"Welcome Home" the adventure I thought I was prepared for.

[DConkle]

Yes more please! Don't leave us hanging' here! Haha

[Beebeluv]

Sorry an installment soon I'm trying to figure out where i left off... The riu gorgeous I would recommend it they wanna help you get whatever you want.

[Beebeluv]

So after a few minutes of “digestion” we decide to go look around the resort and of course I wanted to see the beach! It was amazing... breathtaking, awesome, and all the other words you can try to describe it with but there is no word for that kind of beauty and pictures don't do the magnitude of it justice.

We couldn't have asked for a better picture. Still a lil thrown back by that sub, we made our way by the pool and found our loungers to lay and just soak it in. Next thing that happens I felt at the time was some sort of sign and I still kinda do. As I'm lying there I notice a pretty little dragonfly buzzing around I stare at it as watching it makes me smile... then something happens that I've never seen before... it lands on my big toe I stare for a second the very slightly wiggle my toe... it flew up then back down on my toe I wiggle it again it flys up and lands on my opposite toe...Wow! Even the bugs are friendly. We were both pretty hungry but decided to wait as we were STILL affected to the point we were to nervous to go face our first meal adventure, all of that teamed up with jet lag it wasn't the greatest feeling. Eventually we get our courage up to go to the lunch buffet. It was really good had a couple “hand sandwiches” some fruit a lil salad it was good very good.

We must be obvious because everyone already knows this is our first day as I thought I had it written on my forehead. After our lunch we go to the bar and get our first dirty banana it didn't look like the others and was quite strong but I drank it anyway. WHY WASTE? We sat and talked to our bartender for a bit. Nice lady asked if it was our first day and said we looked “fresh” because we have no tan... which btw by the end I still didn't have a tan...lol...Back to the story, After our drink we headed to a room that I had noticed while we sat a nd drank it had slot machines in it My other got me $5 worth of tokens and I pick my machine. I chose my machine by a particular phrase that I love...”Jamaican me crazzzy!” lol I of course knowing its my best bet play the max every time. I push the button a few times and with another push “ ding ding ding ding ding” I won about $89! nice... So I decide to play until I get to $80 and cashed out... WOW today is full of luck!!! So after this I say” Let's go to the gift shop.” WOW was it expensive not many souvenirs from here for us. I did however get a necklace in Jamaican colors instead of rasta colors.- I prefer black to red- Now back to the room, by this time it was about 5pm, my other decides to order some room service as this is included in the “all-inclusive”, While waiting we were on our balcony when a young man I'll refer to him as rasta came up and asked us how we were doing and wanted to know if we needed anything my other asked him for a little something which he said he could have to us tomorrow morning... he was very nice and real, didn't seem that his only concern was money... I like him. So we eat and lay down with intentions to get back up again.... We just had to get up again I wanted very badly to go to Seastar for the webcast especially since I knew I would be busy all day Tuesday for those casts. OK, I don't even remember closing my eyes, probably a lot to do with being up 36 hours but when I opened them again it was soo dark in the room I look at the clock 3:30am WHAT!!!!!! NOOOOO... So I drop my head back to my pillow in disappointment and decide there is nothing I can do now so just go back to sleep.

[Beebeluv]

SUNDAY NOV.11th 2012

So I wake a little bit before 6 a.m. I'm super eager and pumped, I grab a piece of sub and go sit on our little balcony. WOW it's such a beautiful temperature outside it seems to be all the time. As I sit I take in the awe that is the sounds of the wildlife in Jamaica. It was more calming and beautiful than any zen CD ever created. I let my other sleep, he just looked soo tired and he was soo wonderful to me through our traveling fiasco. So I decided to make myself useful and make us some subs for the day. This must have been quite a spectacle. I made these subs using a lil LED flashlight which I held in my mouth and used my teeth to push the button. I didn't want to turn the lights on or open the curtains and disturb my other. After making several subs for the day I scooted the chair against the tile and that screech is what awakened my other... opps... So I say my good morning and he reciprocates and asks the time. I reply 7:20 a.m. I remember this vividly because it was our first full day in gorgeous Jamaica and...MY BIRTHDAY!!! So we hang around the room rather sluggish from the traveling (we are obviously are NOT used to it). By the time we actually get out and about its 9 a.m. We head to the breakfast buffet, A muffin and some yogurt and fruit for me. A big Jamaican breakfast for my other.

After we finish a very good breakfast we head up the stairs to make reservations for the a la Carte restaurants. At this point I still feel like I do at home, nervous, self conscious, your basic social anxiety. But I push to try to have fun on vacation. WE deserve it. So we make reservations for the steakhouse for this night at 9 p.m. (only time left) and for the Japanese the next night at 6:30 p.m. By the time we get done here its about 10:30 – 11 a.m. My other wants to take another less jet lagged look at the gift shop. So we do and I find this “beach bag” that I like it says Jamaica with the flag pattern for coloring. My favorite color is green, it has been for quite some time. OK so, My other and I decide to go back to the room so on our little walk we take in the property very nice place I loved it.


Anywho, we notice a coconut on the ground that's only a lil cracked at the top so we pick it up out of curiosity and wanna open it so we eventually get it open by use of the tile in our room lmao. EMPTY... dun dun dun. , So we put on our so called beach apparel and headed to get towels after the towel/ towel card exchange I realize I'm still uncomfortable...how frustrating. I am really bothered by this I wish I could just be free to be myself. I always tend to hold myself back inadvertently, I hate this regular occurrence. I truly am my own worst enemy... SOOOO.... We find our beach loungers and our spot and soak it up and try to relax and get used to things.

[nicole.edith]

This is so much fun to read - I'm going to be a newb on a short trip in September too. AND, I extra LURVE the How I Met Your Mother terminology of the "subs." Hahaha! Love it - AND, I also suffer from anxiety as well - the subs seem to help with that.

[kaycee]

Love your pics!

[Beebeluv]

Thank you both! and as for being a newb you won't feel that way for too long and for some reason your very being pulls at your heart to go back.It's the only place I want to go. Hands down. I live like 40 min from san diego and i want nothing to do with it anymore I refuse to go in our water after that. It's enthralling enchanting and how my vision of heaven will be when I get there... til then negril as often as possible!!!

[Beebeluv]

CONT'D
Wow the people on the beach that walk by selling things are persistent, “you want subs?” “you want cigarettes?” “you want your hair braided?”. This, at first, is very intimidating. So I decide to lay there with my eyes closed so I can relax without being asked to buy something every 3 min. some still try to get my attention lol they must be used to this tactic. My other asks if I want a drink I say yes but I'm not sure what he just says “i'll get it” and off he went to the bar... now … i'm alone... so I close my eyes again. It only works on some people lmao. My other gets back with a margarita mm it was good. Then a man asks if we want a boat, my other gets up and walks over to him and the talk, we didn't make solid plans and the man said “OK if you want we go out next at 1:30 p.m” “OK man” my other states. Well that's only thirty minutes from this time and I don't really feel like it we head back to the room shower and change. While preparing sub sandwiches, my other decides he wants to go to the gift shop and get a Cuban cigar. He made jokes about making a giant birthday sub with it, but when u saw it you knew it wasn't a good idea. So I'm STILL in anxiety mode and I feel just terrible because I think my other really did want to go for that boat ride. I really don't want to hold him back from having fun on vacation, but he refuses to leave me alone for any significant period of time because he promised my mother he wouldn't so getting him to go alone was a no go. We go and decide to try and catch the end of lunch just before 3 p.m. And we make it. We walk the grounds a little and head back to the room for a balcony sub. And now I'm seriously anxious we are in the room at 5 p.m. On VACATION...wtf... I feel like its my fault and I tell my other to go do what he wants for awhile bur of course he refuses to leave. I'm trying soo hard to push past this I need to relax I need to be me its definitely necessary. OK so we go out for drinks before our late dinner at the steakhouse. Well after a few drinks and a little anxiety fueled drama it was dinnertime. So we head towards the water to some pre-dinner sub, then off to the steakhouse where we both ordered the “surf-n-turf” steak and lobster. Steaks cooked med-rare naturally..duh. It was amazingly delicious and for dessert I had the cake and my other a “baked Alaska”
lmao his face...

after dinner we catch the end of the show. And a little more drama on my part. (told you i'd be honest) Unfortunately before turning in at the room.
SIDE NOTE: If your into late-night nightlife THIS RIU probably not for you although if you stay at palace you have access to the sister property but if you stay at the club you do NOT have access to the palace property.

[Beebeluv]

Property pics

[Maryann]

Enjoying your trip report and photos! And this is off subject, but your little dog (daschund?) is so cute!