Ohliz gone a yaad again (thanks QK)

[ohliz]

Just getting started now...I'll copy and paste the text here but leave the photos and links and all that version on my blog, it's too hard to reformat everything for this board...

Jamaica March 2009: 1

I had been looking forward to this trip for quite awhile. My friends ekoostik hookah were returning to Negril (4th time since 1999) to play 4 shows and bringing a hundred or so of my friends. The first 6 days of the trip were dedicated to those shows and the events around them.

The next 11 days (frequent flyer miles rock) would be spent who knows where...I had some loose plans but kept things flexible because I've been going to Jamaica long enough to know that things change and I want to be able to go with the flow.

I knew I'd spend some time with friends in Kingston, and I really wanted to go to Portland as it's been 5 years since I've been to that side. Both of those I did. I thought about spending time in Treasure Beach again, or maybe St. Mary, but those I had to leave for next time.

So it goes...there is always so much I want to do and never enough time to do it all.

I left home at the ridiculous hour of 3:30AM to catch my very early flight to Charlotte and to see my kids off on their own spring break vacation to San Francisco. It was actually OK flying so early because the check in counter didn't open until 45 minutes before the flight so there was no 2 hour wait as there often is.

I did not check a bag this time, I packed a large backpack and did the 3oz liquids and all that...I was very proud of myself for being able to do that, and there were STILL a couple of items I never wore. So I can pack even lighter next time....seems I bring less and less every trip. If anyone is wondering, I brought bug wipes instead of spray (not liquid), and travel size shampoo, sunblock and all that. I knew I could buy more if I needed it down there but I didn't need it after all.

In Charlotte I headed to my gate to take a nap....I had a 3 hour layover and a friend meeting me there to travel the next leg after about 2 hours.

My buddy woke me around 8:30. We got some snacks and whatnot and boarded our plane only to wait, oh, an hour, because some fan that cools the electrical stuff wasn't working properly. I have yet to fly USAir and be on time, but they did fly faster to make it up so we arrived just a half hour late. (Which begs the question....why don't they just fly faster all the time? Why only when they're late? If anyone can shed any light on this mystery for me I'd appreciate it.)

My buddy's name is Snake. We were on a plane. You know you'd have the same caption...

[Snake on a Plane]

Immigration and customs were zippy, maybe 15 minutes. I didn't need to wait for my checked bag so I went outside and met Snake out there after he claimed his.

I fired up my Digicel cell phone which I have been topping up since I was in JA in November and it worked like a champ, plenty of credit and ready to go.

My friend Chicken picked us up at the airport in his cushy bus with the cup holders and curtains and all that....he's been a friend for about 10 years now and always a welcome sight at the airport. Plus he had a cooler full of beer and drinks and whatnot :-)

We stopped in Green Island at Bigga's stand for some soup and chicken...everything tasty, cheap and ready to go, I highly recommend this stop.

[Bigga serving some fresh fish soup]

We arrived in Negril and did a store and cambio stop before dropping off Snake at Catcha Falling Star. I said hi to everyone there - love that place but this trip my money goes to traveling, not hotels - and headed up the road to my place for the week: Seastar Inn.

The version that has photos and all that is here:

http://ohliza.blogspot.com/2009/04/jamaica-march-2009-1.html

[QK13]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have one

How bout "Ohliz gone a yaad again"

Brilliant I say!!

Carry on mam.

[R00TS]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have one

[ohliz]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have one

Full version with pics and all that:

http://ohliza.blogspot.com/2009/04/jamaica-march-2009-2.html

Jamaica March 2009: 2
We pulled into Seastar Inn and I was greeted by the lovely Miss Linda, who informed me that Negril OneStop, who I'd booked through, had booked me for the next day. Note to self: just book direct.

Luckily it was no biggie, I was put in a different room and could have moved to the one I booked the next day but never bothered, the one I got was more private anyway. For you Seastar fans, it was #12.

My room had a comfy queen size bed, TV, bathroom with tub and shower, AC, ceiling fan, verandah with hammock and table and chairs and a view of the neighborhood around Seastar. It was perfect for me and under $50 a night as a single...leaving plenty of $ for meals, drinks and scooter rental, which is also offered at Seastar. The bar is lovely and there is a great pool with swim up bar, more hammocks, loungers, a game room with pool table, a full restaurant and lovely gardens.

A friend of mine in the band, John, was also staying there and had arrived a day or two before so I wandered down to find him. I didn't, immediately, so I walked down to Catcha to visit with Snake and some other friends who had arrived the day or two before.

[Snake on a Porch (see a theme here?)]

[Red stripe and Catcha's lush greenery]

I stayed at Catcha 3 years ago, last time hookah was in Negril. I loved it, and I still do. The gardens have grown up and in and are more lush than ever. Ivan's Bar and Restaurant appears to be a lovely addition - everyone still has a fridge and plenty of private space but if you feel social or not like leaving the property, there it is. There are even more loungers and chairs and comfy spots around, and some sun decks have been added since I was there last.

I headed down to the water, because I am just not in Jamaica until I jump into the sea. I have to do it before it gets too late. As I walk down I see not only my friends that are staying there, but a group of beach-staying friends who I didn't think I'd see until the show tonight. Lots of hugs and greetings make me feel missed, and that's funny because I'd seen all these folks a week or so before and will a week or so after the trip, and all summer and fall and in fact probably don't go a month without hanging out with them...but it's still great to see everyone

I have a wonderful swim...refreshingly cool for a minute, calm and salty and just gorgeous. Some friends are cliff jumping, some are lounging, we catch up on the couple of days of this trip I've missed (I arrived on a Tuesday, most people came Sunday).

I am so glad to be in Jamaica

Here are a few pics my friends took of that afternoon:

[]
[]
[]

I wanted to get down to Travellers to see some of the alternative spring break food-drumming-consciousness activities, but it is clear that we won't make it by 4 when it ends.

So I go with the flow (always good to get that lesson early in the trip) and we hang out swimming and whatnot all afternoon. We do have a show to go to tonight....time to get it together for sunset and dinner and all that so we can get to the beach for the first show....it's going to be a long night because after hookah is done, Rootz Underground is at the Jungle.

Snake and I were to meet up with another friend, Ochy, at the airpot in Charlotte but he never arrived. We called his cell and got no answer, and decided he must have been on a later flight. I was a little worried because he didn't know where he was staying, who was picking us up, how to get to Negril...he'd never been to Jamaica before. So we continued to try to reach him.

As we're hanging out guess who shows up? He got a taxi at the airport, went to Risky Business (where hookah is playing that night), found their sound guy and got directed up to Catcha where he was staying. Don't know why I worried

All together now, we walk up to Seastar where we meet John and eat dinner there. I had crab fritters as an appetizer and thank goodness I didn't order more because they are a meal in themselves. Delicious.

It's nearly showtime...

[R00TS]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have one

Always a pleasure to read ohliz

[ohliz]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have one

Well thanks Roots. Might be a long one, haven't finished that first day yet. Then again that first day <span style="font-style: italic">was </span> <span style="font-weight: bold">LONG</span>...

[julie*mango]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

Liz


Sorry we never got a chance to meet up..maybe next time?

[ohliz]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

I hope so Skelly!


As always, full version with pics and all that is here: http://ohliza.blogspot.com/2009/04/j...ch-2009-3.html


Jamaica March 2009: 3

It costs quite a bit of money for hookah to go to Jamaica, as you might imagine. Fans bought travel packages or show passes at home beforehand. Shows in the past have been private. But this time, it was decided that fans could invite people - locals, spring breakers, tourists, whoever, and to that end everyone was given some invite cards that offered a discount to the holder. Quite a few people took advantage of these, I was glad to see. I spoke to several people who'd never seen hookah before and really enjoyed the shows, even came to all 4 of them. That was really cool.

After dinner we plan to get down to Risky Business to catch Cosmic Railroad, the band that is opening for ekoostik hookah for these shows. But we need to stop at Catcha Falling Star so Snake and Ochy can get ready and between this and that we don't call Chicken for a ride until maybe a half hour before hookah is supposed to go on.

Chicken has by now put a &quot;Hookah VIP Transfer&quot; sign on his bus and is driving a lot of the group to and from the shows. Go Chicken :-)

I stop by Kuyaba to pick up my wristband for the shows from our friend Lee who is running this thing and head on to Risky with the group.

We walk in and Cosmic Railroad is just finishing, I think we caught the last song or two. They sound good.

Risky is a nice venue. Much of it is indoor, under roof but open, the stage is set up outside this but covered, you can watch/dance in the sand or from a deck area, or up on the second floor. I like the layout, the drinks are not ridiculously priced ($4US except they have this dumb token thing probably because Sunsplash Tours was running the bar...nothing says &quot;I don't trust my bartenders&quot; like tokens). The bartenders are very good, attentive and fast and I never wait long for anything.

There is a seating area with tables and chairs and I head over there to hang out....this goes on for a half hour or so, hugging old friends, meeting some new ones.

Finally it is showtime and it is great. This is BY FAR the best sound we have ever had in Jamaica. Lee arranged it and I believe it is Swaby's gear..whoever it is their equipment is great and the sound is top notch. It was absolutely as good as larger shows at home and after the past 3 trips where power outages and such were the norm, this is a real treat. Dan, hookah's sound guy, is of course a master at dealing with any situation. The only odd thing is that some speakers are set behind the crowd, so once in awhile you have the odd sensation of watching John or Dave sing but hearing their voice behind.

Some photos...

[ekoostik hookah at Risky Business Tuesday March 24]

[Set break Bonfire on the beach]

[Friends]

[Crowd gathering - see mics in the air, these shows were taped]

[Friend happy to be in Negril]

As I said, this show was taped, you can listen to it at http://www.archive.org/details/eh2009-03-24.eh2009-03-24.mix.flac16.

By the end of the show, I'd been up since about 3:30 AM and as it is a travel day, I'm pretty beat. But Jamaica gave me a second wind of sorts and I have plans tonight: to go to the Jungle and see Rootz Underground.

My friend Susie and I head over to the Jungle on foot from Risky, we'll meet everyone else later at a party some folks at a private villa are hosting.

The walk from Risky to the Jungle is not long but oy....Susie is young and cute and the closer we get to the Jungle the more attention she gets. I have a standard &quot;I'm all good&quot; wave and use it a dozen or so times. I am a little surprised to be asked by guys if they can come with us - and will I buy their ticket for them?

Umm, no.

Anyway we get to the Jungle and are only charged $500 at the door (instead of the $1500 I expected). That's my first clue that we are late.

We make our way past the very loud disco and labyrinth of rooms to the upstairs. I've never been here and i must say it is beautiful...nice stage, open and covered areas, long bar...really a very nice setup on that top floor.

Rootz Underground is on stage doing a song...we go up front and dance some to it then it ends and they say &quot;Goodnight&quot;!

What? Oh no.

Luckily, I have a loud whistle and the crowd has evidently been enjoying the show because we are able to get them back onstage for 4 more songs.

I know a lot of their music because i downloaded an album of theirs awhile back and I work out to it all the time at home. Susie is the kind of lady who loves to do anything, and she loves music, so she was really into it too.

I greet Monk, the promoter, who I've known online for years but had never met, and we make our way out to the street. I call Chicken to pick us up but he's going to be a few minutes so we hang out outside.

Again with the guys and Susie...I feel like her mom and in fact I tell a few of them that I may as well be, and they do finally leave her alone. Soon Chicken pulls up with John and our friend Sean in the bus and we head to the villa party. As we pull up I realize I am way too tired to hang out any longer, so we drop Susie and head back up to Seastar where i fall into my very comfortable bed and go right to sleep.

[mokatee]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

Goodie, Goodie, I get to start this one at the beginning

I had a blast reading your last adventure Printed it out and took it to the gym with me. Working out was never more exciting.....including my workout today

Keep it coming (I'm also following along on the blog)

[Laurel]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

YeeHaa

[ohliz]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

Full version: http://ohliza.blogspot.com/2009/04/j...ch-2009-4.html

Jamaica March 2009: 4

I wake up pretty early but opt not to get out of bed just yet...my bed is comfy, the AC is cranking so I lay around a little, read my book (Perry Henzell's Power Game - I highly recommend it) and then fall back to sleep for a bit. When I am ready to get up I realize I've missed the complimentary Seastar Inn breakfast buffet. As luck would have it my friend Lee has been to St. Ann recently and yesterday gave me a lovely package of freshly smoked marlin slices which I placed in my fridge yesterday. I happily eat some of that, put on a swimsuit and head down to the pool/restaurant/bar area at Seastar.

I am happy to see my friends from Catcha here, I think they slept through breakfast as well. I get some coffee (breakfast is done but the staff kindly makes a fresh pot just for me) and order a fried egg sandwich (on coco bread, yum) from the menu.

I take a swim in the pool (nice to have that, it's pretty hot already) and enjoy socializing.

I feel the need to wander a bit when I notice the Seastar rental scooters parked by the gate and think hmmmm.... I love having wheels in Jamaica and here they are. In a few minutes I've ordered one for a couple of days and it is gassed up and ready for me. $25 a day for 2 days is the rate, I think that's about $5 less than if you aren't a guest, not sure but it seems like a deal to me. Part of the reason I chose a fairly inexpensive hotel this time is so I'd have extra $ for things like this.

I hop on my scooter and decide this is a good day to check on various folks in Negril I haven't seen yet.

I do a quick run out past the lighthouse just to get comfortable on a scooter again - it's been a couple of years - then turn around towards town.

First stop is De Bar where i see Eddie and get a tour of the new cottage he is building on the property. I visit with Trevor and Fathead and everyone and enjoy a Ting with the before moving on.

I swing by 3 Dives - I haven't seen Lydie and Paula yet - but it's early and they are not there yet.

Next stop is Blue Cave Castle. I stop first by Susan and chat with her for a bit, catching up on things since i last saw her in November. I then visit with friends from home, Steve and Allie, who are staying there. They're enjoying the vibe at the castle as I knew they would. They agree to come up to Seastar later to hang out at the pool for a bit.

Finally I am ready for the roundabout, always a mental challenge for me due to the right side driving and uncertainty about right of way. I needn't have worried...it's easy I pull into Beach House Villas where a group of my friends are staying and park.

Security meets me at the gate and when I let them know I'm visiting friends they allow me to walk in. I had a bit of an encounter with one employee who thought it would be funny to tell me I couldn't come in since i was staying on the west end and not there this time but eventually I get his &quot;joke&quot;. Whatever.

On the beach I see everyone and take a swim on the beachside. It's a tiny bit wavy today but clean and much warmer than the water on the cliffs. I enjoy one dirty banana from the bar (only one - I am scootering) and check out their villa. They have the Jungle House and the Reef House. I've now seen or stayed in just about every unit at BHV, they're all pretty cool.


We swim a bit more, hang at the swim up bar and before i know it, it's time to get ready for hookah show #2, at Risky Business again. I park my scooter for the night and change.

As I recall Chicken picked us all up again at Catcha and once again we enjoy a great show. Sometime during the first set Lydie and Paula show up! I am shocked, they so rarely take time away from the restaurant to do anything, in fact they missed every single hookah show in 2006 due to work, but here they are. We hang out and dance and generally have a ball. Linda from Seastar made it down again too, you may need to ask her about her impressions but I know we had a lot of fun Francine, the owner of Seastar, hangs out with us at the show a bit too, she's really cool.

After the show we went to a little after-party at Beach House Villas and just sat around and laughed a lot

Once again i'm loving my bed at Seastar...tomorrow is a big day and I want to be ready for it.

[ohliz]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

http://ohliza.blogspot.com/2009/04/jamaica-march-2009-5.html

Jamaica March 2009: 5 - A scooter ride in the hills

It's Thursday today. My friend Ochy, who rides a Harley at home all the time, saw my scooter yesterday and said he'd like to join me for a ride today. I tell him we can get him a sort of real bike at Banmark but he says a scooter is fine. if I'm riding one he can too

So I get him at Catcha and we ride up to Seastar to get him one.

I take him on my favorite ride, past the lighthouse and into the hills. I do this ride whenever I can, since I first did it in 1999 at Paula from 3 Dives' suggestion. I love it because it's scenic and because I rarely encounter any traffic, so it's a nice ride to take slowly and just enjoy, no stress.

We take the road out and I am shocked at how much construction is going on in the deep west end since I last did this in 2006. I pass what must be Moondance Cliffs, some kind of shopping complex, and more large developments I can't identify. After a bit we reach the Westender and we stop. Ochy and I grab sodas from the bar and walk over to the beachside and look around. We enjoy chatting with the bartender a bit more and continue on our way.

The road looks like it always did as we turn inland towards the hills. I'm keeping an eye out for another one of my favorite stops as Ochy is new to Jamaica and I think he really needs to see it. Soon enough it appears on our right: Jamaica Jurassic Park.

I've been here several times but the last two times Danny, the owner, wasn't there. This time he is. Danny is an artist, he creates almost all of the intricate flowers, leaves nad such that you see on gates around Negril...nirvana's gate, several at Beach House Villas...once you know his work you notice it everywhere.

This spot in Orange Hill is his shop - he makes more mundane items like burglar bars and regular gates, but when he can, he also makes art just for himself. His garden includes pterodactyls, giant 40-leggers, huge flowers...it's a real Jamaican take on Jurassic Park. He's a great guy who will always take time from what he is doing to show visitors around. He explained his inspirations, gave us a tour of the actual metal shop, and showed us some new things he's working on that are for sale...mainly candle holders of people in various positions painted all different colors. They're really cool.

His bar is open again so we stop for a soda and chat with him for a half hour or so more. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to reconnect with him. If you're ever in the area, do stop by...the visit and tour is free though donations are welcome (I left one, because i think it is such a cool thing he has going on out there) and of course the bar welcomes you. Everything was cold and the company was great.

We head on. The next bit is nice and then we meet the main road. Oy, I hate this part...if you are doing the drive for fun I suggest turning around and going back the way you came, but we plan to stop by the beach so we take the Sav road into town. It's just a bit stressful on a scooter because traffic moves VERY fast and it takes a lot of attention to go fast enough not to be a hazard, keep left, give room for cars to pass and not hit potholes or people on the edge.

We make it and stop by Beach House but our friends aren't there. I do have an errand though, and Ochy joins me in the short walk down to Travellers. NEET runs a program called &quot;Buy a Brick&quot; where you can donate money, paint some bricks and both the bricks and the money go to build schools. We buy some, paint some with schwas (that's a hookah thing), dedicate one to a friend's mom who is fighting cancer, and get silly on a few.

We then make our way back up to the cliffs to get ready for a busy, busy night. Tonight I will be officiating a wedding vow renewal ceremony at sunset at 3 Dives, and later on is the 3 Dives bonfire jam.

I didn't take a single photo of the ride or anything else today. Sometimes I just need to enjoy what i'm doing and not worry about documenting it and this was one of those days.

But others have taken some of Jurassic Park and these I will share. (Thanks to http://go-jamaica.com/roundjamaica/2...jurassic-park/)

[ohliz]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

http://ohliza.blogspot.com/2009/04/jamaica-march-2009-6-micki-and-larrys.html

Jamaica March 2009: 6 - Micki and Larry's Vow Renewal at 3 Dives

Back from my scooter adventure I took a swim in the sea at Catcha then headed back up to Seastar to shower and get ready.

A few months ago a friend of mine asked me a favor. She and her husband wanted to renew their wedding vows in Jamaica, as they'd been married for 10 years. Their wedding was a spur of the moment thing that had as witnesses, as they put it, &quot;a justice of the peace and two homeless guys asleep under a palm tree in Key West&quot;. Micki asked me if i could help them arrange something on the Jamaica trip as their family of choice (aka hookah family) would be there with them.

I agreed and helped them arrange to do it on the cliffs at 3 Dives at sunset, the same night hookah was doing a free for all bonfire jam there.

Micki is an organizer...at home, when we camp at festivals, she brings an entire kitchen and sets it up outside her popup camper and proceeds to feed any and everyone all weekend. She is very involved in a large local event called Comfest and spent hours running around Jamaica trying to find recyclable materials for the ceremony (not-foam plates were a challenge but she did it!). She and Larry are really cool people and it was a blessing to be able to help them for once.

Here they are:

Micki then asked me if i would be willing to officiate the ceremony. I admit I was hesitant...me? I'm not a minister...I've never done anything like this before...were they sure?? My dad is actually a minister and I've seen him do weddings several times...Micki told me she'd give me lines to read and I figured why not...when a bride asks a favor like that you just don't say no

So I needed to be at 3 Dives by 5 to help organize things as the ceremony was to be at 6:15.

I was running a bit late and knew I wasn't going to use the scooter (I never, ever drive a scooter at night or when I've had anything to drink, and I would be doing both this night) so one of the guys from Seastar drove me down to 3 Dives.

When I arrived Micki, Larry and the renewal party were already there. They'd decorated the cliff bar with ribbons and tulle and made an aisle...it was really beautiful. We'd arranged for some drinks and a little buffet for afterwards with Lydie and finalized those arrangements. I got my &quot;lines&quot; and went over the timing and such. Micki'd brought a drummer from her hotel who would play during the walk up and down the aisle, and I arranged for a friend to videotape the ceremony.

Over the next hour people began to appear...Micki'd made invitations for everyone on the trip and it seems almost everyone on the trip made it by sunset.


Rather than try to describe it all I'll just include the video here...it was absolutely beautiful, everyone cried, and Micki and Larry reaffirmed their love for each other. It was so neat to be a part of it.


Here's the cake, made by a local baker

and the general scene as we got ready

A few more photos taken by my friend Genean...

The ceremony

Micki and Larry

With Corinne, Susie and Bev

The renewal sunset

We have a little time to rest before the music is to start....3 Dives is jam packed already with people eating and drinking. I'd say over 100 people so far and the staff are handling it like champs - Lydie and Paula have brought in reinforcements for tonight and they are cranking out chicken and lobsters and everything....

[Magician]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

Love the videos Ohliz!

It's always fun to hang with people with guitars. Always some spontaneous session going.

They should send you a yard more often!

[ohliz]

Re: I need a fancy name for my trip report but i don't have

It is a blast, I hang out with those folks at home all the time too, never a dull moment

EVERYONE got the guitars out this night...and the drums and the ukuleles and the harmonicas and the voices and you name it....

http://ohliza.blogspot.com/2009/04/jamaica-march-2009-7-3-dives-bonfire.html

(I won't bother to copy the text here for this part of the report....it is ALL video and photos...you have to hear it and see it, I can't really describe it)