Planning a September Trip

[ECO]

After a few months of not thinking I was going to make it back to Jamaica this year the green lights are starting to appear

Childcare= Figured it out

Airfare= cheap and I have almost enough points to cover it

Expenses= I've been saving my $1.00 bills since April ( I don't spend them and save them $250 at home and around another $100 stashed on my boat) + internet advertising money + other internet money making things I do.

Note-- The money from the ads that visitors see on this site (log out and you will see them) goes toward hosting the site and the suitcase of school/art supplies that I bring every trip. I don't want anyone to think that this site pays for my trips

So..... It looks like everything is falling in place for a 6 day trip in a little over a month from now

_____________________________

Plans:

Rent a car in Mobay..........explore the island........return the car to Mobay........go home

As of now I'm toying around with things to do and I'll end up with a list that will take a year to complete.....but when the dust settles my soul will guide me and you will be forced to read about it or look at the pictures.

[ECO]

Now I have to get going on 10-15 reviews that I promised to publish before I returned to Jamaica.........

[ECO]

Car rental insurance is a MF'er!

Also, I never knew a Honda Accord was a luxury car http://www.islandcarrentals.com/ifleet.asp

[GhettoGurl]

An accord is indeed luxurious!!!! In Aruba it used to be the shiznit!

[ECO]

Wow, in the US it means that whoever is driving it is farrin. I'll keep away from the other things we think when we see them on the road. Ok, I can't resist, they all have a value of $500 but they have $$$$ in sub woofers, $$$$ in rims, $$$$ in tires and the list goes on and on.

I just need something that will not bottom out in the pot holes or on the back roads.............a Hummer would be nice in every definition.

[ECO]

Booked the flights so the countdown starts ticking.....tic toc...tic toc

Need to top off the digicel account now so I can use my JA phone.

[ECO]

SUV's are expensive in Jamaica!

A Rav 4 type of mini SUV is running me $370 from Tuesday until Sunday. Since I have a "world" mastercard or Visa the insurance is free, pretty much every other card will not cover insurance in Jamaica.

My Digicel is topped off with over $4000 in credits.

I'm studying a map http://www.jamaicancaves.org/jamaica-road-map.htm from the 1400's (kidding but it's old) so I can get nice and lost.......

Picked up a can of Skoal (chewing tobacca), if everyone else is going to put magnums in their wallets I'll out do them with what will look like a condom for a sperm whale.

21 days to go...tic toc.....

[damswell]

Sounds like your on the island at almost the same time as i am!!! Have a great time as usual!!

[ECO]

Sounds like your on the island at almost the same time as i am!!! Have a great time as usual!!

You as well! If you see a short dark skinned Mexican driving down the road with furry dice in the rear view mirror and ganja smoke pouring out his windows be sure to wave......it would not be me of course but it might be that dude from Cheech & Chong.

However, if you see a 40 year old white guy driving down the road yelling at other drivers to hurry the f up you will know that it's me. Or if you pass through a town and the locals speak of a white man who drinks white rum like water and you see a 40 year old man passed out on the back of a donkey you will know it's me.

All kidding aside, have a great trip! Other than knowing that I have to go to Negril for part of a day to pay off a debt** I have no clue where I'll be on the island but we might cross paths.

**= I didn't have exact change to buy veggies from a road side vendor and since she didn't have change for a $500 or $1000 she let me float on credit. One thing lead to another and it's been 5 months without repaying her. The $100 I owe her has been haunting me knowing she needs it more than I need it......she will end up getting a nice tip for floating me............

[damswell]

Im really looking forward to this trip...looks like imma be back on the island every 6 weeks or so.....only short weekend trips but enough time to get my business i need to take care of down there looked after.


Im in Portmore/Kingston the whole time....

[ECO]

If I make it up to the blue Mountains I'll be sure to wave assuming I can see Kingston from up there...no clue some claim that you can see Cuba

[damswell]

LOL!! i look for the wave!!!

[ECO]

Secured "free" lodging for two nights, booked a room for 2 nights up in the Blue Mountains and booked a room on another mountain for another night.

Printed 90 pictures for most of the people that I promised pictures to when I took them.

Still loading up a second suitcase of stuff to give away to the kids and stuff that I can trade with adult men (shoes, shirts socks.....).

Guessing how pissed off my bank teller will be when I show up to cash in $500 one dollar bills ( I save $1.00 bills they add up quicker than quarters).

Still a whole list of crap to do....... 7 days..tic toc

[Wahoo]

Guessing how pissed off my bank teller will be when I show up to cash in $500 one dollar bills ( I save $1.00 bills they add up quicker than quarters).

Probably not as pissed as your taxi driver would be if you tipped with handfuls of pennies instead of dollar bills.

[ECO]

"tipped" = not in Jamaica! I tried to tip a few times on my first trip and honest people gave my tip back thinking I was confused. Granted this stuff happened in the areas away from the tourist areas where tippers fuc it up for non tippers like me and the Italians who don't even pay discount prices. Even when I just tipped the change people thought I was rich or didn't care for my money.....very odd compared to over here eh?

I talked about this whole tipping thing with friends down there and they all agree that if you tip (unlike the Jamaican's that don't tip) it marks you as a sucker rather than marking you as a cheap bastard.

So..............generally I don't tip unless it is for a purpose. An example would be my favorite white plate (illegal) taxi driver that I give $300J to regardless of where I'm going AND regardless of how many people are riding with me. Some (not often) times he is making out with a 200% tip (compared to route taxis) while most of the time he is making far less than what route taxis charge. Another example, at a crowded party I'll tell the barkeep that I'll give him/her an extra $500J ($5.50us) at the end of the night if I never have to wait for drinks......remember that T.I.P.S thread even though ensure does not start with an "I"? That extra $500j for 10-20 drinks (if I'm with someone) is far less than what we would tip in the states and it delivers a service level that I have never seen in the states or anywhere else in the world.

So...I'm a cheap bastard? No, no, no.....the money I save on tips I can use for punani and cocaine....kidding.... that money in part is used for buying people in need a meal or leaving them with clothing that I will have to buy again when I reach the states.

Speaking of taxi drivers, I think they would much rather have pennies than larger bills. SOME of them try to say they don't have any change for a $500j or $1000J....fine, "link up with me later once you have my change and I'll pay you" <----like magic they have change.

Oh, and I'll add to this rant that my $300j taxi driver waits for my calls almost 24/7 and he will bring me ANYTHING I want at fair prices at any hour....without a tip.

[Wahoo]

Eco, bring me back a couple of pounds of coffee cherries from the Blue Mtns and I'll run 'em thru my cat and brew us up a pot of smooth, chocolately Blue Mtn cat coffee.

[Wahoo]

Eco, what are the dates of your next trip again? Just want to know so I'll be waiting for you at the embassy in Kingston after your trip to the mountains.

[ECO]

Eco, what are the dates of your next trip again? Just want to know so I'll be waiting for you at the embassy in Kingston after your trip to the mountains.

Assuming they will fly me home for free I'm going to start booking one way tickets to Jamaica!

These summits rise and fall along for 24 miles long and 14 miles at its widest point, where the temperature decreases from around 27°C (80°F) at sea level to 5°C (40°F) at Blue Mountain Peak, just 16 km (10 miles) inland.

I need to bring some cold weather survival gear!

[Wahoo]

40°F...perfect Red Stripe chilling temperature! Just put your bottles of Red Stripe in any nearby stream and pluck them out as needed, and they'll be properly ice cold. Also perfect for refilling your bong each morning...

[ECO]

Good points!

But........so much for me streaking at least in those temps.