Share your best tip for dealing with Negril hustlers and beggars ...

[68Stang]

when we were there in june we didn't have any issues with the hustlers and beggars except for one guy. He tried every day, several times a day to sell me weed. No matter how many times I told him no thank you I don't use drugs, he would say "yes you do! I know you do!. He even hit my wife up to buy some for me cuz he knew I wanted it..Go figure....It got comical after the 2nd or 3rd day...But that was the only issue we ever had. Mostly we would say no thank you unless it was something we wanted to look at. Also the security guard told us what to do when we first got there about walking on the beach..#1 Don't shake their hand just say no thank you and keep walking. If they keep pressing say no thank you again and say respect..it worked every time.

[nicole.edith]

Funny story related to this topic:

I'm a newb and I'll be in JA for the first time in about a week with my BFF. I have been accumulating my JA 'stuff' in a bag for a while now (it's custom for our international travels that I slowly gather items for a trip over about a month and pile them all in one spot in a bag). When it's about a week before the actual trip, I move the bag to our spare bedroom where I s get out the suitcase and start doing that whole 'what stays, what goes' dance that I'm sure is familiar to fellow travellers.

The other night I was going through my stuff and I noticed a squirt gun. I hadn't put the squirt gun with my JA stuff, had I? I tried to remember, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't have included a squirt gun. I recently purchased a few bags of items to bring with to donate to St. Anthony's, so I asked my husband if he'd taken one of our son's unused squirt guns and placed it with my stuff so I could donate it, which was weird, but the only possible explanation. So I asked him about it.

His simple response was that, "the squirt gun is for those beach boys you were telling me about the other night. Just squirt them in the face and they should go away and leave you two (me and my BFF) alone."

Hahahaha! I think the squirt gun probably wouldn't be terribly effective at busting the beach boy game, but I thought that my husband's response and 'plan' to protect me from afar was too hilarious and cute not to share.

[goldilocks]

Hi Nicole,
Please don't take any form of gun to Jamaica, even toy squirt guns. too much gun violence in this world. I can't even imagine what would happen if one of the beach guys got squirted, but probably would escalate the situation beyond imagination.

[nicole.edith]

I'm sorry that I implied I would take a squirt gun. I never said I would - I thought it was a cute story. Sorry to offend. I would NEVER propagate gun violence by bring a squirt gun. In fact, we don't even call them guns at our house, we call them water blasters. I was just sharing a light-hearted story. Again, no offense intended.

[CherryNorth49]

Funny story related to this topic:

I'm a newb and I'll be in JA for the first time in about a week with my BFF. I have been accumulating my JA 'stuff' in a bag for a while now (it's custom for our international travels that I slowly gather items for a trip over about a month and pile them all in one spot in a bag). When it's about a week before the actual trip, I move the bag to our spare bedroom where I s get out the suitcase and start doing that whole 'what stays, what goes' dance that I'm sure is familiar to fellow travellers.

The other night I was going through my stuff and I noticed a squirt gun. I hadn't put the squirt gun with my JA stuff, had I? I tried to remember, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't have included a squirt gun. I recently purchased a few bags of items to bring with to donate to St. Anthony's, so I asked my husband if he'd taken one of our son's unused squirt guns and placed it with my stuff so I could donate it, which was weird, but the only possible explanation. So I asked him about it.

His simple response was that, "the squirt gun is for those beach boys you were telling me about the other night. Just squirt them in the face and they should go away and leave you two (me and my BFF) alone."

Hahahaha! I think the squirt gun probably wouldn't be terribly effective at busting the beach boy game, but I thought that my husband's response and 'plan' to protect me from afar was too hilarious and cute not to share.

Ha ha ha, that is hilarious! Easy enough solution for him - 'cause he wouldn't have to deal with the irate vendor you'd have on your hands!

Our first trip to the beach, for the first few days their were some persistent vendors, but 'no thank you' really did work most of the time. On our return journey, the few persistent ones I followed that up with a very polite "is there a problem?" which seemed to generate an almost ingrained and automatic 'no, no problem' response. After they'd just told me there was no problem, they didn't seem to have much of a comeback. A 'respect' at that point pretty much ended the conversation.

[goldilocks]

Hi Nicole,

No offense taken, LOL, just pointing out some folks may take offense if their child brings home any form of a gun, even a well intentioned gift.

[limeex2]

When walking the beach, I point to my earbuds and with a slight head shake and smile, say no thank you. They always leave me alone. On my last trip, I went with a co-worker and 4 of her girlfriends. I was the only white person walking the blvd with 5 gals. Needless to say it attracted a lot of attention. Had a taxi pull up and started what I call "sniffing around". The the girls all politely declined his advances.In my world no means no, and when asked a second time, I mentioned it, told him to move on before I have to come around the car, the girls restated no also. The third time he started sniffing, I immediately started walking around the back off the taxi and while watching what he was up to, proceeded to the drivers door. He slowly drove off as I got next to his door. I would do the same again, but I sure am glad he left...

[booger]

When walking the beach, I point to my earbuds and with a slight head shake and smile, say no thank you. They always leave me alone. On my last trip, I went with a co-worker and 4 of her girlfriends. I was the only white person walking the blvd with 5 gals. Needless to say it attracted a lot of attention. Had a taxi pull up and started what I call "sniffing around". The the girls all politely declined his advances.In my world no means no, and when asked a second time, I mentioned it, told him to move on before I have to come around the car, the girls restated no also. The third time he started sniffing, I immediately started walking around the back off the taxi and while watching what he was up to, proceeded to the drivers door. He slowly drove off as I got next to his door. I would do the same again, but I sure am glad he left...

Nice.... Too many folks submit to the banter, hence why it continues. Funny thing is the dude weighed his odds and felt he had a chance. Hope I run into you so I can buy you a beer or three.

[gerryg123]

I've found not making eye contacts helps, too. A lot.