Trip Report From First-Timer 4/14/2012 thru 4/21/2012

I was writing an e-mail to a fellow boardie, and it kind of turned into a trip report. Some of you asked, so here's what I've got so far:

Let me say that before I left, I really felt like I should not be going. I am extremely busy at work, and on the tail end of planning our wedding. I was just stressed, and having a hard time to find the time to do everything. When I had talked to you before, I was stressed about the trip. Whether good or bad, I didn't even have time to think about the trip beforehand, and really hadn't even been on the Negril.com board in a very long time.

DAY 1

So, we get there around noon on Saturday, and I am ready to be extremely cautious. We met our driver, and I asked where the ATM was so I could get some JA $. So, I know the exchange rate and everything, right? I get $1,000 JA out, and think I am doing so good. I don't know if I was tired, or what, but when we went to eat in MoBay, I realized I only got about $11 US out. We didn't have time to eat breakfast, so our driver took us to Jerky's, I think. It was fine. I got my first jerk chicken of the trip. We ate, and I drank a couple of Red Stripes. We head on toward Negril. Most of the trip is quite scenic, but we did pass through Lucea, and it made me a little nervous just being such a minority. We eventually got to Negril, and I asked our driver to go ahead and take us down to Hi-Lo to stock up on beer, liquor, and to just kind of look around the place. Well, we did have some people try to hassle and hustle us while we were down there. Our driver got quite rude with one of them at the ATM at Scotia Bank. Even though I kind of knew what I was talking about, as far as the lay of the land goes, I think I still gave off a pretty strong vibe that I wasn't quite sure what the hell was going on. I think the locals picked up on it pretty quickly. So we've finally got some supplies, and we've had enough. We head back to the hotel. We get settled, and want to go check out the beach. It had been raining, but had stopped, now. So we walk out, and there is a gut sitting under a tree as we head down to the water. He gets up and kinda follows us. My girlfriend kind of hangs back and I go on to the water, and he follows me. So this is weird to me. So he tries to shake my hand or whatever and find out my name. I give him a hesitant fist bump, and say something. He picks up my vibe, and asks, "Do you not like the Jamaican people?" He wanted to sell me drugs, and I tell him I'm not interested. We part ways. So, then we head up the beach. We're offered drugs a few more times. One of the guys says something disrespectful as we are walking away from him. So great start, right? We're wondering how this week is going to go, after this first taste of Negril. It's been a long day. We just eat at the hotel that night.

DAY 2

The next day we are up early... at least early for us, which is about 7:30 or 8. We head down to the beach and eat breakfast at CocoLaPalm. It's pretty good. I didn't expect there to be breakfast this close to American, here. So, we are going to spend the day on the beach today. The vendors walk up and down, and it's a little bit of a pain to try and get rid of these guys. I see a guy with a Masters visor on (the Masters takes place in Georgia, where we are from). I strike up a conversation with him later on, and we talked quite a bit. We talk about maybe going to Rick's together later and grabbing dinner, too (they are first-timers, as well). It rains, so we don't go to Rick's. We do walk down to Country Country, though, and have dinner. We had to stop at Treehouse for a drink because Country Country kitchen closes, for some reason, between lunch and dinner. We eat there, and head back to the hotel. We were going to stop at Sun Beach to see live music, but there's nothing going on when we pass. We get back to the hotel, and they tell us to go down to Alfred's. It is after 9p, and I'm a little hesitant about walking the beach this late. The guys at the bar at our hotel say it is fine, and we go one. I would think it is fine, since there are 4 of us, but everyone seems to be a little drunk, except for me.

I can keep going, if there are any requests.

Oh yeah mon....keep it going! All the reports are like food for my soul...helping maintain till I can make it back to Negril. Anxious to hear more!!

Share it up! Thanks

Great report so far. Good details.

thanks for the report.........wi luv pics.........lol

Cool Runnings, Marko

Agree with everyone else, more please ;)

Come on back man!~~Great start, we enjoy seeing Negril through new eyes.

Although not in a few years but I have made many trips to Jamaica! Every one was the same in regard to the negative vibes I would get in the weeks and days before departing! The thing is none of those feelings where ever truly justified. Never is some 40 times did I ever get back to Canada feeling like I would not go back? Some can go on a holiday and it for them it really does not matter where! Lots of places can give sun, sand, sea and enough quality of food to fill you! But the people that love Negril for all the right reasons find it extremely hard to go any where else? That is when you know are a true Negril lover!

i love first timer impressions - more please

Yes, more please!

Seconds, please... :)

This reminds me a lot of our first trip!
Thanks for sharing your experiences, I'd love to read more!
Please Keep it coming!:)

Interesting start, looking forward to reading more! :)

I'd like to see how things play out...please keep going. :)

Sorry to leave everyone hanging. Still super busy with planning the wedding and work. Didn't even know if anyone would read the first installment. Since you were so interested, I'll try to pick up where I left off.

DAY 2 (cont.)

...So, we head out to find some live reggae, and head out in search of Alfred's on Sunday night. We start walking, and we're approached a couple of times to see if we are interested in buying drugs, we say, "No, thanks.", and that's all there is to it, until we get down a little south of Rondel Village. A guy is sitting on some steps and hops down to start walking with us, and starts trying to chat us up, as it has typically gone during our first couple of days. He asks my name. I have been avoiding this questing ever since I have arrived, based on advice I received from the board. Well, I respond with, "Hey, man. We're good tonight. Not looking for anything." He rudely and quite aggressively responds with, "I didn't ask you if you needed anything. I asked for your f***ing name." Well, at this point I just stop talking altogether, and we keep walking. He keeps on for a several more yards being rude and carrying on, and finally departs. So that was great, since I was already hesitant about walking on the beach so late. Now, I just want to get back to the hotel. During this walk - I can't remember before or after the rude guy - we come upon some chicken wire about 6 feet tall, with paper starting about 18 inches up and continuing all the way up to about 6 or 7 feet. I tell the group that I think this might be it. We look under the paper, and can see quite a few people. No music, though. It is about 10p, so I don't know why there is no music. I am not 100% sure this is Alfred's. The group doesn't think it is, so we continue on... all the way down to Kuyaba, where we decide it is time for some drinks. We chill there until 10:30p or so, and it is late for me. I am tired, and I am ready to head back. So we start back up the beach. Very shortly after we start walking, a Jamaican approaches the couple we are walking with (I assume to see if the need marijuana). They say they "are good". The next thing I hear is, "I hate rednecks". This guys had obviously picked up on their accents and knew they were from the South. We are from Georgia. Now this may have made me quite uncomfortable if it were just me and my girlfriend, but ... we just all burst into laughter. I'm pretty sure the Jamaican was not joking, but ... oh, well ... we just thought it was funny. So we continue on. The group stops and looks at some of the abandoned properties and talks loudly on the beach (the exact kind of attention I was hoping not to draw), and I kind of prod them along on up the beach. Other than the guy that hates rednecks, no more confrontations on the way back. I guess the guy that we were with owed a dollar or two at Tony's Bar and stopped by to pay it on the way back. Some people from Canada and the bartender were playing Jenga. We finally get home after 11p. I'm tired and ready for bed. I am so tired because I didn't sleep so good the first night. One of the palm leaves kept brushing up against the screen apparently. My paranoid self, who had read the horror stories on the old Negril.com site and trip advisor about people waking up in the middle of the night and finding someone in their room, kept thinking it was someone lurking down below. I explained this all to my girlfriend, and she thought I was idiotic. She slept fine. One other thing... we left from eating at Country Country, and a guy stopped us on the beach - I assumed to offer us weed. He actually was pointing back up the beach. Our waitress was chasing us down. We had left our camera on the table, and she was trying to get it back to us.

DAY 3

So I wake up on Monday. Man, this Jamaican sun is hot. My feet are absolutely cooked. There will be no wearing flip flops today, only sneakers. The first day, I was so eager to get on the beach that I just skipped putting sunscreen on my feet. I said I would do it once we got down there. I got to the beach. Sand got on my feet. I decided to wait. Once my feet were cooked, I tried washing them off and putting on sunscreen, but I don't think it worked so well. That was a lesson learned. Also, it was impossible to hide my incredibly red feet from the ladies trying to rub aloe on people. All week, they were on to me especially hard every time I passed. Anyway, back to this morning. I'm out of money. I tell my girlfriend I am going to head into town to go to the ATM and get more money out. She skeptically looks at me, and asks when I expect to be back. I say, "an hour or so". I put on my sneakers and hat, head out the hotel entrance, and into a brave new world. Negril, here I come...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RyanP

I put on my sneakers and hat, head out the hotel entrance, and into a brave new world. Negril, here I come...

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Let's roll! I'm looking forward to hearing more from your perspective. Reminds, in some ways, of my first trip in 95/96 and the shock and awe I felt the first few daze.

Enjoying your trip report. More please! Many years ago my BFF's son got so severely sunburned on the top of his feet that he needed medical attention. Told me months later that his feet peeled several times and took months to heal. Ouch!

Please keep reporting, learning lessons for my first reach.... I will say, ridding myself of my southern accent is not an option, so I'll just smile and say "Bless"! :)

I can relate to all of this, including the sunburned feet. Carry on ....