With only 1 day and 14 hours left home... i figure i should start my trip report with some more extensive background information..
Trip 1: March 3rd-8th 2011
My first trip was bumpy... with only airfare booked i headed to jamaica and ended up staying with a family member the first night in orange hill, which was not my idea of a beach vacation. (i do not like goats) it was a culture shock to say the least. For the first couple days all i did was sleep, cry, and NOT eat. once settled into my room a Hidden paradise i explored beach road and went walking along the beach, that is where i ran into the place i would spend the next three days: Margaritaville! i went there everyday, sometimes twice a day to relax on the beach,drink and swim. i went between there and my room at the hotel my entire trip with the exception of one day i went to west end to visit my grandmother.. and a night after eating dinner, and a long night of drinking i was summoned to west end for a long dreaded reunion with family members who knew me but i had no idea who they were.. in my defense i had not been to negril since i was 4. Anyways, while i was there i met a few people, mostly guys, had drinks but i didnt even know jungle existed at this time. by the end of my trip i was calling my mother telling her im extending my trip, she said no, i came home but started looking at airline prices for late summer.
Trip 2: June 20-August 18th 2011
As luck, or misfortune would have it my return wasn't too far off. Im early June a bad break-up/ another very bad thing had me running for Jamaica. On the night of that break-up i came home and said "mom, when i get paid on friday i'm buying a ticket to jamaica" and added half joking "will you support me if i go for a couple months" to my surprise she said yes. so i booked my fight on June 13th and departed on June 20th. This experience was much different than my first, I was on the cliffs. I opted to stay with my grandmother because it was the responsible thing to do in terms of my bank account, but i cherished this experience. My Grandmother and uncles had been trying to get me to come to jamaica for years, but the idea i staying with strangers wasn't very comfortable. However, after meeting them during my first trip, i loved them and i was comfortable. The first couple weeks i stayed in the house, only venturing up to the nearest store or occasionally to my aunts house at the top of breadnut lane. Eventually i began going on longer walks up closer to ricks, that is when i met rasta troy and Nacka.. They became the people i hung out with every day. I also enjoyed the company of Tamara, my cousins girlfriend/babymama, she became my partner in crime at Jungle as well as various other parties. Towards the end of my trip Kyle the Canadian became a good friend as well.. he convinced me to jump of the cliffs at ricks fully clothed.. good times. I made a lot of friends and "friends" and "FRIENDS" during my time on the cliffs. It was an experience like no other. From the shock of no dryers to me finding out i own goats (lol) to taking walks from my grandmothers house by archway all the way down to my fathers shop (outta town pastry) and all around i got a feel for the land.. and i actually prefer to hang out in west end.. i prefer the laid back, relaxed, lets burn a fat one vibe as opposed to the hustle and bustle of the beach, but i prefer to stay on the beach. During this trip i also learned to adore orange hill, its not all goat, its actually very beautiful during the day, but its so hard to get a taxi back down the hill =( I am so grateful for my mom helping me when i was on this trip (sending me money every week) and i am forever in debt to my grandmother who is well into her 90s but cooked me wonderful meals everynight. i was very sad when i had to leave on the 18th, but it was time to get back to reality, school and work =(
