TiCtOc pon di rock LIVE AND DIRECT **TRIP REPORT** On a Zero budget.

[TiCtOc]

Photos above are when Jasmin passed out! She originally passed out at the bar but this was after the staff took her to the V.I.P sofa as she was making the floor look untidy LOL Jasmin is cool and after a short while she was up and back to her usual self we shot a few rounds of snooker/pool and they were good games it was always a gamble who would win it was fun then we floated around in the pool chatted some more I made some food and we headed out to Alfreds and then American pie which was a real good dancehall party the DJ was on point it was full free entry and free tequila shot for the laydeez oh don't mind if I do!
I did not want to leave but husband was getting mad and wanted to come back and then called ME boring

[TiCtOc]

I am having serious food issues down here I kind of guessed I would before I got here and have absolutely nobody to blame but myself but I am entitled to have a little moan so I shall I have a hotplate here a hotplate is an electric piece of crap with two electric rings that you can TRY to cook on I was TRYING to cook for 6 of us lastnight it took me about 3 hours the rice turned to mash potatoe and got thrown away the chicken was nice and could not even be bothered to wait for the water to boil again to do any pasta or any thing else.I had big plans for the home cooked meal but it all turned to @@@@
You just cannot cook for a family on a hotplate.And I already know this as my holiday last year we were given a hotplate and after 2 days of pain in the ass hotplate I upgraded to half board but upgrading is expensive in Jamaica I just do not have the funds.So basically I am very hungry, the kids are fed but all I have had is fried chicken, jerk chicken, curry chicken, boiled chicken.
I know I said I love chicken and rum but come - on.So now my options are to grocery shop which is sky high prices to begin with and they hardly have any choice here it is chicken chicken or yes you guessed it more chicken.Then once I get all the groceries it lasts only one day because everyone is so hungry they raid the lot so money food budget blown again.Plus then I have to try and cook it on hotplate FFS.HELP ME .
So thats option number one - number two is dine out 4 times a day and starve the remainder 3 weeks of the trip when the food budget runs out.It is pretty much blown now already.
Or option 3 try and keep nagging some random men in the street to cook for me or I liked fattys but that means sending someone in a taxi and it is far away.
And I just cant afford to dine out all day every day for all of us.
I thought we could eat patties in the daytime and dine out in the evening.But by day 2 the kids were sick of patties and they are the only cheap and cheerful thing I know.
So I am not looking forward to todays food escapades.It is really hard work.I miss having a kitchen.I will never Not have a kitchen if I have a low budget as it is making life impossible.I am sick of having a chicken leg for lunch and a chicken breast for dinner and a chicken wing for supper.I am now really craving good Jamaican food that I came here for and cannot wait to see our neice that lives here in a couple of weeks.I am going to go to stay with her for a bit and she always feeds me well and teaches me new meal ideas.I love homemade coleslaw and I have not even seen any yet this trip let alone eat any.I am going to try to find some cheap curry goat in a bit.
Enough of my moaning I have no-one else to blame but myself.I know what my family are like , they like 4 meals per day plus snacks.Everyone was saying oh you will manage with patties daytime and a take out at night thats enough and low cost WRONG not working.
I am gutted I only found fattys on my last day at shields I should have gone there every night. 400j for good homecooked real Jamaican food.

[TiCtOc]

Robin banks has arrived yellowman is due to arrive and fantan mojah is coming to seastar, apart from that no other sightings as yet!
I want to tell you about the Monday nights at Coral seas gardens with the Hiyah grade band.It is a really good show but not many people know about it yet so they really need you all to show up and support the night!
We had a rasta guy with us and he said he really enjoyed it good people good vybz
and it is, A lovely group of people go down there to play some great singers and musicians and quite a few of the Negril favourite singers are there and they are very talented , there is NOTHING happening around here on a Monday so it really is the place to go so makesure you try it and get down there.Robin banks showed up there and sang on monday so did Anthony able and swallow and some other really well known and liked names from Negril.
Give it a try nice night with nice people down there.

[TiCtOc]

Reggae tv station number 90 at The seastar inn CRANK IT!
I love waking up here and pondering life in my hammock listening to the cockerel in the mornings and the tree frogs at night.
While we were out lastnight I saw a shooting star and that was quite special because I do not recall ever seeing one before so next minute another came 5 or 6 in total above Alfreds were shooting across the sky! Even the stars were having a party! We were all staring at the sky it was too cool!
I love my mornings here at the seastar in I went to breakfast barefoot in my pjs looked like crap felt like it prob had dogbreath and straight away I am greeted by my girls (barbara and clarol who work here) who tell me how lovely I look!aww that is sweet always makes me feel nice even if it is a lie LOL
So I love their work ethic.They had some serious tunes playing and barbara was sat there rocking to a tune and clarol was singing and I was putting jam on my toast busting a bit of a move on the quiet! ha it's all good.So I was sat there singing to myself THE ONLY MAN SHE WANT that is a hot dancehall track right now and it is played a lot , so I was sat there singing it then it came on loud on the speakers so me and Clarol was singing to it me still in my pjs haha
THE ONLY MAN SHE WANT so I said which man clarol ? so she said THE ONLY ONE LOL so she carried in 3 bottles of spirits I said ohh yummy my breakfast LOL
They look after me here.They do not ask anything in return they are not rude or unhelpful they are really nice genuine helpful people who are great at their job and always make me laugh and feel good.
Always ready for a laugh and a party here and they can be serious and helpful too like yesterday when Jasmin had her incident.
I don't have the funds to treat them with cash I hope people that do have funds spare treat these ladies well.As soon as I get any funds in my life these are the staff it will be going to.Wish I could treat them.I would like to take them for a fancy night out or something posh dinner limo and party , These are my laydeez!Nice ladies .

[TiCtOc]

I have quite a few video clips I want to share with you all but SOON COME! I am trying to fit everything in , meeting boardies dealing with some personal stuff sorting my kids out attemptingto get to the webcasts and failing miserably and then fitting the concerts in aswell as whatever the kids want to be doing and doing my trip report!Oh and my university work.I also have a lot of assignments for all 3 of my childrens school that have to be completed they are on a tight schedule as they have their final exams once they return.
I sent a drunken email to my tutor the other day asking for an extension on the deadline I am afraid to go back and read it and the response
I am declaring a state of emergency I thought I would have a change from just rum lastnight so finished the night of with tequila hmm not sure my brain enjoyed that this morning! But as soon as I went for breakfast the party tunes was on ready to start all over again.I am hungry
I fkin hate hotplates I hate them I am going to try again with it see what happens I think I just hate electric cooking things I used to have an electric cooker and everything tasted baked and burnt yak eww.

[rastagirl777]

"You just cannot cook for a family on a hotplate."

I have a 2 burner gas cook-top (Not a hotplate per se, but close enough) plus an additional 1 burner hot plate (which I've yet to break out) and I've been cooking for 4 or more for three weeks.

Gas "cook top" - THAT'S what you want. See if maybe Chris has one there? Or go price one out at Foundation Imports in town - as I recall they are not all that spendy.

Don't give up..it can be done!

PS: If you are trying to suss out the best food prices, in my opinion Value Master is a tad cheaper than HiLo. Also,. chicken this year has gotten mad expensive! Check the veg ladies up the lane from Paymaster downtown or better yet, check with Chris or Francine to see when their veg truck comes and shop from there. I only spend MAYBE 2000JMD per week on fresh fruit and veg.

Rice, beans and veg - very inexpensive meal that no matter what you do you will have leftovers. I'm going to go make dinner right now - vegetarian chili. Yum!

[rastagal]

I can only imagine the food crisis! My kids would never make it...they would drive me nuts wanting chicken nuggets and mac and cheese! I know I won't be there until the 29th but is there anything I can bring down from the states that would help? Well something that would fit in my luggage at least? Snacks for the kids like granola bars or mac and cheese? When I stayed for a few months I brought a LOT of pasta, as it was easy to cook on the hot plate. Then I would get cheese and bread from the store and make grilled cheese sandwiches also.

So besides the Popcaan song, what else is hot there now???? Inquiring minds would like to know!

[irieworld]

Tic don't give up on the cooking! When I stayed at Seastar I cooked all kinds of food--fish, chicken, rice n peas, omlettes and eggs, veggie dishes like sauteed cabbage carrots onions thyme and tomatoes, etc. Made chicken salad for sandwiches and soup with leftover chicken. Made potato salad and panfried potatoes breakfast-style with peppers and onions. Made toast also had cheese and coco bread with tomatoes for lunch and snacks. And yes, I made coleslaw I do one huge shopping on the way to Negril from the airport for pantry supplies and then supplemented with the veggie truck, small shops and the fish stall at the craft market. The last few trips I have done the same thing--I only ate out a couple of times and made my own drinks. Of course it is easier at NBCC with a full stove and oven--and electric burners suck--but that said ya gotta work with what you've got.

I know it must be a challenge with kids--I was only cooking for two when I was at Seastar, but we always made enough for leftovers for the next day so we were making enough for four or five. Find out where on the west end the locals get food and try those spots for when you need something cooked for you. It can be done, have heart and get creative. And yeah, you will have to go grocery shopping to stock up. I brought a bunch of great Jamaican recipes with me--so I was able to eat homecooked JA food. And it helped that my boyfriend at the time was an excellent cook and shared the responsibility.

Thanks for all your reporting and photos--I have been throughly enjoying following along.

[northcoast]

Tic, when you are cooking on elec. just turn the heat up to HIGH to start & then turn it down to Med. when it gets hot....continue on med or med-low....don't feel bad, my hubby always burns the bottom of the pot on the elec. stove too.....it takes some getting used to...carry on...

[negrilaholic]

Tic, loving reading about your adventures. Seastar has some great food, but if you want to try another place and you said you were having a hankering for some Jamaican dishes, head to Sips and Bites just around the corner from Rockhouse, they have some really good food CHEAP!

I know what you mean about stuff being expensive in Jamaica though, I did some 'window shopping' at both grocery stores downtown along with just about every likkle store on the West End I walked past, and yah, things cost!