Sunsets, Rum, Sand and Gizzadas 97 Days in Negril

[Flipadelphia26]

Definitely not all Palm Trees and Sunshine...

[JitterBug]

i have a hard time with the homeless ppl . . . not much i can do but offer a box of food and drink . . . it lingers with me, i get a physiological reaction in the pit of my stomach and takes me time to lose the images . . .

[deanna]

Poor People in Negril #1

Only one more week left here??!!

Yikes, mon!

I had a quiet day yesterday because I was recovering from Bounty Killa.

There was a torrential downpour yesterday afternoon in Negril. I’ve never seen so much lightning or heard so much thunder. It was awesome. It cleared up just around sunset and then the stars came out. Gotta love it.

We had a party last nite at Sunnyside. One of those impromptu things. Everybody came out after the rain looking for some fun. Robert was dancing behind the bar to Shaggy – Maureen is a better dancer and she sings too, but Robbie did a good job. Then some locals showed up to celebrate one guy’s ‘bert-day’. We all sang happy bert day and then they cut up a cake and passed it around. I passed on the cake because I’d seen the cake lady earlier and had a big piece of choco-coconut. It was my dinner and it was fabulous.

Here are some observations on poor people in Negril.

Jamaica is a third world country and as such the social safety net, where it even exists, has gaping holes in it. The county simply does not have the resources to build and maintain a comprehensive set of social services. Not that services for the poor don’t exist; in Negril there is St. Anthony’s, the church run charity that runs several programs that help the needy and there is the Negril Health Center, which provides medical care to people from town. But the need here is much greater than what is available.

I am no expert on the subject, but I observe, and I see many needy, destitute people out and about, seemingly adrift in the community. Seemingly adrift, but not totally.

Up in Redground there is an elderly gentleman who ‘lives’ just to the side of the street in some low bushes. He sits, head hanging down between his knees, surrounded by a mound of discarded plastic bottles, Styrofoam food containers and other detritus. He too, looks like he’s been cast aside; a heavy pall of desperation hangs about him. But he is part of the neighborhood. People know him. They see him every day and apparently keep watch over him, so he is not alone. Before Christmas his clothes were filthy and hanging off him in tatters. He’s barefoot. The last time I saw him he was wearing a new shirt and pants. New but already heavily soiled. One of the neighborhood folks told me he used to be a tradesman; a carpenter. He spends his whole day sitting on the trash mound, head hung low, baking in the hot sun. Not alone, not adrift, fed and clothed, watched over. Seemingly adrift, but not totally.

The bus park seems to attract the homeless and destitute, perhaps due to its proximity to St. Anthony’s, where meals are served to the needy. Whatever the case, there are always a few apparently homeless people hanging around there. Notably, there is a young man who appears to be in good shape physically and his clothing is in good order, but he is obviously suffering from some kind of mental deficiency. He walks up and down the sidewalk stooped over with his mouth wide open as if he is gagging continuously. Nobody pays him any attention. I wonder if he has a home and is just out and about for the day.

Likkle more . . . .

@ Kahuna-So it was Sunnyside next to Rooms where my friends and I were a fews days ago and shaggy was blasting! I recall which must be the same guy mentally unstable but screaming and yelling

[jan24]

WOW Kahuna..........What a paragraph!!!!! We have seen this man......you have answered alot of our thoughts....Glad you went back and even enjoyed the concert. Can't wait to hear your last weeks travels.


Up in Redground there is an elderly gentleman who ‘lives’ just to the side of the street in some low bushes. He sits, head hanging down between his knees, surrounded by a mound of discarded plastic bottles, Styrofoam food containers and other detritus. He too, looks like he’s been cast aside; a heavy pall of desperation hangs about him. But he is part of the neighborhood. People know him. They see him every day and apparently keep watch over him, so he is not alone. Before Christmas his clothes were filthy and hanging off him in tatters. He’s barefoot. The last time I saw him he was wearing a new shirt and pants. New but already heavily soiled. One of the neighborhood folks told me he used to be a tradesman; a carpenter. He spends his whole day sitting on the trash mound, head hung low, baking in the hot sun. Not alone, not adrift, fed and clothed, watched over. Seemingly adrift, but not totally.

[Kahuna3]

Hockey and Fights on the Beach

JT and I went down to Margaritaville to watch the Canada – US hockey game the other day. It was the only option that we knew of. There was a big crowd there, mostly Canucks. We watched it at the Tiki bar on a big screen TV. The signal was bad and cut out entirely once, but it was fun. I almost fell off the bar stool when the bill of $1,100J arrived for our two Red Strpes.

But the scenery was great, the surf washing ashore, a big catamaran in the water and the regular ‘scenery’ that gathers there every day. I went for a swim between periods, which I’ve never done while watching hockey before.

Of course, the Canadian team won the game.

That evening we went to Sunnyside for drinks. We noticed a commotion down the beach a little. A big crowd was gathered around a Jamaican dude who was having a conniption on the beach. There were four white helmets there. The guy was on his knees yelling and screaming and throwing sand at anyone who came close to him. Then he flipped onto his stomach and was pounding the sand with his fists. Then he flipped to his back and kicked his legs in the air.

Generally, he was extremely distraught. This went on for about forty minutes. Eventually we got the story. Apparently one of the women who runs a craft stand at Roots had had her stand vandalized. She believed that it was this fellow who had done it. She put an Obeah spell on him and what we were seeing was the result of the hex. His friends were standing by but he was yelling at them to stay away because he was worried that the demons that possessed him would jump to them if they got too close to him. Hmmm, I don’t know, I’m just passing along what I saw and heard.

Yesterday afternoon there was a fight in front of Rooms, on the beach. One of the local guys that hangs out around Sunnyside/Myrna’s begging beers from tourists was over in front of Rooms hassling a couple for something or other. He made a comment about the guy’s wife. I don’t know what he said but it set the woman’s husband off, he popped the higgler with a roundhouse right and decked him. People started yelling, which got the attention of some of the other young Jamaican guys that hang around there. They ran over and grabbed the higgler, who was just getting up to engage the white guy. They dragged the higgler across the sand past Myrna’s. The higgler was determined to get back into the fight, so the other Jamaican’s subdued him with a few well-placed punches to his face, then they escorted him off the property out to the road.

I don’t think we’ll see him around there again.

More staged ‘street theater’?

A couple of quick observations:
- There are a lot of Russians in Negril. They fly a Boeing 777 once a week – 350 people – Moscow direct MoBay
- Ahhh Bee’s jerk burger is possibly the best burger on the planet.

Likkle more . . . . .

[juls]

Dang that's an interesting post...Cannot stop reading those trip reports!

[Lady Jane]

WOW, you are great at reporting beach events. I can't believe you have less than a week left.

Did you watch the Mens Hockey Gold today?

[Lady Jane]

Kahuna, this was the 401 this morning while hockey game was on

[Kahuna3]

Kahuna, this was the 401 this morning while hockey game was on

Wow - that's crazy!

I saw parts of the game - the game started at 7:00am but Margaritaville was packed with Canucks, a lot of them wearing red and white Canuck gear. Quite the scene!

I'll have more a little later.

[Rasthai]

Wish I would have kept up better reading the board while I was on the beach as never realized you returned and continued your report as your last couple weeks seem like a report of our trip but with better writing! We seem to have been everywhere you were including unfortunately where the guy drowned! Tough picture to get out of our heads.
Also was at Sun Beach for the green flash, and also experienced the almost horror movie like devouring of the clear water by the sludge, was amazingly quick, people were trying to outrun it to get in a last swim.
We also had the chat with the Stallion, he referred to himself as a Lone Wolf so that was our name for him, always wondered if that was his area of "expertise", guess we know know, impressive numbers.
By the way, I think the hot dog stand is part of Patricks on the Beach, compare that dog to the one my friend foolishly ordered at Xtabi, like a dehydrated cocktail weenie floating on a sea of chewy dough.
We met a reggae blog photographer outside Bounty Killla show who was doing pics for a Reggae site, not on his site yet but looking fwd to seeing what he has. Thoroughly enjoying your report!