Yes! That was us. I remember you guys stopping by.
Yes! That was us. I remember you guys stopping by.
There, I deleted and re-added the photos. Looks like it worked.
Well, why didn't you say you were a boardie!!!!
It was fun for us to be on the fringe of your festivities.
Wishing much love, luck & laughter to the bride & groom.
& very nice of you to take photos of 'my' cat!!!
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Whoot whoot
"I'll love you till the stars fall out of the sky "
:cool
Thank you. I can see them now.
Had to chuckle about your wife startled by shadows in the water and jumping into the tube. You two being from Alaska, what does she do when she goes out into the yard and there is a bear sondering around? :-)
NSS,
Apology accepted!
I'm going to apologize now for not having any pictures from Seastar (sorry), but somethings are just made for the memory banks. An evening at Seastar Inn in one of them.
Couldn't Agree more!
VVHT
The moonset you posted was beautifu! I woke up early most mornings & saw it too!
Going to try to post a few photos from the wedding from my phone.....(hope for the best! Expect the worst!)
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Sunday morning coming down…
Having left the party at Seastar fairly early, I was up and at 'em by 6am. I made a pot of coffee and headed out to the beach to bull**** with Bernard. Well guess who was there? Chef Donald of course! and he had brown stew made with chicken and roti (those fabulous dumplings). I grabbed two orders. We sat and talked for a minute or two about his lack of a good woman to keep him company (hint, hint). Then he was off. I brought the food back to the villa for the wife to try. She loved it. Steve showed up around 6:30am and we sat out on the patio until 8am or there about. Michael came on shift at 7 and stopped by to see how we were getting on. He hung out and had coffee with us. Shortly after Steve left, my wife and I headed down to the water for a swim and tan session.
Now, the Canadian couple that were staying with us in the villa liked to sleep in a little (let's call them Sheri and Jamie). They had a morning routine that they brought down with them. Wake up around 8am, coffee and smokes on the patio, several games of candy crush, then breakfast and down to the beach. Sheri is a long time friend of my wife. My wife is also from Canada, but has been living in AK for the better part of 12 years. Sheri typically likes to stay at AI"s while on vacation, but she found BHV's to be very comfortable and relaxing. At first she was worried about whether or not there would be enough loungers and how early she was going to have to get up to secure her spot. But after the first day on the beach, all of her worries were melted away. It didn't seem to matter how busy the beach was, there was always plenty of room. Well, on this particular day, we had all made our way to the beach, claimed our little area and proceeded to enjoy the sun. About noon I had to take a break. It was f'in hot, hot, hot! So I go into the bar area, order a beer, and just hang out. My wife was up on top of the penthouse taking photos, and Sheri and Jamie were out in the water. Sheri had left her beach bag on the lounger along with a towel and flip flops. All of a sudden Sheri started yelling for Michael. You see, a middle age man had swam into the beach, walked right over to he lounger, and was starting to unzip her bag. Michael came running from on side, I came running from the other, and Sheri and Jamie came in from the water. The dude had no where to run. He just pushed the bag back onto the lounger and stood up. I scanned him to see if he had taken anything, but he hadn't. Sheri came and checked the bag and everything was still in there. Michael sent the guy packing with a stern warning, "I don't want to see you on my beach again!". He was most defiantly a tourist / expat, mid 50's, heavy set, shoulder length white thinning hair, and he had a slight limp. The reason I'm telling you all this is because that is the closest any of us came to being robbed. Well, that and the guy trying to sell us goat poo mixed with glue.
I started rounding up our group about 1:30pm Sunday. I had made some plans for all of us and it was time to get ready. Because as you all know, the One Love Bus waits for no one! (bananaznegril@hotmail.com)
I had e-mail Lenbert a few days before we left for JA. He was very prompt in replying. No problem, 10 people at BHV for the 16th. I figured we could roll the bachelor and bachelerette party all into one.
So everyone got ready and we met out by the front gate. The gate keeper at BHV's is a fine woman named Julie. My wife and I hung out with Julie on several occasions during our stay. She showed me how to get almonds from the pods that fell from the trees by the gate. She had a stash of them drying in the sun. Julie has gone through some very hard times, but kept the faith and was all the stronger for it. I admired her will and determination.
So anyway, Lenbert shows up about ten minutes late. No worries, soon come, eh? The bus parks out on the street and we all head for it. No one really knew what to expect, so when the 10 of us boarded that bus, which already had 15 people on it, well, it was crowded to say the least. I could tell Roy and Jacky, as well as Steve and his soon to be wife were all thinking I had gotten them into something they wanted out of. But the bus took off before anyone could change their minds. My wife was just looking at me with a huge grin. She knows me so well. We make it about half a mile and the bus stops for three more people! 28 all together. Crazy, crazy, crazy! And the last three to board were girls in their 20's from NYC. I can only imagine what they were thinking. So off we go, up that curvy assed road again, sweating, elbows to a**holes, standing room only.
Our first stop was at Palm Court. I liked the place. What's not to like, eh? pool tables and cold beer. Lenbert parked the bus and then came over for introductions. I met his girlfriend Tina and we talked for a minute or two. Nice people.
Next stop was Swordfish. Way cool place. The breeze from the ocean was badly needed. Another Stripe for me and the wife. Take a few photos and then we were off again.
Next stop was Home Sweet Home. Another beautiful property. Everyone was standing around looking at the view, talking and getting to know each other. Our group was getting into the swing of things quite nicely. That was when I decided to take a plunge. I ran down to one of the lower platforms and just jumped. Man, that water felt so good. Plus I figured if I was going to do it, I had better do it before many more beers. The owner of HSH came over and wanted me to jump from the highest point. But I didn't want to be the big show off, so I declined. Then up steps this lady named Jess. "I'll do it", she yells. So the owner talks her through how and where to land. The crowd starts chanting, "JESS, JESS, JESS" and off she went. It was too cool. After everyone settled down, the chef, Ricky, who had been recruited to help behind the bar, came and chatted with my wife and I. He was a really nice kid. But Lenbert was waving for everyone to get moving, so we had to go. I really liked HSH. When we go back to JA, I think we'll spend a night or two there.
Next stop was my personal favorite, the No Limit Bar. I loved all of the Bob Marley photo's hanging around. While everyone was out back looking at the birds, the wife and I sat at the bar with…I hope I get this right…Novelette? She had an infectious smile. Anyway, the 3 NYC girls were standing out front and were drawing quite the crowd across the street. I think every man in the area was there to check them out. We decided to go hang out out front as well. That was when this little boy, about 8, came over to sell us a bracelet for his school. He wanted $2. I told him we had enough already, but I would donate a dollar to the cause. He seamed happy with that. But now his older brother was wanting something, too. So we bought $3 dollar bracelet from him. Kids. Ok, time to go.
Next stop was Xtabi. This place was really neat. We had a beer, took in the views, and then headed into the caves. Who would have thought there was a party going on down there!
Last stop on the tour, Negril Escape. The timing was impeccable. we were there maybe 10 minutes before the sun started to set. If you saw the sunset video I posted, that was were it was taken. By now we were one big party. Everyone knew everyone else. We all cheered for the light house diver, which by the way, was this kid who had rode his bike while hanging onto the bus all the way from Xtabi! Reminded me of when we were kids, hanging onto the back of the school bus down icy streets. Skitching…
When the time came to leave, several people decided to stay and take a taxi back to their resorts. So now the bus had room for dancing. And dance we did, all the way back to BHV. At one point I was doing it no handed. Not the smartest move on that curvy assed road.
Lenbert runs a great tour. It is something you don't want to miss. We will do it on the next trip for sure.
We were dropped off at the front gate. Everyone met at the Ocean Breeze for some dinner and drinks. I had the jerk pork with festival. I loved it. My wife had the same. That little restaurant puts out some killer food. If you're passing by that part of the beach, you should stop in and give them a try.
Last edited by need some sun; 03-27-2014 at 01:37 PM.
U surely have the spirit and vibe that belongs on a Negril Vacation.... Thanks for sharing...
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