Routine

This first collection is entitled "THE ROAD TO NEGRIL or Reptiles and Samurai, Sunshine and Lollipops". They were written from August 1999 through July 2002.

Oh, and just for the record, all contents of "Thorazine in your Farina" copyright by PalmerWorld, except as noted or where blatently obvious, like the Ramones lyrics in the preceeding post.

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Routine

It has been three weeks now, and the routines are starting to settle in. Up with the sun, then a breakfast of gruel, fresh fruit and Blue Mountain coffee on the patio as I watch the boats in the marina. Maybe read some. Off at seven or so for the commute to the office, forty five minutes on a crap road which is their “A1 Highway”.

The office is a couple of trailers salvaged from Guantanamo Bay by the Contractor. My space is a quarter of what it was in Des Moines, and the decor is atrocious, unless you like the bad paneling and mismatched furniture typical of a site office. My view is of the side of one of the dormitories set up in second hand cargo containers for most of the Koreans and Indians. The view out of the front doors is north to the sea, less than a kilometer distant and fifty meters below. The camp also houses the Contractor’s offices, shops, fabrication areas, stockpiles, and concrete plants.

If I do not pack a lunch, Bruce, our man Friday, will head to Lucea and pick up something. The curries are mild, the Jerk can be incredible. I may come to love the Ital, or Rasta-food. It is all Vegan and really, really tasty,... once you add salt.

I usually split around five for the trip back to Montego Bay. I have been assigned this small right-drive Mitsubishi 4x4 pick-up. It is a crew cab, so there are four doors and a very short bed. It is a 2.2 liter diesel five speed Dogwagon, which is a shame. All the roads are two lanes, and there is little visibility, so what in the States would be considered unsafe passing is common and necessary. More power would be appreciated, but is unavailable. As such, I have got to really beat on the thing. So what else is new?

Common road hazards include awful pavement, standing water, feral dogs, small groups of goats and lots of cattle, with and without their egrets. Pedestrians walk on the road. They are my biggest concern.

Well,... maybe the taxis are my biggest concern. Back when the island was flirting with Communism, there were imports of tens of thousands of Russian-built Lada’s. They are little four door econoboxes which are vaguely reminiscent of the old BMW 2002's, and are probably rip-offs of some old Fiat design, except that there are no working taillights on any of them. They stop with no notice in the middle of their lane to pick up and drop off fares. They race you to bridges. They pass you on curves. The minibus drivers are just as bad, maniacally driving through the country carrying twice the legal passenger load. These cabs and such are everywhere, perhaps as many of them as there are private cars.

There is a lot of honking, too. Honk to give way, honk to take way, honk to gain attention, honk to annoy, honk just for the sake of honking. I need a bigger horn.
Five or six days of this, and I am ready to hit the beaches. We have been to Negril a couple of times in the past three weeks. It is on the far western tip of the island and reported to be THE place for sunsets, although we have yet to see one there. To do so would require that we either stay the night or drive back in the dark, which we will not do (yet) for safety reasons (the road really needs to be replaced, we joke).

Negril has a beach twelve kilometers long of very fine white sand. The water is like a warm bath, sans Mr. Bubble. For a buck you can rent a chair and watch the flat blue waters do nothing. There is little tide here and the seas are almost always calm. Get some food at Cosmos or one of the other beach restaurants then have a couple of Red Stripes down the road at the Pickled Parrot and engage in some cliff diving.

Maybe cool off by the pool once we are back in town, then go out to eat.
We are in such a rut, but we will manage.