Day 6

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I'm up a little past 6. I look in my mirror. A 30 year old man looks back. He still has fun like a immature ten year old. I smile.



I grab a papaya and two bananas and head to the hammock. I see Robert strolling around but don't approach him. The sun is up but it's brisk still. I woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, both because it was the hottest day here and I give out a ton of heat at night. I chugged water then so I wasn't thirsty.





I lay in the hammock finishing my post about the previous uneventful day. I hear the cook open the kitchen at 6:45. I soak in a few more minutes of peace and go back to the room to fill my water bottle.





It's a new cook today. I didn't notice from the screen. After I say good morning she replies with "ah I heard about you, you stay at bamboo tree? I'm Annette. Where were you yesterday?"





I explained how I woke up late so I went straight to the beach. They are still out of ackee so I order a omelette and coffee. "they tell me to give you a grapefruit too."





I thank her take a coffee and sit down. She brings the food. The grapefruit is slightly warm and is best described as a tasteless banana. I eat it all of course.





I was running out of clean shirts and had rinsed a t shirt in the shower last night. I go back to my room and lay it out on the bench. It's dry in 20 minutes.





As I'm sitting on the bench Melanie comes out. We catch up. They had each bought big oil paintings at the craft market for $20,000 each. She's half asleep so I let her go back to her room.



Ciscene the office manager arrives. She gives me a happy birthday handshake. I hug her. She tells me my breakfast was comped today.





Today calls for perfect sun all day so I head straight to the beach. A kid stops me in the alley. His name is Alec. He calls me the man with the girls and shakes my hand enthusiastically. I'm polite but walking away is as I do this. He tells me to "chill out for a minute."





"where you get that girl mon? That yours?"





"no she's my friend, were staying at the same hotel."





"man she's tight bro, I thought that was your girl."





"nah man" I respond. "you should talk to her."





He asks if I smoke and I tell him no. He shakes my hand again and says respect and we walk off. I was mad at myself for being anxious talking to him assuming he was going to badger me for money. I decide from now on I'll talk to anyone and give firm nos if I'm not interested in their good/service.





One thing I've noticed is the ratio of local girls to guys on the beach of negril. Melanie is cute and in great shape don't get me wrong, but these dudes are like starving dogs around steak. She takes it in stride. When she starts getting annoyed she'll say "ok you go home now" or "ok im going to listen to music now" and turn her back to them. What amuses me is its always her, her friend and I. For all these JAs know im her husband. They don't care.





I lay my things out in the beach. Not a cloud in the sky. Im wired from the coffee so I do planks in the sand.





Mario comes by again to talk. We get to talking about work. Mario makes money giving jet ski rides and obviously selling ganja. He's got a great personality and approaches everyone. He's in his young 20s and in great shape. I tell him I would hire him in a second to be a merchandiser. I tell him he should put his business on the internet like tripadvisor. He gets kind of excited at my suggestion he work for pepsi making over 30,000 a year. Later I realized how stupid this was. He works on the beach all day meeting new people and riding on a jet ski. He doesn't need health insurance unless he gets hit by a car. As long as he can eat he's fine.





A guy I had met at the party gives me a pound. He wants to take me on a tour to ricks cafe, the cliffs and ganja fields. I tell him I'm waiting on my friends but I might do that later. He's wearing the same shirt from the other night. I have a garbage bag filled with clothes to donate and kick myself for not bringing it.





He walks off to get someone's number. A man at the restaurant and asks if he's my friend. I told him I just met him but he's not bothering me. He told me he didn't want him hanging out here. I said that's fine.





I plug in my iPhone and I'm lounging. I glimpse up and see something black moving quickly in the water. It's a stingray. I yell to a woman in the water. She sees it and gasps. It moves on, people run after it with cameras. It was maybe 15 feet from the sand.



I send melanie a message on whatsapp. It was already 11am and they might of went postcard shopping at the place I told them about.





The Spanish family staying at the yoga center walk by. They are going snorkeling. They already paid and offer for me to go along. I decline. I regret this immediately.





I notice the top of my feet are dark red. They don't feel burned. I suck my stomach in and slightly pull down my shorts. It looks like a hunk of ivory in the middle of mud. I then realize I haven't seen any of the nude or topless people on the beach they complained about on the web. Not one.





An old dread is sitting about 15 feet away drinking a big bottle of juice. He pours some from his friend. His friend comes over and tells me I need some.



"what is it guava?" I ask.





"nah mon ginger and lemongrass, good for your dick!"





"oh dick juice!" I reply. He laughs and bumps my fist. I wanted some juice.





Melanie and Sarah (I learned her name) show up around 12:30. They went postcard shopping and bought some other stuff they showed me. Melanie bought an awesome watch made from coconuts.





They go into the water and come back out. They are both standing over me. "Paulo, was your birthday last Wednesday or this one?"





I tell them it was today. I told them it was my birthday Wednesday the first night we met.





They sing me happy birthday in German. They say we'll have a good time going to ricks cafe, jumping off the cliff and partying after. I agree.





We lay out the rest of the afternoon. An American named Pete from San Diego shows up.





Pete is in his late 40s single with no kids. He's kind of hippy. He's in Jamaica taking up his buddy who lives here in his open invitation. Pete just put down his 18 year old dog. So we both had somewhat of a crisis and were clearing our minds in negril.





He tells us about a party at some club that serves free drinks to ladies midnight to two. I'm a lot more experienced with the locals and have the wisdom of a 30 year old. I don't hesitate to sign us up.





Somewhere along we discuss the lack of nudity on the beach. He mentions it's legal all over and last week they were a bunch of nude Germans around. I asked meanie if she goes nude on the beaches in Germany. She responds with an enthusiastic "I do!" I ask her why she doesn't do that here and she explains that no one else is. Makes sense.





Ron shows up again. He said he saw me walking down the beach at night and had to look twice to see if I'm Jamaican. I wasn't sure what he meant. He told me my skin was real dark now and pointed how vascular my forearms are. We then discussed the Jamaican diet and had a good conversation about how Jamaicans got to this island and why it's important to eat and work like a caveman.





Melanie tells him it's my birthday. He bumps my fist and tells her she "needs to give me pussy tonight." She just laughs and turns around. I sort of wished she was offended so I can think of a reason to tell him to leave.





He starts pestering the girls. I look up and see the restaurant manager. I don't sweat. Sure enough after a couple more minutes he and Ron argue in patois. Ron's pointing at the sand, probably telling him the restaurant doesn't own it. Ron tells me the guy is throwing him out, bumps my fist and leaves.





Around 4 a cloud hit bringing rain. Sort of puts a damper on ricks cafe and the cliffs. I head to the room, girls stay. Pete comes with me. He tells me what room he's in and tells me to come by and "we'll smoke a j and ride together." I told him I didn't feel right leaving the girls to get a taxi and decline.





I keep my shorts on and shower salt and sand off. Girls show up twenty minutes later and I borrow their lotion.





We go to ricks cafe. Its $600 for a cab ride. The cab is unmarked, the girls try to talk me out of going with him. I tell them it's a fair rate. The cab stalls out, he needs gas. He pulls into a gas station. Freaking Melanie is more street savvy than me. 26 year old girl.





We get to ricks. Ricks is famous for two things, a view of a magnificent sunset and the ability to jump off a cliff 80 yards(?) to pristine waters. The girls indulge in the later, clouds block the former. Kids do crazy ass hand stand dives off the unmarked parts. They are hamming it up having a ball. I marvel at their athleticism, but like anything in life practice it enough and you can do if. I don't jump because I don't feel like getting wet. I regret it as I write this.





We decide not to eat there. They are both small and thrifty. I'm big and hungry. I want to hit a karoke night at the resort next to us. Food until 11 and 2 for 1 cocktails. They want to pamper up in their room and pick me up. Taxi wants 1000 to go back. I explain we paid 600 to get there. The guy goes to 800. Girls talk, I tell them lets just go and I'll pay. They get in and don't let me pay. Guy drives a vw bus. Melanie points out he what's more money because he uses more gas. He says that's not true, she replies "I know nothing, but I'm not stupid." I quietly admire her frankness.





They refuse to let me pay. We get back to our rooms. I told them I would hit the karoke party across the road at 8 and for them to pick me up there.





I get outside of my room and see Robert. We start talking for about 20 minutes. He tells me has a 4 year old daughter and has family all over the us and wants to move there. He pinpoints new York, atlanta and Florida as his destinations. He asks about what I do for work. We start talking about my stay and I tell him how much I enjoy the yoga center, mainly because I wanted some quiet. He tells me he could tell the first night I was there I was a quiet guy. He thought initially he was bothering me by talking to me.





I'm kind of surprised. Up until a little past high school I had a confidence problem and wouldn't say much around people I didn't know. While Ive over come that, I still guess I'm a loner by default who values his time alone. I prefer to call it independence. I think it's great I can travel alone and either make friends, like I have on this trip, or just enjoy my solitude.



Robert and I get to know each other a lot better. I tell him I need to get his email and add him in Facebook before I leave.





Maybe 5 patrons are there initially. A male/female dj/singer combo are the only two singing. They are very good.





I order a fish. The dj introduces an acapella group. It's 4 guys probably at least 17, no older than 22. They kill two boys to men songs to the point where I felt they should of charged admission. And only for an audience of 10 now. I'm used to drunk people butchering country songs when I think of karoke.





A guy starts up a convo in the bathroom. He asks me where I'm partying after this. I tell him, he tells me I need jamaican protection and says he'll go with me. I mention I'm out of cash, he tells me he won't charge me. He just said I looked like a guy that knew how to have fun and he wanted to hang. I believe him for some reason.





The girls show up, they are baked beyond belief. We grab a taxi who quotes us $500 to get to the club. I tell the man I met in the bathroom were good.





We get to the gate. It looks like something out of Tijuana with a GATE blocking people to even getting to the front door. The doorman approaches the taxi. Tell us it's "freaky night."



"I thought it was ladies night?" I reply.



"no freaky night... A lot of fucking and sucking."





We tell the cab we want to go elsewhere.





We had to the roof club downtown. The girls go in to check it out. I wait in the cab. I see a million guys and no girls outside. I mention this to them when they get back. They weren't thrilled about going there either.





The taxi gets us back. I hold up the $500 we owed at least. "I got 500 for him," I say. "you guys got a couple 100 extra for him?"





They talk in German. Melanie hands me a 500. They are still baked. Sarah scolds her and she pulls it back.





"what's the problem?" the driver asks. "500 there and back."





If she played it cool and threw out 200 initially like i said he probably would of taken it.





We head into the karoke bar again. A guy in a elaborate blazer is doing something with a box outside the building. I say hi. He gets excited and comes over.





"hey man it's me, the singer from bourbon beach!"





He was one of the reggae performers Monday. He had tried to sell me a DVD of him performing. I tipped him $100 just for singing well.





I greet him warmly. We order and go to the bathroom. The singer is there, he asks again about a DVD. I look in the mirror. I'm fucking dark.



I sit down and the singer gets up and does two songs. He nails it and is even doing dance moves. After he's done he asks for a tip. I refuse. "can I at least have money to get into the party at roots cafe?" I still refuse. Poor guy is a starving artist with a day job also.





The man that offered me protection is still there. He wants to go to the roof club. He tells me he's a kingpin in Jamaica. I don't want to go if I need a kingpin to be safe. My out is to put it on the girls. The problem is we are all at the same table when I ask. I try as hard as I can to telepathically tell them I don't want to go. They think for maybe 40 agonizing seconds and turn him down.





I'm not really comfortable writing about the evening any further, just know that I was safe and had a good time.

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