GETTING USED TO JAMAICA TIME
/We started out our journey in the worst possible way and arrived Thursday at 1.30 a.m. in Mobay airport. We were scheduled to arrive there at 7 p.m. though, but our friend who was coming to pick us up was still waiting for us fortunately. We drove straight to Ocho Rios but when we arrived there around 3 a.m. only the night guard was there in the hostel so we had to wait untill 5 a.m. to get a room. Not an ideal way to start our journey, but we’ll manage. We got up again at 7 a.m. Thursday morning and went straight for a cold jelly and coffee at BK (they do free refill). We then tried to get a new SIM card at the Digicel store but even at 9.30 a.m., a half hour later than opening time, there was still no staff present at the store. Went for a drink by the roadside and reasoned with locals.
Me and Mikey Tenor - who I met on the street
This is jetlag time still and we know that the most important thing for us to do the first couple of days is just to stay awake during the day and go to bed as late as possible. We walked around Ochie, had lunch at Calabash, the great Ital restaurant in James Avenue, went for that Sim card when the store was finally open, reasoned some more with locals, kicked back a couple of beers and finally went to sleep at around 22.30 p.m.
Great food at Ital Restaurant CALABASH on James Avenue
On Friday morning we went for coffee and traditional Jamaican breakfast and headed for Mahogany Beach, a small stretch of well kept beach where the party boats from the all-inclusive hotels arrive once in a while to drop of a drunk bunch of tourists. Went back to the hostel at about 4 p.m. to rest. In my How to Party section on the Reggaetourist website I talk all about the importance of resting if you want to party hard so this is us practicing what we preach!
We woke up around 7 p.m. and went for dinner. Went back to the hotel for some drinks and fell asleep again untill 23.30 p.m. It is a holiday after all. Party time now. Turtle River Park is where they keep Ninja Man’s Bday bash. Not too many people showed up for Sound System night, tomorrow is the big night after all. We spent an hour or so outside reasoning with the vendors. I forgot to bring my camera so no pictures. Some people remember us still (it’s the third time in a row we came to Ochie for Ninja Man party) and its always good to see them again. Inside, a sound from Mobay is taking care of what are still the early vibes. Ninja Man himself has stressed that tonight should not be a soundclash, not a musical ‘war’ to see who ‘kills’ who and who is the best sound. But the crowd always wants a clash, and the sounds say they are ready for whatever. Bass Odyssey kicks off the first round, Pink Panther follows, and then Ricky Trooper. Not too many people inside of Turtle River Park but the vibes are nice. Vendors selling all kinds of stuff and there is more ganja on offer than ever, thanks to the recent decriminalisation of marihuana. A popular item on offer, as always, is the ‘horn’, a sort of vuvuzela, needed to show an ear shattering agreement with what’s happening on stage. We managed to stay on our feet untill 4 a.m. That’s according to plan. Off to sleep now, because tomorrow is the Stage Show and we will have to do an all nighter.
