As soon as we walk out the door Chris is standing there with a Home Sweet Home sign. God do I feel good, I turn to Sweetie Pie and kiss her and we’re off. There is another couple waiting at the airport bar, they’ve apparently had to wait about 90 minutes for us. They’re an older couple, somewhere in their sixties from southern Indiana. The husband has a pretty good one going and says he spent more in the bar waiting for us than the taxi is going to cost. I tell them I’ll buy them a Stripe when we stop for the trouble. We stop at Pork Pit and get some jerked pork and a couple of Stripes. Big load of mild sauce on one side and a smaller load of the hot stuff on the other. It is delicious. Sweetie Pie is digging in, saying “Now I feel like I’m in Jamaica!” We scarf it down, it’s so delicious that I’m licking, sucking, semi-abusing my fingers. I would later regret this action.
So we’re sitting at the table at Pork Pit, 15 maybe 20 minutes out of the airport doors and I have my first awkward Jamaican moment. Old Indy has actually brought down some medicinal with him, this just makes me shake my head. He imbibes before we go into the Pit so he’s even more relaxed as we’re talking about the excitement of being in Jamaica. They’ve been several times. I tell them I’ve been a few and mention some of the things I love about it. Here’s where it gets awkward. Sweetie Pie says she thinks she heard one thing, I think I heard something worse, but either would be seriously problematic for me. What Sweetie Pie heard Old Indy say was, “I love everything about Jamaica except the natives.” I heard something a sight worse… In any case Mrs. Indy smacks Old Indy and says, “They’ve just met us!” Awkward! If they weren’t going to be at the same small hotel as us for the next week I would have said something but considering his list I couldn’t see any positive coming out of it. So neither Sweetie or I said anything, but on the way back to the taxi Sweetie Pie whispered, “I don’t like that guy.” This is a very rare occurrence.
On the way to Negril Chris takes us to Percy’s Garden Retreat in Orange Bay. This is a very cool place up in the hills. Chris had his wedding reception there in December. It’s mostly used for day trips out of Negril. If you like the Jamaican countryside chill I would highly recommend it. The centerpiece of the property is a river bar. Yes, a bar built over a river. Very cool, very easy to relax. Sweetie Pie is amazed, she asks for a good Jamaican drink. We talk about the options a little bit and she settles on a rum and ting. She got the hang of the Jamaican thing really easy. She knocked a couple back, said they were delicious, she was hooked. We walk the property, it’s very nice old school Jamaica. Percy was working in Negril when most people still camped there, his place has that kind of feeling. Old Indy is a wreck by the time we leave and has managed a few more inappropriate but less overt comments. Percy wants to talk us into a day trip with the other couple to the retreat. We have to pass. Sweetie Pie says the place is beautiful and she wouldn’t mind going but…
We head out for Negril and I’m talking to Chris about what has changed since my last visit. A lot. The hotels start much sooner, Bloody Bay is mostly full now. I see all the old haunts go by a lot under different names now. Into town and up the west end road and soon we’re there. “Here we are, Home Sweet Home,” says Chris. I laugh and say,” I bet you like saying that.” “Ya mon,” comes the reply.
