Jamaica Day 2 (part 1)

I woke up laughing about the events from the day before.  I can only imagine what the rest of this trip will bring.  After getting up we headed to the hotel restaurant for breakfast (which was included in the price of the room.)  Our original plan was to hang out on the cliffs today, get a little sun, snorkel around the rocks, and maybe even try a cliff dive, however the winds had another plan for us.  Normally the area where we stayed was very calm, with crystal waters, but the winds changed direction and made for the waters to be rough, and difficult to swim, NO PROBLEM MON, so we changed our plan and headed to the infamous 7 mile beach right down the road.

The last time I was in Negril. Jamaica was over 10 years ago, and I fell in love with the quaintness of Negril back then, which is why when my husband wanted to come to Jamaica I talked him into coming here instead of the busy ports of Montego Bay, or Ocho Rios.  Since it was dark when we drove through Negril last night I couldn't really see all the changes of this place, but this morning while driving back to the beach I was shocked at how much this place has grown.  We were heading to the sister property of our hotel which is located on the beach instead of the cliffs.  We grabbed an umbrella and some beach chairs, ordered a few Red Stripes, and just relaxed. 

7 mile beach in Negril is one of my all-time favorite beaches.  The sand is fine, soft, and pure white.  The waters are crystal clear and no matter how far you swim out it has a sandy bottom.  There are jerk shacks, local artists, beach bars lining the beach.  But the best part about this place are the people.  You could just sit here all day and people watch (not just the Jamaicans, but people from all over the world.)

 

 

After we had enough sun we decided to walk down the beach.  Along the way we came across some local artists, beach bars, and jerk shacks.  We decided to look for some local artwork for our home, and started the art of haggling.  By the time we hit the third artist, and my husband start negotiating the price, I noticed a tiny bar and decided it was time to have a drink.  This bar ended up being very special.  The bar was Arthur's Beach, and the owner Ron's father was the responsible for bringing tourism to Negril.  The bar is named after Ron's father Arthur, opened in 1952, and has not changed much since then.  Ron was awesome, and full of information, and will even share pictures of the early days including one of the first American tourist in Negril. 

http://youtu.be/hDrHkpBu3xg
http://youtu.be/yNBLfI8HZzU

 

 

 

 

After talking to Ron and having a Red Stripe, it was back to our walk, and to finally get some artwork.  We found a couple paintings and a shell necklace for me, and decided to head back to the car and make our way to the infamous Rick's Cafe to watch the sunset.