Cayman Islands photos

Arriving on Grand Cayman Island
5/21/03

Journal excerpt - 11AM:
Everything about today has been relaxing, as has everything for the last few weeks. Since making the final decision to go on vacation, I have been very busy, but at peace in my heart. It was only three weeks ago that I decided to go to the Caymans, having considered Aruba, Bermuda, Barbados, and even Jamaica (during a weak moment). I just wanted to “get away from it all” as we all do sometimes, and realizing how badly I needed a vacation, “anywhere” seemed like the perfect destination. It has been a challenging year.

The truth is, I probably wouldn’t be on this trip at all if not for the generosity of a friend who generously allowed me to use his airline miles to purchase a ticket. I was “forced” to purchase a first class ticket, because the only seats available to Grand Cayman until mid-July were on first class. So, I shelled out an extra hundred bucks or so, and consequently enjoy enough leg room to extend my legs to their full length and the “priceless” pleasure of warming my feet with airline slippers.

As a side-note, I have recently learned that “the Caymans” is an inaccurate abbreviation for the “Cayman Islands.” The Cayman Islands were originally teeming with marine crocodiles, hence the name from the Spanish term for crocodiles, “caymanas.” However, there aren’t many Spanish-speakers on the islands nowadays, and the only chance to see a true “cayman” would depend on if one was brought to the island by that weird Aussie chap. However, regardless of its “technical” accuracy or not, I will frequently refer to “Grand Cayman Island” or “The Cayman Islands” as “the Caymans” – (meticulously sensitive people need not read on).

I have wanted to visit the Caymans since I researched the islands back in 97 as a possible place to escape the confines of the US mainland for the first time in my life. I opted for two weeks in Europe for my first international excursion and have been abroad four other times since, but never forgot about Grand Cayman Island. I had gazed at too many photos of crystal-clear blue water and bright-colored coral reefs to not eventually pay a visit. Despite my obsession with the Seychelles as of late, the Caymans were always high on my list.

I connected through Charlotte on what has been a very rainy and overcast day along the East Coast. Flying into Charlotte, the flight attendant read off a list of connecting flights and what gates they would be connecting at. Starting from Aruba and working her way down the list alphabetically, I smirked with contentment when she said, “Grand Cayman – D7” and slowly sunk deeper into the rich leather 1st class seat, paying little attention to the rest of the list. I did however bristle when she said “Kansas City,” which is the destination of some poor soul today. Why I will get the privilege of going to the Caymans while someone else is stuck in Seattle rain is beyond me, but that is a mystery and a discussion better suited for another day.

I am currently flying over Cuba at the moment, best known for swanky hotels, Latin dance clubs, classic 50s and 60s automobiles, and that historical bay that’s reportedly filled with swine. Several prominent websites list Cuba as a popular destination for Cayman Island “day trippers.” Despite US encouragement to avoid Cuba, I would be open to the idea of making a brief visit if I thought there was a possibly that I might get bored of the Caymans (which I can’t see happening). Then again, the point of this vacation is purely R&R, and the last thing I would want to do to complicate matters would be to plan a logistical stress mid-week. Furthermore, I’m not a cigar smoker, nor do I feel a patriotic drive to check on our centennial real estate at GitMo, or chart the former movings of Hyman Roth.

My current thoughts are only of idyllic beaches, gorgeous sunshine, and leisurely pursuits whether they be active or passive. Something tells me I won’t be disappointed.

Journal excerpt - 11PM:
As I prepare for bed and put the last touches of preparation on my day for tomorrow, I have a major announcement to make to the world. I have decided that I will be quitting my job, leaving my family and friends, and moving permanently to Grand Cayman Island. I know, I know, there will be people who I will miss and things like that, but I can’t help it. . . this place is that amazing.

Perhaps it was on the flight in that I noticed it, or maybe it was somewhere along the way, but whenever it was, there was a point where I completely fell in love and realized I was in paradise. The plane landed on a modest stretch of beach runway that literally ended with the open sea, which made me thankful that our plane didn’t overrun the strip. . .I’ll do my own snorkeling later. The heat was quite oppressive when I first stepped off the plane and I will remember that when it comes time to frolic about during the mid-day hours. Something tells me that the hottest hours would be an excellent opportunity for a nice nap or some off-site shopping.

Aside the terminal after exiting the plane was a sad collection of musicians, who attempted to welcome passengers to the island with a poor rendition of some side B bonus track from a previously unknown illegitimate son of Bob Marley. I’ve never heard such lousy reggae. . .the unemployment office must have been short an work assignments. Anyway, despite the lackluster welcome (I shouldn’t criticize them for making an effort) everything was a breeze. The immigration officers were quick and courteous, the customs check was easy, and there were not a billion “look there’s a wealthy American” scam-artists grappling for you the moment you exited the terminal (as there are in so many other countries: see also Egypt).

Directly across the street from the small comfy airport was the Avis rental where I had a car waiting. The man who waited on us was a delightful chap named Kerney Ritchey. He was an older gentleman with a distinctive British accent and very proper customer service skills. He ended each conversation with a heartfelt “God bless you” and I was a little surprised that he didn’t say, “. . and God bless the queen!” Throughout the conversation, I couldn’t help but think that he reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t think of who it was. However, I finally did. . . I always wondered what happened to Bentley after the last episode of “the Jeffersons”.

I waived all additional costs on the car, such as liability and collision, which is normally a standard call for me, but was done on this occasion with quite a degree of apprehension. The driver’s seat is on the right side of the car, and you drive on the left side of the road, which causes a great deal of confusion if you’ve never done it before. The effect of the reversal of driving rules gives one the illusion that no one is driving the cars in front of you (as the photo pasted here shows). I was really shaky for about the first 5 minutes, but rather quickly got the hang of it. It’s not as difficult as you might think, but you must stay alert and concentrate at all times. This is a challenge for me as my Beemer back home does everything to take my mind off of driving, and I have become accustomed to not thinking about things which I now must.

I think I actually first fell in love with this place when we began to get close to Bodden Town where we will be spending most of the week. As we pulled around a very slight curve and approached an extended straightaway, I caught my first glimpse of the Caribbean Sea. . . and words do not begin describe it. Blues, greens, corals, patterns, shapes, vibrancy in all forms and degrees – wow!!! I was so speechless, I could barely stay on the right side of the road. . . er, ah, I mean the left side of the road. Honestly, I have always dreamed my entire life to see with my own eyes a place that looks exactly like this one, and gazing upon it for the first time was a very special moment I will never forget. . . very special.

I was very pleased to see that we came upon our hotel literally seconds after seeing this stretch of idyllic beach and water, which bodes very well for the rest of the week. However, we will be spending our first night at “On the Bay” condos, which is on the North of the island about 10 minutes away. So, we proceeded to find the place and were very pleased with our accommodations.

Well away from the relative traffic and activity of George Town, these apartments have many advantages. The first and most noticeable was that they were abandoned. When we pulled into the parking lot around 1PM, we were one of about 3 or 4 cars. We met the owner who was a very kind gentleman and he was gracious to give us a very nice tour and place us in an excellent apartment. He also noted that they were for sale and since I inquired he gave me a brief sales pitch explaining to me the benefits of buying on the island in general and more specifically at his condo establishment. However, if it is such a great deal, how come almost all of his rooms are unsold and vacant?. . . something didn’t add up. In the end, I believe his “asking price” was just too high, because there was absolutely nothing wrong with his product.

The apartment he put us in is about as beautiful, lavish, and classy as one could hope for. It normally rents for over $250 a night, but we were placed here at no additional cost because of an overbooking issue. The apartment had a huge master bedroom, very spacious living room, dining room, full kitchen, master bathroom with two walking closets and Jucuzzi tub, second bedroom with two twin sized beds, second private bathroom, and all the amenities (washer, dryer, etc.) To top it all off, the view of the beach from the balcony was perfect. After one night in this place, it will be pretty hard to go elsewhere. We really did luck out.

So, we dropped off our stuff, went into town, grabbed some groceries, came back to the apartment, ate a hearty late lunch, went for a swim, took a short nap, watched an exquisite sunset, talked for a while and ate munchies, and then I took a lengthy bath in the huge Jacuzzi-style tub. It was some kind of day. Well, it is late now, and I must get some rest, so I will end my dissertation here. Nighty-nite.

a relaxing Caribbean sunset to end my first day

You may download my Grand Cayman 2003 screensavers at Webshots