Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

[loops]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Mikell (that's M(eye)-KELL!),

That was great...but I'm getting x-ed. I'm thinking it's your photo hosting site. Bummer. Keep it up though [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Marilyn]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Never seem to have this problem with SNapfish, can I talk you all into changing?

[Guest]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

YES!! you can...and i did!

just reposted all of them (except a few which hadn't disappeared...but if those do...i'll repost them from snapfish too)

whew!!

fingers crossed...hope this works...a major pain!

[Marilyn]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

BEAUTIFUL, just beautiful. I was transported from my dreary office with the construction noises overhead to a waterfall in Jamaica.

[Nanook]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Love It!

Glad you have the picture problem solved, cause they're GREAT! Thanks, looking forward to more!

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Guest]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Part Twelve

Leaving Mayfield falls and heading back to Negril, we’re all a bit quieter in the van…probably all lost in our own thoughts about the day…lots of visuals going through our minds…

Solomon decides to give us a taste of “city life”…just for the contrast …(or maybe he has a sadistic streak in him!)…and he detours THROUGH downtown Savannah La Mar at rush hour! Although, I think he mentions that it’s like this all the time going through the city.



Where are all these cars coming from? And where are they going? There seems to be a convergence in the centre of the town…everyone trying to get onto one street from a bunch of side roads…it’s the work of a city “planner” from hell! Totally incomprehensible …but I’m fascinated! We’re moving so slowly, inching forward for a better position…no one daring to give anyone else an inch to cut in…and everyone risking a slow motion collision by nosing in front of any car that does give an inch! Seems to be a given that the more daring you are, the quicker you’ll get through this mess…but I don’t think the difference will be significant!

Anyway…it’s really just fine with us…we’re getting a chance to see the street life! Signs on buildings, shop windows….and all those hundreds and hundreds of school kids trying to head home for the day. It’s an incredible sight…they’re all in uniform…and the uniforms are different colours, depending on the school they attend…we have a fashion commentary going on in the van…love those green outfits that crowd of girls is wearing…don’t think the pink ones are as stylish! My those young men in the blue uniforms look fine! The kids just all look hot and bored but we have to get a few pictures of them anyway…nothing like this back home!



Eventually, we make it through the city and the rest of the drive is boring by comparison! We hit Negril and ask Solomon to stop at 3C’s before taking us to our hotels…we’re all ready for some grub…and I haven’t tasted any Jamaican patties yet!

This place comes highly recommended and I will certainly be passing on that praise later. I can’t decide what to order …(a problem Alan notes I always have with menus!) No problem…I just get one of everything….beef patties, veggie patties, cocobread, coconut tarts, plantain turnovers…..well…not quite EVERYTHING this place offers…but I make a good start.

We sit at the roadside tables in the sun and fill our faces….this is good food!

Finally get dropped off at the Rockhouse…say our goodbyes and many thanks to Solomon for a wonderful day. We had planned to go to Maggie’s restaurant for supper that evening…but….ooooops….way too full to manage another meal…and pretty tired from our adventure too…so we call and tell her we’ll see her tomorrow night

Instead, we decide that a bit of shopping is in order…we still haven’t picked up any gifts or souvenirs to bring home…so we take a walk along the road across from the Rockhouse and eventually come back with a few t-shirts, a couple of sarongs, small wood carvings and more postcards. The vendors have been watching us come and go all week (they DO keep track of everyone) and I think they’re happy that we’ve finally decided to part with some of our money in their neighbourhood…we try to spread our business around a bit…(though, I find out the next day that the selection and prices for most things we bought are much better in “town”).



It’s a lovely warm evening as darkness falls…and we manage to stay awake a little longer…enjoying the night sky, waves and gentle breeze blowing across our terrace…it’s 9 p.m. (instead of 8!) and maybe we’re finally getting into a good routine time-wise (just when we only have one and a half days left to our vacation!)



Sleeping by 9:30….not as bad as it sounds…unless you’re a Spring Breaker!

To be continued….

[Guest]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Part Thirteen

Our last full day in Negril…tomorrow we will be leaving…that thought is weighing heavy on us this morning…nothing to do about it, execpt make every minute count!

I’m so enjoying sitting on our stone patio, with our first cup of coffee, waiting for the sun to come up over the trees …when it starts to hit the water and cliffs…it’s dazzling. This might be the best time of day…only rivaled by the late evenings in this same spot!



Alan could just as easily eat breakfast at the Rockhouse again this morning…but I’m determined to try as many eateries as possible…and he keeps me happy by agreeing to walk up the road to Hallzer’s for their BIG BREAKFAST. We’ve seen their posts and signs and it’s a “must try” for me.

We’re the first customers this morning and have the place to ourselves…which turns out to be great…because Tall John, one of the owners, ends up chatting with us throughout most of the meal. He is a wonderfully sociable fellow…full of interesting information and stories about his journey from Scotland to live in Negril full time (after many years as a visitor). It’s a dream that many people would love to come true.

This place is so attractive…the décor is lovely…grey and bluish green…stone walks and walls…open air tables just back from the road…beautiful table settings…a great bar area…which I can just imagine crowded right now with Spring Breakers trying every one of those 22 flavours of vodka!! John names them all for us.

And the breakfast is great…fresh OJ…and a full plate of eggs, toast, beans, tomato and their homemade sausage (I know I’m forgetting a few things…) very filling and good coffee too.

Can’t say I’ve had a bad meal all week in Negril…but I think the best part of our dining experience has been meeting the owners/managers of the eateries and the feeling that you are dining with friends in their homes…everyone makes you feel so welcome…does this happen anywhere else in the world?

Finally make our way back down the road to the Rockhouse…we’re going to spend a good part of our last day here snorkeling in Pristine Cove…it will be the last chance for a long time. But first, we decide that we should catch the morning sun on the lounge chairs on the cliff in front of our villa…may not have another chance to insure we go back home a little more tanned. Just an hour….then a quick dip in the pool for me…and time to don the snorkeling gear.



I’m getting so comfortable with this stuff…and find myself relaxed and thoroughly enjoying every single second staring into the underwater world I never dreamed of until this week. Alan’s happy that I’ve taken to snorkeling…he knows I never considered myself a “water person”…and I sense he wants to say “I told you so!”

I lift my face from the water every once in awhile to exclaim…”Did you see that green and orange fish?” or “One of those long skinny snake-like fish just swam along with me” or “Is that fire coral?”…..we exchange marvels as we explore every inch of the cove.

A light rain begins to fall and we reluctantly decide to end our swim. Alan thinks an afternoon nap is in order…and I think the rain might be a good time to go back up the road to find Sally Ann. I saw her selection of sarongs in her roadside stand very briefly on another walk…but need to examine them more closely…it’s a need Alan does NOT share!

When I get to Sarongs to Go, it’s all closed down…but I ask a young man if he knows when she opens…and he kindly goes to find her and within minutes…she’s opening the doors and moving the merchandise out to the tables for me…the rain is not kind to cloth…but we think it’s not going to amount to much.

The next half hour or so is delightful…I have a wonderful conversation with this lovely Aussie woman…and end up leaving with two of what I think are the most beautiful sarongs I’ve ever owned. I’m anticipating the compliments in Upstate NY this summer already!

Back at the Rockhouse, Alan is refreshed from his nap…coffee is brewing…and we start to get ready for our last night out in Negril. On the agenda…more shopping, a stop to pick up coffee from Selina…and a much anticipated dinner at Maggie’s…trying to pack a whole lot into a few precious hours….

To be continued….

[Marilyn]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Uh Oh here it comes...the part I hate.....get the tissue ready

[Adam Kita]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

I hear ya Marilyn! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Mikell, this is such a wonderful report and your pictures are amazing. My favorite part (so far) has been your visit into the country. I can identify with ALL of the feelings you experienced there. You sound like a wonderful person and your love for Jamaica and her people shine through with blazing brilliance. Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with me.

Jersey Dude

[1stTimeGrl]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Mikell -- this is so great! Thanks for putting it together and sharing... beautiful prose (I LOVE how you love food!), beautiful photos. T

Today is the 3 week mark for me & mine... and I can't wait to see it all with my own eyes! Thanks again!

[Guest]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

We’re on a mission tonight…three stops before bedtime…and you know how early we go to bed! Our last night…might try to stay up a wee bit later!

First…we’ve been told that we must stop at the Hi-Lo plaza for WHATEVER we want to bring back…no walking tonight…catch a taxi right to the plaza…

We check out the highly recommended Countryside store and I only wish we’d stopped by here earlier in the week…it’s tiny and packed and the prices are great! Five t-shirts for $20…and what an assortment! Piles of little souvenir/gift packages of Blue Mountain coffee…little bottles of rum cream…great selection of postcards…and just about everything else you can think of for all those people back home you want to give something to. Adrian, the owner, is a lovely man too…all smiles…and gives us a discount when we mention that Maggie sent us!

Next…we walk around back to the Hi-Lo…we have to have a look at a Jamaican supermarket. Not enough time to really check it out…but it’s bustling with activitity and I only wish I could spend an hour or so cruising the aisles…I love supermarkets! We pick up a few bottles of rum cream and head for the cash…

Standing in front of us…two little boys…probably brothers…and they’ve each got a package of gum or some kind of candy. When it comes time for them to pay, there seems to be a problem. The older one has the money, but it looks like he only has enough for one item and the cashier rings him up, takes the money and makes the younger one put his back. I don’t catch on to what’s going on until the little one starts to cry and his older brother just wants to get going. I quickly reach into my purse and pull out one of the little toys I’ve been carrying around with me. I give it to him…no words…and he just looks at me...stops crying…takes it… and leaves with his brother. That was a highlight of my trip too! (I’m going to recommend that everyone carry around little gifts like this while in Negril…for the kids…you’ll see them everywhere…and you just never know when they will come in handy!)

Outside, the taxi drivers are hanging out and no problem getting one to take us to Selina’s. Lugging our bags of souvenirs, we wander in and find a chair and within minutes we’re chatting with Selina again…a couple more toys given out to Zoe and Jaden…love their smiles! And NY maple syrup for Selina.



We order iced coffee…I’ve been dying to try this house specialty…and it’s….WOW…even better than Tim Horton’s iced capuccino! (If you’re Canadian…you’re going to be thinking…”No way, man!” …but it’s true!)

Then, we launch into a discussion about computers…you all know the trouble she’s been having! I (casually) mention that Alan is a computer network engineer…ooooops…what have I gotten him into? Out come the computer parts and we spend the next half hour or so trying to fix some glitches in her hardware/software…poor Alan…didn’t bring his glasses but we manage to help him read the commands and he solves a couple of minor problems. Mostly, she needs a new modem…and Alan says he has one back home that he doesn’t use…we volunteer to send it to her when we get home. (Later, we have a discussion about all the old outdated parts we all seem to have lying around that can’t be used anymore but would probably find good homes in Jamaica…everyone seems to be using older technology here…and I’m already thinking about another piece of luggage for computer parts…NEXT TIME.)

Selina mentions that she just baked some bread pudding today and has a couple of pieces left…but we’re already getting late for dinner down the road…so I decline (and now I’m kicking myself!)….we say our final goodbyes…promise to be in touch…and Selina gets us a route taxi and we’re off…taking a last look at that great little coffee bar.

We pull up in front of Rondel Village…walk thru the resort’s path towards the beach…and come to the magical setting of the Irie Café on the beach. Tiny little white lights entwined in the trees make the outdoor dining area so inviting as the darkness has fallen. Maggie isn’t here…but we’re told she’ll be around soon. We order dinner…Alan tries the pizza…and I settle on the seafood pasta.

We have some time before it will be ready…so we wander down the beach a ways. We haven’t spent much time on the beach…so this is a nice treat for us tonight…barefeet along the sand…feeling the warm water…soaking up the heavy, hot, night air…this is the souvenir I REALLY want to bring home!

Back to the restaurant…

Oh my! My last dinner in Negril and it turns out to be about the best…(still hard to pick a favourite)! Huge chunks of lobster, shrimp and fish in a creamy sauce…I think I’ve died and gone to heaven! Any other time, I can never finish a dish this big…but tonight…there won’t be any “doggie bags” going home with me!

We’re just finishing up when Maggie arrives…and she settles in for a chat at our table. She’s arranged for our trip to the airport tomorrow…and sadly, we will have to leave much earlier than anticipated. We have to allow for a two hour drive (the bus stops to pick up others along the way) and we need to be there two hours before departure too. Like Scarlet O’Hara….I’ll think about that tomorrow!

We thank Maggie for all the help she’s given us in planning this trip (and especially for the coffeemaker she loaned us for our villa)…and finally say our goodbyes. More last hugs…off to catch a taxi back to the Rockhouse…another last wild ride home.

It’s a cloudy evening but very warm…we sit out on our patio really not wanting the day to end…everything is prefaced by “last” now…and we’re trying not to feel that sadness. It’s hard to go to bed…as if, by staying awake, we could avoid the last time we’ll fall asleep and waken to another day in Negril.

To be continued

[Guest]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Part Fifteen

This is the hardest “part” to write…

So much easier to write about ANTICIPATION…than DREAD! Today, we’re leaving Negril

We wake up at 5:30…still dark…but want to catch every bit of this Negril morning. Walking around our room, the looks we exchange say it all…there is a heaviness in the air.

No time to just sit out on the patio knowing another relaxing day stretches out before us…our room is cluttered with things that must be packed…we have to organize…and we’ve just gotten used to be blissfully unorganized for a week!

After opening the luggage and half heartedly packing our things into them for the return, we walk over to the Rockhouse restaurant for breakfast. I order the Jamaican breakfast (good but not as good as Just Natural) and Alan has banana pancakes (good but not as good as Selina’s), bacon and porridge ( a delicious combination of cornmeal, oatmeal, plantain and raisins).

We take a few more photos…trying to capture this place to bring it back with us…and feeling more or less (mostly less) ready to go, we still have a couple of hours before the bus arrives.







The sunning areas on the cliffs are bathed in full light by now…so we stretch out on lounge chairs and soak in those rays one more time…this will have to last a long while.



I also decide to take another dip in the pool and I grab a floating mattress and just lie there, eyes closed, arms dangling in the water, wishing I could float away…

Reality check…time for one last shower in that great outdoor space…change into travelling clothes, get the call that the bus has arrived for us EARLY…now, that’s sadistic! We hastily leave a few things on the bed for our housekeeper that we didn’t have a chance to give away, grab our bags and head up to the front desk to check out…..(I’m cringing at this painful thought just remembering it!)



Thanks & goodbyes to the great Rockhouse staff…board the bus…several stops to pick up other very sad vacationers (Jeffmon & Vickie at Samsara are leaving today too)…and after almost an hour, we are watching Negril’s outskirts streak by the window and it’s really tough!

We cheer each other up a bit, on the hour long ride to Mobay, with some stories from the past week…those bring smiles and the feeling that good memories will sustain us awhile…

Traffic jam construction in Mobay…finally pull up to Sangster airport…farewells to fellow departees as we head for different airline counters….check in goes smoothly. Lots of time to wander through the shopping course…pick up some more rum cream…little jars of banana chutney, burnt orange marmalade…trying to tuck a little bit of Jamaica into our bags at the last minute!

I kept hoping for a “miracle” delay…wanting to hear that bad weather, even terrorist threats, had cancelled all flights off this island today! Guess that only happens when you’re trying to get TO paradise!

No need to bore you with details of the flight back or what it was like to step off the plane into winter…you’ve been there…you know!

When I started writing this report, I said that getting to Negril was a little like giving birth…

Well…being back from our first trip to Negril IS a little like having a new family member…actually….an extended family…we made so many friends…felt like we joined a club or a community…all those who encouraged us to come here…told us we’d love it…shared their experiences….welcomed us to paradise….warned us it would be addictive…

I thought I was giving birth to my dreams….but WE are the new addition to the family….

Negril has given birth to us!

THE END (…..until the NEXT TIME!)

[queenb]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

This was a wonderful report!! Welcome to the club of Jamaicaholics Anonymous!! When are you going back? I go in 13 days, and have already planned for July and November. Can't get enough, can you?

[AngieB]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

Mikell, this was absolutely a wonderful report. I enjoyed every moment and often felt myself right there with you. I felt your pain at the end, and knowing that you report only had 15 parts, I too dreaded the part when it said, Part 15. I felt that pang in my chest and that feeling when it is time to leave that all of us must have. I have often thought that I could not endure that feeling and what is worst, I could not endure the weeks on end that it took once I returned home to get back into the swing of things. I am often depressed and lethargic forever. I even once thought that the pain was too much to handle so I might as well not go anymore.

Anyway, thanks for taking me back to Jamaica. And please, send me the link to your picture gallery. I hope that you took a picure of those showers you talked so much about.

[Guest]

Re: Negril - A First Timers Report ..Snorkeling, Rockhouse, Mayfield Photos

thanks to all...glad to have stirred up some fond memories...and wet a few appetites...

angie...i worried about how i would handle leaving before i even went there...i knew one week would be too short and too sweet...and coming back took some getting used to...

but, as i am a positive minded person...i just kept reminding myself that i'm more used to living here than there...having done it all my life...and so getting used to being back is kept in perspective...

i have a week full of wonderful memories...and somewhere i want to go back to again next year...already thinking of that...but also thinking of a glorious summer here...

there's no use wishing you were somewhere else unless you can be there...and then you wouldn't have to wish it...you'd just do it!

just my philosphy...be here now!

i have a few more pictures of the rockhouse villa and surroundings...think i'll post them separately...

you'll have a wonderful vacation...but more importantly...i wish you a wonderful life!

much love...
mikell