remember... something like Ja$2,300+ ... US $18

got a BUNCH of nice/fun videos, to upload

tons of stuff to share with you-all

stay tuned

as i mentioned
yesterday/last eveing
the first few hours on the island
was chocked FULL of excitement, joy, fun, new-stuff, good-stuff, likkle bad stuff, etc etc
....nuff stuff to last a life-time,,,,, and this trip is JUST getting started.
.......pray for me .... pray that i can manage

ok

the basics

as always, Jamaica NICE ..!!!.

weather.?? -- sweet ::: in the 80's ... cool nights
'tis JUST like it was when I left WashDC,
BUT:::>>> it's VERY humid here :::: but that goes with the territory, na tru .... 'tis the tropics .... Duh..!!

i've been doing my best
to use restraint with the food-eating thing :::: been hard ::: REAL hard, 'cause Jamaican food is sooooooooooooooo good.

A Thought
THE reason folks love Jamaica so much:::>>> ''..it's the people...'''
they are so generous

Yesterday,
when i reached Lucea town
and hopped off the route-taxi/van
with my big-bag in tow,
and another on my back
and another bag, slung over my shoulder with my laptop, and incidentals
over
over
and over again:::>>> i was greeted with big-bright-smiles :::: and was love-ing-ly greeted with ''..hi, Bill..''.... or somebody shouting ''..Bill.'' ..... and there was a LOT of simple nods, or a hand-wave ..... all with a welcoming smile.

first thing
i went to my jelly-coconut man

''... watch my bags for me .... i got someplace to go..''
'''..SURE man..'''

now,
here in the good 'ole USofA
i would NEVER NEVER-ever do this

but in Jamaica,
i KNOW my bags & belongings gonna be just fine

i was gone for 'bout 30-minutes
this place and that

when i returned to my bags & the jellly-coconut man
got me a jellie ..... Ja $150

soooooooooooooooooooooo nice
refreshing [[[[ and GOOD for the body ]]]
i make sure i get at least one jellie EVERY day

...continue-ing ... this thread... in a likkle bit ....
stay tuned

I like your style Bill. Keep it coming.

..continue-ing..

.
A Re-Observation

i QUICKLY re-remembered & re-*learned*::::>>>you don't need no stinkin' list of things to do in-Jamaica :::::: all you got to do, is '''..show up...'' ... or as dem say:::>> '''... book, pack & GO..!!..

plenty to do... more to do than you'll EVER be able to-do.
.
.
DON'T be 'fraid to try *new* Ja-things
today,
for first-time
i saw, purchased AND ate:::>>> '''...stinky toes...'''

dem yummy
video soon come
.
.
.
note:::>>> these first couple days of on-site reports are gonna ramble, and jump around a bit .... it'll get more coherent by Monday/Tuesday-ish ... be patient with me .... gotta find my *rhythm* ..... plus, my equipment/electronics are *try-ing* to acclimate to the Ja-environment as am I & I
.
i'll probably chill-out a likkle
on Monday at the library
to work on my report-ing :::: especially the videos ::: already got some nice ones, and many more to do
.
.
.
The *new* bathing area

m landlord done-Good..!!
it's NOT a bathing are :::: it's an almost-*proper* bath room ::: with a working toilet (kinda sorta)

video soon come
.
.
,.
.
as many know,
Jamaica has a ''sound track''
constantly playing/rolling :::: music EVERY-where ... all the time

me was walking 'round Lucea-town today
..shopping, watching, chillin''
and I heard a song playing
from the big big speaker
on one of the mall second-level

i HAD TO find out who/what dat song was

went to the store/shop
...went inside, to check with the manager

entered store

'twas customer-less
except for
what *looked* like a 15-year old girl, and a 5 or 6 year old likkle girl were running the place

the bigger/older girl
was surfing FaceBook on her cell
...the next likkle pickney was attentively looking over her shoulder

off to the side,
was ANOTHER cell phone
that was blue-toothing the music to the hugh-speaker (outside)

i asked:::>> ''..who dat singing (sang) ''..John Doe..''..??''

big-girl, quickly checks the cell play list, 'bout to tell me the tune name & artist, as I started to write in my likkle trip-report note book

she-SAY:::>>> ""..GIVE me the book .... i'll write it down...''

she said it in such a way that it sounded like and ORDER ..... i complied

THEN,
i queried her 'bout the speaker:::>> ''''...WHERE in Lucea can i get that..??"

she paused...pondered
'''..Courts..... you know,,,??? ...... over/next to the JuicyBeef..... the appliance store..''

''..Yeah, i know..''

i leave.

make a bee-line to Courts and the appliance store..''

inside Rasta-manager tells me:::>> ''... $43,000..... you want me to get it for you NOW..??...''

''...no no ... i'm just *checking* ..''

* sigh *

I want ... must have one of those speakers

* sigh *

'cause it was JUST last night,
here in-country
while hangin' out with some of the guys,
sippin' on my cold-heniken, smoking my CravenA,
under a star-FULL sky,
with a nice-nice MotherNature air-conditioner type gentle breeze blown
that i chatted with the DJ-guy, who was playing the music
on some speakers JUST LIKE the other ones mentioned above

DJ-guy explain & instructed me on the speakers, and ALL it's many functions & features

i went crossed the road,
got one of my flash drives, with music,
and jacked it into the speaker :::::::::::::::::::::: my music AIN'T never sounded that good before...!!!

GOT TO get some of those speakers ... GOT too..

.
opps..!!..

sorry i rambled so

oh
oh
oh:::>>>> did i mention:::> when i got to Lucea country and tried to unpack, even though i was super-duper-tired..... hunger pains hit me HARD...!!..

i didn't panic:::::::: 'cause it was Friday and I KNEW some-somebody in the neighborhood, along the road, WOULD be selling something.

.
.
went down the road
'bout 1/8 mile::::>> lady der :::: Ja$250 ... fried chicken dinner
...bully got FULL..!!!... body screamed::::>>>> ''...Holla-Lou-Yah..''' ( sp?)
.
.
.
Taxi ride from airport to MoBay Bus Park Experience


after my delicious lunch with the airport staff
in the airport parking lot
under a nice cooling almond(?) tree
......i walked out the lot, ,,,, to the street in front of the 'departure' entrance.

didn't have to wait long
...taxi came right-away ... I and two other young guys hopped in:::: they too, had just arrived from-foreign.

we sit,,,,ride,,, after putting luggage in trunk

nice ride::::::: THEN me *noticed* something *funny*:::::: we going *different* way to bus-park
:-(
ummmmmmmmmmmmm

driver looks back pon me

says::>> '''.. gotta go take drop these 2 off blah blah blah...''

we pull into the Knuts____???___ something big-bus place that carry folks to Kingston

2-guys hop out.... .... i watch & listen to see how much they pay for fare ...... Ja $500 total

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

we leave to continue on to bus-park
MY-fare:::>> Ja$100

:-)

...more later..

...continue ing....

.
.
over the years,
i chuckle to myself
when i see a post, where folks always wanna hurry hurry rush rush to Negril, after arrival
.
.
for me,
there's NO rush..!!..

after-all,
I'm NOT in-foreign....
..the plane has landed
.....i've cleared customs & immigration
..........I'm IN Jamaica [[[ period..END of story }}

for me::>> Being IN Jamaica is all that matters ::: once in-there, NO rush-ing 'bout 'nutin

so,
i reach the Mobay bus-park
...get my stuff out the taxi trunk
......and sit
d
o
w
n on a gigantic wire spool-like thing-y and CHiLL ......................... taking in the sights .... .the sounds .... the smells ..... letting the hot-hot Jamaica air loving-ly hug-me-up

aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh .............. n-i-c-e

i sat there 'bout 15-20 minutes ............ smoke 'bout 2-3 craven A's........ felt sad for a moment, as i realized that at some point in time, down the road, i'm gonna have to go back to good 'ole USofA and it's first-world foolishness

* sigh *

but i regrouped :::: snatched my bags.... and moozy-ed into the bus/park

''..Lucea..???..."" <<::: he-ASkED

ummmmmmmmmmmmmm

HOW he know i was going to Lucea..??

ummmmmmmmmmmmm

''..Yeah..... Lucea..''

''..over there..''

'''..thanks...''

i go to bus.

driver looks pon my big bags & stuff...

''''.... sit in the back .... extra fare for two seats...''''

i struggle with my bags, to board

he snatches (gently) the biggest one, and takes it to back of bus...to my seat.

.
i follow ..... sit down ....... ummmmmmmmmmmmm.... nice nice:::::air conditioning running full force

:-)

me & one-more guy, and two school pickney
wait for bus to fill-up.
.
.
...to be continue-ed..

p.s...there're videos for some of this stuff
will post 'em later ... maybe next week

oh
oh
oooooooooooh:::::>>>>>> hERE the tune that got my attention::::>>> as they use-to say on DickClark show:::>>> nice tune...good to dance to:::>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZsj8uH2I8Q
.
.
sorry not ''..Stir it up..''
but reggae AIN'T the ONLY thing that get's played down yonder here in Jamaica.
.
.
.
more soon come

...continue-ing...
.
.
Change-ing Subject

.
1...Bug Spray ---- my friends, nobles & countrymen .... lend me your ear(s)::::>>>> that Sawyer bug spray I/we been chattin' 'bout:::: it WORKS...!!!..

works Gooooooooooooood.

been testing it .... you MUST get & use it
...me having NO problems *yet*

this morning my landlord
gave me 4 of those SWEET Ja-bananas.
...i sat 'em on top of the fridge

in quick fashion,
fruit flies AnD likkle ants showed-up
:-(

i put the 'nanas in the fridge
...and sprayed were the critters had gather-ed

critters dead..!!..
:-)
.
.
.
got nibbled a likkle,
last night

sprayed ::::: no more nibbles
.
.
sprayed bed linen,TOO ..... slept like a baby
.
.
.
.
2...Clothing for Jamaica :::: Duluth Trading Company brand

THIS stuff is ''...the answer...''

this year,
in foreign
for my yard-work thing-y
i've been using a LOT of DuluthTrading's clothing
.....their '..buck naked..'' stuff is GREAT..!!

for this trip,
i've got bloomers, tee shirts, under shirts (sleeved & sleeve-less), long pants

i HAVE NOT been more comfortable AnD COOL

so,
buy, pack, and wear Duluth stuff.... trus me

a bonus nice-ness 'bout this stuff::::>> light weight....fast dry ....no worry 'bout wrinkles ....AND dem *seem* to have some kinda ''..stink..'' retardant

.
.
...continue-ing later..

,,,continue-ing..
.
.
while sitting on the Mobay bus
i look out window
and saw a jerk chicken man

ummmmmmmmmmmm
jerk chicken man don't *usually* be around in daytime at 2-3 pm
ummmmmmmmmm

interestingly,
this jerk man was selling:::>> jerk chicken neck ,,,, he had a Ja$100 portion.

several fellow passengers liked and purchased some chicken necks.

chicken necks are good ... ... taste like chicken

'member me said
and
it's on my list:::::>>>> ''..this trip:::::NO wakes, etc etc...

well,
Wednesday
i GOT TO go to a grave digging

:-(

don't wanna
but
i must

my shop-keeper buddy's uncle died last month
and the funeral is this week

must go ... show respect
.
.
ummmmmmmmmmmmm
i been wanting to get some nice grave-diggin' videos from long time
ummmmmmmmmmmm

AnD
might go to the 'wake' too
ummmmmmmmmmmmm
hopefully, they'll do that African-like thing-y, where they be singin' and chanting and dance-ing in a circle
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

yeah.......me gonna go

...continue-ig..
.
.
fingers tired...

.
should go to bed
...to be rested
for my Sunday
trip
to Negril
for the Church harvest thing-y

.
.
lemme up-load a couple videos
...let's pray that YouTube and my software cooperate

likkle more

hope you-all sleep well
..i KNOW i will .... nice cool Ja-breeze blow-ing here

wish your were here
lol
lol
lol
lol

lata

Thanks for posting. You are so right. Once you land, there's no need to rush-rush. The ride to Negril is a wonderful sight-seeing tour on it's own, that ends all too fast. No need to plan too much. Very seldom works out. I think in January we made it to 3 out of 9 must-try restaurants we wrote down. Too much better, nicer things to distract.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big_frank

...The ride to Negril is a wonderful sight-seeing tour on it's own, that ends all too fast.
.
No need to plan too much. Very seldom works out.....

---

.
.
lol
lol
lol

yep yep
''..seldom..''

...took me a loooooooong time to *learn* THAT
...that's why i try my darn-dest to actually *accomplish* ONE thing per day, if necessary

otherwise,
you can just sit back
*try* to do nothing
and something WiLL pop-up anyways

.
.
as for the ride TO Negril:::>> i haven't done it in a long time,
but the route thru the hills
via Sav
is FANTASTiC..!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnnFCH1-Zx0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHhsIp0q05I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mVvgQMzp9I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dr9_82gIGA

Love your trip reports and videos so please keep them coming. You are right about the other way to Negril. We used to go that route every second trip for a change of scenery. So many people have told me they hate the ride from mobay to Negril but for me it's always a highlight of my trip. I love to see the changes along the way and love looking at the houses way up on the hillsides and trying to imagine the work involved in building a house on the side of some of those hills.

Loving this trip report, felt like I was right there. Thanks for sharing.

Digging the report!! Seems like a great price for that speaker!! I want one

I love the videos! But it makes me hungry for a patty

Enjoying your trip report. Just a little bit bummed that I'm at the end of it. For now, anyway. Looking forward to the rest as it comes along. Sure wish I were there!

Cool Smith.

Love the local tings all around you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Markospoon

Cool Smith.

Love the local tings
all around you.

---

.
.
lol
lol


Seen..!!
...it's those likkle *details* on the fringes that make 'em so much fun, for me (and others, like YOU),,, who *know* whagwan

:-)

this video thing, is GREAT..!!..
...i can look pon 'em at home in-foreign, and reflex, remember, etc etc

i get a kick out of showing 'em to folks back in the States,
and
they see one-thing
then
i point-out the *details* and they get these funny looks & responses