Negril Notes
Thoughts - Words - Images - Music - Loosely based on my travels to Negril Jamaica

It was a little rough getting here, a delay at Newark Liberty and a lot of evening traffic in Mobay, landed us at the Blue Cave Castle about 7:30-8:00PM. It wasn’t too bad, we had champagne on the plane and Red Stripes in the taxi.

Our first day included a trip via Route Taxi down to the beach for breakfast. One of the guys in to taxi said, “He had a brother with a restaurant on the beach that specializes in Jamaican Breakfast. We were a bit leary of the guy, but it worked out. We had to listen to his hustle for a while, but the breakfast was excellent. Ackee & Saltfish w/ Dumplings, banana, sweet potato and yams, server “al fresco” right on the beach squeezed in-between Bourbon Beach & Bar-b-Barn. Very good Rastaman Chef, explained everything to us. Add some fresh squeezed juice, mui excellente’.

Then we walked up the beach to about White Sands and headed to the street. We walked down and met a few higglers as we shooed away taxis and walked down to Selina’s for some Bloody Marys. We got a good driver out of Selina’s who took us to the NCB for $J, and we stopped for provisions at the HiLo.

We chilled at The Castle for a few hours, swimming off the cliffs, and exploring the caves. For Dinner we walked over to 3Dives not realizing the webcast was elsewhere, but the food was excellent as always. Dad had Curried Goat and I had 1/2 Jerk Chicken both our meals were served with well prepared rice & peas with callaloo. Of course there were multiple Red Stripes.

We got back and crashed early. We were up with the sunrise 5:30AM, so by 8:00PM we were bushed.

It’s great to be back at The Castle, the people couldn’t be nicer, our room is stunning, with an ocen view that isn’t really a view, it’s more like a presence. It’s just there, the gentle sound of waves washing on coral, the deep blue expanse out in the corners of your eyes fill every conscious moment. 

Dad loves the Castle’s architecture, we’re looking around wondering how they did this. We learned Fuzzy, one of the security men, has been here since the beginning, and we plan to pick his brain. You just can’t get a true understanding of The Castle’s wonderful silliness until you’re here, it is truly the best kept secret in the Caribbean.

I wish you could all be here!! Well actually you can - get on a damn plane!

Vinny

The day has come! Woo Hoo! It’s still dark in Brooklyn. I’m heading out to breakfast at Marko’s, then on to the D Train to 34th Street, then NJ Transit to Edison, NJ where my Dad will pick me up. By Late afternoon we’ll be in sunny Jamaica!

Stay tuned to this space. I will be posting as often as I can, I will also post links to webcasts, and any other happenings that happen along.

Peace,

Vinny

What a blog avoiding jerk I’ve been these past few weeks! My impending Negril trip looms near, and like always I attempt squeezing four weeks of work into the two weeks before a two week vacation. I should know better, but it seems to happen to some degree or another every trip.

Hmmm, so what have we missed? The Eagles won last Sunday, but they still suck! The Little Fower Field Hockey Team could beat the Jets! But of course they don’t listen to me, and the Philadelphia media are fawning like lovesick lemmings staggering ever so close to the precipice of a six win season. 

 All that said, I did enjoy the game. My brother Mike scrounged up tickets from some disaffected Jetster, and kindly thought of his big brother the Eagles Fan. Our tailgating left much to be deisred, after finally squeezing into a parking space we ate Tastee SuperSubs and Dr. Pepper on the trunk of Goldy, while people all around us feasted on various parts of large hooved creatures. Pennington may throw like a girl, but Jets Fans can tailgate with the best of them.

Ahhh Negril is so close I can shut my eyes and feel it everywhere. We leave in just about forty hours, I’m packed and relaxed. The normally jittery ravages of PNS (Pre-Negril Syndrome) have calmed into a simple to-do list. My roomate Chris is watching Rosie for me, so the cat guilt is chilled. My packing is down to such a science, and I keep most of the essentials in my duffel year-round.

A two-something flight from Newark, at The Castle by early evening, Friday morning Caribbean sunrise…

Soon Come…

Vinny