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+--- Thread: The Swim (and more) (/showthread.php?tid=71838)
The Swim (and more) - Firemon - 02-15-2014
<P>First night in Jamaica and to my good fortune King Yellowman is headlining the show at Roots Bamboo. Yeah, I realize he's there alot, but he's still a great entertainer with uncanny stage presence. Had to wait until 1 am for him to take the stage but he ran through a medley of his hits ie-Zungguzungguguzungguzeng and put on a strong performance (ending just past 2).<P>Next morning had my first cold coconut on the beach following a swim. No jet skiis in operation and most of the properties now have designated swim areas marked by buoys.<P>Juggled for a spell trying to acclimate myself to the new challenges presented by the sun, wind, suntan lotion making the clubs slippery, sand getting in my eyes, etc, Fun was achieved if not perfection. Made a HUGE gaff when I momentarily didn't recognize Wendy when she teasingly break up my juggle as she pass by giving her a look of miscomprehension. Then it hit me. Wendy! Too late. Duh. Sorry girl, but I was so focused on navigating the slope of the beach and everything else my brain was temporarily in an alternate juggling reality.<P>Stopped in by the Boat Bar to hear Otis Gayle (Likkle Red introduced herself to say hello) and enjoyed the initial performance of the warm up band Oneness who want to play frequently and create their own sound. Nice debut.<P>My Jamaican girlfriend refers to my air mattress as a "seabed." Makes it sound betta doesn't it?<P>Just had a jerk chicken sandwich from a street vendor I've wanted to reward with my business for his eagerness/politeness. Unfortuneately the sauce tasted more like barbeque than jerk so now my commitment to his welfare is over. For me it just doesn't get any better than Bourbon Beach for jerk chix. Nice makeover there with new deep red paint job, closed upstairs/balcony, gigantic movie/projection screen adjacent to the stage, no cover house bands performing, bonfires, etc.<P>Was on my way to check out purported strip club Vegas (old Risky Business site) on Thursday night only the police had arrived just before midnight to shut it down. The security guard at an adjacent property said it was a noise issue.<P>Ladies night at the Jungle is still very, very popular. Savored some conch coup on my way home. It's good for the bamboo you know.<P>Had an absolutely putrid pasta dinner at Kenny's Italian. Have you ever head of an Italian Sausage pasta dish without a trace of Italian Sausage? Was it ground into the sauce into barely distinguishable and rarely detected morsels?. Nice ambiance. But I ordered Italian Sausage not mere noodles with sauce. No bread or salad with the meal so we ordered wine and an appetizer which were both fine.<BR>Too dark to read the menu. Left hungry. Disappointed. Less well financed. And did I say hungry? (Maybe their Rasta Pasta and Rasta Pizza is good because the chef apparently disdains meat.)<P>Much better experience at Kuyabi last night for Valentine's Day supper. Singer/organ player set the mood with nice background music. Great atmosphere.<BR>We had grilled lobster ($27) and a tenderloin ($28) for a surf and turf shared meal.<BR>Plus vanilla shakes with pineapple wedge, cherry and tiny umbrella. Only mistake we made was sitting in the No Spliff section.<P>Had to re-contact my favorite Jamaican farmer yesterday afternoon and ask for a "refill." Driver, don't stop at all.<P>The sidewalk that I've traversed runs from the Grand Pineapple to downtown. I like it. Unfortunately so do drivers who like to park their cars on it. I had to back out of the way of one car coming down the sidewalk saying to the driver forcing me to move "why don't you like me?" This annoyed him, so I threw in a loud bumbaclot to make him stew a little more.<P>It's early but i'm still managing my pre-vacation goals of 1) no sunburn; 2) no hangovers.<P>Never thought I'd spend so much vacation time "boarding" but just came to the realization I have internet access from my cottage so I can google myself.<P>So, as I was saying, I intentionally went for a swim with my wallet (having added a button to my swimsuit pocket and a zip-lock baggy to keep the money dry) only to realize 15 minutes after my swim it was gone. I'd out-smarted myself. Alas, I thought, at least I'd separated my credit card from my wallet/cash so I wasn't out everything. Still, what if I could find it? So back to the beach I went and within two minutes there it was easily visible on the sandy bottom about twice as far out as I'd been swimming.. Jamaica. No Problem.
Re: The Swim (and more) - kaycee - 02-15-2014
<P>Very nice. I'm glad you found your wallet!!
Re: The Swim (and more) - kylake - 02-16-2014
<P>Thanks for the trip update and foodie reviews. Great that you found your wallet.
Re: The Swim (and more) - RGondaRoad - 02-16-2014
<P>I happen to like Italian Cafe - its the only pizza I'll eat in Negril (I'm a pizza snob being from New York, I won't even eat pizza at home in California!) - we seemed to keep eating there alot when I first arrived in November so for a change I ordered their Pasta Carbonara - and it was awesome. Can't say I've ever had a bad meal there.<P>Can't say the same for Kuyaba - once my favorite restaurant on the beach. But in all fairness its been many years since I've eaten there so I should probably give them another chance.
Re: The Swim (and more) - BrenJaLee - 02-16-2014
<P>Can you please post the name/location of the jerk vendor with the sauce that's more like a BBQ sauce. It sounds like something that I would actually prefer. I'm not a fan of real spicy and most of the jerk sauces are too much for me. So, I would really love to try his. If you have a picture of the guy and his barrel/sign, that would be even better! Thank you
Have a great vacation.
Re: The Swim (and more) - rootswoman - 02-17-2014
<P>Thanks for posting you guys down there!<P>Great little report Firemon !<P>Oh Boy! Wicked Wendy is on the Rock!<P>Lets hope this darn board speeds up - its hard for people to respond right now<BR>the rest of us aren't on Jamaica Time.<BR>
Re: The Swim (and more) - RGondaRoad - 02-28-2014
<P>The first thing I took note of when I drove into Negril in November were the traffic lights (I only sat at a red light once in my 2 1/2 month stay). Next I took note of the sidewalk, my driver had to point it out because there were so many cars parked on it, lol.
Re: The Swim (and more) - rootswoman - 03-01-2014
<P>Another great thread !
Re: The Swim (and more) - Sophie - 03-01-2014
<P>Perfect- now I could get killed walking the road or the freakin' sidewalk. Oh!! Maybe they will put the speed bumps on the SIDEWALK that they wouldn't put on the ROAD. Once again, would be funny if it wasn't so stupid and scary.<P>Thanks for the reports!