Gerry G's TRAIL OF ASHES TOUR Final Chapter -- The Mighty Californian's return

[beachballler]

I stopped at Smokey Joe’s jerk stand for a quick bite on the way home, then ran into Negril Bill, and we said our hellos with vague plans to hook up later in the week. I think he is gun shy cause last time we were together, I totally overdid it at the Jungle and at the ensuing after-party, and I remember he was bit wide-eyed about the whole thing.

ALOT of people are gun shy of hanging with GerryG, not for the meek, minor-leaguers!! LOL

[Crusher]

ALOT of people are gun shy of hanging with GerryG, not for the meek, minor-leaguers!! LOL

I am sure it would be one hell of a ride though!

[HuskerJohn]

Elvis is looking good! First thing We do on the morning of Feb. 3rd is make to 1 minute walk to PeeWee's and order a Elvis omlet. YUM!

[Flipadelphia26]

Love Smokey Joes.

2 trips ago. Jackie, African (A friend, in tourist - local terms) and I played Dominoes at his table. African crushed us. 10 times in a row, and smokey joe was howling every time. shaking his head at us for being so bad.

[gerryg123]

Here are some pics:



The beach is lookin' good




Seastar dog Boy




Kevin at Catcha Falling Star

[gerryg123]

Marko called, and we planned to hook up later. Meantime, I’ve been hangin out with yardies, including Chickster, a fun-loving tourist from Canada with a shiny bald head and a big heart.

I took the scooter up the hill, past Ricks to Banton’s, my long-time friend who runs a little bar up towards Westender. He always has the same red-eyed ambience and cheery disposition, a classic ya-mon fist bumper who represents everything that is irie on the Cliffs.

At Westender, it was time for lunch, so I told Kayvon to bring a big lobster, and he gave me the go-ahead to take a little dip in the pool adjacent to the restaurant. You can float along and gaze at the most beautiful green-mountain scenery you’ve ever seen in your life.

I met an expat who was staying there, having made the short trip from Montego Bay where he and his wife run a business for tourists. Talk about an incredible life – who on earth would not love to be in their place? He’s one of those long-hair tie-dye types who simply belong on the island and would not be comfortable anywhere else. There are a lot of ‘em in Negril. I’m starting to turn into one myself.

Once again, I implore anyone who are considering a vacation to Negril to push the button immediatley. You will NOT regret it. If ever a vacation destination had a satisfacton guarantee, this is the place.

Or, to put it another way: "ya mon, ya mon, ya mon."

[billndonna]

Hey GerryG,if you see Kevin and Bradley again please make sure you tell them BillNDonna miss the great service and awesome drinks,we stayed there for Thanksgiving week and I'm pretty sure they will remember us and all the Jager shots!!Thanks pal and keep the reports coming,they are awesome and keep us dreaming of our home away from home!!

[gerryg123]

I spent most of the afternoon hanging out with Kevin from Norway, my yardie friend. He stays long-term and loves Negril, and we like to listen to old-school rock together – a nice change of pace from old-school reggae and electronic new-Jamaica music.

I often bond with a Seastar Inn yardie, and to this day former hotel neighbors like Brasi and Tattoo Charlie remain good friends. Kevin is that guy this trip. He loves everything Negril and so do I.

It was Chickster’s last night, so we all went to Catcha Falling Star for the bon voyage – the Canadian and his girlfriend, Kevin and myself. Nichollette was our waitress, as always. She has a good attitude and unique smile with a little space between her front teeth. We dined on pasta dishes washed down with rum punches, and a fellow boardie was at the next table and recognized me, so we all hung out together toasting drinks and puffing ganja under the moonlight. There was a nice breeze as the waves touched onto the Cliffs, just a perfect Jamaica evening.

It was getting late by the time we returned to Seastar Inn, but the night was just getting started. I slid Shaky a 20 to run up to the corner for another bottle of JB Overproof, and a few of us eventually gathered in room 14 for some more drinks and laughs before eventually calling it a day.

I slept well, dreaming of the ocean and riding through the cliffs and enjoying jerk chicken and kissing beautiful girls.

[gerryg123]

I woke up early the next morning for spear-fishing, and I got seven fish and two lobsters. At the Seastar pool, Garrett is off work today, so he was hosting his two sons in the pool, trying to teach the little one to swim. On a past trip, Tattoo Charlie had helped teach the older one to swim.

I went to the Westender Inn and ordered their home-made onion rings – only got six rings for six dollars, not the best deal in Negril. I popped by Out of Town pastries and said hi to Colin, who served a veggie roll and cherry-pineapple drink plus a stack of Lion Pride.

[gerryg123]

I met Marko at Tony’s cook stand across from Pee Wees. The chef was not the most friendly one I’ve met in Negril, getting miffed when I asked to better secure my to-go plate with tin foil, but for $6 he serves a nice yardie plate with chicken and rice and veggies.

I drank Dragon Stoudt at No Limit bar, where I met a pretty tourist from Virginia who knew the runnings well and was traveling with her dad. Back at Seastar, I poured rum drinks with Kevin from Norway, mixing JB overproof, fruit punch and a little OJ on top. Garrett joined and we all drank together.

At first, Garrett came just to fix the balcony light bulb, but he ended up staying until the bottle was gone. Then we escaped to the bar for more imbibing, and Shaky and Bobby from Canada (next door neighbor, cool guy) and Rochelle and Randy were all present. I took some photos at the bar, then crashed hard after turning the key and collapsing onto the bed.