Negril, the original laid back town

Colin and Heather pause after breakfast on the upper deck of the Negril Treehouse hotel.
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Jamaica, Day 2

Why did I wake up at 5:38 am??!!  Oh, yes, now I remember, I went to sleep very early last night, helped by numerous drinks all day yesterday.  "And the rum is fine any time..."

A Day in the Life of the Totally Relaxed

Started off the day with good hearty Jamaican coffee with warm milk.  Then walked down the road with Colin and Heather, toward the main part of town 3 miles down; we almost made it before we decided to come back to the hotel for the complimentary breakfast buffet.  Tomorrow maybe we'll get all the way there.  No sense hurrying these things, we are, after all, on vacation in Negril.

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None of these hotels were here in the 70's when I made my first acquaintance with what was then quite a sleepy little town.  Miles and miles of deserted beaches beckoned, and there were cottages where one could stay for $2 a night.

"Long time, man, long time," the locals say when I reminisce, "it was all hippies back then."

Today's Negril is home to numerous all inclusive hotels, many smaller inns, and various villas, cottages and family-run establishments.  By modern development standards it is still relatively underdeveloped, and therein lies its charm.  Its main road, much touted for the improvement over its predecessor, is still only a two-lane paved road, where trucks and cars and dogs and people compete for space.

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The desk clerk remembers my name as I change money.  Our driver from yesterday sits and chats with me as I type this entry.  A couple from Providence sat in the bar this afternoon and bought us drinks. We talked about tattoos, and I realized I was the only one without at least one.  Sunset is 6:30, guess we need a drink.  And this is life in Negril.  a body could get quite used to it...