Our 5th trip to Jamaica ******TRIP REPORT*****

[brasi]

As a regular stalker of this board, I regularly read trip reports posted here. I have really enjoyed every single trip report written. Shout outs to Manda, Clarity, Kahuna3, Brasi, Gerry, Patty, Poolguywindsor, Crusher, Markospoon, Hettie and Chad, Jim-Donna, Jasperpso, Guirigay and of course, Rob for starting Negril.com.

I make no promises as to reading enjoyment or spelling and if anything I say causes offense, well, sorry in advance and really, I don’t mind if you stop reading. All you have to do is hit the little back button or turn off the computer.

As to Brasi’s “Trip Report Inclusion Scale”. I am pretty sure this report will fall smack dab in the middle of the scale. What can I say? I am a good Catholic girl with a 21 year old daughter and a 62 year old mother who might read this report, so I will have to leave some of it to your imagination.

...I think we must have had gullible, stupid, and tourist written all over our faces.

Aw shucks.

In my opinion, you weren't any more or less gullible than most first-timers! Jamaican sales people are GOOD! They see thousands of tourists a month. They've learned techniques and tricks for each type. Their livelihood is based on getting you to spend money.

In that psychological battle, you were unprepared, only due to your lack of experience. The main technique I used after experiencing what you did the first time: I carried very little money with me ($40 max) so i couldn't goof up too badly and get talked in to something.

Now that I've been many times it's no big deal to be firm and walk away from those types of sales people. At the beginning though...it was really tough. Most are GREAT at what they do....and at recognizing tourists as a new to the island.

Thanks for a great report! Can't wait to read about your trip...be safe!

[Col. Andy & Wildcat Pam]

Thanks for the reports. A hint for riding in a limo and not getting car sick. Ride shotgun up front and keep your eyes on the horizon.

Respect,
Col. Andy & "Wildcat" Pam

[limeex2]

Jamaica Joleen..Great trip reports.Your dad worked at the Ford plant? So did I for 13 years.Took the buyout and am now unemployed and going absolutely nuts reading these posts.It sounds and looks like you guys have had some awesome experiences in Jamaica. I am just back from a 9day and already i am trying to figure out how to get back. I am so nuts, and am jerking some chicken tonight and grabbing some red stripe.It's hot outside (44 degree's lol).
Here's one of many Jamaican tales...Wife at the time went shopping in downtown Negril after a heavy night of drinking and a concert at Samsara. At the time there was a strip mall for a shopping center almost all crafters, surrounded buy a chain link fence,a gate and driveway that went up a hill.Seems the owner of the road owned the fence,which was locked and the tenants of the strip mall could not get in. Needless to say they were angry,hostile and very loud. We watched as this got uglier and uglier,keeping our distance. There were 2 policeman present,looking very prim and proper. They had clean uniforms, hats, bulletproof vests,hand guns and sub-machine guns.Yes,machine guns.This was getting interesting. As the crowd grew,so did the intensity, but the cops never even batted an eye,ever. When the crowd started towards the gate with chants of "tear it down" Both policeman with one hand on the machine gun,took their free hand,removed the leather safety strap that secured their pistols and...That was it. The crowd saw them remove the strap and quietly dispersed. Done.Wow,never seen nothing like that in Minnesota! When the crowd left, the owner showed up, opened the gate and life seemed to go back to normal.
Please enjoy yourselves, check out Cafe Goa, They have acoustic reggae for breakfast on Sunday's and say hi To Marilyn from Jon and Marilyn.

[Jamaica Joleen]

we left msp on wed morning and have spent the last few days in the florida with glens aunt and uncle. Here is a couple of pictures. Tomorrow morning, we fly out of miami to mbj at around 10 am, meet rocky, stop at biggas for jerk and finally unpack at the riu tropical bay. Looking forward to not living out of a suitcase as we have done for the last 3 days. Yes, 3 different hotels, 2 different states, 3 nights.

[Jamaica Joleen]

[lisapat]

Joleen...you are going to absolutely LOVE the beauty, peace, and vibe of Bloody Bay!!!...We have stayed at Couples Negril 4X, and have visited Long Bay, which is more active, but at the same time a bit more stressful....By all means check out the Office of Nature, and yes...be sure to visit the ORIGINAL OON...The RIU's have always intimidated us because of their size, but they look very pretty...ENJOY!!

[Jamaica Joleen]

DAY 1 IN JAMAICA

We take off from Miami and land without event. We really liked Miami and the airport. We really enjoy people watching and there are all different kinds of people in this airport.

Customs/Immigration took only 30 minutes, give or take so no problem there.

We hired Rocky to drive us to/from the resort, so was surprised to see a strange man holding a sign with my name on it. Rocky was so busy he had to get help. “Gerald” was our appointed driver for the day. He quickly stopped at a “Rum Bar” and got us 2 of the coldest Stripes either of us have ever had.

We stopped at “Biggas” and Glen bought us all lunch. I had the jerk pork, Glen and Gerald, the chicken. All I can say is AWESOME. Cooked to perfection, spicy and tender. And yep- Biggas t shirt is really white.

Bigga had this sweet little Momma dog hanging around. I say Momma cuz her “teets” almost hit the ground. Poor thing. I was feeding her scraps from the chicken being careful not to give her the bones when Gerald told me to give her the whole thing. I told him dogs should not have chicken bones cuz they can choke. He just laughed and place his whole plate right on the ground for her. I quickly followed suit. I reminded myself I was in a 3rd world country.

Check in was quick, effortless and painless at RIU Tropical Bay. Our room is beautiful and clean. Our bell hop got us to our room and surprisingly was able to accommodate our EVERY need…….and boy did he do a good job (this is the point where I worry about my Mom and 21 year old daughter reading this so will go into no further detail).

We unpacked….for the 1st time in 3 days. Remember we have been living out of a suitcase. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to unpack and organize. Playing Bob Marley, drinking a Pina Colada and listening to the ocean AND organizing. Does it get any better?

Yes, it does. We throw on our suits and head down to the beach. I CAN’T QUIT SMILING. I once had a therapist pose the question to me….”In one word, what makes you happiest?”. My answer……..WATER. I quickly walk out into the sea and am standing knee high in the water and just praising God that I am able to take this trip to rejuvenate, replenish, refresh, rekindle, reconnect and the “re’s” go on.

After a few moments of gazing out into the sea, I turn around and my husband says to me……”You are so beautiful”. At that moment, I felt beautiful. I felt connected to him and the sea and to myself. People talk about the “vibration” of Negril and I am totally feeling it. I wish I could bottle this feeling up and take it out whenever I needed it.
The night ends with us finding some friends who are in town at a different resort, having a drink at THE ORIGINAL Office of Naturre (we will be back later for the lobster.) and dinner at the buffet at RIU.

Here is a little snippet of RIU Tropcal Bay…………if I could use vulgarity here, I would tell you this place is F*&^ing AWESOME (sorry Mom). Seriously, this place is beautiful. Sorry….I know Spain owned, but I have to wonder, if this place wasn’t here, how many people would NOT come here and how many local jobs would be lost? This is my 1st time at a RIU and I can totally understand why people wouId be loyal to the brand. I know, so many levels to this statement and don’t want to wage an argument. But, seriously, this place is clean, the staff - WONDERFUL, the food is phenomenal. How anyone could complain about this place is beyond me.

Note on the food. We are from Wisconsin and take our cheese seriously. When we got to dinner, we found that they had an entire portion of their buffet dedicated to CHEESE!! I think we each had 5 or 6 different cheeses with a glass of red wine. Yes, the wine was even good. We followed the cheeses with pasta and sea food, then a dessert plate made of various desserts. I don’t know about you guys, but at home, I don’t eat like this. I have been on Weight Watchers for about 2 months now and some sort of diet since I was 12 ( ) and really try to watch my calories, so to say that I am in food heaven is an understatement.

Needless to say, after a great day of EVERYTHING, I am totally and completely overwhelmed and THANKFUL.

I Love This Place….

Might be a few days before I get back on again. I plan on doing NOTHING today. Thanks for reading my trip report and for the encouragement to keep writing. You guys are the best cyber friends a girl could ever have.

[Jamaica Joleen]

[Nurse Marcia]

The smile on your face says it all. Thanks for the great report.

[lisapat]

Happy to see all went well on your 1st day....I love the feeling that comes with arrival in Negril