Higglers !!

[jamaicabnd]

We never had with the normal higglers in March. Always a polite no thank you and that was it. We did encounter something that we had never seen before in the 20 years we have been going to Negril. We were walking back on the beach after dinner when we were approached by two kids. The proceeded to beg big time, calling me boss and saying they could not go to school if we did not help by giving them money. They were insistent following us down the beach. Very uncomfortable. I did not want to encourage this behavior by giving money. We bring school supplies down and are very giving but this was too much.

[jojo p]

Wasn't going to bring this up, but since you did jamaicabnd, I feel I need to. I actually felt there was less hustlers this past trip. Also, which was really good, less of the crazy bikes on the road. With that said, these younger boys ( average age 10 to 14 ) are getting worse. They get in your face, do not take no for an answer, use the line that obviously someone has taught them ...'' please for money to go to school ''..... I had one actually call me a bi.....ch.….my mouth just dropped as I was pretty stunned. Parents or someone are sending these boys out and instructing them. I fear how they are going to turn out being so aggressive at this young age.

[SLP]

Jojo. I did see quite a few of these kids. They are selling woven bracelets and you are correct, they can be persistent. I blame their parent/s for sending them out instead of having them in school. Yes I know it is not cheap to go to school there, but there is always a way.

[irie always]

There are certain areas on the beach that when walking as a woman alone or with another woman the hustlers stand in your way as you go by. Normally not an issue to just reply politely that what they are offering is not of interest. One guy kind of got to me, when he said "what's the matter, you don't like chocolate!" My mind drew a blank but I thought of a number of replies afterwards. Sometimes though, it's just not worthy of one.

[original spanky]

the vendors selling their goods is part of what makes Negril different and in my opinion enjoyable. we look forward to seeing Norn, the patty man , the cigarette guy , the guys advertising the shows , the aloe guy . (may he rest in piece ) and many others.
as i mentioned earlier when a guy gets in your face screaming and cursing it makes you reconsider unless you are a long term visitor , whether Negril is a safe place to visit.

[Highlander]

Yes !! Those Kids were something else.... Money for School ? Right !!

[original spanky]

ok let me share a story. many years ago in my red ground days say late 70's . we had a group staying in the yard where i stayed. there was a band and some friends.all Jamaicans one of the guys had a nickname it was dummy. i had asked about the nickname but did not get anywhere. one day one the beach i saw dummy coming with a sign. please help i can not speak or hear . seemed like he was doing pretty well i did nort give it away.

[Kold Ass Mofo]

ok let me share a story. many years ago in my red ground days say late 70's . we had a group staying in the yard where i stayed. there was a band and some friends.all Jamaicans one of the guys had a nickname it was dummy. i had asked about the nickname but did not get anywhere. one day one the beach i saw dummy coming with a sign. please help i can not speak or hear . seemed like he was doing pretty well i did nort give it away.

I hope there is a special place reserved in hell for people who pretend to be disabled.

[Irine]

I find it very interesting how so many of us are having such different experiences. We have only been going for 10 years but one of the things we really look forward to is getting out on the beach to find our boys. We have met some fun guys out there and we always take time to talk with them and ask how this year is going. Most of them remember us and they are way less likely to bug you on the beach when you have already visited them. This year was an oddity for us though. We like to walk the beach around 9 or 10 at night and see what music is going on and have a couple drinks after it cools down a bit. In the past sometimes we can walk for awhile before some dark shadows emerge. Depending on the vibe we usually couldn't walk too long without ducking into a bar, then we would decide beach or cab to go home. This year however no matter what night or how long we walked we were not approached by one single salesman. It was peaceful and quiet. We were however amazed.

[Rob]

To address the hassles some of our visitors are having on the beach, there are now two Police ATVs operating on our Seven Mile Beach. I am trying to get a photo of them, but they are cruising by a bit too fast to catch a picture so far - soon come!