Takin' the Newbies along...a trip report

[Jenn]

Tuesday:

Woke up - repeat morning routines - figure out our chairs on the beach - breakfast at the hotel - lay in the sun - drinks at Sunnyside - jump in the ocean. Repeat.







Around 11 - we decided to pack up and head down to Travellers. We wanted to buy some blocks and see some of the students perform. We hadn't walked this way (with the newbies) yet - so again, lots to see for them. We took our time meandering down the beach. Schaef and Aims found a little sand bar and walked that - which worked out well until it went away from the shore instead of towards it. We arrived at Travellers and they were just beginning to set up. Clearly we were super early. We sort of stood around for a few minutes trying to figure out where we needed to go and what we needed to do. Funny - I had no idea how much the blocks cost. There was a sign about tablets for a family for US $50 donation. Well, I assumed (incorrectly) that a block was US $50. Ok...I work in education - as does Aims - so I'm completely fine with it, but I felt a little bad thinking I just walked them down here to spend 50 on a block - not entirely sure if they even wanted to do this. They did. I recognized Mr. Wellington and walked over to formally introduce myself (I'm getting awfully brave on this trip). He gives me a big hug and points me in the right direction. We each paint a block:









Well - after we were done painting our blocks we went over to pay. Uh...they are not 50 - they are 10 per block. Well, I gave more than 10 but decided to keep the blocks available for others to paint since there were lots of people starting to show up. Hubs had grabbed some seats at the bar so we settled in for a drink. More and more people were starting to show up. Mr. Wellington asks me if we can take a picture with my block - and somehow I've ended up on the NEET FB page. haha My sole brush with fame.

Back over to our bar seats and all of the sudden, hubs points - it's Keisha! She works at Travellers - but we knew her from previous trips to Rooms. Hugs and a bit of chatting with her! So nice to see her, as we missed her at Rooms this time. The show begins and it is simply wonderful! Students sang the national anthem, a mento band, poetry recited, songs and dances by students....I simply was in love with every bit of it. Working in a school - I was so impressed by how well the students who were sitting and watching/waiting their turns were behaved. We stayed for a couple hours and then headed out. We have lots of pictures, but not sure I want to post pictures of children without the permission of their parents. So...just imagine how cute they were!

On our way back - we stopped at Mom's Place and had several beers and lunch. Sat and chatted with the bartender, and later the owner, and then we were back on our way. Stopped for a traveler at Yellow Bird. Continued on to Sunnyside where we had another round...or one more.

Finally decided to get ready to head back to the hotel and get ready for dinner.....Decided to head to Canoe (our favorite!). That dinner deserves its own post....stay tuned.

[Jenn]

Well...so a year later, I'm rereading my incomplete trip report. We are just over a month out from our repeat performance - so I thought I'd update...or finish...or at least share pictures.

So on this night, we headed down to Canoe. It's my favorite. I love it there so much. I do better when I'm not buzzed there first because naturally, I have to order Kirby's rum punch when I arrive...and again and again. They are wicked! I don't have pictures from this night...which is good. We got jerk wings - and they were HOT HOT HOT! I love hot and spicy food, but holy cats! I was on FIRE. We stayed here for quite a while - ran into some of Kirby's friends who we ran into repeatedly over the trip. One of the guys just called us "Michigan". Walking through a shop - we'd hear "Hey Michigan"...and move on. haha

Well, we stayed here for quite a while and imbibed in our fair share of rum punch and great food. When we finally headed out - someone who is NOT me - might have jumped right in the pool clothes and all upon our arrival back at the hotel. All I remember is Schaef yelling "Where is your phone?!" It was in his hands. There was no more going out tonight...no more one mores...we were done. Off to bed to sleep in rum dreams.

The next day was a repeat - then the Pub Crawl. Pictures coming soon....

[butch]

I missed this trip report in 2016....thanks so much for bringing it back and continuing where you left off!
RIP Alfred...man do I really miss his laugh sometimes.
Enjoy your next reach and please do another report!!

[heater]

Great pics and report. More please.

[Jenn]

Picked up around 2:30 by Lenbert and off we went. Somehow, Aims and I sat up front with Lenbert and the guys were a bit further back. There was an older couple between us and them. They were probably late 60s early 70s and appeared to be very prim. I remember thinking - if this is all it's cracked up to be - they are in for a world of hurt.They seemed a little overwhelmed by the bus in general...until the first stop. Working in education back at home, I had asked Lenbert if Teachaz was an option for our stop. When we hopped on the bus, he already knew who I was and told me he'd get us to Teachaz. YAY!



Grabbed a Red Stripe, walked around the corner, and there is the older couple enjoying a sub. Well, well, well...this trip is going to be FUN for them after all. Clearly this was an example of "you can't judge a book by its cover!"

We had several stops - Sunset After Dark, Bella Donna's - GREAT pizza! - Tanya's Secret Escape, and a few others. The experience on the bus was better than I thought. Clearly, there were some folks who were out of their comfort zone, but after a stop or two - the bus was rocking! There remained a few folks who should have probably gotten off the bus, but they were troopers and stuck it out. Here's a few pictures from the night:















We ended up being the last on the bus - mostly because we asked him to drop us off last. We stopped at the gas station as he had someone to pick up - grabbed a few more beers - and alas, the night came to an end. Got dinner from the road. Hung out with Kelvin for a bit at Rooms, popped over to Sunnyside for a round or two. Another day in paradise....life sure is rough.

[Jaherring]

Nice photos!

[jamaicarob]

very nice, thanx, very soon come

[Jenn]

Thank you. I will post some remaining odd pictures, as I am struggling a bit for the rest of the report. If y'all are interested, I'll do a
"Round 2" after we go in a few short weeks.

[Jenn]

Random pictures from the remainder of our trip....

[mmoffat1980]

Thanks for the great report and amazing pics!! We haven't been able to be in Negril for a few years now and my cravings have been BAD lately and you report took the edge off very nicely this morning. Your first night made me laugh out loud, we were in bed at 8 our last trip.....��