Seriously Irie in Negril!

I had to get to the internet today. Mandy and her family are at the beach enjoying the day eating and floating and I MUST wander to find. I am at Sip and Talk past Merrils on the beach. Good place. Cool. Mandy and I took about 20 minutes yesterday to reconstruct our days so here is what I have been up to. ALOT.

Day 1

Jackie picked us up from the airport he was right there waiting. I didn't get my bags searched. Damn should have brought another carton of Camel Ultra Lights! The 1st song I hear in Negril is one that Jackie put on: Sexual Healing. Ha! Nice start. We stopped at a little bar to twist one up and have a few beers. Got to Coral Seas Beach. Room is simple but it has most everything we need. No coffee maker though. TOO HOT here to drink coffee anyways. I've had it once. AC works just fine. Mandy does not need AC and I am certainly jealous of that. Cools the bites. Tonight I will not have AC cuz I am sleeping @ Donalds because Bahar and Jacob arrive today I am excited! I've arranged to have a special cake made to celebrate their anniversary. So back to Day 1. We got into the ocean as soon as we could. Warm clear blue green water. Perfect. Stopped to have a few beers @ Irie on the Beach. Later we hopped in a cab up to the West End to see Donald as the sun was setting (around 7:30 - early - darkness has constantly creeps up on us). Checked out Donalds improved kitchen. SO nice. We went to a local spot in the Cliffs for dinner. Saw Merten out on his bike and said hello. Donald came back to our place and played domino for hours. Donald can talk some serious shit! Makes me laugh constantly.

Day 2

Woke up went to the beach with a floatie and floated. Finally we went to Mandy's yard. Her house here is pimp. All red, gold, green. Big inside too with veranda outside. We continue down the road a bit and I met the whole family. I do believe I now have a 2nd family here too. At least 20 new friends. We sat outside and talked and ate some corn (love!). Everyone was incredibly happy to see her and it was really a beautiful thing to both watch and be a part of. Smiles all around. We stayed a little late and picked up some fried chicken at a little spot downtown by Juicy J's.

Day 3

Woke up and went to Alfreds for Jamaican breakfast: salt fish and ackee (like an egg but not) and callaloo (love!) and dumpling. Cheap and tasty! Of course we swam in the sea for a few hours. We wandered up to Donalds to try and get his spare cell phone - needed for Mandy to make plans. So much for forgetting about the cell ringing. But Donald not home. We wandered back down his road puddle jumping - it has rained a little almost every afternoon but the sun blazes all morning. Rain feels good and cool. Went to LTU for dinner. Mandy had not been there before and I must agree with her that the food was just OK (although better than the last time I was there). We had coconut shrimp, VodkaTings many many VodkaTings, I had the Chicken Lola which is breaded chicken filled with cheese and callaloo. Caught a cab back down to the beach for a show @ Burbon Beach. The first singer sounded like Tina Turner. Loved her. The rest of the music was OK. But there were a lot of white girls dancing on the stage kinda cheesy. I also got hit on nonstop there and it gets exhausting saying 'no thanks I have a man HERE' - to which they say 'then where is he?'. Donald was not with us. We missed each other as he was playing domino down the road. But we did meet Jah Clarity there who was in Negril to shoot a video. He was very nice and sweet. Invited him back to our spot for some domino.

Day 4

Ladies beach day. The ladies from the yard took us to 23/7 a very chill bar on the beach. More sun, floating, lounging. Mandy took us all out for lunch at Alfreds a few spots down the beach. I had a big ol American breakfast: eggs, bread, sausage (nasty), hash browns, banana pancakes, papaya, pineapple, and mango. And the 1 coffee which made me so hot I had to immediately go into the sea to cool off. Later on Alex (Mandy's friend) came over to hang out. He is very chill. And sweet. Brought me a bracelet gift today. Donald came down too. Turns out they know each other because they are both from Kendall in Hanover. Donald recognizes him from since he was a boy. Donald also knows Jackie. Not a big island! Small world. We went to Juicy (behind the plaza downtown) for dinner and I had BBQ chicken. Donald and Alex came home with us and we played partner domino for a while. Went for a nekked swim in the sea in the dark. Usually I am skerd of swimming @ night but I was feeling nice. I paid for it though with 5 sand flea bites that itch like hell.

Day 5

Teddy and Duane stopped by and we spent some time on the beach until it started to downpour seriously. So we drank coconut rum and pineapple juice and played domino for hours. Took a long nap and by the time we finally woke up all places to eat on the beach were closed. So we had a few beers @ the 100J Red Stripe spot next to CocoLaPalm. I have seen the sun come up more than once drinking @ this spot on prior trips. They are open all night long. We found a guy selling some jerk chicken and got that to eat on the beach. 1/2 was totally funky and nasty. The other half was good. With bread. Nigel found us and he was quite entertaining as he had been drinking all day. He is on a 2 week break/vacation from his job so he is maximizing his fun. Nigel is good shit. He likes experiences, let's just say that. However I am not the one to give that experience because I am TOTALLY happy with Donald. I will be sad to leave him I know that already. No other men for me here (although I do look don't get me wrong). We stopped by Irie on the Beach again and drank more. There was a wedding party there and girls were dancing on the bar all crazay. The music drew us in though - the party people had hooked up their Ipod to the bar's stereo and were bumping Matisyahu, Gorrilaz, BEP's, Jack Johnson. A crab with a body the size of my fist ran by our door and Nigel caught it and messed with its mind. Dropped it. Shell didn't crack we think. But the next day we saw a big ol crab in pieces in the road and I could not help but feel a little bad - like that was THAT crab.

Day 6

We arranged for a glass bottom boat (Teddy's) snorkel trip out to the island and got all this chicken, fish, pear (a unique type of avocado that is HUGE and a lil sweet and yummy). And of course Appleton and juice. We invited 2 sisters that we had met the previous day: Dorrie and Paulette. They have been coming here for 25 years so they know whats up. Proven by the special cake they brought which was so nice to my body. Put me in utter relaxation all day. Unfortunately Teddy did not get gas. We ran out of gas at least 12 times. He went to go buy more twice but never got enough. Had to beg gas off other boats. We will not be seeing Teddy again. It was very inexpensive for me because I refused to pay him full price for his f'd up services. On the island we chilled on the sandbar and drank and laughed and got sunburned. I busted out my virgin snorkel set and went out. There were sea urchins everywhere so you had to really watch where you put your feet. I saw tons of colorful fish. Very peaceful. Good workout too. I went out farther. I realize there are jellyfish everywhere. Everywhere. Freaked me out but I calmly (thanks cake!) made my way back to shore. Would have like to have snorkeled more but we were running out of time. Nigel and Duane cooked us up possibly the best chicken I've ever ate. SO good. Belly full and could not eat the fish. As we finished eating it started to rain. Hard. It was nice cuz it was hot out there. But yeah the boat continues to run out of gas. Stranded in the ocean (although some could swim that far, I could w/ fins). After about 30 minutes the rain lightens up and we tell him to get to shore NOW. Got real old running out of gas. Chilled at home for a little bit. Donald suggested Tasty Delight for dinner downtown in the back of the plaza. Had curried goat for the 1st time. It was good. Lil chewy. Also fresh carrot juice, rice, beans, salad. The whole meal for all 4 of us was I think 1100J. What a deal. Then onto Jungle for ladies night. While I did get real drunk I was not lively due to the cake. Was just chill. Mandy danced some. Good music. But not enough dancehall. Mandy and I stayed up til sunrise talking just her and I.

Day 7

I slept til 3pm. Motivated to go to the bank. Took Lucy and Joann to Burger King. I was seriously craving a whopper with cheese. It is the 1st whole hamburger I've had in 6 months. It was so good I ate the whole thing. I've never been to Burger King here on any past trips so I don't feel so guilty. Brought some other food and drink to the yard and hung out w/ the ladies. Mandy walked me to Mr. Harrison the bush doctor (they say the best on the whole island) to get something for my bites. The ones on my arms swell to the size of a silver dollar and itch horribly. Although not as bad as past trips. I wear no perfume, try to stay off the sand after 4:30, citronella candles, ALWAYS use repellent. But still have now about 20 bites that vary in degrees of itching. But Mr. Harrison hooked me up with a tonic to sooth them. It is working well. I also got his repellant. Smells a lil stinky but also seems to work. Only 150J. I gave him 200 though. He bent down on his knee and kissed my hand when he met me. Sweet man. Mandy says he does theater in his yard. I can see him being an actor that is for sure! We went down a lil farther to Grandma's shop to chat and give her business. She is such a lovely woman! She is 79 I think I remember her saying. Wise. We got cooking supplies to bring back to our room (has a stove and a few dishes but if we need we ask the staff). Jackie drove us home and we got ready. The plan was for Joann and Lucy to take us to XXX. At XXX they usually have a midget/small man put on a show with 3 ladies and get seriously freaky. The real deal. They say he has one as long as your arm no joke. I had to see it. HAD TO. The strip clubs here are hardcore and anything goes. Not my taste but man, I had to see it. Donald came over and we met the ladies @ Alfreds where there was live music. It was good, better than Bourbon Beach the other day. We had many many drinks and then hopped in a car to XXX. The small man was not there. But we went in anyways. It wasn't all that. True, more hardcore than anything in Mpls. but there wasn't anything real kinky. Then again no one was really tipping the girls. I was afraid to because I was scared of what they might do! Had more drinks and ran into SeaStarChris there. Hopped in a cab and went back to my place to pick up a few things and spent the night @ Donalds. Slept in the room w/ AC that is to be Bahar and Jacobs tonight. Ah!

Day 8

I sleep til noon. Donald and I go to the store. He gets me in a cab back to Coral Seas. The family is at the beach. I gots to get the hell outta this spot because I need some sun and to get ready to see Bahar and Jacob! I want to be @ Donalds when they arrive w/ Sparrow. Can't wait.

OVERALL:

I am in love with this place. Everything and anything you want to do you can do. Everything. It is so beautiful and lush. The sea has me in a trance. I have met so many amazing people this trip and have caught up with old friends. Anyone who has not been here is missing out. Seriously. And this 1.5 hours on the internet has cost 360J. Expensive but worth it!