Home Sweet Home Resort Negril

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Well, very nearly at the end of this blog now. Later today we will transfer to Montego Bay airport, and (all being well) take off for the UK at 7.05pm tonight. We should be back at Gatwick for 10am Sunday.

It is strange to think we are going home. This break has been truly amazing and it is a shame that it is coming to an end. I guess there are some things that it will be nice to return to to (at this point, I can only think of one ...

... the sea (we saw some dolphins as we were having lunch) before heading to the "Sands" - the resort bar, if you like - for sundowners and a spectacular sunset. Dinner was superb.

Yesterday we went on our snorkelling trip (with guide Paul) through some of the caves, which was awesome. There was a bit of diving down to swim under rocks to get into 'secret' caves which was fun. We spent the afternoon relaxing, and then wandered over to a local bar ("Rick's cafe") for ...

... the setting of this place is quite amazing - and the "resort" (feels wrong to use that word) looks lovely. Lots of spots for jumping off the cliffs into the sea, and our room is very cool. Tomorrow we will snorkel, and have dinner in a cave. All good! Drinks and food both look amazing. The weather is hot and sunny, with the odd tropical downpour (these never last long). Lunch time now, so I have to dash. See/speak to you all next week. Much love, D&K

... I dag stod vi opp med sola og ruslet ned mot sentrum og bussparken. Dvs, jeg ruslet helt til jeg smalt den venstre taaen inn en opphoyd murkant, og slo opp huden paa hele fremsiden av storetaaen. Det gjorde steike vondt! Etter det haltet jeg mer :) Paa bensinstasjonen fikk jeg tigget til meg litt antiseptic, og i taxien mot Black River fikk jeg et plaster, saa da gikk det lett bedre. Bortsett fra at man gjerne sitter fire stk i baksetet mener jeg ...

... so you don't need to walk very far to get a drink. I tend to be kind of a busy body and get tired of lying on the beach. My usual routine is to casually make the rounds between all three, taking in the sites, and chatting with friends along the way.



That is the beauty of this resort. If you want to do nothing but party, there is always a party going on somewhere. If you want to just relax and soak up ...

... and peas(Jamaicans call them peas, but they're actually beans) and marinated tomatoes. The Red Stripe beer was flowing freely; tourist-guests and locals were milling about. Because I don't drink beer, I purchased a mickey of "Q" of rum (most of which went home with me). The cheering in the bar was deafening when the underdog NY Giants defeated the New England Patriots. It was a loud and rather tipsy group that made their way back to their accommodations for the night.

... from Alabama who were there for the honeymoon also. The Alabama couple were both insurance adjusters who were working in Mississippi after Katrina. The guy was from Fayetteville, and happened to hear us say we were from North Carolina. There was live entertainment with a steel band, singing, dancers, contortionists, and fire breathers. Skippy and the others on the entertainment crew were dressed as pirates and really worked the crowd. It was a great way to end our days at Couples.

... and live musicians created the atmosphere just the way you'd have wanted it to be. All in all, it was a far cry from skiing down a mountain, but then again, winter sun never goes amiss, and as I left the place armed with a souvenir T-shirt, a whole bunch of photos and terrific memories, it comes as no surprise as to why I began to consider a healthy travel schedule to be something as worryingly vital as breathing in air.

... I took the kids to the ball ground. I'm sure I've explained this before, but let me do it one more time... The kids and I walk ten minutes from the heart of the community to the entrance of the neighborhood, which is on the highway. We then (carefully) cross the highway and walk down a short hill to the local Football Field (or ballfield for short). We spend an hour and a half running around ...