JOURNAL ADDITION MADE 15DEC11 TO THE REPORT:

I swam all day at Xtabi until a little past sunset, hung out in the water with some cool duded and one of them loan me his snorkel set and it is really amazing the great things that can be seen with it - if I had bought a snorkel set that suited me and I could use I might have spent more time doing that, but on the othr hand swimming and walking in water does burn up more calories than just floating in the water looking at fish does - so maybe it's all for the best in the end - as the days wind down looking back on my vacation, even including how much I have overspent and how much it will come back to bite me on the ass later, I have no regrets - or very few - as close as I can get to it for me anyway.

After Xtabi, headed back to 3Dives, where things were just starting to get going - saw a lot of people there I know like Rob & Lisa, Fatty and Lisa, Samantha and Eddie from DeBar, Jackie Sprat, and Delbert and Bobo. Also chatted with this guy named Ziggy and this REALLY wild gal staying at The Spa named Lindsey - am tempted to go there and see her like she said I could but will most likely head to Samsara - feel like doing some cliff swimming since I couldn't make up my mind which spot on the beach to choose, lol. I know I go snorkeling tomorrow, shopping Thursday, Sprat's party Friday, and I leave Saturday morning - which begs the important question..what do I do Wednesday? Gotta plan this -

Now today I slept in until the housekeeper woke me up at noon - then I got my beach bag repaired..had two spots in it where the seam had ripped open - then headed out - true to form, got a ride almost right out the gate at Summerset - I went to the Claro phone place and put 500credits on the phone since it was running almost out and then got some cigs and batteries for the camera at Hi-Lo, window shopped at the Hi-Lo too, checking out what grocery prices are like in Jamaica. Then went to eat Chinese food, finished it, and am heading out to Samsara - if they kick me out - The Spa - then if not there too might just end up heading to the beach after all.

comment not from the journal but upon reflection: I enjoyed the Chinese food, it tasted a little different from what I am used to in the states, but was still good. Sorry I don't know why I didn't take a pic of it..this is the place that is right at Cotton Tree. I also ended up going back to Cotton Tree and this time there was a lady there who showed me the room, and yes, it was just like the pics, except the pics didn't show how small that room actually is, and I would have been okay in it, but realized I was much happier in the room I got at Summerset, for one thing, it's more 'green' at Summerset at it's surroundings..very lush, and Cotton Tree was pretty paved over..and my room at Summerset was also more spacious too. All in all, was glad I was able to look at the room in Cotton Tree in the end, because it reaffirmed for me that I had made the right decision to stay at Summerset.

And I really want to say that it was thanks to Bobo that I had such a good time at the party at 3dives, and would have had to have left a lot sooner if not for him. I ran out of spending cash on me, forgot to slip the 'emergency twenty' in my pocket before I left so I just had my 'regular' money, but I knew if I took a route taxi back would end up taking from my room and spending more money than I really should, so I decided that if I got a ride home that I was staying there for the night...wasn't quite ready to go, but was getting thirsty, so Bobo bought me a couple of drinks while there and I paid him back the next day. Ziggy also bought me two smirnoff ice's which was cool.

And then there was the antics of Lindsey! That girl was a riot..definitely a 'girl gone wild', lol! She even went up and started hugging and kissing on me, lol! Then she wanted to dance..and this was EARLY in the evening, just after sunset, when it was still pretty much a 'family' scene, but it was all good. After a little while, some guys got up to move with her, and I backed up..she said she was staying at The Spa, she loved it, I needed to come see her, and she was quite obviously having the time of her life, and I couldn't resist grinning and having a good time with her.

I ended up leaving just as things were really starting to pick up ..had to..the ONE bathroom for what was hundreds of people that was the 3dives bathroom ...THEY LOCKED UP WHEN I WENT TO GO USE IT AT LIKE TEN THIRTY/ELEVEN PM!!! There was a urinal to the side outside of the regular toilet there..and when I made it up to the bathroom and saw it was locked, I also saw a young lady come out of the urinal side..now if I had been a younger or in better shape person and could balance my butt over the urinal without touching it, I might have given it a shot, but not now, no way, no how..it was time for me to go at that point and use the bathroom in my room. I suppose I could have walked over to Xtabi and used theres, but I said heck with it, it's time to go home. Only one other thing to write about..the pic of me with the necklace I didn't end up buying ...it was beautiful and he had knocked the price down to $35, which is great for an abalone shell necklace, but my money was really trickling down and I wanted to make sure I had enough to last through to Wednesday and here it was only Sunday, so I didn't...and in the end, that was for the best, because I had my emergency twenty form my last day left, and NOTHING else, that was cutting it close to the wire!

JOURNAL: I'm at Xtabi, ordered lunch, just got done snorkeling with Famous Vincent, and it was really incredible. Vincent had Roger with him, and besides Peter from Seastar, who ended up being too sick to actually do any snorkeling, there was Phil, this guy named Sandy, and this lady named Candy.

Yesterday, after Chinese, I went to Samsara and even though they were in the middle of making improvements like painting and reroofing, the jacuzzi was so nasty I wouldn't get it in on a bet, and there were a lot of tiles missing in the pool. Friendly guests though, but I left after one drink - a sprite or 7up. The seas were pretty rough, so I mostly took pics, and when I got in the water, had to really pay attention to what I was doing, so didn't have it in me to try and bring the camera in the wata to take pics, and only swam around for about 15minutes in the sea before getting out and switching to the pool. Was thinking about going to the Spa Resort and seeing if Lindsey would remember me or anything else from her wild night, but in the end decided against it. I went to Sips and Bites and got some soup, and headed back to my room about sixish, getting a ride back from Ronnie.

Okay, here are some pics to match the report. I was able to call Vincent from Seastar Saturday and apologize for missing the boat previously, literally, lol, and then reschedule for the next Tuesday, and had a ball. Will post the snorkeling trip pics tomorrow but here are some from Sunday and Monday.

This is me with one of the few times I didn't "splurge" and get something..the necklace was beautiful and I'm told I looked like an "hempress" wearing it, but just didn't have the funds for it at the time, oh well.

I got to the jerkfest pretty early in the day, so there weren't that many people around at all besides the people at the booths, but there was already some jerk chicken ready, and ate it at this table:

looking over the edge:

lounges at Xtabi:

some clouds coming in..it didn't barely just sprinkle a little bit, then the clouds moved on:

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I also decided to swim out to the front of this rock where the birds were perching on it and watch the sunset from there..was too cool..waved to some people at 3dives who saw me, and then when I got back to Xtabi after that swim, had some people who had been eating and watching me in the wata got worried because when I rounded that corner at 3dives to get to the front of the rock, they couldn't see me anymore, lol! But I was all good.

some of the kids gathered around for the kid games:

I loved the bonfires they had two of them..

Ziggy:

He wanted to take one of me, so here I am..I think I look bald here, but I just put my wet hair in a ponytail.

The view from the Chinese restaurant at Cotton Tree:

my loungechair spot at Samsara:

Samsara Pool:

You look like you had a good time, thank you for sharing.

lol, i know Ziggy! He hangs at Mi Yard ......

Medi...You ARE !!! an open book...and that's just fine !!!!

Great photos .... Famous vincent is the BEST .... Interestingly, because of the name, you would think Famous Vincent would be an older guy, but he is not -- he must have started when he was VERY young .....

Nice photos

Thanks for sharing

Great pics, Medi. I notice you are reading Tell My Horse by Zora Neale Hurston, my all-time favourite writer. How did you like it?