Guirigay and Sweetie Pie’s PaRedux It’s all true and it never really happened…

All standard caveats apply…

Words by Guirigay (mostly) Pictures by Sweetie Pie (mostly)

A few of the fundamental laws of Negril…

There is no loss of energy, ever, only transference.

The act of observation changes the observed.

Every action causes reaction.

A chain reaction, once started, can only be stopped by completion.

As we step through our lives each day a never ending series of choices and decisions initiate an in-numerous set of reactions and chain reactions. These reactions shoot off in different directions. Like the ripples of a stone dropped in the water they emanate out, affecting our view of the past, our relationship to the present and the future we will pass through. We live amongst the intersecting ripples of the effects of our actions. In this respect we truly do, each of us, live in a world of our own creation.

We must have done something right. We just spent 9 days in heaven with a group of angels. I know they were angels ‘cause I saw their souls, and they were almost too beautiful to look at….

Won’t be the same as last time ‘cause it can’t be the same as last time. I’ll try to make it interesting. I hope you enjoy.

Saturday
How can this thing possibly live up to the expectations we have put on it? Mild distress has set in a few times during the week. What the hell are we doing? Why are we dropping several large on a trip we can’t really afford and don’t really need to take? What if everyone is completely different from their board identities and we feel awkward or out of place? Or worse, irritated or uncomfortable? As the time draws closer, though, the excitement grows and the trepidation wanes. If you thought the traffic here was stupid leading up to departure, well, the pm’s and emails and facebook chats were insane!

Then Patty starts the Joe and Manda thread and it strangely feels like we’ve already joined the party long distance. Then it’s really close and we want things to start to slow down. Don’t get here too fast and be over with in a blur. Slow down, man, soon come. We’re going to ride in from Mo Bay with Marley and Ninja and Tizzy and (maybe) Tizzy’s boyfriend and we have all been going nuts the last couple of days as people drop off the board to travel and pop up again in paradise. Very funny go round at 4:20 on 4/20. Are we there yet?

Travel goes smoothly and before you know it we’re sitting at the Groovy Grouper with Chicken’s son, waiting on the gang. First Red Stripe, nice and easy, we got a long night ahead and I haven’t eaten yet. Second Red Stripe, boom. Third Red Stripe is going quick when a tiny platinum blond with HUGE luggage shows up, smiling and arms wide open! I don’t know how she gets around with those things! ;)

We fell right in with Tiz. We had an incredible conversation about how we all ended up sitting at that bar at that moment that was more like a chat you would have with a close family member then it was a meet and greet with a digital acquaintance. It set the stage for much amused observation of our dear Tizzy throughout the week and put both of us in Tizzy’s corner for, well, I’m thinking forever.

I’m into my fourth beer and Tiz is deep into her tale of woe that will be gone when suddenly at the rail to our side appears the Queen of Negril, Marley!! Cinderella? Red Riding Hood? Appropriate we say, she is like a fairy tale character both inside and out. Later in the week she would prove to be our Fairy GodMother…Where’s Ninja? Pulling the luggage with a million watt smile! :)

Chicken shows up and swaps out with his son, we’ve got the King of the road driving the Queen of Negril and her cohorts to the promised land. Negril soon come…

Yep....all true, every single bit! LOL
Ok Ok I am getting all excited again just reading these trip reports....alright, I will go home and start on mine...you made me! I will NEVER forget walking up to you all at the Groovy Grouper and sneaking up only to hear the LOUD SQUEALS when you all turned around and saw me, that was the perfect start to the BEST TRIP EVER! This is going to be good! Can't wait!

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Originally Posted by Guirigay

As we step through our lives each day a never ending series of choices and decisions initiate an in-numerous set of reactions and chain reactions. These reactions shoot off in different directions. Like the ripples of a stone dropped in the water they emanate out, affecting our view of the past, our relationship to the present and the future we will pass through. We live amongst the intersecting ripples of the effects of our actions. In this respect we truly do, each of us, live in a world of our own creation.

We must have done something right. We just spent 9 days in heaven with a group of angels. I know they were angels ‘cause I saw their souls, and they were almost too beautiful to look at….

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Dude you are already making me cry. OY. But please continue - you write so beautifully.......with love - Sweetness

Eeeeeehehehehehe!!! I can't take it, it's too much

I'm not good with words, as you are my friend, but I would just like to state that I have not met two finer people. You guys had my heart before I could kill that very first Stripe! Miss you, and can't wait to relive this trip with you and Sweetie Pie. Please kiss her face for me. :) I know this Trip Report is going to be a doozy....you've already got me all choked up...actually Sweetness and SpottyCatz already got me primed....but yes yes yes....we are off to a good start!!!

...Damn that luggage :o

Go on Michael my son, give it Lordy. :D

Can't wait for the rest!

Can we expect a poem? Alright, maybe we will not be treated like last time, but please sir do continue........

Only if you start it Booger! Let's go with the working title "Ode to a Snot Nose" :)

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Originally Posted by guirigay

only if you start it booger! Let's go with the working title "ode to a snot nose" :)

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lmfao

Oh this is gonna be gooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhh all my favorite people..all doing reports at once! I could just die!!!! So much to read, and I can hardly keep up...all my friends are such excellent writers I didnt even bother this time....Side splitting laughter you have provided thru my whole trip! Im back at the camp fire and here come all my friends....feet up and smiling....we are ready! ...LOVE you guys...I'll never be the same! ( well.... hand to forehead.....thank god ! ) hahahahha

This is wonderful reading, making me long for a trip soon. I'm anxiously waiting to read and experience more as well as looking forward to some pics.

Sweet guirigay. Your words makes my heart sing, hearing our story, everyone's story, makes me feel so lucky to have been a small part of something so wonderful. I long for a reunion back in negril with everyone who has become so intrigral to my being that I can not imagine having lived so long in my life without having them in mine and gurigay's life sooner. I long to be backin negril, where I belong, with all the people that I love.

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Originally Posted by Sweetie pie

Sweet guirigay. Your words makes my heart sing, hearing our story, everyone's story, makes me feel so lucky to have been a small part of something so wonderful. I long for a reunion back in negril with everyone who has become so intrigral to my being that I can not imagine having lived so long in my life without having them in mine and gurigay's life sooner. I long to be backin negril, where I belong, with all the people that I love.

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Well said Sweetie Pie!

Guirigay...loving it. Holding my breath for more.

Sweetie Pie...you said it perfectly! I agree wholeheartedly.....and I miss you both so much! And all of you! And Negril! Sigh........

The magic bus was prepped for the trip. A cooler up front had chilly Red Stripes waiting for us. I’m chatting with Ninja as we get on the bus and he is wearing this completely bad ass Red Stripe hat, all kind of beat up looking with what looks like a Stripe cap on the bill. “Dude.” This is my common greeting to any human I feel a connection to, a leftover from my hippie surf punk adolescence in Southern California. “Dude, I love that hat!” “Yeah, it’s cool,” says Ninja, “ I got it our last trip, check this out.” Ninja pops this smile, a little mischievous, a little excited, that I would see SO many times in the coming week. A Red Stripe comes out of the cooler and the cap comes off Ninja’s head. He holds the bottle to the brim of his cap and with a quick pop hands me a ready to consume beverage. “Bottle opener,” he says with a grin, holding up the brim of the cap to reveal just that on the underside, “And it always catches the cap!” He shows me the crown of the ball cap and there it is…

I shatzed myself.

We stop on the hip strip at Digicel to get our phone situation set up. I have never cared about having a phone in the Caribbean. One of the reasons I go there is to disconnect but this time I know I’m going to want to get a hold of folks at different places at different times. We now own a Jamaican cell phone and were very glad we got it for this trip. Saved us one night…

Tizzy got her phone before us and by the time we get out to the bus Tizzy has walked down the alley to some local vendor shops. First wayward turtle of the trip. (Thanks BeccaJ, this is now a permanent part of our vernacular!) We fend off a rush of vendors waiting for Tiz but EVENTUALLY get back under way.

The energy in this quarter filled commercial bus is stupid off the hook. We are probably lucky there weren’t any more of us, it was combustible as it was. It is a crazy thing to finally meet someone you already know. How is that possible? This right here MADE that right there.

Thank you Rob Graves, thank you VERY much.

We’re on the road to Negril, pulling out of Mo Bay and I’m ten kinds of jacked up with a cocktail of adrenaline and ephedrine and pheromones and probably just about every physiologically produced stimulant there is. And I’m drinking, and I seem to be drinking quickly. Before we get to Lucea I’m past a sixer. “I can’t believe how GOOD I feel for a six pack!” “You look good for a six pack!” answers Marley.

I think we stop at a bar for a drink and bio break and I get my first Appleton and Ting of the week. God I love Appleton and Ting. It was perfect before the Rum and Ting and now it’s better. It seems perfection was being constantly improved upon all week.

Just around the corner, Bigga’s! We have been looking forward to this. I have shown Sweetie Pie pictures of Bigga and his never mussed white T-shirt. Unfortunately Bigga is not working tonight but the jerk is there. Spicy little jet black cubes of AMAZING pork. HOT sauce but not unbearable. Close, but bearable. I’m now in ecstasy mode.

All key ride in items accomplished we saddle back up for Negril. Things start to hit quickly after Lucea as we run through Orange Bay and Green Island. We’re watching the sun as we close in on Negril, it’s very low as we hit Bloody Bay. Chicken pulls over at a break in the trees at Long Bay Beach Park. We slide open the windows and catch our first sunset of the week. Sweetie Pie gets a couple of nice shots. What a sensation, all the excitement and pressing energy of FINALLY being there combined with the serene satisfaction of a gorgeous Negril sunset. A perfect way to arrive home…

We rolled through downtown and up the West End. Not too far up the road we turn and head up a lane. Sweetie Pie and I had arrangements to stay in a Jamaican guest house. We were very excited about this. We have visions of being in Jamaica long term at some point in our future and had an offer to experience the sort of long term lodging that is available in Negril. We jumped at it. I will offer some advice and considerations involving these types of arrangements a little later. It was an eye opening experience for us.

We get settled in and pay the landlord for the duration of our stay. It’s a nice ground floor one bedroom apartment with lots of room, a full kitchen with a midi-fridge and a nice porch looking out on a well kept yard with three dogs that Sweetie falls for immediately. There are stairs up to the roof above the second floor that provides a gorgeous view of the sea. A nice crib we think.

We walk down the lane to the West End road and flag a route taxi. “200 to Seastar lane?” we ask and hop in. “It’s a long way to Seastar,” says the cabbie. “Long walk, yes,” we say, “We’ve done it a few times.” I give him 500 when he drops us off at the lane. The walk up the lane feels a little like a processional to a life changing event like a graduation or wedding. Remembrances of our last walk up this road a few months ago and huge excitement about what we’re going to walk into tonight. Suddenly we’re at the gate then have our wristbands and are looking around. Seastar has set up tents for the evening and the place looks great. We see the webcast set up and look nearby to see a table of familiar faces.

How many roads have been travelled, how many thousands of miles have passed, how many journeys, trials and tribulations have transpired to bring all of us to this table tonight. We don’t know it yet but I have an inkling. We are about to partake in a ritual of creation, the Genesis of New Family…

We approach the table and raise our hands in exultation!!

The table is LOADED with people I’ve been anxious to see. Booger is there too ;) Patty and Kopper, Beachgirl and her friend – a quiet, lovely lady who smiled the ENTIRE week, Clarity and Hubby-man, Boogers better half Pooper, Marley and Ninja, and sitting right next to Tizzy and happily chatting away is a young Amish fellow who appears to be on his Rumspringa… :D It turns out this is Jon, Boogers long time friend. I’m going to bust on Jon just a little bit here and there because, damn, he deserves it. I mean, come on, a single, good looking, athletic, charming, funny guy goes on vacation with his married pals and ends up LIVING THE DREAM?!?! He needs a little smack just once in a while to remind him “Yes, I’m alive and awake and this REALLY happened!” Of course, it never really happened…

Jon. Dude. RESPECT. Many bow before you…

Patty and Kopper are just perfect together. I had too in there for a second and then deleted it. Not too perfect together, perfect. I don’t remember what Patty was drinking but it had to be orange. Kopper was even in matching attire this evening. Patty was super excited to find out Booger was born just down the road from her in Chino. She was babysitting Joe and Manda (YES, BABYSITTING!) and looking for someone to give her a little relief. Those two were a handful. Mandy, you’re lucky you made it home alive! Joe, you are a sly dog, my friend!

Beachgirl is just super sweet. One of many I have to say I wish there had been more time for. And we had some lovely conversations. Just not enough. Can we go back NOW?

Clarity and Hubby-man are just exactly what I expected. Clarity is so nice and genuine and shy. Terribly, terribly shy. And beautiful. Just stunningly beautiful. I should probably look away now ‘cause it feels like I may have been staring beautiful. And because I knew her before I knew her, I knew the person inside was even better than the carriage outside.

And Hubby-man. Markus. Dude. Brother. A million words later I will say the same thing. Deep Love, One Love, and total respect.

Pooper is a great lady. She reminds me in a lot of ways of the better aspects of my Ex. Strong willed, bright, wild and fun. Hell, she flopped! My ex would have flopped. And she loves dogs, loves ALL animals. Sweetie Pie and her bonded, and for the rest of the week Sweetie Pie had to consider how Pooper would feel about some of her various dining choices! :o And on top of everything, Pooper is going to be canonized a saint because she is married to…

Booger. Everyone we met on Saturday was pretty much exactly as we expected from our board interactions. This was roundly agreed to by just about everyone. Booger, though, not so much. I’d always kind of pictured Booger as a crusty, twisted old coot with a snarky streak. Turns out he’s a young, snotty fratboy with a snarky streak… And he takes it every bit as easily as he dishes it out. I’m usually pretty good in the group party dynamic at throwing out the last comment on a riff, the one that nails it or, frequently, goes just that little bit too far that everyone says, “New Topic!” I think Booger owned me on this front. Truly funny guy, wild man from time to time, and a MACHINE…

GerryG swoops in for a few SECONDS, says hi to everyone and disappears. Dude is a whirlwind. His Negril Chill is to see as much of Negril as possible each reach. I think he succeeds every time.

And Marley and Ninja are just soaking the entire thing up. You can see it in their eyes, in their perma-smiles. Happiness, satisfaction and knowledge that we all now share of the certainty of expectations being exceeded. Again, I must ask, how can you exceed expectations that are through the roof? Like this. Done and done.

I know we meet more boardies this evening but it gets a little blurry. I know I hear more than one time, “Have you met SpottyCatz? They are hilarious!” To all I’ve missed here, we were so glad you were there.

There is photographic evidence of how quickly this whole thing escalated. Can’t be more than a couple of hours in at Seastar and there are hugs being given and looks being shot at each other that only come from people truly CONNECTED to each other. A great number of these pictures, however, are not for public consumption.

All of this is happening against the sonic backdrop of a Rock and Reggae show. It was LOUD. Fortunately we were all more than happy to get loud ourselves. Such a good time.

Before Luciano goes on we end up by the bar with Booger and Pooper and he’s hanging out with a local and his wife. When the guy turns around I notice that it’s Percy! Boogs and Percy are tight and we have a nice reunion. Percy will end up being my man by the end of the reach. It’s good to have a Good Man in Negril.

Luciano comes on and we head for the dance floor. What a great artist, what an wonderful human being. He has been around so long and done so much that he can kick into a classic like Give Praise as his second or third song and still have tons of material to bring it down at the end. His voice is pure, natural and easy. He sounds every bit as perfect live as he does recorded. I mean perfect. He plays for over two hours, multiple encores. Chris gets the house riled up for the last one. Just awesome. Sweetie Pie is struggling but hangs in, we’re going to see the end of the show. No pictures with Looch afterward, we need to get Sweetie Pie to bed.

Before we leave Clarity and Hubby-man tell us they are going to Mandeville tomorrow to see family but they’ve already paid for the night at Seastar. We can stay in their room tomorrow night if we’d like. We accept, of course! We’ll be able to chill on Monday morning in preparation for the Flop. Excellent. Arrangements are made and we grab a cab back to our crib. The driver doesn’t want to drop us of at the lane on West End. He drives us up to the house and makes a point to note that he’s shining the lights into the yard. “Always have your driver bring you to the house at night here,” he says. We pay him $10.

We slide into bed, it’s comfortable. We are satisfied, a day for the ages. We fall to sleep easily, deeply, soundly.

Thank you Giurigay!
I am loving this trip report so incredibly much, I can't even find the words to express it!:o
I just read this during my lunchbreak
The beginning almost had me in tears
(You already know I'm Ms. Waterworks)
I was so moved by your words

then you had me cracking up in some parts

Quote:

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Booger. Everyone we met on Saturday was pretty much exactly as we expected from our board interactions. This was roundly agreed to by just about everyone. Booger, though, not so much. I’d always kind of pictured Booger as a crusty, twisted old coot with a snarky streak.

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I totally snort laughed out loud at that one!
Yeah, booger was totally not what I expected either
And "the young amish fellow on rumspringa" ..LOL!

You are really bringing me right back to our trip with your words and all these great details you remembered! I love it!
Please keep it coming!

and I also agree with Sweetiepie's comment, She said it perfectly.:)
Miss you both!

I sent Jonny a screenshot of your shoutout....he's signing up. ;) Rumspringa....snarky fratboy....LMFAO

OMG, Guiri, you are rocking my world with the way you tell it....but where are the pics please!!!!

I have very few pics from the iPhone. Sweetie Pie should be here tonight or tomorrow to add her photos from Saturday. We're going to try out Rob's iPad fix. She had misplaced the Kodak HD camera but found it last night. That has stuff from the SeaSplash party on Sunday night and all the flop video so I'll try to wrangle that up for my next set of updates.

Hello Jonny!

The only applicable photos I have from Saturday are from O'hare in Chicago. $30 worth of Irish Coffees sitting in front of us with our plane to Mo Bay out the back window...

Attachment 14342Attachment 14343

Such a fine couple. I miss you both. I will exercise what little patience I can muster up ;)

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Originally Posted by Clarity

Yeah, booger was totally not what I expected either
And "the young amish fellow on rumspringa" ..LOL!

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Yeah me either! For some reason I expected him to be older too, and he was not at all what Booger looked like in my head......in fact the only thing I was right about was the fact that I knew I was going to like him and that he was going to provide a lot of laughs...too funny!

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Originally Posted by TizzyATX

I sent Jonny a screenshot of your shoutout....he's signing up. ;) Rumspringa....

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LMAO.....that had me dying laughing too.....tell Jon his screen name should be Rumspringa! LMAO

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Originally Posted by marley9808

Yeah me either! For some reason I expected him to be older too, and he was not at all what Booger looked like in my head......in fact the only thing I was right about was the fact that I knew I was going to like him and that he was going to provide a lot of laughs...too funny!

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Exactly!
I knew I was going to like Booger, I knew he would be funny...
and I was not at all surprised by the mischevious smile that never left his face...
... Like he just slipped a whoopie cushion underneath your seat and was just waiting for you to sit down...;).
But he was like 20 years younger than I expected him to be.
I thought he was an older dude and Sandie was his young cute wife
I mean, he's from L.A....:p

LOL.....Exactly!
The description of his mischevious smile is SPOT ON!
LOVE it!

That's funny. I thought Booger would be a bit older, too .....

Mischievous smiles? I'm pretty sure that is a common trait of all the boys. Booger? Well hell yes. Ninja? I saw it many times. Markus? what? Are you kidding? Mr. SpottyCatz? Not just the smile, but everything about the guy says "let's do something no one expects!" Jon? I'm not sure I'm qualified to delineate between a mischievous grin and the shatz eating grin he sported most of the week but he is Boogers best bud. Brasi? definitely. Me? Well OK, I might be Senor Dingy Dullpants...

And by the way ladies, I'm all the way to Saturday night. Let's go...

And GERRY! Good God, He lives in search of "a likkle bit o trouble..." :)

Guirigay....omg you are RIGHT!
They all have it

Must be why we love them so! Ha!

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Originally Posted by Guirigay

And GERRY! Good God, He lives in search of "a likkle bit o trouble..." :)

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Say what??? Notice how tame and tempered my report is????

That's just cause you got reprimanded. LOLOL jp

So I come across as a geezer? LOL! It wasn't as exciting for me as I had already seen everyone's mug shots online, however I had guessed pretty good on the personalities. It's nice to see that I was able to throw everyone off, that was my intent.:rolleyes:

Guirygay, I'm curious if we get the pleasure of seeing those trunks again that you wore to Country Country? What do you call those anyway? Swim jammers? Is that the transition one makes before hoping into a banana hammock?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimsuit#Men.27s_swimsuits

And thanks for the shout out to my boy Percy. His place is a great chill out spot and his family is all in to make sure you have a great day. He and the misses were our guest that day and I hope they had a great time. Gerry mentioned in his report that Negril is indeed a small place and many folks are connected some how or another. Well the same thing applies to Percy, as his son is Ty one of the two fabulous bartenders working the night shift at Catcha. A great family whom I look forward to hanging out with many times over.

As far as Jon, that smile is always there. He is a free spirit and gets the most out of life. Having him around makes me a better person. Now the smile might have been a little bigger due to a little piece of Texas.

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Originally Posted by marley9808

Yeah me either! For some reason I expected him to be older too, and he was not at all what Booger looked like in my head......in fact the only thing I was right about was the fact that I knew I was going to like him and that he was going to provide a lot of laughs...too funny!



LMAO.....that had me dying laughing too.....tell Jon his screen name should be Rumspringa! LMAO

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Originally Posted by Clarity

Exactly!
I knew I was going to like Booger, I knew he would be funny...
and I was not at all surprised by the mischevious smile that never left his face...
... Like he just slipped a whoopie cushion underneath your seat and was just waiting for you to sit down...;).
But he was like 20 years younger than I expected him to be.
I thought he was an older dude and Sandie was his young cute wife
I mean, he's from L.A....:p

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I apologize if I ruined your Fabio moment.... Not only am I 20 years younger I'm 20 pounds lighter than my last reach. And by December I'm shooting for another 10-15, so now I just need to grow the mane out......:p

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Originally Posted by booger

Guirygay, I'm curious if we get the pleasure of seeing those trunks again that you wore to Country Country? What do you call those anyway? Swim jammers? Is that the transition one makes before hoping into a banana hammock?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimsuit#Men.27s_swimsuits

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The suit will most definitely make an appearance in the story. Photos? On that front I am at the mercy of Sweetie Pie and all of you!

Lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

G, you tell a great tale. I think you should wait until all the trip reports are completed and weave them all into a book. I'll leave the title to a vote, but it WOULD work!!! :D

hanging on every word - i hope you work out your pictures soon

but i can take just the story if you don't <grin>