Grand Cayman Trip
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Day 1 - Friday
Our flight landed about noon, and we picked up a Jeep at Avis. Thought a Jeep might be
a little fun for a change... not really. We did not find it very comfortable, and Don didn't
particularly like the way it felt driving it.
First thing to notice is that you drive on the LEFT side of the road in Grand Cayman. Plus,
lots of these "round-about" intersections.
Found the hotel without much difficulty, checked-in, rented snorkel gear and headed for
the water. Hurricane Lili is on her way, so we decided to try to pack in the fun before the
storm hit. Drove down to Sunset House, where we snorkeled and had a bite to eat, then on down
to Smith's Cove for more snorkeling.
Had dinner at the Lazy Lizard across the street from the hotel.
Day 2
As luck would have it, there was an AVIS facility in our hotel, so we swapped the Jeep for a
4-dorr Honda Civic... with the steering wheel on the right! Takes a little getting used to. Oddest
part was the fact that the turn-signal and windshield-wiper levers are reversed as well, so for
the first couple days Don turned on the wipers prior to each left turn. Actually saw lots of other
cars doing the same thing, so we didn't feel quite so silly.
The tour/activity folks told us that all of the boats were going into safe-harbor this afternoon, in
preperation for the storm, so we needed to get a move on if we wanted to do something organized. We
drove around the island to Rum Point where we boarded a glass-bottom boat for a trip to Stingray
City. If you've never been, we highly recommend it! The boat stops at a sandbar, and everyone gets
inthe water with snorkel and mask - fins aren't needed, as the water is ony about waist deep. Very
cool, as the Stingrays swim right up to be hand-fed (they seem to really like raw squid). The boat
then continued to another nearby location for about 20 minutes of snorkeling.
Back at Rum Point, we had a bite to eat and then hung out in lounge chairs on the beach, enjoying
the beautiful scenery and maybe anpping a little. Mid-afternoon we drove the long-way back around the
island, stopping at a couple viewing spots. We think we saw the Blow Holes - a section of
rock along the shore where the incoming waves send spouts of water shooting up through holes in the
rocks. We only think we saw them, however, because we never saw a sign indicating we were in the
right place, but it looked cool where we were anyway.
Saturday evening we had dinner at Fidel's Irish Pub - but not on purpose... We had planned to go to
Hook's, but drove past the entrance. Pulled into a shopping center to turn around, saw Fidel's, and
parked. Don ordered an Irish Breakfast, which included Black and White pudding. Not the kind of pudding
we're familiar with, but rather a couple patties of pig's blood (black) and pig's intestines (white)
sausage. Not bad at all!
Day 3
It's Sunday, and Lili is on her way! Or maybe not? Weather was fine, just a little breezy and the water
looked a little rough. We drove north to the Turtle Farm - big turtles, little turtles, medium turtles...
lots of turtles! You can check them out at: www.turtle.ky
From there we tried to go to Hell... It's actually a town, well known as a place for vacationers to send
friends a "postcard from Hell". It gets its name from the topography - lots of dark, jagged rocks.
We couldn't find it though... drove around a bit, checking the map trying to follow the signs, but never got
there. Does that say something about the two of us?
A couple of people had recommended Cemetary Reef as a good snorkeling spot, so that's where we headed next.
And they were right! Beautiful water, tons of fish, coral everywhere, very calm water. Floated around for
about 45 minutes. This area was so nice we ran over to a dive shop, picked up an underwater camera and
some fish food, and headed right back for another hour or so. Trying to enjoy the island before the
storm hits, we felt like we'd already packed in a weeks worth of activities.
Decided we were a little hungry, so we stopped at a little place to try some local cuisine. Not sure if I
remember quite right, but I'm pretty sure the name of it was Burger King.
Back to the hotel, hang out at the pool for a bit and watch the sunset. Weather is still fine, although
everyone is sure Lili will be here tomorrow. Across the street to the Lazy Lizard for dinner again. It rained
rather hard twice, forcing us insided the restaurant from our patio table.
Day 4
Well, Monday morning and Lili has arrived. Rain and 72 mph winds. We felt safe and comfortable at the hotel
though. Our room has a "garden view" so we're not directly exposed to the storm. Just about everyting
on the island was closed (schools, government, most businesses) so breakfast and lunch at the hotel, and TV and
book reading in the room. We did run out to one store that was still open, to get some beverages for the room
(mini-bar stuff is way too expensive), so we experienced a little more of the weather.
The hotel staff told us a few restaurants were open in the evening (none of the "on-the-beach" places,
of course), so we went to PD's, a British Pub. Simple pub-style food. Don had "Bangers and Mash". It
was nice to get out of the hotel for a couple hours.
Day 5
We survived! Lili has come and gone, picking up strength as she heads out into the Gulf. Grand Cayman does not
appear to have suffered from the storm.
Slept late, then breakfast at a small bakery / cafe. Saw them making sandwiches for someone else, so we went back there for lunch
too. The hurricane is past, but the weather is still affected. Windy, water too rough for snorkeling, all the
tours and boats are still closed. Hung out on a nice beach, soaking up some sun and reading our books.
The Marriott had a reception in the lobby on Tuesday late afternoon for Marriott Rewards members, so we went.
Chatted with a young couple from Charlotte - they had tried to brave the water, got tossed around, and he
had hurt his shoulder to the point where he couldn't lift his arm to shake hands. Hopefully just a sprain (he
didn't seem overly concerned, just hurting a bit). They were nice folks, and were enjoying their trip anyway. they
recommended the "Lobster Pot" restaurant for dinner. We had not planned to eat there, but decided to
give it a try. Nice place, but a bit pricey - actually, every place has seemed a bit pricey! One dollar U.S. only
gets you 80 cents C.I., which doesn't help. But the food was very good. Don had Turtle steak - very similar
in texture to beef steak, with a mild flavor.
Day 6
Got up earlier today. Nice breakfast at the Peninsula restaurant at the hotel, overlooking the water. Had the place
to ourselves. It is off-season here, so we haven't had crowds anywhere. Beautiful day - and hot!
Boats are being put back into service, now that the storm is officially over. As in many tourist locations
in the Carribbean, Grand Cayman has a couple of Submarine tours. One place stands out though, as they have
a couple of old research subs for deep diving tours. Don took the opportunity to go on a 1000 foot deep dive.
Tracy wasn't particularly interested in it (she's a chicken), plus it's too expensive... but hard to pass up.
Don enjoyed it, and purchased a video taken during the dive. Worth it for a one-time experience, but probably
not something to do again. It lasted about an hour and a half, during which Tracy did a little shopping, picking
up a couple obligatory t-shirts.
We then went to Eden Rock for some more snorkeling. This place was great. Fish fish fish fish fish. We had some
left-over fish food from Sunday, but trying to feed these fish may not have been the wisest move. They are very
aggressive! Don had some granular fish food, which is in sort of a thin plastic bag. The plastic is supposed to
dissolve after about a half-hour in the water, but the fish could apparently smell it. As Don pulled the food
from the pocket of his swimsuit, the fish attacked! One of them missed the food and bit Don on the chest. It
didn't really hurt, but left a nasty looking bite mark - you would assume it was from a human mouth. We snorkeled
for almost an hour - it's so easy in this saltwater! Very bouyant... no need even for a life vest, you just
float on the surface.
Wednesday evening dinner was at Hook's - we found the entrance this time. Interesting place. It's 3 restaurants
in one - Sushi, Italian, and Steak and Seafood. They give you 3 complete menus - which, as we all know, is a
very tough thing for Tracy to handle. Too many choices!
Day 7
Got up early and called Tracy's Mom to say Happy Birthday. Tracy had a nice chat with her, and then we were off
for more snorkeling. There were 4 cruise ships in port on Thursday, so lots of people in town. We snorkeled again
at Eden Rock - right by all the ships and tenders (the boats that take the passengers to and from the docks). Wonderful
snorkeling again. This area the water depth goes to 45 feet, with an average depth of 35 feet. Don likes to dive down
as deep as he can. Lots of scuba divers today, and Don would dive down to 30 - 35 feet and wave hello to them.
A light lunch at the "Wreck" bar / restaurant, so named because it's on the water, just a couple hundred
yards from the Wreck of the Cali. Chatted with some cruise passengers also eating there.
After lunch, we hopped back in the water and snorkeled out to see the wreck. The
wreck was very decayed and dark, but it is the remains of a ship on the bottom of the sea (probably 25 - 30 feet deep
or so). The most interesting part of this location was just 40 yards or so from shore. We're snorkeling along, and
we see some BIG fish! These were tarpon, and probably 4 to 5 feet long. Tracy got a little scared, so Don dove
down and chased the monsters away! Hee hee... He was really trying to get closer to them, but they swim faster than
he does. After seeing the wreck, we headed back to a beach area to just relax and get some more sun.
Dinner on Thursday was at Rackam's, which was right next door to the Wreck. This place was right out on the water,
with flood lights shining down into the water. Very nice, as you could see the big tarpon fish swimming just a few
feet away. They feed the tarpon every evening, although we arrived too late to see that.
Day 8
Well, vacation is over. Tracy got up early to spend another hour down at the pool, before packing up to go home.
Don finally stopped using the windshield wipers when turning, but Tracy continued to walk to the wrong side of
the car when getting in. Got home Friday evening around 7:00. We were hoping that Tracy's Mom would have dinner ready
for us - and she did not disappoint. She had also kept Keffie and Wilson for us for the week. We had missed them
so much! But it was a comfort to know they were in good hands while we were gone.
*sigh* - Wouldn't you know it? We had bought 2 of these one-time-use underwater cameras, and the goobers at
CVS drugstore ruined one of the rolls of film. Aaaaarrrrrgh!
Ah well, we had a very nice vacation. Grand Cayman is a great place to go if you like snorkeling or scuba diving.
Highly recommended.
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