Mr. and Mrs. D go to Negril - A Trip Report

[Mike_D]

After spending the day on the resort grounds, it was finally time to venture out and enjoy some dinner and maybe some nightlife. We went back to our room to get ready to go to Canoe Bar.

Outside the gates of HSH, we waved down a red plate taxi. The driver took us to Canoe and offered to come back and pick us up later. He said we could pay him at the end of the night. I negotiated a price and asked him to come back at 10:00.

We went into Canoe Bar and grabbed a table right by where Greenie's band was playing. It was a little bit after sunset when we arrived and the webcast scene was already dying down. The band was terrific and played a little while longer while we enjoyed dinner and drinks. We even bought a great CD from the band (I play it all the time at home). By the time we paid our dinner bill, the bar was completely empty. It was just us and Kirby hanging out in the main area of the bar, and I didn't think he wanted to keep the place open just for us. I called our driver and asked if he could pick us up a little earlier than planned (I think it was 9:30). Kirby offered to get us some more drinks, but I could tell he was ready to close and we were ready to move on to our next destination.

Our driver arrived and we bid farewell to the remaining staff at Canoe Bar. We hopped in the car and asked the driver to take us somewhere on the beach where we can hear some music...

[TizzyATX]

Great pic Mike!! haha Still enjoying the TR, your style of writing is real easy to read while good on detail.

Give Mrs.D my best

[sbeth]

This is great! Thanks for writing it.

[Beth Ann]

Really enjoying your report! Great pictures, love the one of the HSH cliffs with Blue Cave in the background. Looking forward to the rest!

[justchuck]

You write a great report and luvin' the pics too!

[Mike_D]

Thanks Tizzy! Mrs. D. sends her regards and says she loves your pic on C&D Connie's facebook page.

Glad you're enjoying my attempt at a TR, sbeth. I'll try to keep it interesting.

Thanks, Beth Ann. HSH is in a great spot for pictures. If you turn to the left, you have a great view of BCC. If you turn to the right you can see the SPA Retreat (not as impressive as BCC, IMO) and the seven mile beach. The beach looks pretty cool at night when it's lit up.

Thanks for the encouragement, Justchuck. More to come.

[Mike_D]

Ok, so when we left off, we were leaving Canoe Bar and heading out for a night of fun.

The driver started to take us up the Beach Rd. He told us that tonight is Thursday, so the best party scene would be at The Jungle. Mrs. D. and I are not big on the club/dancehall scene so we told the driver that we were looking for someplace with live music and a chilled-out vibe. Looking a little confused, our driver pulled into a driveway on the beach side of the road. I'm not sure, but I think it was Roots Bamboo. The place was dark and quiet and didn't appear to be hosting any event that night. There were a couple men out front and our driver asked them if they knew where there was live music tonight. One of the men suggested Bourbon Beach, so we gave it a shot.

We arrived at BB and I paid our driver as he was going home for the night. I figuerd we wouldn't have any trouble finding a taxi on the beach road when it was time to go home. There were a couple Bourbon Beach Employees at the front door collecting for admission. One door man said that it would be $10 admission, because they were having live music and a fashion show that night. That seemed a little high, based on my research, but I paid the fee and we entered BB to grab a seat at the bar.

SIDE NOTE: I have heard that Bourbon Beach is now under new management and has really turned things around, in terms of quality. When we were there in April the old management was still running the place, and it was apparent that some things needed to be changed. On our next reach (one week from today!) I am looking forward to checking the place out again since I don't think it was up to it's full potenial on the night we were there.

Once we entered BB, we headed toward the bar at the center of the property, on the beach. Immediately, I felt that the place had a very strange vibe and I wasn't quite comfotable. First of all, it was very empty. Not only was it empty of people, but the entire patio area was cleared of any tables and chairs. There were a few picnic tables on the beach. Secondly, we were the only non-Jamaicans there and everybody else seemed to be looking for someone to hustle. A couple of vendors came around but they didn't really bother us at all. It was some of the men and the Jamaican "working girls" sitting around the bar that made me uncomfortable by staring at us. There was actually another tourist couple that came in and sat next to us at the bar. They were staying at Sandals and didn't really like it so they decided to get off the compound an check out some of the nightlife. They seemed more uncomfortable than we did and left soon after they arrived.

Here's where is starts getting strange. We had been there for about an hour and the music still hadn't started. We were talking to the bartender - a nice older guy who was telling us stories about when he was a bartender when the "hippies" first came to Negril in the 70's - and enjoying a few Red Stripes. Eventually, the Stripes got to me and I had to get up to go to the men's room. When I returned, I found Mrs. D. enjoying a sub sandwich with one of the working girls and a man at the bar. My wife ran up to me and said, "Babe! These nice people shared a sub with me!". I thought, "That's my naive wife again!". I just smiled because I knew there was some kind of hustle coming. So I grabbed a seat at the bar, and the man that was sharing the sub leaned over and said, "Hey mon, my name is Rasta Johnny". I said "Hi" to Rasta Johnny and we bumped fists. He then said to me, "I just shared a sub with your lady, so now you owe me 10 bucks". Not wanting to argue, I pulled a few bucks out of my pocket and I gave it him. A little annoyed, we got up and sat at one of the picnic tables by the stage and listened to the band that was now playing. The music was more of R&B than reggae, but it was still good. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Rasta Johnny and his lady friend had gotten up from the bar and moved closer to the stage, as well. They were standing about 10 feet away and appeared to be watching us.

After the band finished, we watched the fashion show. (Apparently the clothes that were being modeled were available for purchase after the show.) Bourbon Beach was still pretty empty at this point, so we decided to call it a night. I figured we could just walk out to the road an wave down a taxi. As we walked out the exit, Rasta Johnny began to follow us. Outside BB, he asked us what we were doing. I said, "We're just going to grab a taxi and head back to our hotel". Rasta Johnny said,"Ok, let me help you. Let's cross the street - it's easier to flag down a taxi on the other side of the road". Now, the outside of BB was completely dark, and so were the surrounding establishments. There were also very few cars on the road, which made it eerily quiet. We stood around for a few minutes when a speeding car came to halt and Rasta Johnny walked over and talked to driver and another occupant of the car. This was a small 2-door sports car with white plates. Obviously not a taxi. Rasta Johnny says,"C'mon, they will give you a ride back to your hotel. I know these guys. They are good guys. I trust them". I said, "No, thank you. I'm waiting for a red plate". The driver then said,"I am a taxi driver. This is a new car and I haven't gotten my red plates, yet". We still refused while they tried to convince us to get in the car. Just then, a red plate taxi came speeding by and I waved him to a stop. Rasta Johnny abandoned the other car and ran over to the taxi, as if he had something to do with it. He opened the door for us and gestured for us to get in. He said,"Here you go, have a safe ride back to your hotel". He then stood by the taxi waiting for a tip. Again, not wanting to argue, I gave Rasta Johnny the last 2 dollars in my pocket and we were on our way back to Home Sweet Home.

Later on, my wife recalled that the girl at the bar was asking her if we wanted to "have a good time tonight". My wife told her that we were having plenty of fun on our own. The girl persisted and said, "Well Jamaica is a place to try new things". I think Mrs. D. finally put 2 and 2 together after that.

All in all, we still had a fun night and I chalked it all up to a learning experience.

[Seveen]

that story reminds me of the time my friend and i were the "choice" of some tourist guys -- the "pimp" actually came over and checked us out - like he was going to employ us in his business - after i said something in my speaky spokey voice - he retreated . . . the tourist guys had to go with their second choice - lol

[TizzyATX]

DOH!@!!! That sucks man, but lesson learned.

So y'all werent up for "trying new things" eh? LOLOLOL

[Mike_D]

That is crazy, Seveen!

There was actually another tourist guy that night who appeared to be staying at Bourbon Beach. He came down from the 2nd floor rooms and started talking to one of the guys at the bar (a pimp?). I could not hear the conversation but wife said that he was trying to solicit some "companionship" for the evening. Apparently, nobody wanted to do business with him and he stomped away, upset and disgruntled.