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Thread: 40 years later

  1. #1
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    40 years later

    My how time flies when one is having fun. I remember the first time I heard about Negril. It was 1971. I was with my college buddy, Bobby, and we had escaped the cold Pittsburgh winter and were hanging out on the beach in Key Biscayne's Crandon Park. We were having a great time, but there was a guy on the beach who was telling some girls near us about the terrific time he had in Negril. He said that you just flew into Montego Bay and then took a taxi along the beach road to Negril where there was 7 miles of white sand beach. He said that the accommodations in cottages were cheap and people were friendly.

    We were staying at Coconut Grove at the time at the house of a relative of Bobby's and we did not have much money, but it sounded like fun. We went to a Travel Agency in the Grove and bought two cheap tickets on Air Jamaica to Mobay. I remember that this was in the days before age discrimination, so we were able to buy youth tickets that were cheaper than regular tickets. My memory is a little fuzzy, but it seems like the tickets were only $90 round trip. Of course minimum wage the minimum wage back in those days was $1.60 per hour, so $90 was still some good money.

    Loved the rum drinks on the plane down to the Island and the free rum punch in the airport before we cleared customs and immigration. It was the first time either of us had been outside of the country, except for going to Canada, so the clearing customs and having our bags searched new, but relatively painless.

    We caught a minibus that was headed to Negril and were soon out of the jumble and hurly-burly of Montego Bay and on our way. We were delighted and entranced by occasional glimpses of the turquoise sea through the verdant foliage. We were in a great mood and were only slightly put off by some of the hard stares by some people along the road in the small towns on the way to Negril.

    The driver went directly to Miss Ruby's Tip-Top cottages in Red Ground since we had no idea where we wanted to go. We were a little dubious until we learned that a room was only going to cost us $2.00 per day. Back then, a dollar US was only worth $0.88 JA, but still, $2.00 was fine for a nice clean room with two beds.

    It did not take long before a local guy asked us if we wanted to buy some ganga, which of course we did. He rummaged around in the bush for a while looking for something and eventually came up with a smoking device called a chalice. It was an empty coconut shell with a length of rubber hose with about an inch protruding stuck in top and another 12" length of the same hose stuck in about 45 degrees from the top. Into the short hose on top he stuck a limestone chillum, well packed with some local bud. A few hits of the chalice and the sale was made. After making the sale, the teenager gave the chalice a heave back in the bush, presumably so that the police would not find it.

    I did not smoke, but Bobby did. Sharing squares with the locals was a great way to get to know them and it was not long before we were friends with Mrs. Ruby's son Eddie and a little guy known as Presidente. Presidente also appreciated a drink of rum now and then. We loved the beach, eating curried goat at the Wharf Club, and drinking rum and cokes at the Yacht Club. When there was water pressure, we took showers under cold water only in the public outdoor shower behind Tip-Top cottages.

    The highlight of the entire stay was a party organize by Erica. Everyone staying at the Tip-top cottages kicked in some ganga and some money and did some work helping to make the ganga cake and get the ice, soft drinks, and rum ready. Erica got a little local band to play at the party, three musicians, a banjo player, a guitar player, and El Presidente on the bass or rhumba box. Of course all three also sang and there were volunteers using rattles, shakers, and percussion sticks.

    The moon was full, the music was as intoxicating as the rum and ganga, and the girls were beautiful as they swayed and stepped to the beat.

    After having such a great time on our first visit, we knew that we were going to be returning to Negril often.

    That first trip I walked the entire length of the beach to the island and there was very little the beach back in the day. There was the Sands Beach Club with thatched huts and hammocks. Further on down, there was a guy who had a nice private house right on the beach. He also had a Jaguar and a Cabin Cruiser was often anchored a hundred yard or so off the shore from the house. The last place on the beach before I got to the island was the Sundowner Hotel. This was obviously a high dollar hotel that was way out of my budget.

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    Swimming out to the island, there was very little on it except a couple of old fish traps. With a mask, fins, and a snorkel, I saw beautiful coral reefs only a few feet from the surface. I also saw a couple of sea snakes and a very large barracuda that seemed interested, but not afraid, of me.

    I saw indications that there was going to be some building done on the area near the island and eventually that is where they built Hedonism. There was not much going on toward the Cliffs when I was first visiting Negril. The Yacht Club was just about the limits of what there was down that road as far as I knew. It was a couple years later that Rick's Café became the in spot to catch the sunset.

    Erica and Miss Ruby were always great to Bobby and I. I wonder if anyone on this board can tell me what happened to the people I knew back in the day?

    What happened to El Presidente? I heard that Miss Ruby's son Eddy was pushed through a window during a scuffle and bled to death from a cut behind his knee.

    What became of Erica? I know that she married a white American, Steve, and had a son with him, named Jason, if I recall correctly. Used to buy balloons in Miami and bring them to Jason to play with. Can anyone on the site tell me what happened to Steve and Jason?

    In any case, I am glad that I found this forum and I am able to read that so many people are still enjoying visiting Jamaica and having vacations that they will remember more than forty years later with fondness.

  2. #2
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    Re: 40 years later

    Similar stories from Jim and I back in 1972 except we stayed at Porter's Cottage. The local kids took us down into the cave behind Porters, but only Predidente would take us down to the water in a sub cave. He died a number of years ago. His nephew Leonard took me down to the water about 2 years ago. Here is that trip report.
    /http://www.negril.com/discus/messages/196641/276001.html

    The links in the original story no longer work. Maybe Rob can bring back some of those old forgotten posts.

    Regards,

    Bob

  3. #3
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    Re: 40 years later


  4. #4
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    Re: 40 years later

    I to went to Negril the 1st time in mid 70's air fare from Miami was $96 round trip exchange rate $2.10j for $1.00us Gas over $5.00j for a liter.
    Rooms at George's across from Tensing Pen about $6.00j Fish Sandwich at Miss Mary's at the roundabout $1.00j and countless soon come mon Red Stripe $2.00j.
    Nights were black dark, and much more.
    I have photo from 82 I can post.

  5. #5
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    Re: 40 years later

    Thank you, Bob for the link and the pictures and story. Also for telling me about what happened to President, a very nice guy without a mean bone in his body. I never went into that cave, although I remember President talking about it and asking me if I wanted to go visit it. I have never been one to want to go into caves.

    The only cave that I was in did not have a name, although from reading this board a bit, I suspect that it is what is now called Pirate's Cave. There was a spot on the cliffs, not too far down the road past the Yacht Club, where one could jump into the water and then to get back up on the cliff, you had to swim into the cave and work your way up until you came out a small hole on the surface.

    I was only in that cave twice. I am afraid of heights and do not like to be around things like the edge of the cliffs. But I was over checking the site out and decided to go ahead and jump off to see what it was like. I found that there was plenty of water where one landed so it was safe in that way and that it was not difficult to climb out of the cave.

    On my second attempt I threw caution to the wind and went for the most extreme swan dive that I manage, throwing myself up and out with my arms back, just like I had seen the cliff divers of Acapulco do on Television. It worked out well because I had plenty of time to bring my arms in front of my head and I hit the water almost perfectly perpendicular to the water's surface. Thinking about it afterwards, I thought that if I had done a more modest dive, aiming for the surface of the water, instead of jumping up and out, I would have probably over rotated and slammed at least my legs if not my back on the water. It was just the joy of being in Jamaica and the beauty of the spot that gave me the courage to do that dive. I never tried it again and when I checked it out later, I wondered what had gotten into me to try to do such a thing.

  6. #6
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    Re: 40 years later

    Quote Originally Posted by lane View Post
    I to went to Negril the 1st time in mid 70's air fare from Miami was $96 round trip exchange rate $2.10j for $1.00us Gas over $5.00j for a liter.
    Rooms at George's across from Tensing Pen about $6.00j Fish Sandwich at Miss Mary's at the roundabout $1.00j and countless soon come mon Red Stripe $2.00j.
    Nights were black dark, and much more.
    I have photo from 82 I can post.
    Was the exchange rate the official exchange rate or the black market rate? When I first went to Negril, there was no black market in currency, but after a while, probably because the government was messing with the money and exchange rate, there was booming business in money exchanging.

    Please post your photo from '82.

  7. #7
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    Re: 40 years later

    I'm still cliff diving! I posted a photo a few days ago. http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...l-diving-at-61

    Regards,

    Bob

  8. #8
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    Re: 40 years later

    Quote Originally Posted by rjonsun View Post
    I'm still cliff diving! I posted a photo a few days ago. http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...l-diving-at-61

    Regards,

    Bob
    By the livin' Gawd that made you,
    You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

  9. #9
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    Re: 40 years later

    Love the stories from back in the day, on thge island.
    Trip #59 most of February

  10. #10
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    Re: 40 years later

    Awesome read...thanks!
    Ya Mon...Heading home
    10/9-10/16 @ Idle Awhile & the Zoo!
    3/14-3/21 @ The Zoo

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