Sam I Am's Trip Report May 2011 (Part1)

[Sam I Am]

DAY SEVEN:
I woke up feeling like this was an errands day. I did so little the day before, that I had a few things I wanted to get accomplished! I walked down to check out the new MiYard on the beach. It seemed nice but didnt have the same energy as the other location. I hope that it picks up and can stay in business. I would love to have a 24 hour spot on the beach. I got a egg sandwich there and then went looking for some credit for my digicel.

I stopped at Mikey's shop near Coco but he was out of credit and told me to come back later. So I decided to hit the beach and get some sun before it got too hot. I am fair skinned so I try to stay out of the sun and in the shade most of the time. People never believe me when I get home and tell them I was in JA for 2 weeks... they always want to know why I am not tan. I dont tan. I am pale or I am burnt. Given those options I choose pale. But I digress... While at the beach I meet some other guests including a mother & her college aged son who seem really nice (we'll call them C & N). We chat and she offers to let me tag along with them tonight to Ricks. She has a rental car. I have never been a huge fan of Ricks, but again, it is hard for me to pass up a free ride. We agree to meet later at their room.

I need to change more money, so I walk down to the cambio at Bourbon Beach again. On the way I finally find my digicel credit. After changing money, I stop in at Yellowbird for the webcast. I promised my coworkers I would pop in and wave to them on camera on this day. I also wanted to try the 2 for 1 dirty bananas there. The drinks were good, but were melting too fast! Guess I have to drink faster or bring a friend.

After that quick pop in, I walked back to White Sands and spent a few hours on the beach. Then I go and meet up with my new friends C & N and we head out for Ricks. We all grab a beer and and stake out a good spot to watch the sunset. We chill, chat and people watch. The place was packed. You would never walk into that and think it was slow season! Beautiful sunset as usual.

On the way back, we stop and HiLo and grab a few things. The C & N then invite me to join them the next day on their trip to YS falls. I had been there before, but couldn't pass up a free excursion. We make a plan to meet the next morning. I am starting to realize that I will do just about anything is there is a free car ride involved... note to self: stranger danger.

I head to bar for a few drinks and then up the beach again for the Escovich fish at Sun Beach (resistance to this dish is futile). I met a older man there while I was having dinner who was born in Kingston and now lives in Canada. His family came to JA in the early 1900's and he moved to Canada in the 60's. Since then he has come back to JA regularly but had not been to Negril in over 20 years. We chatted about the changes and what Jamaica was like for him as a child. I really enjoyed meeting him and had a nice history lesson with my dinner.

Another day in the books...