Old Negril Photos

[Rob]

There is no toll highway from Mobay to Negril - just nice flat highway unlike the old road filled with potholes the size of buses. There are still some stretches of the old road along the sea that branch off the new highway, if you take one of the drivers here on Negril.com in the Transportation section, ask them to take you on one of those small stretches of road. It will bring back memories....

The tollroad is on the way to and from Kingston and has a great 110kph speed limit. It makes the trip to Kingston so much more easy.

[johng]

Hi Rob,

I see that Negril is still pretty active when it comes to music with Yellowman recently at Roots I believe. I remember seeing him there in the 80's as well as Burning Spear on another occasion. Also had heard that Warren Haynes has been doing shows with Govt Mule at an all inclusive club in Negril for a few years now. I remember back in the 70's the Allman Brothers spent a lot of time in Ochie and I know Dickey Betts used to hang in Negril at the Charela Inn back in the day. Also remember hearing that Johnny Cash spent a lot of time on the island and was very active in charitable causes in MoBay.

[Rob]

Speaking of Govt Mule, they played this year at Breezes Grand Negril - here is a photo from the show:

http://negril.com/nt/nt011813.htm

And I forgot to mention that the ride to Negril is just over an hour now - less than an hour and a half...

[johng]

Thanks Rob,

I remember the old road from Mobay to Negril although beautiful could be a pretty long ride especially after spending the whole day traveling. Back in those days there was nothing built on the beach east of Hedonism. Arriving in Negril and jumping into the sea was something I always looked forward to. Do you live there now?

[rjonsun]

Yeah, I remember Mortimer Johnson from back in 72 or 73. I'm not sure what happened to him, but if you ever get back to Red Ground, look up Fuzzy (even if you didn't know him) because he has a good handle on everybody from Red Ground in that by gone era.

Regards,
Bob

[yellow bird sea tel]

Great pics. wonderful memories
I like the old road
Great Job

[Rob]

Johng,

Me and Lisa (Bnewb) both live here - just outside Negril....

[johng]

Hi Yellow Bird,
Thanks for the compliments on my photos and words. Negril was for many years more of a home than my home here in the states. Luckily I had a nice Nikon FM that I brought with me everywhere I traveled so my Jamaican trips were pretty well documented. I realize that Negril is no different than anywhere else when it comes to growth and development but somehow back in the 70's and 80's there was still an innocence that made it so special. I remember fondly how much fun an Air Jamaica flight was with the fashion shows and Rum Bamboozle's and the quality of service. Arriving in Mobay and getting the blast oven affect stepping off the plane, going through Customs and Immigration with sweat dripping of your forehead in the non AC terminal and the winding ride to Negril and finally arriving in Paradise!!! Do you live in Jamaica now? Regards,John

[johng]

Hi Rob,
Now I get the connection with Lisa (Bnewb). You guys are lucky to call Jamaica home. Back in the 70's I was toying with buying some land in Negril but the politics were such that the threat was that the government might confiscate foreign owned property so I basically fell for the negative propaganda and didn't. I also love an area in Portland called the Cascade District which is up the mountain from Buff Bay over Port Antonia way. Two small areas Spring Hill and Green Hill about 3000 feet above sea level. Coffee, bananas, grapefruit, breadfruit, clean cold mountain streams. Pretty nice. Hey Rob, maybe you can explain what / who is the development out past the lighthouse on the West End. When I was down in 1999 I drove for miles past the lighthouse where previously the West End Road ended. I was amazed to see a huge development of homes similar in design to a South Florida neighborhood most all with large satellite TV Dishes. It didn't seem like anybody was around but everything was well kept. All the homes looked pretty high end. Any idea what that area is called and who owns out there? Thanks, John

[johng]

Hi Rob,
Thanks for your update. I last saw Mortimer in 1999 and at that time he didn't look real well. Not sure if he had an illness of some sort or not but it looked to me that things / time had taken its toll on him. Don't know Fuzzy but if I'm back to Red Ground I'll look him up. Thanks again, John