I just posted a variant of this on another forum and wanted to place it here too as I'm sure the members here will appreciate it.

So apparently this spring break there were a few rough patches in the interactions between locals -although I use that term loosely because so many people come into negril from elsewhere - and visiting college kids. Some of the ruff patches were actually a little beyond ruff. There is always something, last year a kid got shot in the stomach during a robbery.

anyway someone got rolled for some chump change while in a "cab" - I use that term loosely here as well as the person was pretty well juiced to the skin and who knows what car they got into or who convinced them they were a taxi. Personally I doubt they were a taxi at all and were just looking for an easy vic - and so anyway I was also in a cab soon after that incident happened and while on my way I got a phone call about it telling me what happened. the driver of the present cab caught a few words and curses and questions and asked me what was up, I told him, and the timing of it just so happened to be when I was hopping out and catching my drop. I got another call just as I was getting out, and paid the man the fare and had to jet. Lennox Lewis was at Travelers signing a block with Luciano! A funny story in and of itself which I will get to later.

Next day I was walking - I usually walk everywhere - and a toot came at me, and again and again. That's nothing new, but this one seemed to be pacing me. Oh great I thought, a pacer who for whatever reason simply can't believe that yes, this man is actually preferring to walk. And for whatever reason, this guy thinks he is going to convince me when the last 50 cars previous to his attempt did not.

Now everyone knows the economy is real down, I can't count how many times even a route cab would swing around and turn the opposite direction, cross lanes of traffic etc to try and catch a fare! Once the man had two passengers already. If I agreed he would have turned charter and given their money right back to them. And he was already turned facing the other way!

Anyway this honking was from a cab that pulled up behind me and was rolling with me as I walked. Unreal right? But wait...

The driver was seriously persistent and just shy of flipping him the digitus impudicus, I look hard and see it is none other than the previous day's driver, imploring me to climb in. As luck would have it I got a call from the States I had to take, but I said No thanks, am taking the ten toe mercedes for a spin, but he insisted and insisted and would not take me waving him off and eventually he sprang from his cab and told me- during two separate conversations- one with him and the one I was having with the call from the US- how he felt so terrible about the way the spring breaker I had been told about was treated he wanted to give me free rides wherever I had to go...

Well I was already actually at my destination, and like I said already on a call that was pretty important...not that I could have accepted his offer anyway in good conscience, so being that I was on the phone I did not get his name or even the make of his van, and I didn't see him around the next few days...but if it just so happens that anyone involved in that incident or something like it happens along to read this, or if he passed it forward to a next man like he said he was going to, just know that there are some serious quality individuals you can come across on your trod in JA.

Sometimes people say it takes one bad apple to spoil a bushel, but maybe it actually just means there is only one bad apple in the bushel. The rest are shiny and crunchy just the same.

Thanks for sharing Monk. For me in Jamaica there are way more good apples than bad and I always take the time to listen for either.