Day Eleven, Saturday (Negril)
After last night, we took it easy today. Our beach was, by now, nice and free of seaweed, so we stayed close to home for the most part, swimming, eating, chatting and relaxing.
If I haven’t mentioned the roof at Beach House Villas, I should now. No one was in the beach house unit and it’s 3 stories high and the entire roof is a deck. So in effect you are 4 stories up on Negril beach and can see really far up and down. It was great to hang out up there as our noise just floated away and we could stealthily watch passers-by taking their night walks on the beach. That’s the “Beach House” from the song I sort of rewrote.
We were hungry that night and somehow wound up at 3 Dives again. Lloydie’s brother Eddie was around at closing time, and we’d been telling him about the view from the Beach House roof. He seemed interested in it so we asked him if he’d like to come up. He agreed to ride his bike down and meet us in a bit.
Security walked him in (I’d told him we were expecting a friend, not a “new beach friend” but an old friend. One that owns a successful local business for pete’s sake. But I guess security gets paid to be a little paranoid). Our security guy actually hung out with us for a little while, getting a feel I guess. Everyone was friendly so it was all good.
After he left we headed up to the roof. Eddie said in all his years of living near Negril, he’d never seen a view like that. I was glad it was special for him too. We spent quite awhile up there just reasoning, and a while on our porch watching Eddie try to master that toy we’d bought at Reach Falls. Next time we go, I will buy all the toys that rasta has. Everyone loved that thing.
Day Twelve, Sunday (Negril)
This is our friends’ last full day in Negril, They leave tomorrow. They’ve been busy this trip (compared to the hookah trip last year). Some have scuba-dived a couple of times. We did the YS trip and they played golf (at Negril Hills…expensive compared to the $15 courses we have at home but awfully pretty). We’ve done everything but a boat ride.
We’ve run into a party boat rep a few times on the beach and the group decides they’d like to do that tonight. It’s an all-you-can-drink, snacks, 4 hours to the cliffs and back thing. The pontoon boat comes to take us to the big boat around 4. I’m a little hung over but I get on anyway. About a minute out, the engine quits. They mess with it. It looks suspiciously like rain. Though I did want to spend this last evening with my friends, I realize this is my chance to not add fish food to the west end waters. I don’t mind being a wussy so I hop off the boat, tell the others to enjoy the ride and head back to the room to read my Winkler book. I’ve cruised to the cliffs before, I’m surely not drinking “unlimited rum punch”. I’m glad to be in my room.
About 15 minutes later as I lay in bed reading, the sky opens up and it POURS. I can hear the rain on the roof, the patio, the concrete path. It’s just torrential. Fifteen more minutes and everyone’s back. No cruise tonight. Oh well. P and I take a nap. The others head to Kuyaba for dinner. We meant to join them but before we awoke, they were back. P and I went alone and had a not-bad meal. Seems kind of hit or miss there, always kind of expensive and service is good, but the food was just OK. I ‘ve been there before when the food has been fabulous so it’s worth trying, and as I said the atmosphere is very nice.
We did make a run up to 3 Dives with everyone (last night in Negril, gotta do it) and picked up our friends’ orders of granny sauce, and marinade (that stuff is GREAT – ask for it, he’ll bottle it. It seasons the chicken perfectly for the sauce and it’s not so spicy that kids can’t eat it). Lloydie ran out so we made plans to meet the next day on the way out of town to get our own sauces.
We had another great night hanging out…the place feels like my backyard by now. I am not as comfortable anywhere in Negril. This place, and the people here, have gradually become the best part of spending time in this town.
