Clarity, Markus and Jamar in Negril – Nov 2011 Trip Report: Day 1-3

[ralonzo29]

@Clarity There's a good set of products I use. I use to make it from scratch (cause well I'm an over achiever) but back before we were dating Shauna got me this good set that has A rub, a marinade, a dry spice and a barbecue sauce. I can get it locally in Tampa and I love it. In fact I just used the rub the other day. You can get away with a good oven broil. I mean its not as authentic as a grill but on days when I can't grill I'll oven broil or bake it.

I love the Jerk Hut and Rhumba's that Shauna mentioned but there's nothing like making some plantains, rice and peas and Jerk Chicken for the wife its a staple with me. Growing up I had alot of plaintains and rice & peas (mmmmmmm just thinking about it) and now my mom says I make it better than her (I just think she trying to encourage me) but not alot of jerk chicken but now they are my go to trio comfort food.

[irie luv]

Clarity, Markus & Jamar, your trip report and photos have swept me off my feet...again! I am eagerly awaiting my 3rd trip to Negril in March and this has really helped me cope, seeing the great pics you guys have taken, especially the ones from the plane. I remember my face being pressed against the window staring at the majestic waters and the lush greenery of the island as we prepared to land. I have not posted in a few months but I have still been keeping up with all the reports. Gerry123 I loved your report as well, never got a chance to let you know since this is my first time logging in in like 6 months. But back to......Jamar...yes....Jamar. I think we need to be friends ! Seriously! I live in Vallejo,CA and am in S.F and Oakland all the time. Clarity and Markus you guys are the cutest couple I have seen in a long time and love seeing young couples traveling the world experiencing life together as you should. Wish my ex-husband was as outgoing and fun as Markus. As of now me and my mom have been making our trips to Negril and she is cool as ice and we kick it real hard when we go(she is 52 I am 32) and we have a ball together we are like sisters. But...one of these days I want to go with someone of the opposite sex, but the pickings are REAL dry here in the Bay Area for passport holding, reggae loving, can get time off work,fun, outgoing,can afford to go to Jamaica & have a great time w/ a female friend type of thing. Soooooo, in a nutshell. Jamar I want to be your friend! Oh, and the pic of you guys at the bar at the airport w/ the drinks is CLASSIC!! If that was SFO, that is the bar I usually get my pre boarding drink from also, they make them pretty stiff and it makes the red eye flight a breeze(if the drink are stiff enough, lol) Cant wait to read and see more!!! Oh and Markus I am very interested to get the deets about the book that your neighbor gave you to read. Reading is my FAVORITE thing to do next to travelling, I want to know how the contents of the book relates to your trip. Jah Bless!!

[pretty40]

Write a book!! You guys rock!! Thanks for sharing....

[Clarity]

Thanks Orchid, Marley, Ralonzo, IrieLuv and Pretty40!
Irie luv - Hope you have a wonderful time in JA in March
Jamar would love a traveling buddy! You should send him a PM. He's about to embark on some big adventures soon.

Sorry we haven't been able to update in a while, but I'm about to get this trip report moving again now.

[Clarity]

Markus is still sick in Germany with Bronchitis (the infection spread to his lungs, he saw a doctor again last week week & he's on new antibiotics – He's getting better) I'm going to continue this trip report so he'd have something to read in bed tonight.

***I'm sorry, This isn't going to be as interesting as Tic toc, Sweetness, Sprat, and Patty Sather's awesome on-site updates. I've been enjoying their reports so much– with a measure of guilt, because I know I've been a slacker and haven't finished my own TR yet. So here goes.... ****

Jamar will be chiming in too later this week, right now he's going through some life changing transitions. After the trip to Jamaica, he realized he wants to do and see more of the world..... so he's leaving the states and moving to Thailand. Yes, Thailand...

I'll let Jamar tell you more about that.

So we left off with Jamar on the beach...

He had just been approached by his first beach vendor... then another and another...

I watched nervously from the sidelines. This is the overwhelming part of being a newbie in Negril. I had prepared him for this. I remembered Markus's first experience. “are you disrespecting me, mon??” and his nervousness after that encounter. If you read our first TR, you already know, It took us a few days to get the hang of things.

I also knew that this was all so new to Jamar too. I started to get up to join him, but suddenly he started walking away with the group of five Jamaicans down the beach. Where was he going?

“Jamar!” I called out.

He turned around and gave me a thumbs up sign.

Hmmm... Okay. I sat there and felt a little uneasy. I knew he would be fine but I just didn't want him to get in over his head .

Markus shrugged “He'll be fine. Relax Honey.. we're in Negril. No worries.. look ...The sun is beginning to set..”

It was beautiful. We sat there on the beach chairs holding hands and taking it all in. Our hair was wet and skin still tingling from the salt water. (I neglected to mention that one of the first things I did was jump into the ocean.)

Yes, We had arrived



Jamar finally returned, looking a bit frazzled .

“You're already getting into trouble, aren't you?” I asked him

He nodded.

It was pretty surreal to be there together, in Jamaica.. on this beautiful stretch of beach with the sun setting...After a red eye flight and an almost 14 hour commute including the flights, layovers and the drive from Montego bay, we were in this strange dazed state of exhaustion and total excitement.



We sat together listening to the sound of lapping waves and watched the sun disappear entirely below the horizon.







Our first sunset, and I already knew this was going to be a vacation we were never going to forget.

Suddenly we heard someone yelling at us from the beach. “Hey!”

I squinted, they were just silhouettes... a man with short dreads and another one next to him with a baseball cap on. It took us a second to make out the faces. They were smiling and waving for us to come over.

It was Captain Sparrow and Shamma lamma ding dong! On our first trip we had taken a boat ride with them out to the coral reefs and went snorkeling.

We ran over to greet them. I couldn't believe they recognized and remembered us! Even our names, how crazy! Granted, we remember THEIR names, but those aren't exactly easy to forget.

They laughed and did the fist bump with me and Markus. We introduced them to Jamar.



“Where's your boat?”, I asked.

“We moved further down just that way - towards the all inclusive “beaches”.. If you want to go for another boat ride, you know where to find us.”

It was good to see familiar faces. We saw the young man that had cut open a mango for me on the beach. He was on his way home, empty black plastic bag looped into his belt.. He waved at me.

Negril suddenly felt like home to me. I know Markus had this feeling earlier.. as soon as he stepped off the plane. But for me, that was my “coming home” moment.

That when I thought about Maureen...

On our first trip to Negril, we spent the last night with Maureen at “For Real” Bar – we sat there with her for hours and she kept the bar open much later than closing time because she knew it was our last night .. We were the only ones there. She opened up to us about her life and we talked to her about ours. She left such an impression on me. She was beautiful, intelligent, street smart, funny and possessing so much inner strength. I kind of look up to her and I wanted to see her again. She made our last night in Negril really special and I never got to thank her for that.

“Hey Shamma – Do you know where I can find Maureen? She used to work at “For Real” bar , I know she has a new bar “sunnyside”now ...but I can't remember which way I'm supposed to walk on the beach to get there”

Shamma lamma ding dong pointed into the distance. To the right of the Grand Pineapple. “It's right down there, mon..you can see it from here. Green and Yellow. See it? I think Maureen left for the day, but Robert is there now. They're good people”

So we bid our farewells and headed down the beach towards Sunnyside bar....

[Clarity]

Sunnyside bar is a small beach bar painted bright green and yellow with bench seating all around it, kind of like a smaller version of “For Real” bar. It felt cozy and I immediately liked the vibe. There were some people playing dominoes at the table next to the bar. They all greeted us warmly, Jamar started chatting with them and suddenly he was gone again. Not a big surprise at this point.

Markus and I eased onto the benches around the bar and we were greeted by a man behind the bar. He had a big smile and a broad muscular chest.

“Is Maureen here? Is this Sunnyside bar?”

“yeah, Mon – you're at the right place. Maureen just left – let me call her” He suddenly whipped out a cell phone and pressed a button.

“oh no! Please don't bother her! It's okay...”

But suddenly a phone was thrust into my hand and I could hear ringing! Markus laughed at my confused expression.

“Hello?”

“Hi is this... Maureen?”

“Yeah, this is Maureen”

“Hi, I'm sorry.. I..um....” Well, this is awkward. I glanced helplessly at the man and he nodded encouragingly. “Okay...I'm Daisy, we met 5 months ago at For Real Bar.. with my husband, Markus.. the German, ..I just..wanted to say Hi!”

“Daisy! I remember you!! You're back in Jamaica?!I'm on my way home, but will you be around tomorrow? I'll be there all day! It would be great to see you again!”

We made plans to meet up tomorrow and hung up. I handed the phone back to the tall man. “Thanks for letting me use your phone”, I said with a sheepish smile “it was nice talking to Maureen again, what's your name?”

He smiled and extended his hand. “ I'm Robert”

So we spent the next hour talking with Robert and having Red Stripes, until it was completely dark and the tree frogs started chirping. Jamar eventually came back (from where ever the heck he had been), shaking his head and laughing. He had covered a large stretch of beach in a short period of time and Everyone on the beach already knew his name.



We all enjoyed a round together on the beach...we were in a happy state of bliss. It's all kind of blurry . I'm sure Markus remembers more but to be honest... I don't. I know we left with Robert's phone number scribbled on a piece of paper. He had invited us to a house party in Sav la Mar. We never made it to that party.

I know we went back to the Grand Pineapple and I found this picture and video footage here in my camera...





That's Andrew, best bartender ever.

I believe that was the round of rum shots & Red Stripes that officially did us in. I have no more pictures or footage from that day.

It was a good night.

And our first of six beautiful nights in Negril. I knew we had so much to look forward to.. Mayfield falls, the Jungle, Luciano at Seastar, 3 Dives, Catcha Falling Star...

I think we retired to our rooms at around 9:30, I was snoring before my head even hit the pillow. I remember just feeling grateful and very very happy.

To be continued...

[gerryg123]

wow, those are HUGE shots -- and big beers, too .... i guess Europeans and their loved ones don't mess around.

[Clarity]

LOL - no we don't
But That round knocked us out cold, so we're not as tough as we sound!

[gerryg123]

at first, it was such a large amount of Rum that I thought the bartender was pouring wine!

[northerncaligurl]

Thanks for the shots of the sunset and the little vid...that is my second fav time of the day! My first, is waking up in Negril. Love the report. Thanks for sharing!