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+--- Thread: A Week In! (/showthread.php?tid=100687)
A Week In! - rastagirl777 - 12-02-2014
Well...we've been here 1 week and 2 days! Its glorious, what can I say?
Trip in was fine save a 4 hour delay in Miami due to broken aircraft. Flew through immigration, luggage and customs. It was the first time in a very long time we traveled on a Sunday so I was a tad nervous but we "beat" all three Club MoBay people on our flight out of the airport. There was a decent sized line at immigration but we headed pretty much straight for the new scanners and made it through.
We arrived in the yard at around 5:00pm and were "instructed" to drop our bags and come straight to Hermine's Bun Bun shop up the road - where are friends were waiting for a surprise welcome home party complete with Fried Chicken and Fish!
Had the house together in a couple of days - farmers market on Wednesday put food in our fridge for the rest of the week.
Surprise appearance of my friends who live in Toronto and LA and neither of whom we'd seen in a long time - they hadn't been back to Jamaican in 4 years. Fun times with them for sure!
Les' 60th birthday was on Sunday so we did a "party redux" at Hermine's (more fried chicken! more fish!) for him capped off by heading back to the yard and setting off a bunch of those paper balloons.
Haven't been to Long Bay yet so can't comment on the vendors - in my little part of the West End its been really mellow, as always.
Half Moon Beach never dissapoints - we got a nice preview of their new "island" bar out in the middle of the sea - Pelican Bar West! Thrilling boat ride out there in rough seas but the place itself is magical and I can't wait to go back during calmer weather.
Speaking of weather, its been off and on. Right now I'm hearing thunder - I guess to compliment last night's lightning show - and the sky just got dark and cool so I'm expecting a decent sized rain dump.
Been swimming every day and am half way through my first book.
Dinner tonight - veg stew. Gotta cook that pumpkin in the fridge, empty it out so I can fill it on Thursday with my veg man's wares!
Love to all!
RE: A Week In! - booger - 12-02-2014
Sounds like a great start to me. If you get a chance to maybe snap a pic of Andrew's new bar I would love to see it. Thanks
RE: A Week In! - captaind on Zion Hill - 12-02-2014
Hi RG,
If you want to take a ride out to Zion Hill let me know.
Linston always enjoys visitors to the yard.
Cap
RE: A Week In! - Richard - 12-02-2014
Hey RG,
New to the forum & was contemplating Club MoBay for a Sunday arrival. Was curious about your comments regarding the new scanners for immigration. Can you elaborate more on this? Is this only available for Jamaican Nationals? On my last two trips the lines were long, long, long & although I do not mind the wait, this trip I will be taking the redeye & arrive around the same time as half of North America. Thanks!
RE: A Week In! - rastagirl777 - 12-02-2014
Booger - I took a whole bunch on Sunday - hub will be taking the "pro" shots sometime this week...and I know I'll be back many more times in the next few months - count on there being lots of pix
Richard - welcome to the Yellow Board! OK, the scanners are on the left side of the hall, next to the CaribCom (Residents) section. I am not a resident nor do I think they are for the residents. What happened was we grudgingly got on the immigration line and noticed the scanners. We asked one of the workers about using them - they wanted to know which airline we flew in on (?) - while they were thinking about it we got off the line and made our way over. As far as I know, any tourist can use it.
I came in the Sunday before Thanksgiving at around 3:00pm - we fly First Class and were off the plane first. The line at immigration was bigger than I'm used to (I usually fly in and land on a Tuesday morning) but not "extreme" like up the ramp. I'd toyed with the idea of booking Club MoBay but in the end I'm really glad I didn't.
As season gets busier after the 15th of December those Sunday arrivals will probably pack that hall. The scanners are just one more option. Personally I'd rather have the Club MoBay money to spend in Negril. Its up to you though....if you hit it right it seems to save quite a bit of time.
RE: A Week In! - skyjuice - 12-03-2014
Could you elaborate a little more on the weather?
An umbrella and a light wrap sound like possibilities
for the evening.
RE: A Week In! - Blues Pirate - 12-03-2014
Hey RG,
Can you tell me more about this new Pelican Bar West at Half Moon? How similar is it to the one on the south coast? Any photos?
RE: A Week In! - rootswoman - 12-03-2014
Off to a great sounding start!
Thanks for checking in.
I am looking forward to more.
Keep away from those mosquitoes!
RE: A Week In! - rastagirl777 - 12-03-2014
Just back from my Wednesday afternoon Canoe/Caesar romp...lovely as always...
Skyjuice - ya know how it go...the weather can be anything. Bring a wrap for the evening bu these days I run "warm" so I haven't used mine. Current weather a little overcast with a slight breeze off of the sea West End way (it was much breezier at Canoe). Bring an umbrella, it very well might rain for a short time. We had only one full day of rain so far - it never did rain last night here (Deep West) but it sure stormed out at sea. Very little humidity right now so I doubt it will rain anytime today/tonight.
BP-Oh God, Andrew will kill me! It seems I am coining the phrase "Pelican Bar West". The similarities are that it is a bar on an island out in the middle of the sea. Half Moon has two barrier islands - their bar (called Calico Jack's btw) is on the smaller of the two. It is built out of wood all from HMB property - Guango and Logwood...the only thing not from the property is the thatch which is from the West End. Its more "elaborately" constructed than PB - larger and easier to get in and out of by boat. There will be restrooms at the bar as well, not sure about food though. When you are out there you do feel as though you are in the middle of the sea and the sea was raging all around us but not a drop of water came into the structure from above, from below or from the sides. Andrew told us that the bar - mostly completed since October - has been pounded by sea storms and such much worse than we were in and it didn't budge - not a board, thatch or post. Built to last. I'll post pix probably tommorow can't deal with the picture thingie right now (hic).
RE: A Week In! - daniel - 12-03-2014
Thanks for checking in . Glad all is criss . Calico Jacks . sounds fun . We like Half Moon a lot . Enjoy to the max !!!