Trip report Sept 6-15
I arrived in MoBay on the official opening day of the new highway. It was evident that this was a big event as ceremonial tents were set up along the way to Negril. The driver indicated that the governor was attending a ceremony later that day. Our trip took 70 minutes, but I had heard that others had made it in under an hour.
My girlfriend and I had just spent a long week at H2 in June, so when the bus pulled into the driveway I felt like I had just left. It was kind of a nice, sublime feeling. Its always good to see the smiling faces as you get off of the bus. While waiting to check-in several people recognized and came over to talk to the couple sitting next to me. Apparently he had been there 20 some times before. Strangely I never saw them again. I wondered if they just came down for the weekend. I had keys in hand within ten minutes and was on my way to my room in H-Block. Despite traveling alone I was given a room with a king sized bed. From what I heard occupancy was so low that everyone traveling as a single got a room to themselves. No complaints on this end.
Occupancy was very low, maybe 1/3 capacity, if that. It looked like there was no one in either of the back units on either side of the resort. For most meals only the tables on the side adjacent to the bar were set up. The dining room staff and bartenders did seem a bit overworked. Otherwise the low occupancy did not seem to effect service. In fact it gave me the opportunity to really talk to some of the people that I had only met casually on previous trips. I spent lots of time talking to the dive staff and Augustus (in between his raking).
Within 20 minutes of arrival I was on my way to the beach with a drink in hand. The first person that I recognized was good old Augustus who shouted, Wheres the lady? as he was anxiously looking over my shoulder. Sorry Gus. She didnt make it this trip. Seconds later I ran into a couple of friends from the Boston Area Hedonism Group that I did not expect to see and they informed me that yet another good friend was floating around in the pool. With three old friends unexpectedly in attendance I knew it was going to be a good week.
The low occupancy did not curb the sexual atmosphere. In fact of my seven trips this was the most sexually charged. I had never seen such blatant sexual activity before. Still, I was painfully aware that I was traveling alone and I had promised to be a good boy so was more than happy to sit back and spectate most afternoons.
I had heard that there had been 30 days of rain previous to my arrival, but we only had two days and only one day did the rain actually chase people off of the beach or out of the pool. Mostly the days were in the mid 80s. It was a bit muggy in the morning before the breezes picked up. The evenings were cooler. You could almost get away with long pants a few nights (but why?). With the temperatures dropping at night, the water was warmer than the air. This was very conducive to an evening skinny dip.
I tried to do a dive each day. I had done each of the shallow dives several times previously, so I was anxious to try the deeper dives. I also figured that doing the deeper dives, which are earlier in the day, would give me more free time to float or soak during the day. I also thought I would use some of the time to do some things that I had not previously done at Hedo. One afternoon I took a kayak out and circled Booby Key. I was surprised how quick and easy it was to get there. Another afternoon I went water skiing. The water skiing ended up being a big mistake as on my last run I fell and took a ski to the groin. It hurt so bad that I had to be helped into the boat and spend the next two days limping around. I had a really hard time with steps and getting into and out of the hot tub. I also missed a day of diving.
I took Tuesday off from diving to do the catamaran cruise to the Pickled Parrot. There was a good crowd on board, Rasta Ralphie was mildly entertaining, and many people jumped off of the cliffs. I jumped twice. If you decide to do it be careful. Many people come back bruised.
From here on the days pretty much run on the same lounge on the beach, lunch, float in the pool in the afternoon, a few runs down the waterslide, hot tub and jerk chicken at sunset, maybe a few winks before going to the disco or piano bar at night. Unfortunately I missed the Wet T-shirt contest, which was won by a highly energetic and well-deserving individual. Evenings varied. I was fortunate to have good company for dinner in Pastafari one night and Manahama another night. The service in Pastafari is nice, especially after several days of serve-yourself in the buffet line. And bless the Jamaicans for their attempt at hibachi cooking. It wasnt great and much of the food (including the sushi) had obviously been prepared quite some time earlier. Still if you have a good table for company it can be lots of fun. Again we were fortunate to have David as our cook. He seems to be the more animated and personable of the cooks.
Dave the Peanis was at his best this week. He was really on several nights and had a very active group of beautiful people willing to do Piece by piece. I believe that Dave may have met his match in the humor and wit department. A few nights he had an awesome sparring partner for the Hole in the bucket song. I was amazed at the sharpness and wit of the two singers. The disco was somewhat of a disappointment this week. While the music was quite good, the place was overrun by off-duty employees, locals, and hookers.
While I wouldnt say that the diving was disappointing, the visibility was the lowest I have seen in my seven trips. The shallow dives had a visibility of about 40 feet and the deeper dives about 60 feet. This is about 1/2 to 2/3 of what I am used to at Hedo. However the wildlife was plentiful. There were numerous sightings of sea turtles, rays, barracuda, and shark. Surface temperatures were about 82 degrees.
There are a two new Entertainment Coordinators including Ray-Ray (nicknamed Bitch or Gay-Gay) and Keriesha. Ray-Ray has a killer personality and is usually right in the mix of things. Keriesha seems to be developing more slowly, but is usually happy to stop and talk. Buffy is doing a great job of running the activities on the nude side.
A few other random thoughts:
-The ceiling in the dining area is finally being replaced. The support boards and shingles are being replaced and the underside is being painted. It was about 2/3 done. Unfortunately this meant that most of the fans were off. It made for a few muggy dinners.
-I went to the repeaters party, which was held on Sept 11. There was a strange feeling in the air as about 1/2 of the people hovered in the bar area watching the evening ceremonies on CNN. When it came time to give away the free trip I was one of 4 people who still had their hands up at seven visits and I falsely got excited. I was quickly bumped and the free trip went to someone with 23 weeks Wow!
-One morning I shared breakfast with a woman that I had seen around several times over the previous days. We both admitted that we purposely had chosen that week to go to Hedo because we didnt want to be home over 9/11. She was from Washington DC, and I from Boston and we both felt that being home then would be too painful.
-I was fortunate to be there during the Return-to-paradise deal. Almost everyone was told at check in that a voucher for a return visit next September would be ready when they checked out and many were skeptical. Still, Hedo had the vouchers in envelopes ready on check out as promised. I was told by one person that booked through Apple Tours that he was told, He already had too good of a deal and wasnt eligible. Must have been a really good deal!
-I usually come home from Hedo with something bruised or broken. This includes a broken finger (volleyball) and toe (slipped on the tile by the soda machine) in the past. This time, with the waterskiing accident and having gotten my finger stuck in the scuba tank clamp, I was so beaten up by the middle of the week that I didnt drink for 3 days at the end of the week. Still that didnt stop me from having a great time.
-It was very different being there by myself this trip, and I really think that Hedo is not a good place for many singles. I dont mean to say that singles are ostracized, and I only heard one person say anything negative about singles all week, but you have to have a certain personality. Fortunately, I make friends easily and I really enjoy talking to other people and hearing their stories. However on several occasions I found myself defending why I was there by myself. The bottom line was that this was my second trip this year, so I got 3 free days, plus a voucher for a free return trip next September. If I went anywhere else expecting to dive I would pay the same amount per dive that I pay for lodging, food, and entertainment at Hedo. That makes it a no-brainer to me.
-This may sound cruel, but I did enjoy watching one single male during the course of the week. He consistently hit on the single (and sometimes attached) females, including one female who obviously preferred the company of other females. I kept thinking, Well, there he goes. Down in flames again.
-Hedo is replacing the self-serve soda machines. The new machines also dispense ice, so the old coolers full of ice are gone.