Go back to 1974 on “memory lane”

[lane]

See you at Franklin Daisy'!! With Photos

[lane]

We have been driving for about 2 to 3 hours and have not seen the first Holiday Inn.
We were told when you get to the long beach you are there , look a small motel on the beach White Sands Motel or it may have been just Sands Motel.
Ho o here is the town maybe a bank an a Esso gas station gas is $3.75 for a liter today back home if you can get it it is still 50 cents a gal.,don't see must else that stands out.
We know we want go up the road to the lighthouse to find a place to stay, that were Frank and Mary went. We see the Negril Yacht Club were Bob and Linda stayed but did not see any boats, must be a different each here in Jamaica.
Up the so called road we go and this is what we find along the way.




This girl is on her way from school and locks stunned to see a yellow car coming that is not blowing it horn.
We keep go going the rainbow just be just ahead.

[lane]

We are still making out way up the road looking for accommodation, we are not looking for the Ritz, but have not seen what we are looking for, oh I see "TENT IN MY YARD" signs but the house we see don't look large enough for 4 more people and they are a bit rustic to in need of some quick repair. We see a couple of proper homes but not for rent.
Then we see it a nice house with a sign in the yard "ROOM FOR LENT", we stop and a lady come around from the side of the house a yells Ya Mon park in yard, so we do.
We get out and she points to a small light yellowish and brown stucco house next door. how much $9 USA aday we take it. This is Dasiy's house.

Daisy tell us it is I think her sister house Gorge and she will clean it every day.
It sit close to the road with a small front porch a room across the from the 2 rooms with 2 small beds with very hard looking vine mattress on them and a window no glass just leverd wood shutters, a small kitchen in the back with a gas 2 burner cooker and a gas refrigerator with Daisy fired up for us, I had never head of one before, but it got the beer cool.
She leave us to pick our rooms and bring our stuff in and she comes back with 4 sheets, and tell us the water is the warmest in the after noon and shows us a show out back.
The water line is running along the ground out to the road and is connected to the main water pipe running from down the road to up the road on the ground.
We ask the were to ge so Ganga and see said no problem mon and head off to return with a tea can full. she tell us not to keep it in the hose but out by the tree in the back yard and don't smoke it walking down the road like the Rasts do, they are crazy and stay away from them.
We settle in and get relaxed and are sitting on the porch when a guy walk up from down the road and we talk and he heads on down the road.
We think he was nice but did not understand all he saying with the speed of his dialect and backward sentences, like "soon come" and "true dat",
but we will see him more later.
It getting dark and Daisy comes with oil lanterns for us, oh there is no electricity no mon and see lite a few mosquito coils, and boy did they do the job,
laying in a hot hot room no air moving on a hard bed sweating up a storm and with what sounded like a squadron of plane flying are a round your face
and landing on you forehead and every where else, sweet dream.

[johng]

lane,
Everything rings true from your trip report. The water was warmer in the afternoon from solar warming of the water pipe running along the ground!! My digs with The Jackson family was up the hill to Red Ground. After the roundabout in Negril heading towards the West End the first road on the left (where the Negril Wharf Club Restaurant was located). Heading up the hill there was a church on the right side of the road. The Jackson family lived directly across from the church. I had a very small but clean room in their house with a bed, a table and chair. Outside across the yard was the outhouse. Virtually nobody had a flush toilet and some still didn't have pipe water. I can't remember but it was a couple USD per night. I spent most of my time on the beach and met a bunch of cool Americans staying at Gloria's Sunset Cottages located about a half mile north of town on the beach. Her spot ran from the sea to the road a narrow piece of land like most properties. Miss Gloria had a thatched roof A-Frame directly on the beach which had front and back rooms. The front had two big beds and a loft with 2 more beds. The back room was small and was situated below the loft. Towards the road was Miss Gloria's personal rooms for her, her boyfriend and grandson Barry. Additional there was another guest building with four separate rooms for rent. Outdoors was a cold water shower enclosed with zinc roof panels and like lane said when taking a shower in the afternoon the solar gain was such that for a few minutes it was a hot shower. Gloria also had a bathroom for guests that had a flush toilet which was a real luxury!! There was a large grassy area between the buildings and the road that was used for tents and usually it was quite full. Right by the road were two additional block buildings where Gloria's daughter Maureen and grandson Carl resided. After my first trip to Negril Gloria's became my go to spot for probably 15 or 20 visits thereafter. It was one of the best spots on the Negril Beach with a wide waterfront and a safe and enjoyable yard!!

[lane]

That has to be Red Ground, Daisy was our protector and told us to stay out of Red Ground, never said why but she was still with the same mindset when I went back in 1980. I think it could have been family feud like Hatfield and Mcords.

[johng]

Yes Red Ground at the top of the hill from the Wharf Club the road makes a 90 degree left turn. I had a friend Mortimer Johnson (The Bong God) who lived up there. As far as The Hatfields and McCoys go you're probably right although who knows as everybody has their favorite parts of Negril.

[lane]

Johns, do you remember the name of the small motel right on the beach, I it was White Sands or just Sands Motel, I do not remember anything on the beach besides it?

[Rob]

Johns, do you remember the name of the small motel right on the beach, I it was White Sands or just Sands Motel, I do not remember anything on the beach besides it?

I do believe that was the Sands Hotel.

[lane]

Here is the beach photo it did not stick up above.

[Irie John]

I do believe that was the Sands Hotel.

Rob, are you referring to Silver Sands (at Coco location)? If not, where was Sands Hotel located? ty