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Thread: Higglers !!

  1. #71
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    Re: Higglers !!

    Quote Originally Posted by sunray View Post
    mwenvlay, Since this is a board related to Negril tourism, I tend to keep my contributions related to such. For the Jamaican government to provide more opportunity to the people of the nation requires money. A main source of revenue is the tourism industry. If the government wants to ‘big up’ the country, a great way to start is to protect the tourism industry, whether you find that sad or not.
    And I find it hilarious that you believe that Negril is being gentrified, (much like your nyc neighbourhood). Negril was a small fishing village that morphed into a major tourism development decades ago. Sure doesn’t fit my understanding of gentrification.
    Lose the tourists to government inaction on the problems of the day, then see the means the government would have to provide viable futures to the people. (apparently non tourist related would be your preference).
    any place where the locals can't afford to live anymore because the area is catering to a different clientele is an area that's experiencing gentrification. a small fishing village that's now home to a plethora of all inclusives whose workers have to branch out farther afield to find affordable housing is the epitome of gentrification. brooklyn, negril- same same.

    and this is a tourism board geared towards folks who tend to spend a lot of time in jamaica, so opinions are going to veer away from the usual "is it safe???" and "which all inclusive would be best for me?" type topics. and i'm the type of tourist who thinks about what's going on locally, more than what's in it for my first world ass. if the government wants to big up the country, it could invest in local manufacturing and small business ownership, develop its healthcare system and bolster its educational system. same as with everywhere else in the world. tourism is great, but you still have to look out for your own.

    but again, i started visiting jamaica tagging along with friends who had family there, and then on business (music industry). my perspective might be different than yours.

  2. #72
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    Re: Higglers !!

    This topic is one that comes up on occasion, and one that has varying degrees of understanding. We all deal with what we feel comfortable with, and our experiences shape us one way or another. Rob has done a good job of adding some color to an often contentious topic. I for one used to visit the island 3-4 times a year, however my last visit was July last year for Sumfest, and I likely will not be back until the new year. Why? I'm not 100% sure as I miss Jamaica, Negril, and my local friends a lot. Especially with the sargassum issues throughout the Caribbean, Negril has one of the best beaches out there. The bull$hit hassle has a huge impact, even though I have been on island over 20 times. I have not been to a place with more hassle, not remotely close to Negril. The authorities want to increase tourism? This would be a great start.


  3. #73
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    Re: Higglers !!

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  4. #74
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    Re: Higglers !!

    Thank Irene for adding clarity to the topic.

  5. #75
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    Re: Higglers !!

    My husband (R.I.P.) and I went to Negril 12 times between 1987 and 2006. In those late 80s - early 90s days, the higgler scene was about guys walking down the beach with you for a while before giving you the pitch. My husband was always about finding good ganja, so we usually had a lot of interaction. It really wasn't until cocaine hit the scene that things got dicey, and I blame people who did coke at home and wanted to do it there. My husband knew his way around mind-altering substances of all kinds, and even he was baffled at why you'd want to do an "edgy" drug instead of a "mellow" one in Jamaica. We were recognized every year because he was six feet tall and I was under five feet tall, and I had a habit of walking down the beach wearing a T-shirt with this on it, which the Jamaicans found endlessly amusing:
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    Those of you who were around the area of the T-Water in those days in, say, July through November, may even have seen us. But once cocaine hit, the beach guys got edgier, grabbing hands and tying "reggae bracelets" on you as a "present", then demanding money and looking for you on the beach till you coughed up the money. Then the prostitutes became aggressive, and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" came out and the rastitutes became aggressive. We got older, it stopped being "local color" and stopped being fun and started being annoying. So we started going to Bloody Bay (Couples and SATP) and finally to Club Ambiance in Runaway Bay. And when I came back last October to have my husband's ashes buried at sea, my sister, brother-in-law and I stayed at SATP.

    I doubt I will ever go back. I am in my 60s now, none of my friends are interested in going, and frankly, I don't want to be hassled. No, I don't want my groove back, I don't take drugs, and I have plenty of souvenirs from 19 trips to Jamaica, 12 of them in Negril. I actually think one is safer in smaller hotels where I think they do better staff screening, but being intimidated, yelled at, and have my beach walk interrupted, is not what I want to spend my fixed income on. This makes me sad. I wish it were different. It would be a way to connect with those good times 20-30 years ago, but unless things change, I don't see myself returning. :-(

    All that said, we really loved it in Negril until it got just too funky.
    Last edited by hackwriter; 06-03-2019 at 02:24 PM. Reason: Add image

  6. #76
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    Re: Higglers !!

    Wow, sorry about your husband. Haven't heard of a destination funeral before but it sounds really nice to have his ashes buried at sea.

    I no longer stay in Negril for the same reasons as you, but I still go to Jamaica a lot. Well, with a Jamaican wife and 3 adopted Jamaican kids (now grown) I guess that's to be expected.

    When I met my wife (in Kingston) she had never been to Negril. "It's for the tourists" was her attitude. After a lovely first date in Kingston, she agreed to meet me in Negril for a weekend, as our second date. Seeing Negril through the eyes of a sophisticated young Kingston woman (one with a job/apartment/life in Kingston) was eye-opening. "Welcome to Jamaica" said the higglers with a big smile as they approached. "I'm *from* Jamaica" she'd reply. They'd go into their spiel anyway. She'd tell them to get a job and support themselves instead of begging money. "No jobs in Jamaica" they'd say. "Sure there are, I have one" she'd reply. She didn't have any sympathy for an able-bodied able-minded man her age begging money from her. Later she said she found Negril to be ... embarrassing?! "What do you mean?" I asked. She replied she felt like she had to apologize on behalf of her country for the bad behavior of the Jamaican higglers. "Let's get out of here" I said. And we did, going instead to a lovely little B&B in St Mary where she used to vacation with her family (and we were not hassled at all there).

    Wow, that was a while ago. As I said, I don't go to Negril that much any more.

    Peace and love,

    Richard

  7. #77
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    Re: Higglers !!

    After 26 trips in 20 years I've experienced the gamut of higgler interactions. After a couple trips I developed a strategy. Every 100 yards or so, stop and befriend a vendor. Buy a little, chat a little, maybe buy them a beer. Eventually you have a network of friends that tend to watch out for you in their territory. I have good friends that I met that way on my first trip that are still friends to this day. I know this approach isn't for everyone, but it works for me. I think a lot of it is attitude. The first thing I tell newbies is be careful what you wish for, Jamaica has a way of answering.
    Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. KJV Psalm 68:4

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