I'm just dying to see what the Datmansia bloom looks like. I wonder if the flowers will have the same smokey peanut scent that the foliage has? Linda I'm wondering if my Halo Peach is marked wrong. I think I got it from Willy (7servant7) but am not sure. I looked for pics online and they did look kind of pink so maybe it's correct. Linda if mine is labeled correctly I'll send you a cutting in the fall. It's not one of my faster growing brugs but I have it in a fairly small pot and need to repot or get it in the ground. Karyn

Z, Two items. 1. Environment 2. Feeding For me, when a plant is struggling to open blooms, it is environmental. Too hot, too much sun, lack of consistent watering. As each variety is different, like people, finding a happy balance can be difficult. Example is that all of my plants are indoors for the winter with a lower light, cool temps, and dry humidity. Some are blooming greatly, where others drop flowers before they open. I watch each of them and address their needs. Remember, all those leaves, and especially the blooms need fluids. Next is feeding. Each variety and their situation needs to be monitored for nutrients. I have some that really enjoy a nutrient rich soil and I fertilize regularly. Others do not, and I watch for build ups of certain elements. The goal is to find a happy balance for the plants. hope this helps. Ed This post was edited by Gutzmek on Tue, Jan 14, 14 at 19:30

DH and I went to Jamaica in 2004 for our anniversary and we had a great experience. We also stayed at Sandals Dunn's River. We climbed the Falls, but this was booked through the hotel, so everything was safe. We did hear that some people had booked their own bus to the falls and the driver of the bus parked, got off the bus for a few minutes and then a robber came on and robbed them all. So the few bucks extra you spend through the hotel I personally think is worth it. The economy outside the resort areas is very depressed and yes, there are a lot of drugs, but if you stay in the confines of the resort, you should be just fine. We were not offered drugs, but some of our friends were. Just say no and you should be fine. They also sell a lot of other things outside of the resort such as belly chains, hair braiding etc,, just say no to everything and you'll be fine. All that stuff you can get at the hotel anyway. The hotel was great, food, entertainment etc was all great, we're glad we went. PS. It is also a good idea that when you travel outside the resort DO NOT carry ALL your cash, passport etc... The hotels have individual safes and only bring what you need. When you are through climbing the falls they walk you back toward the bus through a little flea market type of area, if you see something you like, by all means buy it and remember always bargain with them. But also be safe in this area (stay in groups etc) We made friends with about 5 couples and so we felt safe being together.

I am not a seasoned traveller to the Caribbean, but even my middle class friends who travel told me that when going to an all inclusive, never ever go to less than five stars. They say that will only guarantee a bare minimum of cleanliness and amenities. I didn't really care for what I saw of Negril and wouldn't hesitate to stay farther out in the countryside again. I would REALLY like to get to Cuba before it opens up a bit more. I would just like to see the culture before it changes. As for the negatives, we rented a bare bones b and b and I would take care to rent better, more professional accommodation and hire a well-recommended driver (I did really like our driver and he really made the trip for us! In fact if you stay near Negril I would recommend him for sure). If I had done these two things, I would have been fine. Our last day was the 'get the money out of the rich people day' and I was asked by locals to pay school fees, adopt children, leave my tablet with them, etc. etc. (adopting legally from Jamaica is almost impossible btw). That was a little uncomfortable and made the last day a lot less fun. I think being asked for stuff is not uncommon when you are a relatively rich person visiting a poor area. I do wish I had thought to bring more stuff to give, like antibiotics and ibuprofen. Everyone we met had enough to eat but some people definitely lacked for basic medical care. The real downside is that our host was just sketchy. His business partner quoted us $10 a day each for suppers and he tried to charge us each $50 a day! He said it was because we were big...not THAT big! He was also hardcore hitting on one girl in our group -- and although this was my first trip to Jamaica, I spent a lot of time in dancehall clubs in my wilder days so, although I'm an XL girl and don't get hit on by white guys that often, I am quite familiar with being hit on by Jamaican and Caribbean guys. This dude was well over the "being forward" line into sketch territory but trying to make that girl feel like it was "just" cultural differences when it was well beyond that. And he was not like a young handsome guy either, just pushing his luck. That said she could have been a lot ruder, but also that's problematic when it's a person with a key to your room. I didn't mention that part at the beginning because I am somewhat familiar with Island guys and felt this guy wasn't representative (he was the worst person we encountered on our trip and maybe the worst person I've encountered on any trip, but I've been lucky while travelling and haven't run into many horrible people!). I have never been to Cuba but all the people I was travelling with had been. They preferred Cuba for the most part but felt the food was MUCH better in Jamaica. The scenery was extremely beautiful in Jamaica. They said the animals are much better off - Cuban cows, according to them, all look on the verge of starvation and the Jamaican cows, dogs, chickens and goats I saw all looked fat and happy (unlike Cuba, most dogs belonged to someone and a lot were fixed). My friends all were comfortable driving scooters around Cuba where they preferred having a driver in Jamaica between driving on the left and the potholes. Some of my friends had pretty sketchy nightclub experiences in Cuba and certainly sketchy nightclub experiences were there to be had in Jamaica although our outings were quite tame. There are a lot of rules and a lot of police in Cuba and they occasionally had to pay bribes. One friend had been arrested in Cuba. I didn't feel like that was going to happen in Jamaica although according to our driver he felt the police were "in general a very corrupt bunch." You can get by with English in Jamaica: although you may not understand everyone, they will certainly understand you and the signage is in English. I suspect the same cannot be said for Cuba although I have never been.