This our Hedo trip report. Both Cindy and I contributed, so if the possessives keep changing, we apologize. Specific comments from Cindy or me will be in parenthesis with either C- or R-.
Day 1: Saturday (10/4/97) Our trip out was great. Food, Mimosas and service was great. Air Jamaica flight left on time. We arrived at Sangster International and found a huge mob going to Hedo. There were so many of us that they put us on a real bus plus the usual van with the luggage going on a separate truck. Met a very nice couple (Cookie and Sam) while waiting for the bus, more on them later. On our way to Hedo, we drove through a short but very intense thunderstorm. We arrived about 1 p.m. The Tim Air people beat us, but had to take a circuitous route around the thunderstorm.
Got into our room, slapped on sunscreen and headed for the beach. (C- I am a Hedo virgin and this was my first time on a nude beach. Rick was real concerned that I would be uncomfortable and offered to start off on the prude beach. I took a deep breath and went for it. Got down there and took off my shirt. No one ran away screaming. Actually, no one even really noticed.)
Two minutes later, the sky opened up for our first of many deluges. No more sun that day! Went back to the room and unpacked, then off to the hot tub. (C- I felt comfortable in the hot tub, too. Walking around nude was no big deal to me. I got comfortable with it very quickly.) Cindy prepared for her trip to Hedo by surfing the web and reading trip reports, which is why we feel we need to do this report. (C- I visited Contraband's Corps of Corruption page - http://members.aol.com/contraband - and read the trip reports. I was thrilled to actually get to meet Hedoman, Contraband and his Corps of Corruption. What a great group of people - lots of fun.)
Introduced Cindy to Robert's jerk chicken and red snapper. Then met Cookie and Sam for dinner. By 9:00 p.m., we were exhausted - first night in and too much hot tub - off to bed.
Day 2: Sunday Cindy is off getting club certified to dive. (C- if you want to get club certified, bring a note from your doctor saying you are in good health to dive. Otherwise, the note will cost you $40 from a Jamaican doctor. The swim test includes six laps in the pool (talk about getting winded - everyone was huffing and puffing after that), treading water for 50 seconds (no biggie) and 1 lap underwater. I haven' swam underwater since I was fourteen - just a few years ago (ha-ha!). That was the hardest part.) Didn' get done with that until 1:30. I went on the 11:30 dive. Reefs and fish were in real good shape. Saw normal fish and reef, in addition to a moray eel and lobster. I took a 10:00 a.m. tennis lesson with Tony - was exhausted and thoroughly soaked 30 minutes later. Cindy got out of class and we had a late lunch on the beach. Halfway through our burgers, the sky opened up again. Off to the hot tub. Heavy rain lasted for about 1/2 hour and then it drizzled until sunset (there was nothing to see). (Semi)Vinnies came to the hot tub during the rain with their swim trunkson. Cindy knew them from her morning scuba certification class. She waved and they came over and into the tub (with their trunks on). We told them they were a tad overdressed, but they ignored our gentle hints. Actually, Cindy told them they had to take their pants off. They thought she was joking. I went for drinks and when I came back, I told them the price of the drinks was their swimsuits. They finally took their trunks off and the whole hot tub erupted into applause to their surprise - they didn' think anyone had noticed.
Went to Veronica's after the dinner show. Ultimo went to the States foreye surgery in August. He is supposedly back, but on vacation. We finally got some info from Veronica that they expect him back the middle of October. Something funny is going on. I think we only got the cover story. We'll see if he's back in November.
Day 3: Monday Cindy and I shared an 8:30 a.m. tennis lesson with Anthony, practicing our ground strokes. We ate breakfast with Cookie and Sam after his 9:00 a.m. lesson.
I (Rick) went on the 11:30 a.m. dive and had lots of equipment problems. The first two regulators leaked badly; the third, just a little. I also had trouble finding a mask that didn't leak. This is not normally a problem. The dive was good, but visibility was only about half of Sunday's dive. Mydive partner sucked his air - he was down to 400psi and I still had 1600 left. The dive master sent us both up and continued the dive with the others.
I grabbed a quick bite and went with Cindy on her checkout dive. She had a lot of trouble with equalizing pressure, but still had a good time. Spent30 minutes at 15-30 feet. Sandy the divemaster noticed that Cindy was bleeding a bit from her nose. (C- I didn't want to dive until I got my ears popped. I never could pop my ears for the rest of the trip. In fact, a week later,my ears are still slightly plugged. A couple of people have told me this is fairly normal for first timers.) Sat down to lunch - guess what? Halfway through the rain started again. Lasted all afternoon. Went to Veronica's and hot tub. It was one of our latest nights - got to bed at 12:30 a.m. Obviously we are not part of the late set.
Day 4: Tuesday Similar pattern to the days. Up at 7:30 a.m. (without an alarm). Quick bite before 8:30 a.m. tennis lesson. Breakfast with Sam and Cookie. Off to the beach. Lunch then rain. Today it only rained for about an hour. Cindy and I joke about what time we want it to rain. That's how we plan what time to eat lunch.
Joined the singles tennis tournament. We were nowhere close to winning, so we called it quits after three sets. Alcohol and sitting in a hot tub for an hour is probably not the best training plan before a tournament.
Our friends, Bob and Ruth, arrived after a six hour delay due to windshield problems on their plane. They ate dinner and crashed. They missed a hilarious after-dinner show - Clash of the Titans (Battle of the Sexes). It started out real slow with a race to make a bed, set a table, tie a tie. It got a whole lot funnier. You'll have to see it. I don't want to spoil the fun.
The P.J. party was one of the tamest Rick has ever been to. Cindy had a pseudo-leather outfit from Frederick's of Hollywood. She got lots of gawks! Just to show you how tame this was...she was one of only four women in leather. Most looked like Vinnies in their boxers and T-shirts (how revealing!). One guy asked Cindy if she would pose with him. (C-I hope that picture stays in his album!! I did tell his wife I vacuumed and dusted in this outfit. They might have believed me. Ha-Ha! I don't dust and vacuum, period.)
Day 5: Wednesday Typical Hedo day this trip. Beautiful morning, rain most of the afternoon. Tennis in morning and we napped during the afternoon rain. While we were freshening our drinks before we went to the room, we saw/heard lightning/thunder. Lightning blew a hole in the disco roof and knocked out the sound system. The returnees party was held in the disco. Fifteen trips won the prize this year. Repairmen had patched the hole in the roof. The sound system was back in action by 11:00 p.m. and opened as scheduled.
Day 6: Thursday Great morning, but hot and humid. We worked on volleys and serves in our 9:30 a.m. tennis lesson. Poured all afternoon and into the night. It finally stopped around 9:00 p.m. Went to the hot tub during a break in the rain and stayed a couple of hours. DelRoy's lowered the curtains to keep the blowing rain out. I think this is the first time I have ever been cold in Jamaica- only my head was out of the water in the hot tub.
T-bone steaks for dinner. I asked for well-done; got medium -just the wayI like it. Real early night. I just crashed and burned. Cindy stayed to seethe talent show. Some good acts - some not-so-good! Toga night - some VERY interesting togas, but lots more conservative ones. A pretty tame toga night, too.
Day 7: Friday Finally - a day without rain at Hedo! (But not Negril. We watched it rain across the bay.) 1/2 hour tennis lesson at 8:30 a.m. and then a lazy breakfast. After lunch, we went to Negril to shop. We got the best price on Blue Mountain coffee ever at Legends in the Bi-Lo Mall - $12 per lb. if you buy more than 5 lbs.
Bought a couple of carvings for Christmas presents. Cindy bought a wrap and anklet. There must be a cheaper way into town. It costs $10 per person with a four person minimum. Sam's back was bothering him, so it was just Cindy, Cookie and me - still $40.
After we got back, there were two pelicans feeding in the J-hook. Cindy tried to get a picture of a pelican sitting on the J-hook. She waded intothe water to get a closer shot. As soon as she brought the camera up, the pelican flew off!
Dinner at Pastafari's was delicious with great service! When I was there last year, the cappuccino machine was broken. A year later it was broken again (still?). They change the menu twice a week now - Monday and Friday.
Day 8: Saturday Our friend Cookie broke her arm last night, falling down the steps to her room. They had an hour and 1/2 ride in a taxi (with her broken arm) to go to Mo Bay for X-rays and to get the arm set. Hedo had the nurse accompany them on the trip. The nurse yelled at the taxi driver most of the way to takeit easy and avoid potholes - impossible in Jamaica. Cookie and Sam still have another week left at Hedo. They are thinking about cutting it short due to her pain.
Had an hour tennis lesson this morning. Brian worked us hard. Cindy can't wait to try her new ground strokes out in competition in Atlanta! Her tennis team should be pleased. After tennis we ate breakfast and talked to some folks leaving - that will be us tomorrow (Sob!!)
We headed to the beach for the last full day of sun. Well, only a few minutes because it rained early today. We took a nap before lunch because of the rain. We ended up in the dining room for lunch. Cookie and Sam were back from Mo Bay and the hospital. After lunch we headed back to the beach. It was still drizzling, so off to the hot tub. The Lifestylers are here, so there's a bigger crowd than usual in the hot tub. It was too hot (in temperature) so we went to cool off in the Jacuzzi. It was still raining, so the Jacuzzigot us cool very quickly. Back to hot, off to cool... We figured it would rain all day so we went to take our showers. As soon as Rick got out of the shower all nice and clean, the sun came out. We should have tried this earlier in the week! We sat in the window and watched a bunch of textiles cruise the beach - only there was no one on it and they didn't know to look in the hot tub! I took my shower and we headed back to the beach to watch the sunset. Only the third time there was an actual sunset. This one was gorgeous and lasted a long time.
(With the Lifestylers here, it kind of changes the mood. Ruth and Bob were approached in the hot tub. A swinger couple earlier in the week approached us. Cindy, who's been smiling and saying hi to everyone on the beach has become a little uncomfortable with saying hi to total strangers. Not that everyone is after our fabulous bodies (not!), but Cindy doesn't feel asopen. This is probably not the PC thing to say, but it's a valid feeling.)
Back to the room for a quick clean up and off to Pastafari's again. The service was horrible compared to the night before. Our food was not hot when it was finally served. We got coffee, asked for dessert, never got it. We ended up going into the main dining room for dessert. (Like we really needed dessert!) We had a drink at Veronica's and called it an early night, even though it was our last one. Doing lots of nothing is very exhausting! Cindy is totally relaxed - she can't seem to keep a thought in her head for more than a second. She went to read what was on the lunch menu. She walked back and couldn't remember a thing! She's lost several IQ points this trip. (C - I think my brain is like a nuclear reactor - once it's off, you have to bring in back on-line a little at a time! A week after Hedo, I think I still may not be totally back on-line.)
Day 9: Sunday Last day - up early. Met Sam, Cookie, Ruth and Bob for breakfast. Went to pack (luggage out by 11:00 a.m.) - finally finished and off to the beach for the last few minutes. Margaritas at 10:15 in the morning. What are we going to do on Monday? The water in the rooms was turned off, so settled for a rinse on the beach before heading to the airport at noon.
Our last lunch at Robert's. (C - I have had french fries everyday thistrip. It will be hard to get back to salads!) A last mudslide and dirty banana from Scumba - he makes the best drinks! Said our good-byes to everybody. It was too sad... The only bright spot is we will be back in seven weeks for Thanksgiving (for ten days - Yes!!). (C-when I come back in November, it really will feel like Welcome home!. I guess I am no longer a Hedo virgin!)
Our trip home was uneventful, although our flight was delayed 20 minutes because they almost left two containers of luggage at the airport. Luckily, they discovered this before we took off. Excellent food and service on the flight. Going through immigration and customs was a breeze. They had a dog meet our plane. There was another dog at the bottom of the escalator and another one at baggage claim. No excitement. Rick was a bit worried about Cindy driving home what with losing so many IQ points on this trip. And driving in Atlanta is bad enough with all your faculties intact! We made it home safe and sound.
Update on Cookie and her broken arm. They left Hedo on Monday and she went straight to the emergency room when they got home. They ended up doing surgery on her arm on Thursday for two and half hours. She has pins through her arm. It will be at least eight weeks before she's back to normal. She is planning on being back to work in two weeks. In Jamaica, they just put her in a cast and never even suggested surgery. Let's say the level ofcare in the US and Jamaica is widely different. Should something serious happen to you at Hedo, remember this.
(C- I really did have the most fabulous time! The weeks preceding my trip were so stressful at work, this was the best prescription for me. Going with a Hedo expert like Rick (he's been there eight times) also made things seem to go smoother.)