Mary and Kevin April 19-28
My name is Mary and Im an introvert. Ive been tested (Meyers Briggs) and come up about as introverted as its possible to be. Kevin is also very quiet and shy (most of the time but wait until you catch him at the right moment!)
Many of you are wondering why an introvert would ever go to Hedo, the worlds biggest and most exciting nude cocktail party.
Introverts really do like people there are just times were not sure how to interact with them, and also times when we are easily distracted by things like music, flora, fauna, and of course our endless deep thoughts (I wonder whats for dinner?)
This years trip (our 5th) started on an interesting note we were bumped (voluntarily) to Lido. Although we booked garden view nude at Hedo, our room at Hedo featured beautiful arched glass doors that opened directly onto our own private patio and the beautiful blue-green waters of the sea. As we stepped out onto our patio completely naked and marveled at the beauty of the surroundings, we noticed that 1) there was a wedding happening about 100 feet away; and 2) we were apparently not on the nude side at Lido. Oops.
Our room was beautiful, and the air conditioning was quiet and remote-controlled, but our toilet was clogged. I called it into the front desk, and after waiting for about a half hour, we used the restrooms at the bar, and then we went over to Hedo for our favorite Happy Hour. When we returned much later, our toilet looked like it was still clogged, but I thought maybe theyd fixed it (ok, I was drunk), so I flushed it. Bad idea. It started flooding onto the beautiful Lido floor. I called the front desk and told them the toilet was flooding the room. 15 minutes later I called again, this time with the kind of hysteria only multiple mudslides and rapidly rising water levels can produce. The man who came to fix the toilet did a great job he fixed it and cleaned up he seemed frustrated that nobody took care of it the first time we called.
We didnt get much chance to take advantage of Lidos room service and other amenities because we went to the Hedo beach party that first night, and the second night we went to the Western Consciousness concert in Sav La Mar. We thought we had a ride on a bus arranged by a woman from Negril.com, but the bus didnt show up, so one of the security guards called a taxi for us. Roy was the driver who took us to the concert - I offered to buy him a ticket if he would join us, and he accepted.
We arrived at the concert at about 11:30 pm Im not sure who was on the stage at that point I was still taking in the whole scene many Jamaicans, very few tourists, vendors weaving through the crowds with trays full of gum, candy, and high grade (wish Id had the guts to take a picture of one of those trays some very sweet looking buds stuck upright into the tray by their stems, resting so innocently amongst the candy bars!) A very nice young Jamaican woman chatted with me for a while she was also there with a shy man.
The music was wonderful Everton Blender, Anthony B, George Nooks, John Holt, Warrior King, Luciano, Cocoa Tea, and many others. When Capleton came on, it was about 7:00 am, and the crowd really came to life (I was surprised at the lack of applause for some of the artists earlier, and Roy told me weve heard them so many times) it was very exciting. As Capleton called for the burning of Babylon, I fervently waved my Haile Selassie banner, but I did realize that I probably looked very much like a perfect representative of Babylon in my Xpress t-shirt and my Eddie Bauer skirt (now that Im sober Im sure nobody knew I wasnt wearing underwear). I think Roy was in a hurry to get home our ride back to Lido was somewhat harrowing.
We slept for a few hours until checkout time at Lido, then headed home to Hedo. Much to my delight, our room at Hedo also had a sea view one of those rooms with the free sea view that Chris mentions in her book! It was right across from the new gym, and also very close to the dining room. I didnt mind the trek to the nude beach, because whenever I go there Im wearing beach sandals, not Babylonian heels.
I probably should have taken a nap after arriving at Hedo, but there was too much going on. We hung out on the beach and then in the pool, and then went to dinner, where I proceeded to pass out from heat exhaustion many thanks to Ken for his help, and the nurse at Hedo was also great! The doctor was also very professional and helpful.
The bad thing about passing out at Hedo in the dining room is that for the rest of your stay people ask you if you are ok. So for any other potential fainters out there, be sure to drink LOTS of water (2 glasses per alcoholic beverage), stay in the shade, and get some sleep! I stayed mostly in the shade for the rest of the trip and enjoyed the special bonus of no skin peeling after the trip.
The next day I felt fine, and we proceeded to have a wonderful Hedo time. We went on the nude cruise 3 times 2 Saturdays and one Tuesday. I love swimming by the Pickled Parrot if theres a better swimming hole (and skinny dipping hole) anywhere, Id like to know what it is!
Snorkeling was great in April we usually go in May, when the waters are full of jellyfish I didnt see any jellyfish this year. I saw many fish, and a beautiful sea turtle. I was really enjoying watching the turtle diving for food so gracefully, and then a couple of other snorkelers thought it would be fun to chase him, so he went away. Ok, maybe introverts dont always like people. Rasta Ralph says you see more fish when you snorkel nude, but on our last Saturday I wasnt in a nude mood, so I wore a swimsuit with peacock colors, and I was constantly surrounded by fish I think they thought I was a giant, beer bloated fish it was really cool!
I love the renovations I was too chicken to go on the water slide, but next year for sure! The nicely lit pools everywhere are wonderful at night.
We went to the disco just about every night, and enjoyed it. Note to newbies: unless you are very confident, you may want to check out the scene on topless night at the disco before actually arriving topless. On our topless night, the entertainment coordinators made a big deal for several days about the disco being topless, wear nothing but a thong. Everybody was fully clothed when we arrived. It was kind of weird lots of people sitting there with lots of clothes on, apparently waiting for topless women to arrive. And what is weirder is that the topless night was on Wednesday, and the previous Monday was topless AND bottomless for some of the dancers it was more risqu than some PJ nights Ive seen!
There was also some very good entertainment this year in the dining room, including a couple of reggae acts one of them was a singer that didnt seem to grab the audience, but we liked him another was more popular and had lots of people dancing. Earlier that night we were treated to some excellent Cuban dancers, who were full of sensuality and energy, and also changed costumes many times! The house band sounded great as usual, and displayed much versatility.
Ive always liked the food at Hedo. This years highlights: stuffed crab backs, sliced fresh tomatoes (so much better than the ones we can get here), mangos (ditto), garlic bread at Pastafaris, the veggies and the dipping sauces at the Japanese restaurant, pasta bar (with fresh garlic), the veggie patties at the prude and nude beach grills, the Jack Daniels nut tart with homemade ice cream at Cafe Lido.
In my continuing quest to add little sprinkles of extroversion to my personality, I actually participated in the beach party games, knowing fully well what I was in for (or thinking I knew what I was in for). Hopping with the ball between my legs was pretty easy due to my tendency to jump around with the young people at concerts. I had always watched the thing where you put your finger on the ball and spin around the ball 10 times, and wondered why people then fall down. I was pretty sure I wasnt going to fall down, and watched confidently until it was my turn. As the EC yelled the count into my ear each time I spun around the ball, I still thought all was under control, and then I started back and promptly fell down it was actually my favorite part you should try it once! The sexual positions contest was fun due to the good-natured, very strong male contestants who didnt seem to mind a female contestant a bit older and larger than usual. The pictures Kevin took look very incriminating.
PDAs Public Displays of Affection to me this is two people holding hands, or kissing, or hugging. Sure, there was plenty of that at Hedo! And also some PDPs Public Displays of Porn most of them I saw this year were at the side of the pool. I saw far more PDPs this year than any other year one notable PDP involved a daisy chain of women, all connected mouth-to-kitty. Sometimes the people putting on the PDPs would glare if anybody appeared to be actually looking at them, even though they were right at the side of the pool, facing the pool!! I prefer PDAs to PDPs, but the PDPs dont bother me, and I know they are appreciated by many!
I thought the staff did a great job, as always we had excellent service at meals, our room was taken care of very well (plenty of towels!!), the watersports guys were great, the grounds looked beautiful, the front desk was friendly and efficient, and the bartenders took very good care of us! Robert at the nude grill does indeed get more handsome every year, and still cooks up excellent sandwiches and fries. I miss Indiana, and hope she has another job somewhere.
De Zoo Bares were a very fun group, and I do feel bad sometimes for not being a zany, entertaining person, since I enjoy zany, entertaining people so much! We also enjoyed talking to some couples wed met last year there truly arent many other vacation places where you can count on seeing friendly faces from previous trips!
So how does an introvert chill out at Hedo when the crowds of zany, entertaining people get to be a bit too much, and some relaxation is needed? Its very easy the nude pool right at sunset is very nice, almost empty, with nice reggae music playing. You can walk on the beach, float on a raft in the ocean, meander through the grounds, or go hang out at the prude beach J
To any newbies out there reading this, especially any fellow introverts, please feel free to email me if you have any questions!