If you love Jamaica let me see your hand - A Trip Report

“You will receive most when you will expect least.”
― Santosh Kalwar

Hello, my name is Cherry and I am a Negril addict. When I first introduced myself last year, I wasn't sure about that statement. There remains no doubt now that I am really and truly hooked.

If you want to start this story from the very beginning, you can read my first trip report here. It is a newbie's recounting of our first visit to Negril.

I've got to find my way back, back to Summer Paradise

Be forewarned, if you prefer the condensed version of a story this (and our last) trip report might not be for you. I rarely run out of words when I am talking about things I am passionate about and I am passionate about Negril.

I say our report because I do not travel alone. I am blessed to share my adventures with my best friend and husband of 11+ years. I call him Sunshine and so can you.

When I wrote our first trip report last year, Sunshine and I were preparing to head back to Negril for the second time. I had a big case of the pre-trip fidgets and I used writing our trip report as a productive channel for my nervous energy.

I have to admit I didn't expect to enjoy writing and sharing the report as much as I did. I think the mental exercise of putting our story in print contributed more to our trip than I could have imagined. It was as though it freshened up the memories and got me into a Negril frame of mind before our plane had even left the ground. I also got to meet great folks along the way that I never would have had it not been for the report. I hope that is a trend that continues.

So I am back again for another round. This report is from our trip at the end of November 2012. There is a pattern forming here as this year finds us getting ready to head back for a third time almost exactly a year later.

How do I now know for sure I'm a Negril addict? The first year our trip was 7 days. Last year, we were blessed with 10 days. For this year? We are eagerly anticipating 14 days in paradise.

Here is a little tune to set the mood. I think it's reggae's answer to a rock anthem. If I'm having a down day, this song somehow helps to make it all okay. I can't help but want to sing along. There's something about just knowing my sweet Jamaica is there waiting for my return.

http://youtu.be/b9ZJ7FpXiEg

Chapter 1

Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work's important, family's important, but without excitement, you have nothing. You're cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what's coming.
- Nicholas Sparks


Getting home from our first trip to Negril at the end of 2011 was a bit of a shock to the system. We woke up that Sunday with snow outside and the dawning realization that there was in fact only one full weekend left until Christmas, which we were hosting. There was not a single decoration hung and not a meal planned. So we got up, put on our winter gear and made our annual Christmas tree pilgrimage.

It was February before I recovered from the season. I had one big thing on my mind and that was getting back to Negril. The boards at this point where starting to light up with talk of April gatherings. There was bash, a magic bus and a flop off. I really wanted to join in the festivities, so I set to planning our return. It wouldn't be April, but it could be November.

I was excited to discover that Westjet had their early winter schedule out and they appeared to be adding a second direct flight on Wednesdays. That opened up the possibility of a 10 or 11 day trip. My father had requested our presence at a family reunion in Northern Saskatchewan that was going to eat up two vacation days in the fall. That left three days that could be added on to our week in Negril.

The stars were all aligning.

I started in on Sunshine to get his vacation approved early, because when I saw a fare in our price window, I wanted to jump on it. Basically at the same time as he got his vacation approved, Westjet revamped their schedule - no more Wednesday direct flight. We talked about it and decided that Negril was more than worth a connecting flight. We would travel down through Toronto but we could still take advantage of the direct flight home.

If you are really paying attention to flights for a particular set of days, it is amazing how much the fares can fluctuate. It is crazy even how much two flights from the same airline on the same day can have differences in the hundreds of dollars. Westjet seemed to be using fares to push people onto a flight that didn't get into MoBay until 7pm. I wanted to be there for sunset, but I wasn't willing to pay an extra $500 to do it.

At least 2 people suggested on the board watching one way flights on multiple airlines. They were so right.

One Friday afternoon mid-August I was at my desk trying to kill time for before the weekend. My work neighbor started talking about booking flights for her vacation and I popped onto Air Canada's site. Their roundtrip was no deal, but the trip down was cheaper than any I had seen and it was scheduled to arrive with plenty of time to sunset. Westjet actually had a seat sale on, which put the whole trip into our fare window.

So I pushed the button and it was good.

A week before departure my cell phone rings and who is on the other end? Air Canada customer service, informing me that their schedule has changed and they have rebooked us on the Winnipeg-Toronto flight the night before and they will be putting us up in a hotel overnight in Toronto.

I know for some people this could be a real issue with shuffling kids and jobs and pets. For Sunshine and I this was big woo-hoo moment. I don`t get to Negril any sooner, but my vacation starts when I get to the airport, so I just got an extra day of vacation on someone else's dime. We hatched a new plan. We'd get the airport in Winnipeg in plenty of time and have a nice dinner. With a small bottle of rum tucked in our suitcase, we could suitably toast the start of our vacation in Toronto and arrive not too worse for wear midday in MoBay.

It all sounded like a rather dignified way to travel.

more please . . .

Great

Uh Oh Cherry is back!!! Yippee I read your newbie report and absolutely loved it and I stayed at Coco there after and love it too...so this is just what I need 8 days away from Paradise!

Yes!

Whoot....Whoot....... another cherry report!...........Cherrylisous.LOL

Do you see my hand? Whootie whoot let's keep it going:o

Chapter 2 please!

YAY!!!! SO excited to read this report, Cherry - especially the cliffs part! Thank you!!!!

Bring it on girl!

You guys are awesome! There is a moment of trepidation pressing that post new thread button. I can feel the love. I've got 17 days to get baby done before we head back and I am determined. I'll get to Chapter 2 tomorrow, but first, the rest of Chapter 1 :)

Long before we purchased our flights, I was making plans for where we were going to stay. I really had two criteria, Sunshine needed AC and I needed at least a queen size bed. Of course, it also needed to be awesome, but there seems to be a lot of that in Negril. :cool:

I am a big believer that moving around a little bit during a vacation makes the whole thing seem much longer. If you change the view every couple of days, home seems both longer and further away each time. I had originally though a straight cliff/beach split would be the plan, but I was having a hard time narrowing to just one of each. I have no idea how many times I said to myself, 'That is it, this is the final plan,' but it seemed I was changing my mind every week. With each positive trip report, the possibilities got more endless.

As last winter's trip reports unfolded, it was hard not to notice that there was a lot of love on this board for Catcha Falling Star. I was trying to stretch my dollars to 10 days though, so most of the rooms at Catcha were just a bit out of reach. Pisces looked great (it is my sign) and I loved the patio, but I just couldn't talk myself into the double bed. Little Capricorn didn't have a patio and I wanted our own outside space. Gatehouse had the bigger bed, but I was worried about being near the road.

Lucky for me at the end of April boardie Sweetness was staying in the Gatehouse and she was reporting live. She answered a number of questions for me and urged me to get on booking. Though we didn't actually have the vacation approved and hadn't settled for sure on the length of our stay, before the boardie bash was done, we had booked 3 nights in the Gatehouse. It would be stop #2 on this year's adventure.

So where to start things off? Right where we found our groove last time at Blue Cave Castle. Sunshine was excited enough about returning, that he actually sat down with me and we went through all the air conditioned rooms on the BCC website to pick the one we wanted. Our first choice wasn't available, but there was a close second. Before I pushed the button, I thought I would show him the Penthouse. It took him about 12 seconds to decide that AC was actually not that important to him. It was available, so we'd get to play King and Queen of the Castle for our first 3 nights in Negril.

Our last 4 nights, we are headed down to the beach. I had narrowed our choices down to Nirvana on the Beach and Idle Awhile. It was a really tough choice. Having had fun picking the penthouse, Sunshine was keen to weigh in on this choice, so we looked at pictures and videos from all over the place. Ultimately, Idle Awhile was the winner. Of course after all that, they didn't have any room at the inn.

I think it was fate though, as Idle Awhile was stretching the budget. For some reason I hadn't thought to check on what was on sale at Negril One Stop. They had their winter sale for CocoLaPalm, which had always been a real contender. It was going to cost of half of what Idle Awhile would have and their beach is beautiful. I have certainly viewed their webcams enough times. I would have liked a junior suite for the extra $7 a night, but they didn't have any available for our dates. I was sure the superior room would do the trick. Besides, we were going to be on the beach most of the time anyway.

Awesome report Cherry,hope to meet you this trip,we will be at Seastar on the 30th,hope you are as well.Thanks for the report it makes these next 15 days go by a little easier!!

i'm here cherry! waiting . . . lol

Pure niceness! Cont pls!

Love it so far, keep it rolling!

So happy that you're back posting again -I LOVED your first report. But alas - I just realized that you're doing the day by day approach again which makes perfect sense...and I was so spoiled by being able to binge-read the last one! OK, I know, I have to relax and practice my soon-comes! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful writing.

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Originally Posted by billndonna

Awesome report Cherry,hope to meet you this trip,we will be at Seastar on the 30th,hope you are as well.Thanks for the report it makes these next 15 days go by a little easier!!

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I can say for sure that we will be there on 30th, as we are actually staying at Seastar at that point in our trip. Look forward to seeing you there :)

Cherry & Sunshine! This is incredible! I'd like to share this with you quickly. {As I need to get to outside and finish up about 100 "things to do" here on the farm. Winter is coming. Probably with a vengeance! But anyhoo, I couldn't sleep, and got up and went to the computer for my daily Negril.com addiction. I clicked on your "newbie" report ,and wow, the details, details.... It sucked me right in. Loved it. As the further I went , then you put pictures of yourself and Sunshine, then it dawned on me ."hey, I know you from the One Love bus trip last December! We stayed at Coco. We shared some Red Stripes & conversation at Seastar Inn! What a fun time! It truly is a small world. We have been to Negril 9 times, and our 10th trip is coming up in December. We are trying something new this trip. A split trip 7 nites at Seastar and 4 at Treehouse. Can't wait. Negril is truly our 2nd home. We have so many Jamaican friends now ,from over the years. I consider those folks dear friends now. Thanks for your trip reports, and maybe we'll hang out again some time! One love. Todd + Deb from Minnesota a.k.a Rock'n'Roll Farmer"

great start! Penthouse... o sweet sweet penthouse...

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Originally Posted by rocknrollfarmer

Cherry & Sunshine! This is incredible! I'd like to share this with you quickly. {As I need to get to outside and finish up about 100 "things to do" here on the farm. Winter is coming. Probably with a vengeance! But anyhoo, I couldn't sleep, and got up and went to the computer for my daily Negril.com addiction. I clicked on your "newbie" report ,and wow, the details, details.... It sucked me right in. Loved it. As the further I went , then you put pictures of yourself and Sunshine, then it dawned on me ."hey, I know you from the One Love bus trip last December! We stayed at Coco. We shared some Red Stripes & conversation at Seastar Inn! What a fun time! It truly is a small world. We have been to Negril 9 times, and our 10th trip is coming up in December. We are trying something new this trip. A split trip 7 nites at Seastar and 4 at Treehouse. Can't wait. Negril is truly our 2nd home. We have so many Jamaican friends now ,from over the years. I consider those folks dear friends now. Thanks for your trip reports, and maybe we'll hang out again some time! One love. Todd + Deb from Minnesota a.k.a Rock'n'Roll Farmer"

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OMG, that is awesome! Its connections like these that are such a unexpected benefit of sharing our story. You've got me searching my memory banks trying to connect you to the right face. Did we see you at the Luciano show on Saturday as well?

Our paths may very well cross again this year, as we will be in Negril until December 7.

I read your last trip report, what grabbed me right away was the quote you posted "Never forget anticipation
is an important part of life." I say that to everyone when people ask me why I love travel so much. Especially to Jamaica. Really enjoy your writing.!!!

Chapter 2

“The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it.”
― Vince Lombardi

As we got ready to leave for our trip I was quietly hopeful that my recollections of the magic of Negril hadn't been overstated. When we returned from our first trip, I was back on Negril.com almost right away. There was no doubt in my mind that we were heading back. We had seen just enough to know we hadn't even scratched the surface and we were ready for more.

The better part of year immersed in the enthusiasm of the board actually had me second guessing the trip a bit too. I could have called this trip report "Brought to you by Negril.com" because the influence of the board was evident in pretty much all our plans. Maybe Negril wouldn't be as good as we remembered? Perhaps we had woven a fantasy of memories that couldn't manage to live up to expectations?

So our departure date finally arrives. I had been counting down for some 230 days and I couldn't believe that tomorrow we would be back in Negril. I had a bit of pre-trip anxiousness. I had packed and repacked, second and third guessing most every choice. I don't know why I bothered. Judging by the pictures I appear to have only worn two things the entire time.

Work day done we both rush home for a few last minute details and then the cab arrives to take us to the airport. Check in and security was no problem.

We head over to the restaurant to see about a table. If this story is going to have a villain, we are about to meet up with it here. I don't have its permission to be in the trip report so let's just say I have never Thanked God For Thursdays. I've always wondered at naming a restaurant after a particularly beloved day of the week. Is it not kind of mocking you the other six days?

They are all full but our name went on the list. We were plenty early and in no particular rush. Not 10 minutes later a table for two opened up. We settled in to talk excitedly about all the fun we were going to have over the next 10 days. The tables on either side of us seemed to be occupied by tired and worn business travelers. It felt so good not to be one of them.

We both ordered warm sandwiches. I know Sunshine had a cheese steak. I think mine had chicken. They could have served us MREs and I'd not have complained. As it was, neither meal was actually much better than that. In fact, we joked the food was pretty terrible. It didn't bother either of us one bit; tomorrow we would be in Negril and nothing else mattered. The view departing Winnipeg.

http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/...ps287f144f.jpg

Eagerly anticipating the next installment... And loving your writing style!

Cherry, Hey Hey My My Rock n roll can never die. To quote another famous Canuck! Neil Young. {you being the other famous one!} Yes, we were at the Luciano show. What a night! Us and another couple called from Coco for the Seastar free ride, and then we get there.. Not knowing what to expect, and to our surprise they had a reserved table for us right in front of the stage! What an unexpected surprise! Deb and I can't recall seeing you at the show, but for sure the One love bus! This Dec. we'll be at the Seastar til the 9th. So, yeah it would be cool to run into you two again. Respect . evryting Irie! Todd + Deb

Landing in Toronto I was feeling a bit worse for wear. Dinner hadn't settle all that well and I was looking forward to getting my bag and my Rolaids. I said as much to Sunshine and he heartily agreed. It seemed the airport was either too hot or too cold and everything was taking just a bit too long. Of course, our bags took something near forever. A further 20 minute wait and the shuttle arrived to whisk us away to our mediocre hotel.

We've changed time zones, it's now after 10. Check in was at least quick and once up to the room I broke out those Rolaids. With relief hopefully on the way, Sunshine got the ice bucket and headed for the ice machine, which is of course at the opposite end of the building one floor up.

WARNING – This party goes downhill quick.

A few minutes later the hotel room door flew open with a bang as Sunshine charged into the bathroom where I heard the unmistakable sound of his dinner greeting the porcelain thrown. As I round the corner all I see is vomit on the wall, vomit on the floor and when I opened it, vomit all over the outside of our room door.

Well this isn't good I think to myself. I try to make soothing sounds and offers of help to Sunshine. Then, as I always travel with a pack of wipes for whatever contingency, I get to cleaning up the mess.

Fifteen minutes or so later, Sunshine emerges, shaky and pale. We start looking for a root cause of his malaise and all signs are pointing to our last airport meal. It isn't the first time we haven't been thrilled with the food from that chain, but it will be the last.

If you've ever visited the Canadian prairies, you know is that it is easy to find yourself a long way from anywhere, especially if you find yourself unexpectedly under the weather. By a long way, I mean it could be at least an hour drive to a gas station that serves as grocery, liquor store, movie rental and pharmacy and that's only if you are lucky. This is a lesson I have learned the hard way and I always travel with what we call my portable pharmacy. It isn't magic. It covers the basic remedies for cold, flu and first aid, with enough of everything to get you through the first symptoms until you can find more.

I give Sunshine some Pepto and some Gravol. It is the best of what I have. I'm optimistic, but then I always am. Not half an hour later when Sunshine makes the dash again, I am a little more concerned. I note the time. He emerges some time later looking even worse for wear. More Pepto, hopefully this will be the last. It wasn't.

It was the strangest thing. It was almost like clockwork. Every 42-44 minutes he made the dash, emerging after too long a bit worse off than the time before.

He is being a real trooper. He's literally drinking a liter of water after each 'round'. It's not staying down, but at least he's still got something to bring up. I tell myself it is helping to rinse his system. This is the body's natural defense against unwelcome guests, right?

As we are nearing 2 am, I am getting more concerned. I keep saying soothing things, but I'm eyeballing my pharmaceutical supplies and he is going through them at a rate I can't sustain. I'm in a strange city, in a strange hotel not of my choosing. I am just not quite sure what to do. I'm counting the hours left in my head and I am grasping for anything that I could call a positive sign.

All the while, this little voice in the back of mind is whispering, 'We have to get on that plane in the morning. We've been waiting a year, we are half way there, and we have to get on the plane in the morning.' As the night continues, a second little voice starts asking, 'What if we can't get on the plane in the morning?' I felt like a monster for even thinking it. Sunshine is in living hell and I am selfishly worried about my travel plans.

Somewhere in the 3 a.m. hour I get my first good sign. Sunshine makes the dash, but the problem has migrated to his lower half. Using my extensive medical knowledge, primarily gleaned from Grey's Anatomy, I decide this is just the sign we were looking for. Whatever big bad is in his gut, at least it is transiting quickly. We've only got 5 or so more hours until our shuttle back to the airport, but there is a glimmer of hope.

Poor soul, I had to ration the Pepto. With less than 2 hours left until we were hopefully going catch the shuttle back to the airport, I resume dosing him. I'm hopeful we can find more at the airport. We've been up all night, but I sure don't have anything to complain about.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rocknrollfarmer

Cherry, Hey Hey My My Rock n roll can never die. To quote another famous Canuck! Neil Young. {you being the other famous one!} Yes, we were at the Luciano show. What a night! Us and another couple called from Coco for the Seastar free ride, and then we get there.. Not knowing what to expect, and to our surprise they had a reserved table for us right in front of the stage! What an unexpected surprise! Deb and I can't recall seeing you at the show, but for sure the One love bus! This Dec. we'll be at the Seastar til the 9th. So, yeah it would be cool to run into you two again. Respect . evryting Irie! Todd + Deb

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Ha, that (actually) famous Canuck and I are actually from the same town. He grew up somewhere in the range of 10 blocks from my parent's house. We must have been practically beside each other at the show, as we were in one of those front tables too. I was so impressed with Seastar's hospitality that night, it is a big part of why we are staying there this year. We'll make sure to not drink all the cold Red Stripe on you, we are staying there until the 4th. :cool:

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Originally Posted by Onceyougo

So happy that you're back posting again -I LOVED your first report. But alas - I just realized that you're doing the day by day approach again which makes perfect sense...and I was so spoiled by being able to binge-read the last one! OK, I know, I have to relax and practice my soon-comes! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful writing.

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Glad you enjoyed the first one - just think of it as a little mini Jamaican getaway each day. I may not manage to get it all done in 10 days this year, but you'll see the end before we fly back again - which is only 16 days away.

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Originally Posted by murph

great start! Penthouse... o sweet sweet penthouse...

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Ha, Ha, love it! I'm humming right along. And great avatar - if I am guessing the location right, this report is going to take you back there too.

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Originally Posted by jojo p

I read your last trip report, what grabbed me right away was the quote you posted "Never forget anticipation
is an important part of life." I say that to everyone when people ask me why I love travel so much. Especially to Jamaica. Really enjoy your writing.!!!

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Thanks jojo. I really do think at least half of the fun is traveling is the excitement of knowing it's coming. At the risk of sounding terribly spoiled, I HATE not having some sort of travel plans to count down to.

Oh gosh I hope this is not the end of the report and even worse you come back to say yall headed back to Winnipeg!!:rolleyes: lol

Cherry you was a trooper for Sunshine! and I'm sure Sunshine heard the lil voice too 'We have to get on that plane in the morning. We've been waiting a year, we are half way there, and we have to get on the plane in the morning. haha!

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Originally Posted by IRIEchic

Oh gosh I hope this is not the end of the report and even worse you come back to say yall headed back to Winnipeg!!:rolleyes: lol

Cherry you was a trooper for Sunshine! and I'm sure Sunshine heard the lil voice too 'We have to get on that plane in the morning. We've been waiting a year, we are half way there, and we have to get on the plane in the morning. haha!

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I'll get us at least back to the airport today. I don't think I am giving away anything when I say this was most definitely the low point of the whole trip. At least we got it out of the way early!

Oh No! Poor Sunshine - nothing worse than feeling crappy on vacation. Especially THAT crappy. Glad to know that was the worst it was!

I get our bags put back together and down to the lobby. I liberate the plastic laundry bag from the room, just in case Sunshine doesn't make it through the shuttle ride. I find him a seat while we wait. A few minutes pass and he makes the dash to the bathroom in the lobby.

We load into the shuttle with two other couples and I think to myself that they may be in for far more than they bargained for on this ride. I've got the laundry bag out and I have every digit crossed. It may have been the longest ride 15 minute ride ever, but we made it without incident.

You want to see a sympathetic face? Ask an airport kiosk worker if they have any Imodium when they are all sold out. Three strikes and we are out - of luck that is. I do get more Pepto.

Security is of course backed up for miles and it feels like the heat is stuck on roast. I eye the family line, and pulling the 'he isn't feeling well' card, but I don't want to do anything that might have our boarding denied. So we get in the regular line and do the shuffle for more than an hour. We finally get through security and as I am getting my bag back together and walking away, I realize I just cleared through with a 32oz jug full of water. Oops. I'm not sure how I feel about the quality of that screening process, but since it really is just water I am happy to be headed to the gate.

We are in the front row of the economy section again. I wanted to be at the front of the line at customs. When I booked the seats I didn't realize that they also use those rows for people with mobility issues. Sunshine is feeling like death warmed over in the middle seat, with this lovely 90+ year old granny on the aisle. I don't mean this disrespectfully, as I only hope to live long enough to have this problem, but have you ever noticed that really old people often have a distinctive and not entirely pleasant smell? I didn't notice and he never said a word but to add insult to injury, poor Sunshine spent 4.5 hours in the middle seat trying not to breathe in old lady smell.

When I look back, I don't know why it didn't occur to me to change seats with him. It's just habit; I always have the window. On a clear day, I will spend the entire flight with my nose pressed to the glass watching the world drift by below us. Sunshine loves me enough not to complain about the fact that this means that he generally always gets stuck with the middle seat. This flight should have been the exception though. Sorry Sunshine!

Sheesh Cherry.., Sunshine needs a vacation!

Ahhh Luciano - Seastar - holding a table for Cherry and Sunshine - enjoying a wonderful dinner and then I abandoned you all, to spend the next 3 hours dancing in front of the stage! OH it was grand and then I came back to the table totally exhausted and trotted off to bed.
Love your writing Cherry can't wait to read it all. Sure wish Charlie and I were going to be with you at Seastar but alas we won't get there until February.

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Originally Posted by irie always

Ahhh Luciano - Seastar - holding a table for Cherry and Sunshine - enjoying a wonderful dinner and then I abandoned you all, to spend the next 3 hours dancing in front of the stage! OH it was grand and then I came back to the table totally exhausted and trotted off to bed.
Love your writing Cherry can't wait to read it all. Sure wish Charlie and I were going to be with you at Seastar but alas we won't get there until February.

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Irie Always, yeah! Great to hear from you, but I am sorry our trips won't overlap this year :( You and Charlie were such wonderful hosts - it was so nice to have such welcoming smiles there to great us. My recollection of the night is that you were totally in your element and it was great to see!

Hey Cherry! I had to go look at the video I took in Dec. '12, and yes you and Sunshine are in the video. {Should of I asked your permission?} Maybe , now you'll recall us from the One love bus, I was the annoying guy with the video camera. And yes, I'm starting to recall you guys from the Luciano show. Most times on our trips to Negril I try to cram as much as possible into everything I do. My wife gets annoyed from this, as she does get the concept of vacation and what we should be doing......nothing! Relaxing! etc. etc. We arrive at Seastar on Dec. 2nd. So, we'll be seeing you there for a day & a half. Remember the one love bus stop at Bella Donna's? She sang for us a lovely little ditty ?!*@! It's fun to watch the videos, gotta document some of this stuff, to remember better, as the older I get {today's my birthday by the way} 53. I must be getting the early start of dementia or something as these trips are running into each other, and getting harder to remember. OMG! From a Tubes song..."Talk to ya' later" Todd + Deb

Chapter 3

“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
― Meister Eckhart

I don't think I will ever tire of that first sighting of Jamaica

http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8b2d5eb3.jpg

Or the final approach into MoBay. Now any landing that gets the plane and passengers to the gate intact is successful. I certainly wouldn't call this one graceful. I know I'm not wrong on this, because when my father, who retired after 35 years in aviation, saw the video his face got this rather disapproving look on it. I'd certainly started to hold my breath.

http://youtu.be/FPDM5mzNgy8

There will be more pictures are this report carries on, but I am sure you can appreciate taking pictures had kind of fallen off my priority list at this point.

At least our front seats got us to immigration ahead of most everyone on the flight. In what seemed like only a couple of minutes, we were through to the baggage claim. And then we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Bags from our flight came along and then nothing. There was a group of us still waiting with no luggage when the luggage carousel stopped. I'm trying to keep my cool, but it has been a long day/night and I just really wanted my bags. There is of course no one at the baggage counter to answer any questions. Thankfully, after a few more minutes, the carousel started back up and not long after our bags arrived.

Last stop at customs and we were through the doors and out to the taxi entrance. Half a dozen pairs of inquiring eyes turned our way. I said Kingsley James and three hands pointed his way while the others turned to the next person coming through the doors.

I can still perfectly remember that first woosh of air as we walked out the airport doors. We were under a protective cover, but I can see the bright sun reflecting on the pavement in the parking lot in front of me. It looks right, it sounds right and it smells right. There are so many infinite possibilities in that first moment. Though the journey had already begun, our adventure was only just getting under way.

Kingsley went to get the van. I left Sunshine with the bags and went to the bank machine for some JA$. There was another passenger from our flight whose ride hadn't worked out as expected, so he was joining our ride. I would have been happier if it been just the two of us, but I'd rather Kingsley make the extra fare. I will say for someone who was essentially a hitchhiker, the extra fare sure wasn't very gracious. He took shotgun without even asking and seemed rather put out when we wanted to stop.

Kingsley of course had a pair of cold Red Stripe waiting for us. We took this picture and had our first sips. Then Sunshine pretty much held onto his beer until I traded him for my empty. I couldn't just let it go to waste. :D

http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/...ps126a5471.jpg

I had originally thought we would stop at Green Island for some jerk pork, but I was pretty darn sure that wasn't what Sunshine wanted to do at this point. I was starving though and wanted to get something before we got to Negril. After a bit of back and forth with Kingsley, we settled on a stop at Juici Patti in Lucea.

Despite the fact that I had hardly slept in the last 24 hours, I was riding high. Not even a full year before I had arrived in Jamaica somewhat terrified; optimistic, but still terrified. I didn't know what I would find and how I would cope. Now here I was pulling into a crowded parking lot in 'real' Jamaican town and I was almost bursting with excitement.

Into the Juici Pattie we charged. I knew I wanted a cheese pattie. Sunshine was really just there for moral support. So I ordered up 2 cheese patties, 2 banana breads and 2 juices. I'm guessing it was just after school time, as the road was crowded with children in their uniforms amongst the people coming to and from work or the shops. Our food was up in a matter of moments. I was disappointed; I could have happily sat a while and observed the ebb and flow of the community.

Back in van, I take my first bite of pattie. I don't know what I was expecting, but the cheesy, beefy, spicy goodness far exceeded my expectations. It was so flaky it was all I could do not to cover Kingsley's clean interior with my crumbs. It was piping hot and I savored every bite as the not yet familiar sites of the road to Negril flew by. My poor broken Sunshine opted for a juice.

It wasn't long before we made the last curve and the resorts of Bloody Bay began to appear. Our hitchhiker got dropped off not too far into Long Bay and the vibe in the van lightened right up.

We had two stops to make, the first of which was Shamrocks. We had been dreaming of our next taste of that famous orange juice for 354 days and we weren't going to have to wait any longer. Juice and few other provisions acquired and we were back under way. One more stop and we were onto the West End Road.

My memory of the drive seems to be a series of snap shots in my head. I can see Mi-Yard and Canoe. As Jenny's appeared on our left, I knew we had only a few curves to go. Then just like that we pull up the castle gates and with a beep, beep and they open and we are home. The king and queen have arrived.

Keep up the awesome job on this report Cherry,we are truly loving it and our ride with you into Negril has been great so far!!This has to tide us over for 13 more days!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rocknrollfarmer

Hey Cherry! I had to go look at the video I took in Dec. '12, and yes you and Sunshine are in the video. {Should of I asked your permission?} Maybe , now you'll recall us from the One love bus, I was the annoying guy with the video camera. And yes, I'm starting to recall you guys from the Luciano show. Most times on our trips to Negril I try to cram as much as possible into everything I do. My wife gets annoyed from this, as she does get the concept of vacation and what we should be doing......nothing! Relaxing! etc. etc. We arrive at Seastar on Dec. 2nd. So, we'll be seeing you there for a day & a half. Remember the one love bus stop at Bella Donna's? She sang for us a lovely little ditty ?!*@! It's fun to watch the videos, gotta document some of this stuff, to remember better, as the older I get {today's my birthday by the way} 53. I must be getting the early start of dementia or something as these trips are running into each other, and getting harder to remember. OMG! From a Tubes song..."Talk to ya' later" Todd + Deb

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Hey Farmer and Happy Birthday! We'll have to have a belated celebration at Seastar. I relayed the connection to Sunshine last night and he knew instantly who you were, remembering you from both the crawl and the Luciano show. Sunshine was like, "Yeah, the farmer, I remember them for sure! They were sitting a couple of tables over from and had come to the show from the beach with another couple. He and I hung out a bit by the bar at one point, but it was getting later in the night so it is a bit fuzzy." I have to admit there were a couple of folks on the crawl with which I hadn't precisely clicked; I was relieved to know for sure that you and your lovely wife weren't from that group! :D

Oh Bella Donnas - I think I had tried to block that song from my memory! Do you have video of that it? The crawl is coming up in the report the day after tomorrow, Jamaican time. Feel free to share. I'm curious to see if our impressions of that crawl match up.