I used to be able to drive all over Jamaica -- but definitely not any more, really sad for me. During the 1970's we would go to bed early, like in the 6-7 p.m. range, get up about midnight and start driving from point a to point b, making really good time. During the 1980's I would have it pretty good, a nice rental for 2-3 months, little children in tow, I was able to drive island wide, no problem. We would leave early in the a.m., yes a traffic problem but I could handle it. 2000 plus, other drivers just drove so FAST, I stopped being able to cope as the driver. I just could not do it anymore.. sad time for me. I loved the freedom of having a car. I hated the horridness of going out into the street to get a taxi & running into street people/husslers. I have mastered the town to town route taxi thing though. What an unbelievable trip for sure, you can really travel island-wide pretty cheaply.... those town to town circular places -- so much food, the drivers walk you through your route getting you on your next correct van. Never travel on one on a Sunday and I don't like to travel this route after dark. Going from here to there with often four to five changes in drivers, when it starts to get dark I try and get to Mobay Airport & can usually find a driver waiting for a late plane to take me back to Negril for a pretty reasonable price ($20). But I surely miss my car rental days & the fact that I can no longer cope with being the major driver. During the 1980's I had it pretty good, February two weeks, then once my kids were out of school third week of June my husband & I would go to JA, he would stay two weeks, leave me there for the rest of the summer (with a credit card & car) and come for the first week of September to pick us up. In retrospect, probably kind of cruel to my daughters... like JA all summer long and then BANG back in the USA in school. I definitely enjoyed my credit card life and my nice rental cars in those times, as well as the really incredible stage shows at Kaiser's Cafe... I had a deal with Bobby Ashes's daughters for babysitting. Back then, the primary "stars" would come on stage at about 12:30, so I would arrange for one of them to come to where I was staying at about 12:15 or so. And sometimes drive to Kaisers or sometimes just opt for a Green Island taxi. I am a cliff staying person since like about 1974 or so, but when you have young children, you can't really have them there.
I ,like you had cars in Jamaica for years and years . When not working (like weekends ) we would drive everywhere .Blue Mts , Johnnie Crow Mts , Cockpit Country . We would take some of the real rastas (if you could get past the body ordour ) and travel all over the place . It was funny , the rasta's would know everything about life and Haille Selassie but didn't know how to get to the next town or back ??? Always nice people though. They didn't hear or even know about French and that was fun !!!! I do think the rasta thinking ( except how they treat women badly in most cases. Revelation in the bible is not that nice and that is where they quote from ) but I can't get my head wrapped around Haille Selassie . It was still fun in the 60's ,70's and then along came the 80's . Phew what a difference !!! Cokilino everywhere !!!! Brother stealing from brother , friend stealing from friend not very safe at night . In Negril they had the vigilantes that the cliff clubs ( Kaiser's , Samsara etc ) had hired to walk the road to make sure the "bad guys " left the patrons of their venues safe to get home . It worked great , little trouble along the road . More than one robber was beat very badly as a "showcase " to others . I loved it !!!! If you didn't know who the "guards " were they were the guys on the road saying " ya mon " and "don't walk there " and "I hope you liked the show " . I do realise that "old talk " is actually beating a dead horse but the shows at Kaiser's have never been duplicated !!!! They were the best of the best . Smokin' by the seawall UNPARRELLED !!!!!! for fun and laughter . Sharleen will tell you that . Just one little story before I stop "running on ". I think it was 1978 ,my wife to be was having a pee in the washroom at Kaiser's (the 1st place to have good washrooms ) and this guy jumped over the stall wall and tried to rob her . I never realised how strong a half drunk ,scared , startelled ' 1/2 way through a pee a women can be . She floored this guy and then started yelling . Willton ,a guy Big Yewt (Kaiser's owner ) had hired came in (this guy was built like Mike Tyson ) and dragged him out and he and I and the "bad guy " drove out to around Hogg Heaven and threw him out of the jeep. This was a long way from nowhere ...I felt sorry for him for about a nano second . I have little to no tolerance for this kind of robbery stuff and could care less about his sob story .
OT, your wife is one brave tough lady! Great story~ I wish I had know Jamaica back then....I probably would never come home to the states, lol.
For many years there really weren't all too many cars around Negril. West End road was unpaved, the beach road while paved was a much slower pace (and not in the best of shape either). Fewer people too; not nearly as many tourists as Negril had not yet "hit" as a top tourist destination at that point. So walking everywhere, point A to point B and beyond was the way I chose to get around. Hub was never much interested in driving in Jamaica but something we always managed to do each year was rent a dirt bike for some period of time, even if just for a day to go out and explore to those places we couldn't get to by foot.
We started renting motorcycles when we wanted to go places beyond where a dirt bike would be comfortable a couple of years ago - we did a 400 mile ride this past winter over six days from Negril to Portland to the Blue Mountains to Treasure Beach and back. Here's my observation - by far the worst and most agressive drivers are on the stretch of road from Little London to Negril. It was easy going (traffic wise) everywhere else we went. It was only about 10 or so miles just outside of Negril Town Centre where the road became like the 5 in Los Angeles. I was even more fearful for my life then than when we climbed the Blue Mountains on a road that was barely there, switchbacked into mountainsides with no guard rails and barely 2 lanes - no kidding.
I miss the "old" Negril sometimes - it was truly that "secret paradise" prior to the early 00's. But I still love Negril today even with all the changes and the masses even - I feel lucky that I can still find the heart of that town (hint: its the people
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Lovely memories...
Sharleen - it sure sounds sounds like you did "have it made"
I am just lucky I went to Greece instead of Negril as I know I wouldn't have left.
I fell in love with a Greek Island, stayed there, and managed to get into enough trouble there. It was a good thing for me, at the time, that there was no "cokilino" floating around. Ouzo was enough!
I didnt go to Negril until much later in life, when I was a lot older and wiser. I can't imagine what troubles I would have found in Negril.
I really enjoy the stories from you Sharleen and OT (and everyone else)..I've only been driving for a few years now but I as one who likes to road trip there's no comparison..I love going when, where i want ..One of my most recent trips involved negril to manchioneal (my first time driving thru Kingston and IT wasnt fun)when i finally managed to get out of Kingston then stright thru to st thomas and our destination manchioneal- basically went from all the way on one side of the island to all the way the other...looong drive..The thing i hate about driving: the overtakers/speeders, the really crappy country roads, and the fact one must alwasy be paying attention -cant enjoy the sightseeing like a passenger...oh and the other, those cops that pull you over and make up something for some lunch $$$......
