Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

[sheanlee]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Finally, one of the guys that he was closest with takes me aside to tell me that in the 2 years I have been gone, my sweetie is now married and living in the U.S.
*************break****************

OUCH! I can feeel the heartbreak gurl! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
Your report is wonderfully written..keep going!

[KARMO]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

This is good!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep it coming!!!
I can feel your pain...

[sistacaf]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

christyluv

i just want you to know that last night I dreamed I was at Kuyaba, walking down some sort of boardwalk with a mug of coffee in my hand, the hot sun shining down, and the manager was showing me to the cabins.... they looked like little cottage apartments, all in a row, painted bright white with wooden doors.... when i woke up i wondered if that's what they really look like! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

bu in any case I thank you for taking me to jamaica in my dreams!!!!! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]ray: [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[cinnni]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Christyluv...keep it comin'!! Great start to your report and I can't wait for more!!

[Marilyn]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Christy
It is Friday morning and I have to go to work today of course. I DO hope you plan on writing today. Please oh please do not quit on us, and DO NOT do the horrible this is the weekend and I am not logging on thing. We are all on pins and needles here.

[christyluv]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

I will try to post pics as soon as I get them developed. I don't have a digital camera and really no way to download them quickly but I will asap. The cabins at Kuyaba look like little gingerbread houses and they are brightly painted in pink, purple, green, etc. They have a great website but it doesn't do justice to the cabins. I recommend the larger ones with the kitchen. It is 2 bedrooms, A/C, plenty of hot water, and nice front porch for visting with the neighbors. Plus the staff is wonderful. For off season I paid $68 per night. Any-who...on to
DAY 3
I had a bit of a hangover from Alfred's last night, so today was all about the beach. I spent the morning catching rays and recharging my batteries. I spent the afternoon doing one of my favorite things in the world, snorkeling. There are lots of boats and crews all up and down the beach that will take you out to the reef or the cliffs and guide you through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. If you have never been, it is like a whole new world is opened to you. There are so many different types of fish, coral, and assorted sea life. And the colors! It is like an underwater kalidescope. Plus I have a really cute capitain as a guide. I have to admit, I'm a really tough higgler and not above a little flirting to get a good deal. Plus I got a really nice personalized tour. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
I make it back to the beach a little before sunset and decide to head up to the cliffs to 3 Dives for dinner. OMG! Lobster is out of season, so I didn't have that but I did get chicken with rice and peas and callalo. That 3 Dives sauce is out of this world!!! Plus such a beautiful view. I can see why some people fall in love with the cliffs. Those jagged black rocks jutting out into the azure sea. And it is so peaceful and quiet. Only the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs as I watch the sun decend in a fiery arc. My heart is at peace again.
I hop in a cab and head back to Kuyaba as the rain begins. I spend the evening reading a good book and letting the rain sing me a lullaby into Carribean dreams.

[Marilyn]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Marilyn exhales

[dr. bones]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Your writing style is so descriptive that I feel like I am there w/ you. That was upsetting news about your sweetie, but you handled it w/ grace and dignity. Don't let that spoil the beauty and healing powere of Jamaica

[christyluv]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

DAY 4

I wake up early to a glorious Sunday morning. It is Mother's Day. I sent my mom a card before I left, so I hope she forgives me for not calling today. My housekeeper for the week, Rose, tells me she has seven kids at home. Wow, I can only imagine what a handful that must be. I have been leaving little gifts of lotion and other girly stuff in addition to tip money for Rose each day to say thank you for her hard work. Today I leave a pretty pair of gold earrings and she tells me it is her first Mother's Day gift of the day. It is so nice to come back from the beach every day to a clean room and clean sheets. Plus Rose's smile every morning makes me feel like I'm welcomed and appreciated, not just another tourist.
It is Sunday, so of course I must have breakfast at Selina's. I opt for the Jamaican breakfast of ackee and saltfish with a big cup of Blue Mountain with rum creme in it. Yum!!
The internet broadcast is going on while I am there, so I wave to the camera and peek over to check out the board. I haven't seen a phone, TV, or computer since I have been in Negril. By choice, of course. There are several internet cafes where I could check my email but I have run away from reality and am enjoying myself.
It is nice to finally meet Selina after hearing such wonderful things about her and her establishment. Her kids are adorable and it is obvious that most of the patrons are regulars and family. Breakfast was wonderful, also.
I meet a couple of boardies, the Cornish Piskies, from England that I knew from postings were also staying at Kuyaba. It was their first trip to Negril and they were enjoying themselves immensely. I also met a nice girl from San Francisco who was in Jamaica for the first time and traveling alone. I invited her to hang out on the beach with me, so we went across the street to check things out.
It had rained briefly in the morning so I was hoping the rain would hold out for the rest of the day. We grabbed a couple of chairs and stretched out in the sun. It is obviously family day on the beach. Lots of families in addition to the usual batch of tourists.
At about noon, the capitain of one of the boats comes to say that he is taking some people out to the island for a picnic and asks us if we would like to join them. Heck yeah! My new friend is just as excited as I am. We have been invited to join a Jamaican family on their Mother's Day picnic!
This is the warm openness I experience at every turn in Jamaica. Sure, there are opportunists and theives in Jamaica, just like anywhere else in the world. But they are the exception, not the rule. Most of the people I have met are so warm and open. They want the tourists to not only enjoy themselves but are willing to share their lives with you as well. And the friends you make on each trip will remember you on your next, whether it be months in between or years.
I believe there were 15 of us on the boat including captain and crew. Turns out, it was the capitain's family, some of which were visting from England. There were aunts and uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters. The kids were absolutely adorable. I am not fluent in Patois but I could pick up enough to get most of the jokes and we had a great ride out to the reef.
The capitain took the glass bottom boat around to show everyone a peek at the fish and coral. The kids were so excited because they got to see "Nemo" [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
The rain started as we unloaded the boat. There is now only one small lean to shelter on the island and it is quite overgrown from the last time I was there. One of the crew explains that the resorts had been trying to buy the island for their exclusive use but since they had to share it with the locals, they had let it go back to nature.
One of the guys gets a fire going to heat up the food and it is raining so hard, we decide it is just as wet in the ocean as on the island, so we go for a snorkel. I see a huge starfish and a flounder in addition to the multitude of coral and fishes. My guide points towards a group of fish but I'm not sure what he is excited about. We head back towards the boat and when we take off our masks, he explains they were barracuda. Like a snake, they won't bother you if you don't bother them. But like a snake, I'd rather observe from a safe distance.
The family is still cooking lunch in the rain as best they can, so one of the crew takes me on a hike to the other side of the island to the "hot tub." I'm not sure what he is talking about till we get there. It is a small cove that we wade out into and I discover a warm current circling the cove. I am soaked to the bone but having a marvelous time lounging in nature's hot tub.
When we get back, my friend and I are included in the feast. There is rice, curried chicken, roasted breadfruit, crabs, fresh pineapple, and mangoes. Just a marvelous spread. We try huddling under the shelter but soon give up and take refuge on the boat to finish our feed.
We continue the picnic all the way back to the beach. We thanked our hosts for inviting us and making us feel like part of the family.
What a marvelous family day. Even though mine was thousands of miles away, I was really made to feel at home and welcomed. And what better testament to the spirit of my friends than to see how this wonderful family handled a rainy day picnic. They didn't cancel it or complain about the weather. They still had a marvelous time with the generosity of spirit to include a couple of strangers, who I hope they now consider friends.

[Grandmother]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

And a Star is Born. Beautiful sooo Beautiful. I truly needed this Today. My heart is rolling like a rollercoaster, I feel that I am right there with you thru the Highs and Lows. I truly feel your Joy and Pain and the food and Feel of Home,,, So DElicious. More Please.

[goldilocks]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Well, I don't know if your report is helping your PNS, but it is certainly helping mine! nuff niceness!

[Marilyn]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Jah
Why you always send me these people to vex my spirit? These "trip reporters" who get us all revved up , then take off. Leave us hanging and salivating mid trip. People who feel it is ok to take long weekends off on my tine.

Christy, I identified with you right from your first sentence. I am trying real hard to keep my love going here, but you need to get back here and get to writing.

You wait too long....and when you come back to do another installment, it might not be here. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img]

[KB]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Christyluv,
I love these reports, please continue and I can't wait to see the pics .

[lady beach bum]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

I can't believe I'm reading this - I so want to visit Booby Caye BEFORE some big place takes it all. What a completely wonderful experience. Thanks so much for sharing.

[christyluv]

Re: Negril -Trip report! I miss "home" so much...

Please excuse me for my delay in finishing my trip report. I have been in the hospital with a severe kidney infection. I am catching up at work today and will finish my post asap.