Day 3

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I woke up and check my phone. 8:45 am... I had my appointment for my snorkeling trip at 9! I chugged water put on my vibrams, shorts and a Tshirt and sprinted down the beach. I got to the boat and Leroy was waiting outside for me. I apologized and he said "noworries mon you just leave a big tip" I realized I had only brought what I owed him.



Two couples were already on board the "captain Kirk" I don't remember their names. I apologized for holding them up and we took off. The boat was a glass bottom one, you can see right to the floor. All the fish however were at the reef. I borrowed some sun block for my face and wore my Tshirt into the water. They provided snorkel and fins.



We had a guide show us around the reefs. It was the first time I had been snorkeling since I did it in 2005. No experience beats it. Fish swim around as if you aren't there and they are all beautiful. I saw a stingray and dove for a conch which still had a crab in it. A woman with us asked if she could have it. Leroy scolded her about taking live animals out.



After about an hour we swim back to the boat. When we get back to the shore I apologize to Leroy and the guide about not being able to tip. I tell them where I'm staying and tell them to stop by and they'll get tipped. Leroy says he'll have him come with me. The guide didn't like his suggestion and said something angrily in their dialect. Leroy walked back with me. He said he could tell I respected their culture and that he was a ganja and mango farmer. He wanted to take me to the hills and show me his crops and have me eat with his family. I wasnt sure if he was trying to make more money or not, but I was intrigued. I told him I needed a day in the shade to read and I might see him later on in the week.



We got back to the yoga center and I tipped him $22. I had the cook make me some breakfast as I was starving. I grabbed a book I brought and laid on a hammock sipping on water. For about an hour I just observed the animals and native dialect around me. I want a garden when I get my own place. Not crops, but bushes and fruit trees. It just made me tranquil.



It's funny, my whole life I've been a music lover and always had headphones plugged in. On this trip I've had them on maybe a combined two hours. I'm getting more satisfaction in fully emerging myself in the atmosphere and having little conversations with people. Maybe this will be the first thing tat changes with me being 30?



The forecast called for scattered tstorms for the rest of the afternoon so I decided to have the yoga center cook me some fish Thai curry soup. While I was eating the groundskeeper, Omar, sparked a conversation with me.
Talking to omar was a blessing. I ate my soup fairly quickly since rain was threatening and it's all outdoor seating (I refuse to dine in my room). When I was done i joined Omar, who was siting in the open air yoga studio. Initially I complained about the rain. He shot me down politely and emphatically, "I see rain as a blessing, it cools down the weather, makes the plants and animals in Jamaica happy and healthy, and these things are very important to our economy. Here it rains and it's warm and sunny an hour later" I gave him a weak rebuttal about how the rain in Bristol lasts for days and keeps you couped up. "well that's probably what your area needs, that much rain. God knows what he's doing." He was right. I realized like many Jamaicans this was a positive man that didn't look at that half empty glass. We spent about an hour talking about hurricanes and the different cities in Jamaica. We both had all inclusive resorts. "that's not a vacation to me, staying in the same building!" he barked. "Omar every minute you aren't working is a vacation, you live in Jamaica" He corrected me again, "no every minute I'm in Jamaica is a vacation, I love my job!" The rain eased up and grabbed a book and sat in the covered hammock for a couple hours. I failed in my goal to take a nap. Around 6 I went back to my room to shower and decided to check out a restaurant. The rain came again. I finally decided to just buy some chicken from a street vendor. I grab 3 pieces, he didn't have enough change so he gave me a coconut cake. I got back and the security guard whose name I forgot was at the post. "that's all for you man?" "yeah of course, I'm a big guy. Want one?" "no that's too much!" I made him take the coconut cake. I got back to my room and put my key in the door. My neighbors must of been waiting on me as they burst their door open as soon as they heard me arrive. "hi what are you doing tonight?" "nothing" "want to go to a Jamaican party with us?" "sure!" "great! Want a red stripe?" These two girls are in their early 20's and the biggest of the two is maybe 5'6" 120. Knowing how often I get pestered. I almost felt obliged to act as a body guard at least. One introduced herself as Melanie. They were from Germany and her friend barely spoke English. They came to negril late 2009 and love dancehall and reggae. We start walking to the party and someone already comes up to give us pounds. Melanie's friend is cold with him. He tells us he's friendly. We saw him off and on the rest of the night and he really was, but you have to keep your guard up. We get to the party and it's yet to get going. It was in the middle of the beach with a concrete slab that hosted a make shift bar serving warm beer and liquor. Two giant speakers were about 60 yards apart. A dj was at a soundboard with a guy holding a mike. Maybe 20 Jamaicans were there, mostly sitting around. Dancehall is cool for the energy. It consists of hard drum beats, but every 4 seconds the dude on the mic flat out interrupts the song to yell something. And then they play those siren horns. This guy had endless energy... He did it about 6 hours nonstop, no break! We go to the bar and get some red stripes. A JA walks up to me and notices my Brasil shirt. He gets excited and welcomes me and asks me some questions. He told me he works by the cliffs and he wants to take me there and we'll cliff dive and smoke a joint. He then tells me how to dance. An old dread that got on the mic looked over and saw us. Since at this point we were the only two moving he laughed and came over. He shook my hand and welcomed me and told me to have a good time. We left after maybe an hour to check out another party we heard of. It was on the beach maybe a half mile from where we were. We passed a karoke party and stopped to listen for a second. We also passed some bonfires which just consisted of 4-5 jas smoking and drinking. The other party was at the famous bourbon beach. They have a bar on the sand and seating around a giant stage. The people on stage were moving equipment, we were hoping they were setting up instead of tearing down. No such luck. Someone comes out with a laptop and plays a George Clooney movie on the projection screen about his dying wife in Hawaii or something. The next band came on in two hours and they were killing time. Made no sense to me, why not play music videos? Beautiful setup though, stars, ocean, live music all right there. We decide to come back tomorrow. We get back to the Jamaican party. A guy turns around at the entrance, "what's up brasil!" we talk for a minute. It's a bit more crowded now and they are collecting at the door. He wants $600 JA for the 3 of us. We tell him we were already there. He explains he wasn't though. The dude that talked me into the entrance talked dude down to $400. I pay for the 3 of us. We get inside and my new friend told me that sometimes you need a Jamaican to talk. We chat for maybe 15 minutes over the loud music about me and Jamaica. He was the first local to ask me what I did for work. Whatever I told him, he took it as I was a marketing executive for Pepsi. It was too loud and I was too unwork focused to correct him. Later on I realized this was a mistake. Melanie bought me a red stripe. Her friend told me already she was tired. She sat on a stool the rest of the night while we danced. The guy I met at the entrance (I think his name was Pierre) came later on and said I should buy us and the girls some red stripe. I agreed. He told me to give him the money and he would get the Jamaican price. Melanie's friend didn't want one so I gave him $1000 remembering they charged me $600 for two earlier. He came back with $100 change. "I wouldn't bullshit you man, you're my friend." We again dance some more. By this time maybe 200 people are there, and us 3 made up 3 of the 5 visible non Jamaicans. Pierre came back later on with a joint. At first I thought he was trying to sell it to me. "Nah man you smoke it with me." I hate smoking, but I felt this was as rude as turning down food at someone's house. Besides it was very natural and not at all potent. Later on I go to the bathroom in the corner, when I'm walking back two JAs stop me and offer me a hit and start up a convo. Pierre comes rushing over and yells angrily in his dialect at them. They say nothing. I was smart enough to realize this was a bad sign. The girls want to leave, they ask if I'm staying. If it wasnt for what just happened and them being two small girls I might have. We leave. We get outside and Pierre catches up with us. He asks for the money for the ganja. I told him I thought he was offering as a friend and reminded him I bought him a beer. Hes saying a bunch of crap I can't understand. I say something back and he says "I could if went to jail for holding that man! Paulo me and you are about to fight man!" He was about 30 pounds lighter than me and we were maybe 60 yards from our gate. If the girls weren't with me I would of laughed in his face and dared him to do something. I didn't want to frighten them since they were talking to each other the way home and didn't hear the details of any of mine and Pierre's conversations all night. I gave him $1000 and lectured him on how fucked up it was to front like a gracious host and demand shit. He looked down on his phone and quietly walked across the street. We got back to our rooms and Melanie told me they were going snorkeling tomorrow. I told her about my experience today doing it and we went in after a couple of minutes. I pull out two of my jerk chickens and eat them cold.

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