After some heavy guilt trips from my family, I've decided to change my plans and leave for Asia in early Dec. Now I'm going back to JA for about 6 weeks before heading home for Thanksgiving and a fundraiser for my brother. I'll be there Oct 2- Nov 15, ticket was fairly cheap, $336 on Airtran. For most of the time I'll be staying in Broughton, in one of the beach cabins that a friend of mine has been building for a few years. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Somali-Jungle-Jamaica/181702268509056

I'll have a motorcycle the whole time I'm there and plan on exploring more of the interior this time and visit some friends in St. Elizabeth and Portland. Of course I'll spend my usual day or 2 hanging around the West End. If anyone will be there around the same time, I'd love to meet up for a beer or BBQ. Just up the beach from Lost Beach Resort, next to Paradise on the Beach, there is a small multi color thatch bar. There is a Rasta Ital cooking party on Oct 15, with people coming from all over the island to attend. It should be alot of fun with great food and even better people. Maybe I'll see some of you there. Bless Up!

John

Good for you! Looks nice and what a great deal on airfare!

Where is the Somali Jungle? I looked at the photos...looks wonderful! Have good trips & good luck w/ your brother too!

john mail me...i will hang wit ya mon...you know me

I'd love to hang out John..I'll be in Jam Oct 31-Nov 30...But will be out inTrelawny area and not sure if I;ll be heading over to Negril...If I rent a car than going to go to PA and Mandeville-etc and maybe make my way to Negril..If I do ,than yes, most definitely .. I will email with info...
I lost my brother 5 months ago to a tragic death (suicide) So I can understand a little bit what your dealing with-It never gets easier, you just learn to accept it more over time..
Glad your going back to Jam before "The Big Trip"....and Hope are paths can cross while were both there...

Bozz described the place perfectly. I hung out with Kevin's ex wife Kris earlier this year, that's how I finally met Richie. It was funny, we had heard about each other for years and were always living maybe 500 yards away. I've heard Richie called the Snake Man, he has a few that I hope to never see in any other part of JA... His place certainty is the place for privacy, which is what I enjoy coming back to everyday. The freedom of a bike is unmatched in JA, IMHO. I'm only a 20-25 minute ride to Negril and 5 minutes from all the basics. Plus being right next to the fishing village you get first pick everyday. Last time I was there he had maybe 15 dogs and they were all cool with me. I've never had any trouble from dogs in JA, though I've been surrounded a few times, thank GOD for my dog whispering skills.

I would love to meet up for a beer Suzan and Medi, we'll keep in touch and once you get down there hopefully we can set something up. I'm very sorry to hear about your Brother Suzan. You know as well as I do that words can't describe the pain of losing a sibling, especially to something that could have been prevented. In a way my brother committed suicide also. What was going through his mind when he did that last shot I'll never know. Maybe he just had enough with his disease and wanted it to be over or maybe it was just a purer batch that he happen to get that night. A few months before he died, he told me that he didn't have another relapse in him. He had been sober for 11 months so my theory is he did the amount he was used to doing and his tolerance was too low. Unfortunately I didn't get to him in time... Life... It'll kick the shit out of you if you let it, the trick is to just keep moving, stay positive, and live life to it's fullest. To quote Martin Lawrence of all people. "I'm gonna ride this mother F****** till the wheels fall off" And of course BOB to go along with that "Don't worry, Be happy"

What a thread - guns to the head - overdose - suicide -
very sad and so very real.

My heart goes out to you guys - there aren't words that can make any of this better.

((((((((Suzen)))))))) - I am so so sorry about your brother - I can't imagine what you are dealing with - it was so very recent - I know suicide is the worst thing a family can go through - everyone is left feeling - if only..... but the reality is, his pain was to great for this world. I don't believe he would be gone if he were meant to be here. I have lost a lot of loved ones, I know everyone says this, but time is a healer. It will get easier - but it will take time. You will never stop missing him but you will be able to feel happy again - one day. The pain will lessen - the void will always be there but you will be able to live with it.

LBB, I imagine you do meet nice people where ever you go. If you put it out there you will get it back. I come from a school of thought that believes people do drugs to self medicate - to mask pain that they can't deal with. It is often the highly sensitive people who find this world is just too much for them, they try and get sober but life is just too hard.

I had a dear friend with the most beautiful and sweet daughter named Lindsey. Lindsey was the youngest with a lovingl older brother and sister. Lindsey had no apparent reason to feel depressed - but Lindsey was oh so depressed. Her mother was a social worker and she tried everything. Lindsey tried every antidepressant - multiple hospitalizations and even electric shock therapy (yes they still sometimes try that) She was not born with the right brain chemistry.
If Lindsey had not been born into such a loving and informed family I am sure she would have turned to drugs. She could not find happiness. Lindsey suffered and her family suffered. She always said she wanted to be with "the Angels" Well poor Lindsey did not make it to her seventeenth birthday. She committed suicide and she is now with the angels. Her family was able to feel at peace as they were able to try everything they could. They knew Lindsey was too fragile for this world - she simply felt too much.

I think that even if a person doesn't start out with brain chemistry like Lindsey's hard drugs will mess your brain chemistry up. I think that one can damage the neurotransmitters that make us happy - and they will never get that back. I think that LSD did that to my daughters father - it destroyed his brain chemistry. he lost his ability to feel happy - I have heard that ecstasy can do that too. I imagine lots of drugs can do that. I sadly think, that for some addicts, death is the only freedom from their suffering. They do not have the strength for sobriety. It is too painful.

Oh my, enough on that sad note, I better shift focus and get some work done.

My love goes out to you guys.

Suck kind words from everyone, thank you. It seems like nowadays you can't meet anyone who hasn't been affected by these terrible diseases.

RG- Thank you for your prayers. You are thinking of the right place. Richie bought I think 10 acres about 30 years ago just up from Lost Beach. Those cabins have been in the works for the last few years. I'm really looking forward to it. A question for you, could you recommend a person to rent a decent trail bike from? The bike I've secured for the month is a newer Honda 125, great for touring but not suitable for off road. I'd really love to explore the beach and back trails of Little Bay this time.

Debra- Thank you for your condolences. The level of importance that is put on substance treatment in many countries is a travesty. I'll be posting mini reports with lots of pictures whenever I get the opportunity. I've started a blog but don't like the features so I'm looking for something different. I didn't post any motorcycle trip reports so I think you're thinking of another member.

Tammy- I'm very sorry to hear about your cousin. It's a terrible thing to watch someone you love destroy their lives. My family and I tried EVERYTHING under the sun to save my brother. No amount of money, rehab, touch love or interventions ever seem to do the job. At his absolute lowest point we finally forced him into a long term facility. He completed it and was doing great, I finally had my brother back. One of his best friends ODed in Nov and it was just too much for him to take. Exactly a month later he was dead. An addict has to put their soul into staying clean and work the program. I've never met one who did it on their own. I"ll pray for your cousin and I hope that he hits bottom soon and survives to live a full life.

Rootswoman- The guns to the head was the other thread... but still some very real feelings going on here. I'm so glad to have a place to let this stuff out. I've never been good at sharing or talking in support groups but on here it's different. I also come from the same school, where some people use drugs to self medicate. What I tell mothers in our support group and juvenile offenders when I speak to them, is that people don't always use drugs because they come from broken homes, were abused, or have some deep rooted issues. Some people use drugs because, well, getting high feels good. I strongly believe that people are wired to be prone to addiction. My friends and I did all the same drugs as the now addicts did growing up, and LOTS of them. When it came time to flip that switch and become serious in life, we flipped it. For others, once they had that first taste, something changed in their brain.

Drugs definitely effect your brain chemistry and your ability to produce certain chemicals which effects your daily life. I was maybe 17 when Extacy became popular in my circle. I've rolled probably 30-40 times and it has certainly effected me, along with all the other stuff... It used to be much worse, but over the years my serotonin and dopamine receptors have slowly become active again. My feelings of happiness are still nothing like they used to be. I sometimes have to fight myself from doing Cocaine just to feel that joy again. That's the main problem IMHO with the struggle to stay clean. A Herion addict's brain stops producing serotonin and dopamine once they start using. These are chemicals which the body and brain need to function properly. Even when you stop using, the receptors don't start producing right away and sometime not ever. Same as your daughters father and the LSD.

Enough sad drug talk... I'm coming back to JAMROCK in 11 days!! Blessings to you all and thanks once again for providing such an open forum.

RG- Thanks for the tip about Banmark in Negril, I'll look him up. I'm going to start a new thread about the best drives in Jamaica. Looking for some ideas...

Bozz- Thanks for that, I hope we get to meet up this time around.

I'm too tired to comment on the rest of it.

Besides a bit of a smokers cough and my short term memory being complete shit! I think my only real side effect from long term heavy use which started at 13, is that I'm definitely not as "crisp" as I could be. I'm not burnout by any means but I often have brain farts and my thoughts feel cloudy. My Dr's had me on every drug available growing up, nothing ever balanced me better than pot. My Tourette Syndrome was at a 9 out of 10 from age 5 to 13. Started smoking and it became almost non existent to this day. When I don't smoke, my anxiety goes through the roof, pain gets stronger and my tourettes becomes much worse. All and all, I'll take the foggy thoughts and cough once and while over anxiety, constant pain and embarrassment any day.