Manda's first trip to jamaica sept 2011

[Manda81]

Thanks Seveen

That night was probably the best night of the trip although it's really hard to just pin point one night as every night brought it's own adventure.

Northcoast - I would LOVE to have a house up on that hill!!! I wonder if Jacko would mind if I built a likkle something up there hahaha I'm a city girl born and raised who would have thought that Rural Jamaica would agree with me so well

[sandy-girl]

Great report Manda. I'm loving every minute of it. Love that you had three awesome guys to hang with.

[Seveen]

manda - we all need to get away from the city chitty

i packed up and moved from atlanta to jacksonville (and never looked back) - 12 miles from the beach - ride your bike - watch turtles grow up on the beach - friends - dolphins laughing - good food

and FRESH AIR!

[JitterBug]

great read manda, thanks for my ja fix . . . the view looks a lot like the views i experienced up at ginger hill . . . was your stay anywhere near ginger hilll? . . . unbelievable views and yes, the ride up that mountain is like you said, need to hold on to that "holy sh - t bar" . . . waiting for more.

[Manda81]

DAY 6 PART 1


”OMG BABES WAKE UP!”

“Ughhh what time is it??”

“It’s 1pm”

“WHAT!”

This is the latest I’ve slept in since I’ve been here and we’re suppose to check into the Rui Montego Bay in 2 hours.
Okay we have enough time. The night before comes rushing back to me, what a great night and I’m sort of reminiscing
to myself in a bit of a daze.

“Um Manda?”

”mmmhmm” Still day dreaming.

”Come look out the window…”

There was the rental with a flat. We’re up the Santa Cruz mountain and the nearest place would be Junction but Andre
is pacing back and forth complaining that this could take hours and hours to fix.


Everything takes longer in Jamaica.


“I’m going for a shower, check for a spare.”

After my shower I check on Andre and he’s pouring sweat trying to get the spare on.

Babes I don’t get it, it wont fit I dunno if I’m doing something wrong but how hard is it to change a tire.
I’m gonna call Jacko he’ll know what to do.”

Jacko, what a great, guy walks down from his place and in less than 2 minutes he tells us the spare is not the right size for
the car that there is no way this tire is going on the car.

”Great!”

At this point I’m lying on Andre’s bed relaxing. What can you do? I’m not going to stress over this.

Jacko being the stand up guy he is offers to take the tire down to Junction and get air in it and test it for leaks.
Now this is no easy feat. Jacko’s going to haul our tire on his own down to Junction but we’re in the middle of nowhere and
he’s first got to wait for a taxi to pass buy. I hand him 500j for taxi and air for the tire and I hand him another 500j.

I wont need that much”

“Just take it Jacko you’re going through all the trouble.”

”It’s nothing.”

Andre hangs out with one of his neighbors for a while and I decide to turn on my phone to call the car rental
agent, Anton. My phone starts lighting up like 4th of July fireworks. Emails, bbm, text messages, facebook.
I’m skimming through and I have a text from Brasi.

“Are you alive, Manda are you okay?”

“Hey I’m having a blast I’m good”

"Where do I live?"

"Huh? What do you mean where do you live Brasi? Lol

"Manda I’m worried you have been kidnapped and your phone was stolen, where do I live?"

I can’t help but laugh I mean the sentiment and the worry behind the message is heart felt and appreciated
but I’m laughing outloud.

"You live in Albany, NYC and we will meet in nowhere, NY lol Brasi I’m okay, having a blast!

”What’s so funny babes?”

”Brasi thought I might be kidnapped and my phone stolen.”

Andre gives me a weird look. ”Why would he think that?”

Jacko returns, he lets us know that they tested the original tire for holes with water and nothing was found that he
put air in it and we should be fine just keep an eye on it if stopping for gas put some air in it if it’s low.

Jacko comes up to me, “Manda, I didn’t need this” and he hands me the 500j back

I look at Jacko slightly confused.

”No Jacko, that’s for you. For going out of your trouble to fix it when you didn’t have to.”

”It wasn’t a problem honestly I was happy to help’ and he’s still holding out this money.

“Jacko, it’s yours and that’s that.”

I have to wonder how many people would have come back with change? That Jacko is a really good guy.

So now it’s time for packing number 3, I really am starting to hate packing and I have to say that you can tell
at the state of my clothes that I’ve decided that being neat and folding anything is a waste of time.

We get on the road and pull over to where Jacko wants out and I realize that this is it. I wont see Jacko again
for a while and I’m sad. I’m gonna miss my new friend and his contagious smile.

”Manda, it was nice meeting you and you come back soon okay we’ll be here.

“Please tell Kedesha and Chrissy that I said goodbye and thank you for having me in your home.”

Anytime Manda and he holds up his hand.

I’m not quite sure what I’m suppose to do are we doing props or what? But he grabs it and sort of swipes his thumb
against mine a few times and I’m awkward and have no idea what’s happening.

Jacko laughs… ”It’s our handshake I want you to know it.” So for the last minute of my time
with Jacko on this trip he teaches me the boys “handshake” I’m proud and honored and part of the family.

[Angel]

Nice keep it coming. Nice you are taking us along. Feels like we are there.

[Yvonne]

Manda... What a wonderful story you've been telling/sharing. I don't have much time to post these days but have been enthralled by your reports & following along w/ your adventures. It's a bit of a been there, done that for me. It is so refreshing to read reports through the eyes & experiences of a newbie.

That was me back in the mid 80's. No internet then. 43 or so trips since then, most for weeks at a time (summer). Now I go to relax. I have a few adventures here & there. Nothing like the wild & crazy old days. Other than "you go girl", what can I say?

[Manda81]

I hope to be able to say the same thing in years to come I'm glad that I could take you back to what might have been some of the same feelings you felt back in the mid 80's

[jeannieb]

Oh Manda, why must you tease us? I see you as the last poster and "click" hoping that we have a new installment to read. But...it's just you being your nice self and taking the time to reply to the other posters. You keep getting my hopes up...It's like getting to the good part of a book and someone stealing it away from you.

I do want to add that your last post made me wanna cry. I know that feeling.

[Manda81]

DAY 6 PART 2

On the way back down the mountain Andre tells me we’re going to stop for patties and I’m excited. This time I want coco bread
and I know to let it rest before burning the top layer of the roof of my mouth off. Andre also comes back with what I recognize
from so many other postings on Negril.com as guinnip(sp?) Damn those are good!

After this we are going to pass through New Market so that I can meet his brother’s Mother. His brother is a police officer in Kingston
but his step mom and father live in New Market so we stop there for a bit and I get to meet his step mom and his cousin who spends
6 months of the year in Chattam, Ontario on a farm. We spent quite a bit of time in the little bar having a couple of drinks and Andre
is catching up with family he hasn’t been able to see in some time and I’m happy for him.

We were starting to lose light it’s probably 6pm now and the days half done already.*sigh*

Everything takes longer in Jamaica.

We almost get into a huge accident as its dark it’s raining and there was a massive pothole in the middle of the road that someone
thought putting a large branch in it would be a good idea. Which theoretically is but with on coming high beams and wet road surfaces
we barely saw that tree branch before it was under us.

I thought for sure the branch was coming through the window which is probably a bit dramatic but that’s what I thought at the time.
We veered off Andre reacted fast and we stopped. I resisted the urge to yell at Andre as I know it’s not his fault and I can tell he’s
shooken up himself. And the one time I might have needed it, I wasn’t even holding my “holy s h&t bar” We check the car ..
other than a missing hub cap .. just one by the way, we’re fine. Even the tire is fine. Phew!

We get into Mobay and Andre has no idea where he is going, he’s unfamiliar with driving around this area. We call the Riu and
we’re told to head towards Ironhorse and it’s across from the Blue Diamond Shopping Centre. We are driving and driving.

“Andre maybe pull into this gas station right here so I can ask someone for directions.”

We pull into the gas station and I’m just about to get out of the car when Andre taps me on the shoulder and points out the window.
Right in front of us is the Riu.

”You still want to go ask for directions?”

“Shut up Andre”

Checking into the Riu was no problem. We were very late so we were the only ones checking in there was a young woman helping us
well me at first. Andre went to park the car. So we’re almost finished the check in process and Andre strolls up his heads a mess he’s
in a wife beater we’ve had what has felt like a long trip to mobay and he's got the bunch of guinnip in his hand.

I hear the lady at reception that is helping us “guinnip huh” and she turns to me with this big grin on her face.
“ahhh he’s a yardy aaa” and we all laugh.

We get to the room the ground are dark right now but everything looks beautiful I realize we probably only have an hour and a half to
catch dinner before it closes. Andre is excited over this room. We’re on the ground floor but each little building has elevators if you weren’t.
The room has an enormous king size bed and it’s own mini bar consisting of 4 full bottles turned upside down in it’s own slow pour unit.
The fridge is stocked with beer, water, pop, soda water. Who needs to leave the room?

Ok we’ve had patties and we’re hungry so we have to leave the room and grab some dinner. The buffet is good and considering we
are only staying 2 nights we’re happy with it. Afterwards, we head over to catch some of the show.

We spend an hour or so by the pool with a drink just talking. More about our lives and our past and catching each other up on
everything that’s happened between now and then and I’m ready for the “disco” so we head to the bar and surprisingly it’s packed.
Andre’s rum punches are going down like water and I think he’s feeling pretty good at this point. We do a bit of dancing well Andre
does a lot of dancing and drinking but I’m exhausted it’s been a long day so we head back to the room for a night cap.

Andre is one of those people that enjoy cuddling and I do too but I’m never quite sure when enough is enough so I lay down and
give him some space.

”Why you lying so far from me? Get over here.”

I curl up under Andre’s arm and lay my head on his chest and that’s the last thing I remember before waking up on my last full day in Jamaica.