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Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have
always a pleasure to read your reports Ohliz
always a pleasure to read your reports Ohliz
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Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have
Thanks Nylah!
Once again this one is very photo-heavy so I suggest you read it at: http://ohliza.blogspot.com/2009/04/j...okah-show.html
Jamaica March 2009: 8 - Last Hookah Show
It's Friday March 27th and today is the last Hookah show. I finally made it to the included breakfast at Seastar today which ends at 10, as I recall.
There is a basic buffet of coffee, toast and jelly, and a menu with eggs and such that can be ordered (presumably so the eggs don't sit there all morning - very wise). Most items on the menu are included with your room rate, a few "premium" items - bacon, ackee, etc may be ordered for an additional fee. I enjoyed it.
I was to return my scooter today but opt not to, I've really been enjoying using it during the day to go to Out of Town Pastry (delicious bakery-shop out past the lighthouse a ways) and just to get around town and take little rides here and there. So I rent it for another day and head down to Catcha to see what everyone's up to.
I want to swim but today the sea is rough so I decide to ride down to the beach. Ochy wants to join me but he returned his scooter the day before. I offer to get an additional helmet and take him down with me on mine. Well we get the helmet but Ochy is one of those dudes who won't ride "in back", shall we say, so I let him drive and hop on the back myself. I won't ride behind many people but I trust Ochy, he's not only logged thousands of miles on bikes at home, he's careful here.
It's actually kind of nice to be able to look around as we zip down the road, when I am driving my concentration is on traffic and potholes and such...this ride I can actually look around at what we are passing, and it's cool.
We opt to stop at Beach House Villas again and have a lovely swim - the water is much calmer down there today.
A surprise: my old buddy Jay from Canada has arrived for a long weekend! Jay seems to pop up when I least expect him...a few years back, when hookah was recording a live album in Atlanta, he appeared with a trunk full of potted flowers for all the fans. No tickets to the show/recording, but we worked that out. He's a Jamaicaphile like me and I can't remember him being at any hookah shows in Jamaica before. I'm really glad to see him, he's a sweetie and a lot of fun.
Ochy and Jay on da beach
He's rented a car....funny thing. For years when you rent a car in Jamaica you get a white Toyota Corolla. You just do...and you blend in because everyone else drives one too. Jay was a little miffed to get a dark blue Toyota Yaris this time. but that's the car these days, from rental places...I've seen 3 this trip friends have rented. Some things DO change...
After awhile we wander up to Catcha and on to Seastar. As the sea is rough we arrange to meet folks at Seastar to enjoy the pool and grab dinner. As I recall Steve, Allie, Bev, Susie and Genean came up to meet us there because tonight hookah is playing on the cliffs at Negril Escape and the show starts early - like 7PM.
We all enjoy our dinners and rather suddenly it's time to go and we have a band member with us who needs to get to the show ASAP. Enter Francine, the lovely, talented and super-cool owner of Seastar Inn.
Francine, Cassie and Dave at 3 Dives
She's going to the show herself (I don't think she missed any of the 3 shows, actually) and she's got a pickup truck and is ready to use it
We all pile into the back of her truck....people, Steve's guitar, all of it and head down to the show. Unfortuantely Linda from Seastar can't make the show tonight because of work...we miss her because she's been a great dancing buddy for the last two shows...but we'll see her at Seastar tomorrow night.
Luckily nothing starts on time this trip so Steve is not late and we all have time to relax and get the lay of the land before the show. One large group staying on the beach chartered a glass bottom boat to take them up - what a cool idea
Still married, still silly
The bartenders here are great and I am relieved to see the stupid buy-a-token-for-drinks thing is not happening here.
The show gets going and it's great, of course. The sound is still top notch. There are more locals here than at any of the other shows, I guess word has gotten out. A few are musicians and this will turn out to be a good thing...
...because at set break, I am told that Dave (the keyboardist/guitarist and one of the two songwriters) is sick. As in deathly ill, must lie down, no way can play right now, sick.
A room is found for him to lay down and we cross our fingers that he'll be able to play the second set after the break is over.
About a half hour later, it is decided that the show must go on and since we seem to have all these local musicians in the house they are invited up to join in for a few!
hookah's sound guy Dan is an awesome guitarist too so he and John switch places for a tune...here's Dan on the right
And John on the board
It was HUGE fun...but after a bit Dave is able to come back and take his place at the keyboard.
The final hookah show of the trip ends on a high note and we all head back to Catcha to finish our evening. Ochy has to leave tomorrow, he is the first one to go.
Many of us have to be down at Kuyaba on the beach by 11AM to head out for a trip I've been planning for a couple of months...for the first time this trip we are leaving Westmoreland!Comment
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Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have
Write On Lizzie ~
simply divune ~Comment
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Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have
Thank you for following along Laurel
Here is the next installment. Again, worth going to the link to read it because it is photo-heavy.
Jamaica March 2009: 9 - A Day in Saint Elizabeth
I forgot something in yesterday's report: A trip to Rick's. Occhy had never been there and after watching the crowds from Catcha Falling Star on a couple of occasions, he really wanted to go. We still had the scooter so I agreed to ride up with him -I hadn't been there myself for many years, certainly not since their big redo after Hurricane Ivan in '04.
We arrived at "rush hour" - near sunset - and the parking lot was packed with buses and cars. We were directed to a parking spot and strolled in. Immediately inside the entrance there was a beer stand with a big tub of beer - American kinds, red stripe, everything - in ice. Mainly because it was on ice, I ordered a red stripe. Occhy paid for it so I have no idea how much it was...I am just relieved they don't make you do that stupid token thing they did back in the 90's.
We walked around...weaved through the crowd might be a better description - and found a place to watch the divers do their thing. They are amazing, there is no doubt about that, and you can't see them from Catcha They have a guy walking around soliciting tips...frankly I've always found this obnoxious. With the amount of money Rick's makes at sunset you'd think they could just pay the divers - many people are here just to see them anyway. But no, we have to wait until the tip guy gathers enough money from everyone.
once he gives the diver the sign he does a flip off the very top of a tall (dead) tree, having warmed up with a few one-hand pullups from a branch. It was very impressive.
We enjoy that, and chat a bit with some folks, and after about 20 minutes I am more than ready to go. I just can't handle the crowds of people...not my scene AT ALL.
But Occhy got to say he was there, and that's why we went.
Moving on to today.
A couple of months ago I was talking to Dennis Abrahams who takes us out on boats when we are in Treasure Beach. He's a wonderful guy I've known for about 7 years, his boats are really comfy, and he is an ace dolphin spotter. I've traveled to meet him from Negril before, I enjoy his trips so much. It's a long drive though, 2 1/2 hours each way to Treasure Beach, and I can't see my friends this time wanting to do that.
Dennis suggests meeting in Whitehouse - only an hour and half from Negril, a 45 minute boat ride to Pelican Bar (and onto Black River if we like). So I put together a trip with Chicken's bus and Dennis' boat and about 15 people decide to go.
I call Chicken from Seastar and ask him if he can pick me up - he is meeting everyone at Kuyaba to head out. He is luckily right at the roundabout and comes up to get me.
I arrive at Kuyaba and most of the group is there hanging out. Our friend Lee Weinstock helped with this trip by handling all the business stuff - I just wanted to go have fun
[Lee and I making sure we have it all together before we take off]
[We're ready!]
[I'm playing tour guide
]
Dennis has confirmed that the water is rough (as it has been in Negril for the past day or two) so we decide to drive to Black River instead of Whitehouse to make the boat ride out a tad shorter.
Dennis told me when we arrived on the beach at Cloggy's (a lovely and friendly beach bar just past Black River, by the way - makes a nice stop if you are in the area and I hear the food is pretty good too) that he'd seen a large pod of dolphins on his way to meet us and so he wasn't sure we'd see any since they appeared to be hanging out closer to Treasure Beach.
But Dennis is a master dolphin spotter and he wasn't going to give up....just a few minutes out on the boat he saw something and pulled into a bay to see...DOLPHINS! I would have been disappointed if we hadn't seen them but I know it's always a risk...they are wild and only hang out with us when they want to, and you have to respect that. But i was happy we got to see them anyway. The ones we were with were feeding, Dennis said - mainly diving down and coming back up, not playing with the boat as they do at other times. He said the area we were in was a good feeding area for them and they are usually "all business" when they are there. They did come up very close to the boat to check us out though, and it was as thrilling as ever to be near them and I am grateful Dennis took the time and effort to find them for us.
[Leaving land behind]
[Heading out in the boat]
Leaving from Black River was the right move...due to the waves and wind the ride was, shall we say, wet. Lots of spray. But we all had swimsuits and it was hot out so it was all good.
[Approaching Pelican Bar]
We're here! Floyd wasn't there when we arrived but the guys working the bar there were very friendly, nice job Floyd, the young guys are as nice as you are
Some of the group ordered food - the lobster and spicy fish were delicious - most of us just got some beers and waded around in the water on the sandbar or settled onto a sundeck or in the bar. there were a couple of boats already there, a family with young children and another group. Pelican Bar is definitely on the map now - one group was from Treasure Beach, the other had come all the way from Runaway Bay!
[We schwa'ed the bench]
[Enjoyed the changing colors of the water]
[Sought shelter from the strong breeze]
[Admired Dennis' boat]
[And relaxed on the sun decks]
I think we could have stayed there all day but after a couple of hours we had to go. A couple on our trip were the best man/maid of honor at a wedding on the beach that evening and had to get back. So we packed up, said our goodbyes and headed back to dry land. This time we went to Parrotee, an even shorter boat ride, though by now we were going with the current and the wind had died down some so it was a lot smoother.
[Dennis helping us out of the boat]
[Group shot with all of us - Chicken on the left and and Dennis on the right]
We came in at some bar in Parrotee - I was not nearly as impressed with it as I was Cloggy's...much more basic facilities and the Cloggy's staff was a LOT friendlier.
We settled in for the ride back and after a pit stop somewhere around Sav, we made it back to Negril in time for the wedding.
I personally didn't get to it, planned to but got caught up between a shower and a ride to Fun holiday, but others took photos of it:
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It was a wonderful day. I didn't have too much time to relax though, tonight is Saturday and the party is at my place - Seastar's Twisting by the Pool buffet and show!!Comment
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Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have
SLow going but getting there....Seastar Saturday night:
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Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have
Last Negril day:
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