10 Years, 12 Nights, 6 Hotels, ONE LOVE - April 2012 Trip Report

[irieworld]

ok I am not even going to try to read this now, I will wait till I am home. Like Seveen I am a huge mushball and for some reason Clarity and hubbyman reports make me cry! How ridiculous is that. I think in part because your experience of and love for Jamaica is so close to mine--yet it is also framed in the beautiful relationship you have with each other. Well and then it is packed with similar humor and reflections that I have had on my travels and the gorgeous photos-- it is such a full package. Draw it out as long as you like --Booger can wait till it is all done to read it and I will do the installment package even if it takes 6 months. Or a year.

[booger]

LOL. I have to say that Clarity and Hubbyman are truly genuine people. It's really hard to describe them however I will make an attempt. Regardless, they are both beautiful peeps and my description will not do them justice.

[Clarity]

Thank you so much everyone for your kind comments!!

I’m so sorry we’ve been slow as snails. We’re going to step up our game now.

An update a day, that’s our goal. At that rate, we might get this Trip Report done before Christmas.

Here we go…

[Hubby-man]

The standard white sedan pulled up. Wayne jumped out and loaded our tiny suitcases into the trunk. Daisy, on a mission to avoid checking luggage, had compacted our clothes to the density of a black hole. Wayne shrieked a little as he tried to lift the unexpected amount of mass. I rushed to help him. But he adjusted to a weightlifting stance and was done before I could get there.

We sat down in the back seat and were quickly handed another mood lifter in the form of two seriously cold Red Stripes. Man I love this place!





As we pulled out of the airport Daisy whispered: “You think he would stop for some Jerk for us? At Jerky's?”

For some reason we were both still very shy. So I stuttered more than asked: “Could you stop for some food? For some Jerk,... like at Jerky's,... maybe?”

“Ya Mon, Ya Mon. Jamaican food, Ya Mon!”

Silence.

We were all in a competition of shyness. I wasn't sure, if he understood we wanted Jerky's specifically, or whether that place is even commonly known around here. “But I didn't dare ask again, (...like, so embarrassing, right?) so we muttered to each other in the back seat, like first-timers:

“You think he understood?”

“I don't know, but he's gonna take us to some sort of Jerk place, no?”

“Yeah I think so, but did we pass Jerky's already? Where is Jerky's? After the next light?”

Oh, boy! Sad sh*t! Why am I even telling you this? I seriously don't know. Maybe, so you don't feel so bad, if you go to Jamaica for the third time and it seems at first, like you are still as much of a 'Fresha' as the first time you came. It's alright. Don't worry, it'll turn “epic” soon enough.

[Hubby-man]

Of course Wayne knew Jerky's and yes, it was after the next light. Granted, this is not your typical tourist destination. It's located in something like a strip mall and has signage like a fast food restaurant. But it's close to the airport and yummy and cheap. It also has sentimental value to us, as our first ever encounter with Jerk chicken occurred right here, almost exactly one year before.





We ate a huge ½ a chicken and bought two more Red Stripes (at the protest of Wayne, who offered to provide them at no cost from the big cooler in the trunk) and hopped back into the vehicle.

Leaving MoBay the familiar streams of uniformed pupils lined the road. We drove in silence for a while, feeling impossibly exhausted and only able to take in the view, the water, the hills and the goats, but we couldn't quite speak about it.

Wayne put on the obligatory Bob Marley CD. I contemplated asking him to change it, thinking “Could You Be Loved” and “Exodus” must be about as familiar (mind-numbing) to him as “It's a small world after all” to a Disneyland employee. I just couldn't form proper words and I really didn't want to end up offending all of Jamaica in one foul swoop.

After our third beer and passing Sandy Bay we finally felt some life coming back . The conversation picked up. We talked about the drought, the recent elections and such.

Suddenly a spark crossed and we began a really lively conversation. Wayne asked us a few polite questions about our trip and finally I had to bring up Daisy's newly discovered relatives in Jamaica.

“Mandeville?? Mon. I grew up in Mandeville!!” Wayne said

“Wow, do you know the Mandeville Hotel? “ Daisy asked “My family apparently owns and operates it.”

“Mandeville Hotel, Mon. Ya, Mon, I used to always hang out there, every day! I know a lot of people that work there.”

The ice between us was now completely melted. It IS a small world after all! He didn't know Daisy's cousin specifically, but that was irrelevant. We had now fully arrived in Jamaica and felt right at home with Wayne.

As usual we there was lots of laughter and emotion. By the time we got Negril, Wayne had also taken care of all of our shopping and supply needs. We had nothing left to ask of him, when he pulled up through the magnificently heavy gates of our new abode for the next two days, the amazing Villa sur Mer....

[Clarity]

The ride to Negril was very smooth, relaxing and chill. At first we were both very shy with Wayne. It was overwhelming to be back in Jamaica and there was a half hour of silence while we just took it all in. Maybe it was the sheer exhaustion mixed with the lightheadedness from the Red Stripe consumption so early in the day…I was in an odd state of disbelief that this trip was actually happening...with the lush Caribbean landscape passing by the car window… It felt like a dream sequence…

… but once we opened up and started talking the whole atmosphere changed. We were laughing and sharing intimate stories in no time. I went from feeling like a newbie all over again, to feeling like I was truly coming back home.

We pulled to a stop in front of Villa Sur Mer. It didn’t look like much from the outside, just white walls and a big gate. The resort is entirely hidden so you could easily pass it without even realizing it. Wayne honked his horn once and someone slowly began to pull open the gates. He ushered us inside and closed the gates behind us.

We said our cheerful goodbye’s to Wayne…Great driver and very cool person!



Wayne explained that Rocky had our cellphone and that he would be coming by later on to deliver it to us in person. It had been a year since I last saw Rocky, so I looked forward to seeing his smiling face again.

Kimi was the first person we met at Villa Sur Mer. We had been in correspondence with the owners Peter and Kimi through email over the past few months. It was amazing to finally meet her in person.

She greeted us with a hug. “Happy Anniversary! It’s truly a pleasure to have you both here”

They made us feel so incredibly special from the very first moment we arrived, Kimi assured us that we would be well cared for and have the privacy we needed for an intimate anniversary together in their resort.

I had fallen in love with Villa Sur Mer from just the pictures on the website but I was beginning to realize how unique this place truly is. You feel like a VIP here. I’m not used to this kind of posh treatment!

[Clarity]

Kimi took the key out of the lobby area and gestured for us to come with her to our Villa.



“As I mentioned in the email I sent you yesterday, we have upgraded you both to the Honeymoon suite for your anniversary” she said leading us through the pathways lined with palms and lush flowers. Butterflies fluttered over the trees and we could hear the leaves rustling from the warm breeze. It all felt very surreal and I just couldn’t digest it all. It was so quiet..so peaceful…




We passed a bunch of villas, each was unique in it’s own way. Tropical, mediterranian and Spa-like. like something out of a Travel magazine… You could tell the person who designed this resort wanted to create an environment that takes you away from everything and gets you in touch with nature.

[Clarity]

I was in awe when she opened the door to our Villa



It was absolutely over the top beautiful…sparkling chandeliers with translucent paper thin shells.. a huge bed in the center

[Clarity]

There was a full kitchen cove to the right..



In the back was the bathroom..

[Clarity]

And I’d never seen a shower like this in my life…It was HUGE!




Every stretch of wall had windows on it with wooden blinds that opened to reveal the sunshine streaming through the bright green tropical landscape…

She was walking around showing us everything “Here is the remote control for the flat screen, we have a ipod stereo here.. You can make complimentary phone calls here, international or local…” She kept going but her voice kind of faded away and I started feeling dizzy, like I needed to lay down… this was all very surreal… I couldn’t digest it. I looked around and covered my mouth…

Was this really happening? Were we really going to be spending our anniversary in this over the top beautiful honeymoon villa? How could we be so blessed to be able to experience this? How do we even deserve this?

And that’s when my eyes filled with tears…

(Note: My eyes will fill with tears many times during this trip. You could make a drinking game out of it –“Read Clarity’s trip report and take a shot each time she starts to cry tears of joy.” You’ll pass out drunk before you reach day 5.)

Kimi looked concerned “Is everything okay with this villa? Is something wrong?”

“No.. I’m just, it’s…incredibly beautiful…” I whispered “thank you for upgrading us… this is…I..”

“No crying now. Stop that”, Kimi said with a smile and a wave of her hand. “I’m very happy you like it here,”