Big Joe & Sue - February, 2011

*Jamaica Trip Report*   Feb. 5, 2011 - Feb.21, 2011

Flying into Montego Bay on Saturday afternoon, it was a thrill to see the beautiful sparkling turquoise waters and the vivid green of Jamaica's vegetation ~ and to realize again that, "We are HERE!!"  We got off the plane and into the airport ... to wait in the longest line we ever have, to get through immigration!  Luckily, we love to watch people; and so we passed the time doing that and talking to people around us in line.  One funny thing that happened was that the moving walkway kept shoving more and more people into the waiting travelers ~ so that soon there was no place for them to go!!  We felt like we were in a huge sandwich!  Finally, one of the girls waiting in line said, "I know how to turn that thing OFF," which she did. After immigration, we quickly found our suitcases sitting side by side, and headed outside.  We got a taxi, and in 5 minutes were at the Ridgeway Guest House, where we had reservations and had stayed before. It's comfortable, clean, and reasonable; and Collin the owner is helpful and kind. After awhile we walked down to the road and hailed a taxi.  We asked him where he could take us that wasn't touristy and had good Jamaican food.  He took us to the Bucanneer.  It was small, very nice, just what we were looking for.  They had wonderful soups and cooked to order dinners (and very reasonable prices).  On Sunday we moved to the Caribic House.  It also was clean, comfortable and very reasonable.  It's right downtown and across the street from the Twisted Kilt (sports bar and restaurant), where we had decided ahead of time that we would watch the Super Bowl.  They had an all inclusive price for a full buffet, drinks, and reserved seats at their tables.  It was expensive, but we were able to negotiate a better price.  They had several flat screen TV's, inside and out; and it was really nice. The next morning we called Dhana Car Rentals with whom we had reserved a car on line.  They came to the hotel and got us.  Their office is a little east of town, so it was nice that we didn't have to negotiate through the malfunction junction there in Montego Bay.  Once we had finished with our paper work there, we went to a Claro store and bought a Jamaican cell phone for $24 and for $16 got 1000 international minutes good to the US, the UK,etc..  If your own cell phone has a SIM card, you can just use it and get the same deal. We also got 30 Jamaica minutes for $5. We headed for St. Ann's Bay, where we stopped and had lunch in the back room of a little bar.  Again, our meal was cooked to order: fresh fish, rice and peas, and salad.  After that we got back into the car and headed up into the mountains toward Claremont.  This is not one of Jamaica's better roads; and we ended up getting a flat tire.  An old farmer walked up to the road from his field (where he and a young woman were watering the plants with a bucket) and offered to help us change it.  Once we were on the road again, we stopped in the little town of Golden Grove and found a gas station/tire repair shop, where we were able to get our tire fixed.  We walked down the road to one of the ever present little bars and started talking to the young guys who were hanging out there.  From then on, they were our friends and protectors.  Eventually our tire was finished, and we asked the guy in the tire store if he knew anywhere around there that we could stay. He said he would show us a place; so he got in his pickup and led us to it.  The place was amazing!!  It is called Escape Villas and looks out over miles and miles of beautiful green hills and valleys.  They were 2 bedroom, 2 bath fully furnished units (including washers and dryers); and we paid less than we did for either of the places in Mobay.  After settling in, we drove back into town and found our boys at the bar.  They rode with us to the place they recommended we go for dinner, waited outside, and then rode back with us to the bar, where we hung out with them for awhile; and then drove back to our room for the night. In the morning the lady who owned the villas made us breakfast. When we packed up to go, we discovered we had another flat tire; so went back to the tire store to get that one fixed, too.  At last we were on our way!  We continued through the mountains, passing through Moneague, Ewarton, Bog Walk, Spanish Town, and around the South side of Kingston and parts eastward until we reached our destination at Manchioneal.  We had called ahead to make sure there was a cabin available for us at Zion Country.  This is a lovely, out of the way place where the accommodations are basic, but the hospitality is top notch.  Zion is laid out on a hillside overlooking its own little beach.  Breakfast is included; and delicious dinners are also available at a very reasonable price.  The foliage, flowers and views are outstanding, as is the Dutch owner Free-I, who goes out of his way to arrange almost anything you might want to do.  His place sits in a friendly neighborhood, and you can mingle as much as you want with the locals.  Again, one of the young men accompanied us when we went to Winnifred Beach one day. Another day we took two of the other guests from Zion with us and went to Port Antonio.  After 3 days we had to pack up once more, to head for Negril.  Two delightful German ladies accompanied us, as they were also headed to Negril.  They had reservations at The Shields Hotel; so we changed it to a 2-bedroom unit and shared the hotel cost.

 

Saturday morning, we packed up once again, and drove our rental car to Hedo, where we had arranged to have it picked up by the rental car agency. This was a great plan, as we were warmly welcomed and allowed to check in at 10:00 AM.  Within a few minutes, we began to see familiar faces, both amongst the employees and the guests.  This was our 5^th trip to Hedo, and was by far, the BEST ever!!

 

Why was it the best??  The weather was perfect, (unless you consider it a negative having the red flags up a couple of days because of the wind).  Actually, it was fun to have the waves to play in and float on!  The people we met (from Florida, Toronto, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota, Italy, Denmark, W. Virginia, France, California, Washington, etc.) were awesome.  Everything worked perfectly in our room.  The dining room had many great choices at every meal. Shocky held down the pasta bar most nights. Friday night we enjoyed grilled lobster. The hot tub was just right. The nude grill was busy serving up jerk chicken, grilled fish, cheese burgers, fries, patties, grilled cheese sandwiches with ham, bacon, and tomatoes if you wished. There were also salads to choose from every day. Nigel manned it most days; on his days off, Andrew came over from the kitchen.  They stood there in the heat and cheerfully served us. (That has got to be the hottest job on the property.) The energy and the vibe were so friendly, both amongst the guests and the employees. One of the guests that we got to be good friends with was a blind man.  He had been to Hedo before when he could see; and we all admired his desire and courage to come back sightless. We ladies made sure he got the chance to identify us by touch. J  We were there the day Delroy and his wife stopped by.  It was great to get a hug from Delroy and a chance to visit a little, both with him and his wife.  He was to have his surgery the next week; but then Scumba told me that it was postponed.  From the message board, though, it appears that he did have it.  Scumba said, with a big smile, “Delroy will be back!”  We hope so!!

 

You did have to get up early to save a lounge chair, as there was a full house. There were many, many air mattresses to use of all shapes and sizes.  Sometimes you had to wait a little at the bars; but it was just a good opportunity to meet and visit with the person next to you.  The bartenders were outstanding!  Mata at the main bar; Sheldon at the martini station. At the nude bar there were Paulette, Alicia, Serena, Michelle, JayAnn, Sharma, Anna, Janoy (the totally hot new young guy!), and of course Scumba.  And there were probably more that I can’t remember right now.  What I do know is that they worked hard to keep all of us thirsty people in drinks, and they were always friendly and smiling.

 

All of the EC’s were new to us (having not been there for 2 years).  Some came from Hedo III.  They had so much energy and enthusiasm!  There are Fifty, Thrill, Ferario, Neemo, Nicky, Peach, Melody, and Avia.  Again, I know I am missing a couple.  One of the most rewarding things you can do is take the time to get to know them.  As most of us know, these kids work 16 hours a day and might get one day a week off.  It’s great to see EC’s again that really sing, dance, and entertain ~ as well as try to get us to play Bocci ball, and other “interesting” games.  One on one they are affectionate and fun; and they really appreciate it when you take an interest in them.  Of course, Winston is still there too, flaunting his “Winstina” identity.  But there is no question that he is amazingly talented.  It was also great to see “Baby Boy” Deen on the trapeze; as well as out and about.  He is responsible for the music in the disco these days; so if you have any suggestions, look him up.  Sunshine came out of the office to say “hi” one day, but we never did get to hear her sing this time.

 

The piano bar was rocking and packed every night.  Deon was there all but one night; when one of the guests actually took over.  No two nights were the same.  One night Winston joined us.  Always some of the EC’s appeared, also.  We never went to the disco except for the Repeaters’ Party.

 

Impressions:  the smell of sunscreen; the feel of sand between your toes; the sound of steel drums at dinner; the feel of the breeze as you float on the sea; the taste of French fries hot and fresh; the sight of the beautiful, ever-changing colors of the sea; the sound of the birds chirping outside your windows in the mornings; the taste of your sweetheart mingled with rum; the sight of the magnificent sunsets while standing on the point; the sound of Charlie singing while he makes your omelette; the taste of fresh papaya, cantaloupe, pineapple, and honeydew every morning; the sound of the outstanding saxophonist who is part of the Roots Explosion Band; the amazing sight of the full moon hanging in the sky over the sea; the sound of Augustus if you let your lady carry anything, (“I’m gonna break your ass!”); the anticipation of slipping into the hot tub late at night and waiting to see what happens; the joy you feel when you see the genuine smiles of welcome from the employees you’ve known from before; the excitement of getting to play dress-up every single night J ; the feel of the hot sun on every inch of you.

 

Inevitably, the time arrived for us to check out.  But this time, no eviction notice, no solemn bus ride to the airport.  Instead, I looked in the phone book and called a small hotel in Negril.  Because we didn’t have a flight to catch, no one made us leave early. Once we were ready to go, we hailed a taxi which took us to Hidden Paradise.  It was lovely, with only 22 rooms, a pool, a hot tub, beautiful flowers and foliage on the grounds, and an onsite restaurant where a full breakfast was included for only $5 per person more.  We were a mere walk across the street from the beach.  We ate dinner at Miss Jeans, up from the Shell station.  We had standard Jamaican fare: fried chicken, curried goat, rice and peas, sour sap juice and beet juice. One nice thing about Negril is that during high season, there is live Reggae music somewhere every night of the week. There are signs posted everywhere.  This night it happened to be at Bourbon Beach.  It costs $6 per person to get in; and there is a bar and a stage set up where the musicians played. Some people danced or you could just sit or stand and enjoy the music and the other people.  There was a mixture of tourists and locals; and the music was great!  The next day was Sunday; and right in the middle of breakfast we said, “We should go to church today!”  So we quickly changed into dress clothes and hailed a taxi to take us to church.  We went to the New Testament Church, which was in session when we got there; but we were warmly welcomed in.  It was an unforgettable experience.  They were singing songs of praise and thanksgiving for all that they had been given from God. Every single child was immaculate; and if they got a half a chance, they were smiling and dancing.  The invitation was given for any who needed cleansing from their sins; and many started weeping as they made their way toward the front to be cleansed.  I was taking some notes on the speaker when my pen ran out of ink.  Before I knew it, three or four people were passing me pens!  It was just really, really nice.  Afterwards we did a little shopping and walked back toward our hotel.  After a nap, we headed down to the beach and walked for a long ways.  We saw lots of different hotels, little shops, restaurants, bars and people laying on the beach and swimming in the sea. That night we ate at the Italian restaurant that was right by our hotel, and a little later went to listen to live Reggae music again. This time it was at Alfred’s Place, which was just a short walk for us.  The music, the dancing, the people were all fantastic!  Finally, the next day was our last.  But our flight wasn’t until 4:00; so we had a leisurely morning on the beach before we headed back to Mobay to come home.

Big Joe & Sue