Blue skies abound..........and we have decided to spend as much of the day as possible at the beach. There is no indication....no hint.....no sign (other than me.....hehehe)......of any problems.....it is all good.
The RIU Tropical Bay resort is next door to our left. Beyond the point is Booby Cay. Our beach here is a cove and it is beautiful. I, of course, planted myself beneath a tree near the water. I sat and watched people pass by..........and when I wasn't sitting, I was in the water.
Occasionally, some musicians would be passing by and they would stop and perform for us. I really enjoyed this........and they are very good at what they do.
I got up from my beach chair and approached the musicians to get a closer look and hear them better. They were called the Negril Mento Band. Mento............what is mento? Think "calypso music". Nothing fancy schmancy song-wise......just the basics and standards such as Big Bamboo.I had never seen anything like this........what is that box that dude is sitting on? It's called a "rumba" and the dude sitting on it plucks these metal tongs below him and taps a stack of what looks like three or four tin can lids nailed to the side of the box. The box also had a padded cushion mounted across the top for sitting on..........simple, yet amazing. There was a small donation box sitting in the sand in front of them. I put five dollars into it.
These guys are talented and obviously they have been around a long, long, time.
All three of them sang. The maraca player, maracas in one hand.........a tote bag hung over the other shoulder..........and he had only one arm! Surely there is a story behind this.....but I didn't ask.
No fancy guitar, but very effective. Nylon strings strumming.........all of the instruments coming together to form a sound like no other......mento. I would see this guitar player elsewhere later in the week. These guys seem to work around the clock, seven days a week.
Could you imagine singing and performing music all day long along this beach?
To my right........was the Office Of Nature. Well........that's what it is officially known as. It surely doesn't resemble an office. The Office Of Nature is a section of the beach where local Jamaicans set up shop to vend their assorted wares. No huts......no buildings..........just some rope, some tarps, and poles. These locals are here seven days a week, 365 days a year, rain or shine. They will stroll from their "shops" and approach you as you sit on the beach......asking if you will come visit them and "see their shop". They can be aggravating if you let them be......some of them are very persistent. "Come taste my lobster".........oh yes.......lobster.
Wood carvings, scarfs, jewelry........all sorts of souvenirs......and all are very nicely displayed.
Jamaicans have this thing about vivid colors.
This is Louie Lamore.........so he says. He is a real taker, and very persuasive. You cannot help but like him.........but he is a salesman........he is sharp and he knows what he has to do to make some money. He pestered me to come visit his "shop", which actually wasn't his......hehehe.....Louie is sort of the ambassador of the Office Of Nature. He is very energetic and a determined person. Louie had a name for me........he kept calling me "Rasta Man" because of my long hair. And if you do not seem interested in any of the items on display, Louie will try to sell you some marijuana.........his neice or his aunt are also available if you wish! Imagine that.......well......I guess poverty has a way of making this kind of thing happen.
I cannot remember all of their names at the Office Of Nature. The dude in the center is Pepe. The dude on the left can be seen constantly walking up and down the beach holding lobsters in hand and posing for pictures. They cook these lobsters right there on a makeshift grill. From what I heard, they are very tasty..........but I declined for many reasons. I did promise those guys that each of them would be put on my blog......when they heard "internet", ALL of the assorted vendors wanted in on the action.
These guys might make the average person a little nervous.......I wasn't.....I had no problem walking amongst them. Trust me.......they all know full well that this is where their money is and they want people to come back again.
This old guy's name is "Stinkweed". He offered to sell me some of whatever kind of fruit he was holding there........oh.......and of course, some hash if I was interested. These guys must think all of the tourists are looking for the forbidden "delicacies" of Jamaica.
This guy was selling Red Stripe beer from a cooler............and of course..........ganga.
Even Pepe had a Red Stripe beer in one hand and a fairly sizable joint in the other. Out in the open......no hiding........no problem, mon! I declined.
These ladies offered hair beading and massages............see the table? No thanks......but they did keep asking me about the braiding. The gal getting the works looked up at me and asked how she could find the blog..........I told her.....but I bet she didn't remember. I do remember that she had a British accent.
One particular vendor caught my attention. I wish I could remember his name......I am bad about remembering names........maybe next time I will take a notepad with me. While all of the others were not shy about soliciting their wares......this dude was busy actually carving the items he sold. I have great respect for artists...........especially good ones.......and this guy was fantastic. I asked if he supplied the other vendors with wood sculptures.....he said "no", "they all buy them from the craft market in town".
By his appearance, I believe he is "rasta"............it's the long hair. He was very kind and appreciative of my comments. I promised him that if I bought anything at all in Jamaica....it would be one of his wood sculptures.
It was a fantastic day.........blue skies........only a few clouds.......and much to experience. We left the beach and headed for the pool bar.
100 degree jacuzzi hot tub if you wanted..........very nice..........but the pool bar is what we wanted.
Beyond the grounds that surround the pool, I could see the mountains not very far away. Any guesses as to what probably grows there in the distance?
A nice thing about this resort is that it is not crowded. What better way to kill some time before dinner................sit at the pool and have a few drinks.
These guys are talented and obviously they have been around a long, long, time.
All three of them sang. The maraca player, maracas in one hand.........a tote bag hung over the other shoulder..........and he had only one arm! Surely there is a story behind this.....but I didn't ask.
No fancy guitar, but very effective. Nylon strings strumming.........all of the instruments coming together to form a sound like no other......mento. I would see this guitar player elsewhere later in the week. These guys seem to work around the clock, seven days a week.
Could you imagine singing and performing music all day long along this beach?
To my right........was the Office Of Nature. Well........that's what it is officially known as. It surely doesn't resemble an office. The Office Of Nature is a section of the beach where local Jamaicans set up shop to vend their assorted wares. No huts......no buildings..........just some rope, some tarps, and poles. These locals are here seven days a week, 365 days a year, rain or shine. They will stroll from their "shops" and approach you as you sit on the beach......asking if you will come visit them and "see their shop". They can be aggravating if you let them be......some of them are very persistent. "Come taste my lobster".........oh yes.......lobster.
Wood carvings, scarfs, jewelry........all sorts of souvenirs......and all are very nicely displayed.
Jamaicans have this thing about vivid colors.
This is Louie Lamore.........so he says. He is a real taker, and very persuasive. You cannot help but like him.........but he is a salesman........he is sharp and he knows what he has to do to make some money. He pestered me to come visit his "shop", which actually wasn't his......hehehe.....Louie is sort of the ambassador of the Office Of Nature. He is very energetic and a determined person. Louie had a name for me........he kept calling me "Rasta Man" because of my long hair. And if you do not seem interested in any of the items on display, Louie will try to sell you some marijuana.........his neice or his aunt are also available if you wish! Imagine that.......well......I guess poverty has a way of making this kind of thing happen.
I cannot remember all of their names at the Office Of Nature. The dude in the center is Pepe. The dude on the left can be seen constantly walking up and down the beach holding lobsters in hand and posing for pictures. They cook these lobsters right there on a makeshift grill. From what I heard, they are very tasty..........but I declined for many reasons. I did promise those guys that each of them would be put on my blog......when they heard "internet", ALL of the assorted vendors wanted in on the action.
These guys might make the average person a little nervous.......I wasn't.....I had no problem walking amongst them. Trust me.......they all know full well that this is where their money is and they want people to come back again.
This old guy's name is "Stinkweed". He offered to sell me some of whatever kind of fruit he was holding there........oh.......and of course, some hash if I was interested. These guys must think all of the tourists are looking for the forbidden "delicacies" of Jamaica.
This guy was selling Red Stripe beer from a cooler............and of course..........ganga.
Even Pepe had a Red Stripe beer in one hand and a fairly sizable joint in the other. Out in the open......no hiding........no problem, mon! I declined.
These ladies offered hair beading and massages............see the table? No thanks......but they did keep asking me about the braiding. The gal getting the works looked up at me and asked how she could find the blog..........I told her.....but I bet she didn't remember. I do remember that she had a British accent.
One particular vendor caught my attention. I wish I could remember his name......I am bad about remembering names........maybe next time I will take a notepad with me. While all of the others were not shy about soliciting their wares......this dude was busy actually carving the items he sold. I have great respect for artists...........especially good ones.......and this guy was fantastic. I asked if he supplied the other vendors with wood sculptures.....he said "no", "they all buy them from the craft market in town".
By his appearance, I believe he is "rasta"............it's the long hair. He was very kind and appreciative of my comments. I promised him that if I bought anything at all in Jamaica....it would be one of his wood sculptures.Everything, regardless of what it is, that is sold at the Office Of Nature, is negotiable. Wheel and deal with these folks and everybody is happy.
It was a fantastic day.........blue skies........only a few clouds.......and much to experience. We left the beach and headed for the pool bar.
100 degree jacuzzi hot tub if you wanted..........very nice..........but the pool bar is what we wanted.
Beyond the grounds that surround the pool, I could see the mountains not very far away. Any guesses as to what probably grows there in the distance?
A nice thing about this resort is that it is not crowded. What better way to kill some time before dinner................sit at the pool and have a few drinks. This was a great first day and and looked forward to the evening and the remainder of our stay.
Next Up: Jamaica Part 5
I have to boast of the lobster. I too was hesitant then said hey couldnt be any worse than that time in mexico so I did. Guess what ...was GREAT. they were very efficient at cleaning everything with sea water. Well I was swimming in it anyway so what.
ReplyDeleteSmiley is the lobster toten cook you spoke of and I agree there is no better place to hang and negotiate if you intend on buying anything at all while in Jamaica.