Been seeing scooters on the beach every day.
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Been seeing scooters on the beach every day.
Attachment 53461
You mean other than the “weed on wheels” guy?
what! lol, No horses but scooters? lol:biggrin-new:
Well you are correct but we have seen others. Sometimes two or three at a time. Some must be electric, silent sneaking up on you .
There are horses too. They just move faster than I can grab my camera.
Quicker getaway when they steal your stuff? lol
In 48 years I have never had to lock my doorQuote:
Originally Posted by TuffGong
Cap
Why would anyone, want to steal your door Cap. ??:confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by captaind
Negril is changing at an alarming rate. I can't really put my finger on it, but for some reason Negril's coming of age saddens me. I should be happy for them, I am happy for them. I just find myself wondering if the vibe will change.
What you feel is similar to what a drug addict feels trying to reach the same level of high and never quite getting there. First trips and the vibe can be magical and surreal. Most of us have had that type of experience traveling to Jamaica. Sometimes our recollections of the past can be a little jaded as well. Minor problems are easily brushed off at first and can become quite annoying as time goes on. I combat this by staying in different places all over the island where I can experience new and different environments and people on a regular basis.Quote:
Originally Posted by Irine
Of course, Negril will never be like it was in the old days. There are lots of places that are still stuck in the "old days" if you explore for them. Over 36 years of visiting, Jamaica has lost a little of the original luster but it is still better than most other places I have been.
Just my opinion.
Well stated Bill so very trueQuote:
Originally Posted by Accompong
Great thread
i agree things have changed,,, scooters on the beach. new properties..higglers selling there wares.
the hustle sill has not changed, just more creative.. been travelling since "97"..originally first few visits,
exceptional...changed locations many times,,explored many , many properties... from the west end, to negril, to private villas in MBJ..to AI in RunAway Bay to Ocho........but the vibe has changed...Jamaica has been complacent..maybe I have been coming for too long...I am planning another trip to the ROCK for some newbies...but...I am considering BVI...instead
to me...it has become stale...nothing new,,nothing vibrant...
Accompong our visiting time has only been a third of yours. You make some great points. Something I failed to mention is that I feel Jamaica is attracting different visitors than it did a decade ago as well. People with higher expectations that are driving the Jamaican's to provide venues and accommodations that I never expected to see there. This in part, plus the new different clientele may be changing the vibe for me. A little birdie told about another quiet beach.......a place of treasure so to speak.
I am curious what changes are saddening to you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Irine
Irine I have 'grown up' travelling to Negril for Spring Breaks, middle age vacations, and now old dude vacations. My friends and I have seen plenty of things change and lots of things that have stayed exactly the same. Generally speaking the crowd seems older, like me. When you see younger folks good chance they are there with older friends or family.
Some of the old venues that struggled to keep afloat high season to high season have changed or disappeared. The beach isn't thumping with live music as much as it did in the past, for better or worse, many would argue the better. When I think of Negril 'coming of age' it reminds me of how we all have gotten a little older, a little slower, and little more likely to enjoy a good night's rest instead of trying to count my feet and find my way home at dawn like a vampire.
Oddly enough our group of Negrillerz has gone from 4 or 5 people to more than 20.
First came on honeymoon in '86 ... stayed in Falmouth and took day trip to Negril .. it was awesome ! Have made 10 trips to Negril since '86
We have only come in the off season, so kinda hard to know how it may compare to high season.
Coming for the first time during high season next March, so will be interesting so compare to off season for us ..
Seem to remember more activity on the beach way back then and more people and vibe does seem to have changed but so have I !!
We tried there last year in October instead of Negril. Maybe it was the time of year; but it was really slow. Not very many places were open most of the time. We missed walking the beach and popping into places along the way. Not as much of that where we were. If you want quiet and solitude, however, it might be your place.Quote:
Originally Posted by Irine
yep, I agree with Weatherman and Mi Lady ( what a perfect name for you two, by the way !! : ).. spent one day there with friends...ehh.. The whole appeal for me in Negril is walking on the beach , swimming in the ocean, stopping in all the familiar places, with the friendly '' welcome back ''.. going up o the cliffs for a great dinner, and sunset, listening to the familiar music, and seeing so many friends... with that said, the vibe has indeed changed a bit. I for one do not like at all the picture of the bike riding on the beach..what is that all about ?? I do not dig it ! unless it is a undercover cop...lol
I believe that I have heard that same little birdie.
Loved our October visit to Negril. We’ve been coming since 89 and still don’t tire of it. I feel sentimental about things closing or changing but it’s the same with things in my home town. Life moves on and we’re just along for the ride. When I get frustrated with something in Jamaica I remind myself this isn’t my country (yet, lol) and I am seeing things through eyes and experiences shaped from growing up in the US. I think many of us old timers can switch on our Jamaica brain and see things differently. Reminiscing about the old days is great but there are many new places and things happening that are also great. The town is looking clean and fresh and almost ready for high season!!
Wish my next trip was sooner than February. Now that I’m home with great internet I’ll work on posting some more pictures.
Beautifully said...Quote:
Originally Posted by Rumlover
:applause::applause::applause:
we started coming here in the '80s..and let me tell you the VIBE HAS! changed.......Attachment 53475
I really miss the old ways, just have to come and head for the hills....lolAttachment 53476
first trip 74 and still love it BUT not as much. i only half kiddingly say MTV (and other U.S tv) has been a terrible influence. the people are more americanized . for years i have brought an extra suitcase full of clothes and it was much appreciated. nowadays first thing is to look at the label.
For quite some time now I have been hearing Treasure Beach is what Negril used to be. Quiet, laid back sleepy little beach town. Negril was just on the edge of that 11 years ago when we went our first time. Further down this post Original Spanky mentions the words Americanized, and I think that's what feels different at Negril. The restaurants have prices equal to home, the drinks are getting there. There a lot if trips we used to take like the Pelican Bar that we just find too expensive a day now. We used to talk at length with the salesmen on the beach and loved it. The occasional one would come and have a drink or try teach us how to play dominoes, but now the guys on the beach remind me of the guys in the travelling carnival booths selling "3 shots for 5 bucks". Makes you just want to walk by. I would like to get back to the quiet beach where you can sit and strike up a conversation with a local. Have you found that's the experience in Treasure Beach?Quote:
Originally Posted by Treasure BeachBum
More Americanized, yes and why?? Because customers wanted French fries instead of rice and peas, quesadillas instead of brown stew chicken, imported liquors instead of Jamaican rum, imported beer instead of red stripe. I don’t know about anyone but myself but I enjoy ac, soft sheets, a mattress that doesn’t feel like a board, a real bathroom at restaurants on the beach. We may personally not like all of the changes that come with growth especially the more unsavory characters but it comes with growth.
Negril isn’t a little sleepy town any more. The residents are no longer isolated. They have access to the same technology and worldwide knowledge that the rest of us have.
They may not have figured out how yet but I believe the government really does care about protecting tourism. I did witness much more police presence on the beach and road and saw a well known weed vendor taken away in handcuffs. It’s too bad that the changes take away the charm that draws some. I may too reach that point someday (I hope not) but I must say we loved or visit last week and we’ve now booked all our visits through Thanksgiving 2020. Ya Mon!!
Accompong put it well saying how the first few times you visit seem magical, you want to repeat that feeling if possible, but every visit will be different. Feeling irie comes in different forms for everyone. Sure things have changed in Negril, but how can you expect time to stand still there, or anywhere else? Sure I loved camping on the beach at Roots, partying all night at Errol's, fantastic live music at De Buss, (where we could stand at the urinal to pee and still watch the band), sit by the Boat Bar when it was a small boat on the beach, or a fantastic, cheap, lobster dinner under candlelight ocean-side in the evening at Petes. Those are all gone, new businesses move in. Todays younger vacationers, millennials among others, expect a way different form of fun and "vibe' than we did back in the day. Lay back and chill doesn't cut it for many folks, people now days seem to need constant stimulation to enjoy themselves. Businesses have to adapt to the ever changing customer, and Negril resorts, hotels, bars and restaurants are no different. How many travelers would go anyplace today if they knew there was no internet available? The higglers are changing with the times also, using alternate modes to sell and transport their wares. I don't believe it's changing for the worse. it's simply changing, or evolving, like any other destination, and that evolution won't keep me from coming back.
Well said and many great points !!Quote:
Originally Posted by phineasfreakears