Negril Day Trip
I have always found the organized tours very restricted and time sensitive so it was a refreshing change when yesterday we chose to hire a taxi driver for a day trip to Negril. We paid him a flat fee for a round trip for the 5 of us to Negril for the entire day and he drove us there and hung around waiting to take us on to the next stop.
Our driver was named "Bicky", at least that's what his friends call him. His full name was much longer so it was just easier to remember Bicky. He was in his late 50's at least and was such a sweetheart, telling us about his wife and their life in Lucea. He hasn't had many opportunities to travel outside of Jamaica but he loves his country and his life, and had such a positive, sunny attitude. He filled us in on the history of the country, including the Rastas, pirates, Spanish rule, British invasions, and the settling and eventual independence of the country. In 2012, Jamaica celebrated 50 years since the received that Independence.
Negril is supposed to have the best beaches in Jamaica, with a 7-mile stretch facing mostly west. This golden, never-ending length of sand reminded me very much of that beach I ran on in Puerto Vallarta. Having seen a bit of Ocho Rios and the Montego Bay area as well, Negril is the place to go next time. It's more of a tourist town, up and coming with many shops and restaurants as well as known all-inclusive brands.
We spent our day first browsing a disappointing little shopping mall. Everyone sells the same tourist crap so once you've picked up the items you want, there isn't much else to do. Luckily, even though we told Becky we wanted 1 1/2 hours (thinking this complex held more authentic stores), we were able to cut the shopping part down to leave when we wanted, since he had stuck around.
Jimmy Buffet's Margarhitaville was next. This is the type of bar/activity centre on the beach Bryan dreams of running one day so it gave him a few ideas. It's an open air restaurant with cabanas, beach chairs, a tiki bar, and other services. The water was beautiful blue and refreshing and we all had time to play in the waves coming in to shore.
There is this fun bar called Rick's that's really nothing special but it's on the western most tip of the island so it's known for spectacular sunsets. Unfortunately, the clouds made for an anticlimactic sunset experience for us, but we enjoyed a couple of hours in the bar anyway. They have cliff diving set up but it was closed that day due to the waves and wind.
Probably the best part of this trip was Bicky taking us to a little jerk grill on the side the road that he particularly enjoys. The chicken was tender and juicy and the jerk hot and spicy, more authentic, homemade tasting than others we have tried. Very yummy!!
The water in Jamaica is potable so luckily no one in our group has gotten sick with stomach issues. I, however, have a cough that's just getting worse and judging by my tongue, I have some kind of bacterial infection. The one thing I didn't bring with us was antibiotics though. I hope it's gone soon!
Our driver was named "Bicky", at least that's what his friends call him. His full name was much longer so it was just easier to remember Bicky. He was in his late 50's at least and was such a sweetheart, telling us about his wife and their life in Lucea. He hasn't had many opportunities to travel outside of Jamaica but he loves his country and his life, and had such a positive, sunny attitude. He filled us in on the history of the country, including the Rastas, pirates, Spanish rule, British invasions, and the settling and eventual independence of the country. In 2012, Jamaica celebrated 50 years since the received that Independence.
Negril is supposed to have the best beaches in Jamaica, with a 7-mile stretch facing mostly west. This golden, never-ending length of sand reminded me very much of that beach I ran on in Puerto Vallarta. Having seen a bit of Ocho Rios and the Montego Bay area as well, Negril is the place to go next time. It's more of a tourist town, up and coming with many shops and restaurants as well as known all-inclusive brands.
We spent our day first browsing a disappointing little shopping mall. Everyone sells the same tourist crap so once you've picked up the items you want, there isn't much else to do. Luckily, even though we told Becky we wanted 1 1/2 hours (thinking this complex held more authentic stores), we were able to cut the shopping part down to leave when we wanted, since he had stuck around.
Jimmy Buffet's Margarhitaville was next. This is the type of bar/activity centre on the beach Bryan dreams of running one day so it gave him a few ideas. It's an open air restaurant with cabanas, beach chairs, a tiki bar, and other services. The water was beautiful blue and refreshing and we all had time to play in the waves coming in to shore.
There is this fun bar called Rick's that's really nothing special but it's on the western most tip of the island so it's known for spectacular sunsets. Unfortunately, the clouds made for an anticlimactic sunset experience for us, but we enjoyed a couple of hours in the bar anyway. They have cliff diving set up but it was closed that day due to the waves and wind.
Probably the best part of this trip was Bicky taking us to a little jerk grill on the side the road that he particularly enjoys. The chicken was tender and juicy and the jerk hot and spicy, more authentic, homemade tasting than others we have tried. Very yummy!!
The water in Jamaica is potable so luckily no one in our group has gotten sick with stomach issues. I, however, have a cough that's just getting worse and judging by my tongue, I have some kind of bacterial infection. The one thing I didn't bring with us was antibiotics though. I hope it's gone soon!
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