ROGER AND JUDI’S WWW TRIP REPORT, SUMMER 1999
THE BEGINNING: This whole trip began last winter when we realized that our frequent flyer miles were about to expire—use them or lose them—and of course we wanted to not only use them but use them to go the distance, so to speak. What’s a free flight from Portland to San Francisco, after all? We’d done Florida. We considered Montreal, but that was more "educational" than we were in the mood for. Then Judi, in process of cleaning out an old pile of papers, found something printed long ago from the net about HEDO! We both immediately knew this was what we were looking for. Roger called and booked us. As we started exploring the Net’s Jamaica sites, we registered our dates, and Denny invited us to join the WWW group. The adventure had begun.
In 30 years of marriage, I don’t think we have ever experienced the anticipation we did for this trip. Usually we pack the night before, and that’s when the adventure begins. This time we talked about it almost daily, explored the Internet, bought the book, planned "wardrobe," and let it fill our thoughts. At times I thought the anticipation was so much fun that the trip itself would be a let-down. Ho Ho. Not so. Not even! It went up from there, and it’s still going up!
THE MIDDLE: We flew all day from Portland to Miami and stayed overnight in the airport hotel. That’s maybe the first thing we would do differently, but Jamaica is a long ways from Oregon. Early the next morning we flew to Montego Bay and took a little two-passenger plane (with a third passenger in the co-pilot’s seat) to Negril. Probably a good choice. We arrived just after noon, and were greeted by Shakka, who yelled at us because she had personally cooked breakfast for us that morning, expecting us to be good for our word and arrive early! Oh, well. After the paperwork, she sent us in to get lunch. The lunchtime spin for the day was "musical chairs." Consider us initiated.
We had a room on the prude side, having been assured when we booked that nothing was available on the nude side. But we soon found the nude pool. It wasn’t until dinner that night, however, that we connected with WWWers. We saw Jim and Shirley in their wonderful shirts, and I chased them down and introduced myself. They introduced me to more people than I could remember, and I really appreciated their friendliness. They set the tone for the whole week.
The Jamaican "no problem" spirit became ingrained in us. Relax. We’ll make it work. "No problem" doesn’t mean ignore it or it’s not important. It means don’t waste energy getting uptight about it; just deal with it.
I’ve never been to a week-long party before. The pool, the piano bar, the dining room—one never-ending party. Our room (private party).
The memories we made! Roger playing nude volleyball in the rain. Judi drinking a coconut with some workers in the garden. Playing "put-it-and-take-it"—putting on a cover-up to wear through the prude side, taking it off upon arrival at the nude side, putting it back on to re-cross the prude side. Pastafari’s: really excellent food and ambiance, although we also enjoyed the Jamaican and other cuisine in the dining room. The catamaran cruise. The Tuesday excursion to "Jurassic Park" and Sips and Bites. Lunchtime Spins. Dinner shows—the circus was terrific! Meals and conversation with John and Ellen. Pool time and off-property excursions with Baron and Theresa. Pool and Pastafari’s with fellow Northwesterners Mark and Clista. Visiting and eating with Joe and Cheryl. Denny and Diane themselves (both premier lovers: what more can be said?). Sharon’s antics. Hanging out with Jim and Michelle. Sing-alongs and karioke in the Piano Bar. Theresa’s shopping tour. Thunder and lightning so close together they were virtually simultaneous. The Jamaican people we met. Scuba diving; O’Neil and Derrick were both great divemasters. (The ONLY time I ever saw a Hedo staff person get mad at a guest: a couple separated from the group down under and came up late.) Roger winning the men’s division of the fake orgasm contest. Last minute shopping across the street from Hedo (I didn’t realize there were several rows deep of the shops—a great experience once, but I would guess you could get as good deals from the vendors on property).
Most of all, the friendly, accepting, fun-loving, WWWers—in the spirit of Jamaica.
Roger and I both had reason to experience the nurse’s station, too. Hedo is the only resort with a nurse on duty round-the-clock---hmmmmmm. Both the nurse and the doctor she called for me were friendly and efficient and more than competent. I highly recommend the service—but I more highly recommend taking care of yourself so you don’t need the service!
We decided to take the bus ride back to Montego Bay, and we’re glad we did. It was interesting to see the country and not a bad trip at all.
THE NEVER-ENDING: Hedo is still with us. We pass a certain shop or see a certain item and say, "We could wear that/use that in Hedo." But more than that, it’s the attitude—respectful, friendly, playful, "no problem, Mon" relaxed. Hedo continues to permeate our very private times, and also our public interactions. I love it. I’m so glad we finally experienced it. I wish Hedo would have happened to us a long time ago. We need to stay in association with the friends we met. We came Hedo virgins with lots of questions and expectations; we left with confirmation of our selves and our marriage. Thank you all.