Day Six
This was our last full day in Jamaica and we still had a lot on our to do list. On the top of the list was getting to the beach. During the months leading up to our trip I had been in contact with utenlov from the boards who was making her first solo trip to Negril. We would be in town at the same time and on our first trip as well. We had emailed each other trying to arrange a meet up over the course of our trip but as most of you know it’s easy to get sidetracked. If we were going to meet up this would be our last chance.
Late in the morning we get a taxi to the beach. We got dropped off at the hotel utenlov was staying at and made our way to the bar. As we sat having a drink we kept our eyes out for a person who fit the description that utenlov had provided us. It wasn’t long before we spotted her lounging on the beach just a few paces away. I approached her and introduced myself. She joined us at the bar even though she was still recovering from the night before.
We sat and shared our experiences and the contrast between the beach and the cliffs became a little more evident . Beth was sold on having herself sketched by a beach artist and then was sold on having me sketched as well. The Fun Holiday webcast was starting shortly and I wanted to venture along the beach so we parted ways with utenlov who was still not ready to fully start her day. We walked the beach and found Rob set up at Fun Holiday and had a seat at the bar. It was 2 for 1 Red Stripes so Beth decides to have a beer which is very odd for her. I think she was playing it safe since we had another early start.
The beach seemed really busy and a similar vibe to other beaches I've been to. Of course this was much more beautiful than any other in my experiences. Other than that I didn’t feel too far removed from the neighboring Jersey Shore at home.
After the webcast we made our way back the other way and stopped to pick up a few souvenirs. I recognized a voice selling patties and peered in the direction I heard it coming from…Neville! We purchased a few patties over some light banter, the first we had a chance to eat the whole trip, and then shortly headed out to the road to catch a taxi. If there was one thing I enjoyed at the beach was how anything you could possibly want would eventually come to you whereas on the cliffs you had to often seek out whatever was you wanted. I welcome the hunt though.
Again the taxi ride went pretty much the same as the others. We weren’t really given an option to negotiate and were hustled to get in. Considering the cost of the last two rides I wasn’t as concerned of being gouged. This time I did take note that we were in a route taxi. We wanted to stop at an ATM and have him jump to the west end route for us. I took notice of a few locals trying to hail our taxi as the driver waved them off. I felt really bad and made a comment that he could pick up others. When we arrived at the hotel the fair was much more than the other rides. I think we ended up paying $16 (converted to US) but even this wasn’t so bad considering I had paid more for lesser rides in the states. One of the goals of our next trip is to find a driver or two that we can rely on regularly. We also plan to do much more walking now that we have a better idea of the lay of the land.
At the hotel we started to get a little sad realizing our last full day was slowly coming to an end. Not wanting to waste what little time we had we found ourselves heading back to Pee Wee’s for one last visit. First we needed to make a stop at L&M so Beth could buy a big metal ladle she had her eye on. Back in our usual seats at Pee Wee’s they of course wondered where we were the day before and we joked about the state of mind I was in that other night.
I asked them about the peanuts too. I never really did get a straight answer but I’m certain they were teasing out of good fun. After a drink or two we asked about soursop and within minutes a soursop was produced out of nowhere and we were all snacking on it. As far as fruits go, this had to be one of the best I’ve ever tasted. After that there was a flurry of picture taking as we finished our drinks.
We then took a cab to 3 Dives for lobster and another webcast. Lisa was there this time and it was nice to finally meet her. I was starting to feel a little sad about leaving at this point and this unending thought kept me quiet. I kept thinking I wish I had a few more days, as I know everyone else does too. It seemed just as we got into the groove and could put our guards down and relax it was time to go.
The lobster was delicious at 3 Dives and making it even better was the garlic butter they serve with it. As the sun went down I just wanted to sit there forever. I didn’t want to leave but we still had a few more things on our to do list so off we went back to Pee Wee’s for one more to say our final goodbyes. On our way back to our room we pop into No Limit for a couple of drinks and some nice conversation. Again I sat there thinking I don’t want leave.
On our second attempt to get back to the room we remembered we didn’t get any jerk chicken from our local barrel guy. We stop to get some but he had just sold his last fully cooked piece but was told to come back in about 20 minutes and the rest should be ready.
Back at the room we start packing for the trip home. After awhile we walk back over to check on our chicken and was told it will be a little longer. Back at the room again we relax in the bed and drift off to sleep till we were awoken by a knock at the door. “Are you waiting on chicken?” we were asked. “yea mon” rolled of my tongue as if it was a natural part of my language. We head out to the road as our chicken was being plated and wrapped to go. Back at the room again we both picked at our chicken still in a haze from being woken out of our sleep. Before long we were back in bed sleeping.
