Hedo II & III Trip Reports

	Biff's Bunch

We got up at 3:00 to catch plane at 6:00

A quick check of the weather channel to locate Georges did not give good news, but with our luck we're going for it. A 30 minute flight to Atlanta, then one hour layover then on to MBJ. Only problem was leg room in DC-9...none available. Landed at MBJ 10:30. Caught Air Negril flight after clearing customs and immigration, and was at HII by noon. New it would be great trip when pilot poured himself a drink, then apologized and offered me one... Nancy said she thought it wasn't alcoholic...yeah right.It was 90 degrees, no wind and very sunny we immediately started meeting people from AOL. Seems they sere all hanging out at the pool/ hot tub area. The order of meeting people might be slightly off, but I believe that "Crazygurl" and her SO Scott were the first we met. Tommy and Brenda from Panama city, Bobby and Mary from Wisconsin, Jeff and Loretta form Athens Ga. Larry ( HMtheater) from Roanoke etc...

Miss "Nude Black America" contest was being held in the main dining room this evening. I've never seen so many perfect bodies in one place at one time. This was a promotion sponsored by a night Club in the Washington DC area. I believe the club is "Club 55" The participants that we met were really nice folks and seemed to be having a great time. One thing that I noticed was that the candidates and their escorts did very little socializing with each other. They seemed to have their game faces on, and didn't want to buddy up with the competition. The show seemed to go on forever as is usual for some of the "special events" held on stage. After being up for 20 hours we finally sacked it at mid night.

Sept 20:

Seems like we've been here forever. My business is far from my mind as well as the stock market. Although the weather is of some concern. We found that the new TV room is a great place to check out what's going on in the real world. CNN headline news will catch you up on everything that you think you need to know such as the weather..So far it was heading straight for us. Signed up for Monday dive, afraid I'd not get any in if not at the beginning of the week.. Found the nude pool area was a great place to cool off. The weather was extremely hot and no wind was stirring. It seemed like the resort was maybe only half full. The close proximity of Georges I'm sure was one of the reasons. Saturday and Sunday are transition days for Hedonism, and all the folks leftover from "nude week" were leaving. No special events were Scheduled for this week. We spent the day meeting new people and snorkeling the nude beach area.

Sept 21:

Nancy and I started the day with a walk past Sandals and beyond. At 6:00 in the morning the resorts are all pretty much quiet. This time of the morning is my favorite time to walk and enjoy the extreme color of the Caribbean. After checking the status of Georges and having breakfast I prepared for the " shallow dive"The dive was uneventful. It seems the fish were scarcer than last October, and possibly smaller. We were diving the "caves" which has some great coral formations and small drop offs. My computer registered the deepest depth obtained was 61 feet. We stayed down around 45 minutes including a stop at 15 feet for 3 minutes. I may be a bit hard to please on these dives since I've done these locations so many times. The water temp was 87 degrees and visibility at about 50 + feet. Diving is like sex, the worst I've ever had was pretty good. LOL

Sept 22:

Missed the "deep dive" my brain seemed to be in atrophy. Decided to be beach bum for the day. We spent the day chatting, drinking, and watching. The hot tub police were not very active, but the guests were. The days are all blending together by now. Did we just get here or are we about to leave? Tonight is PJ party night. I wonder if I'll stay awake that long. Nancy brought something special for the party, then found something else at the boutique to replace it. We ending up with our own fashion show followed by the inevitable two person party. Being a typical male I fell asleep afterward and we both missed the PJ party. Oh well, maybe next year.

Sept 23:

Georges is closer . The winds pick up and the seas are becoming angry. We walked around the point to the cave area to see the north side The white caps were lapping at the shoreline and no way could we snorkel the cave. Strangely the water at HII was relatively calm, just about an eighth of a mile away. The point and Booby key really protect the HII beaches. Looking out to the horizon we observed large white caps, but the skies were still clear. So far we had experienced only one afternoon rain. The weather channel indicated Georges would pass to the north coast of Cuba, missing Jamaica by 100 or so miles. When we returned to our rooms to dress for dinner ( a pair of shorts) there was a notice form the management about the hurricane. Air Jamaica had canceled flights to Miami and they indicated heavy rains were expected. I need to mention that they have hired a new executive chef, Martin, and he has certainly improved the food. The returnees party has always been the best food of the week. Tonight was the returnees party. and we had 12 trips under our belt. We got beat out by 13.. Oh well, we'll just have to try again. In the past, everyone seemed to complain about " Chinese" night in the dining room. Our staff noted this and has eliminated "Chinese" night. To replace this they have elected to serve Oriental food on Wednesday night.

Sept 24:

We did receive some rain, but not a lot, over night. It appeared we had escaped the wrath of Georges, although their would be no diving or snorkel trip for several days. The wind was constant and very cooling, after the first few days of oppressive heat this was appreciated. We had sun every day and Georges did not qualify us for a "rainy day" free pass. Most everyone spent their time in the pool/ hot tub area because of the rough water on the beach. It appears that some people have discovered new ways of showing affection that one young lady from Illinois observed mentioned "we don't usually do that type of thing at home." The hot tub police did ask that some of the activities be delayed a until after dark. The staff still seem to feel that the whole pool / hot tub area needs a complete scrubbing every evening between 7 and 10 o'clock. The wind was strong enough to cool the hot tub off a few degrees and it was almost too cool for several days. The small whirlpool seemed to attract the attention of many of the more open minded couples.

Tonight is TOGA night. With the guest list somewhat depleted by the canceled flights it was somewhat tame compared to other years. I decided to walk over to the TV room to check on the storm. When I opened the door I asked if the news or weather channel was on, I was informed it was Thursday night and the shows on NBC were soon coming on. Correct me if I wrong, but I thought I might be a bit on the nerdy side with my concern about Georges, but maybe these folks ought to consider getting a life.

Sept 25:

Our last full day for this trip. The seas were still quite angry even though Georges had missed us and was heading for the Keys. All flights to Miami were still canceled. The resort did have room for the guests that couldn't get out, but they were charging them for their stay. As far as I know, Air Jamaica was not reimbursing anyone for their extended stay. Anyone that has more knowledge of how this works could help us all with more information.

The "body arts" folks were starting to arrive today. There are some awesome tattoos and piercings displayed by these folks. The little " Vargis girl" Tattoo on my tush is pretty tame compared to these folks. Some of them love to explain the entire meaning of all their artwork. One lady from Canada had gone through extensive abdominal surgery and her entire tummy area had been tattooed. Every picture had special meaning to her.

Sept 26:

We leave today. It happens every year and some times it's easier than others. Today dawned clear and calm. The seas had stilled and the water had cleared somewhat. We met many really nice people again this year. One of our goals was to go on a week that we knew would not coincide with couples we had met there before. We really just wanted to see if the same magic was there, from our first few trips, when we knew no one, and still had a great time. We did have a great time, although we did miss most of the " Corps of Corruption" group. This was one of those times when we were both ready to get home. We really enjoy snorkeling in the morning and the storm had deprived us of this pleasure on several mornings.

We catch the Air Negril flight at 2:25 ( 25 minutes late), for the flight to MBJ. The process of checking in with Air Jamaica at the lobby of HII has changed what has been a traumatic experience at the airport into a 10 minute process. Seats are assigned, exit tax paid and luggage tagged and swept away to MBJ. When we arrive at the airport we go directly to the exit lounge and await our departure. They load the plane 45 minute early and allow us to simmer in the non air conditioned plane until departure. We leave on time and arrive back home at around mid night. Our little black cat ("PHANNI") is awaiting us at the back door, she has brought us a chip monk just in case we're hungry.