Wed AM, coffee overlooking the ocean, then we were off to Dolphin Cove. Connie chose the program where people stand on a platform in waist deep water and interact with the dolphins. I went with a group in flotation vests out into the lagoon. The animals are amazing, they give kisses and will float on their back and let you hand on while they tow you. The handlers had them chatter and jump and they seemed to be okay with it all. Before we started, one boy was jumping up out of the water onto a low platform, rolling around, then "falling"off the edge with a big splash. He did it a couple times. We saw them swim and jump together. The handlers said it takes about a year to train them, they use whistles, hand signals and lots of squid treats. Of course it seems sort of commercial, it's $100. plus for the encounter then discs of your pictures are on sale after for $99.
After the dolphins I got on the boat to go back to Stingray City. Connie came back to the hotel as she wasn't interested in going again. This was a bigger boat with lots of people, many from a Celebrity cruise ship. There were a lot of other boats at the sand bar, too. But our guys chummed the water and had several guys in the water to hold the rays and let people see them. I took my snorkel and mask and got to see some of the rays swimming. They just glide around. We got to feed some ourselves and there were plenty of rays to see and touch. One of the handles caught a young one, maybe as big as the palms of his hand. He held her and let us touch but protected her as she is still not so used to people. Back on the boat and more pictures for sale. I didn't buy any, hoping i got some good shots with my underwater camera.
Back to the hotel, bought a can of almonds and went to see Professor Lover Boy, now aka Dr No No Polly want a Ho Ho. I dropped the almonds in his food dish, his beak and his claws are pretty sharp. I tried to get him to talk a little but he just squawked for nuts. He picked them up out of the dish with his left claw, hung on to the dish with the right, then with the nut between his ?talons? he ate away. His feathers are such beautiful colors and he can look you right in the eye and make such a connection.
After a shower and a rest, we went down to the beachside restaurant for lobster night. The sun had just set and the horizon was a beautiful pink. We had a glass of bubbly, lobster spring roll, bisque with a small slice of a grilled cheese sandwich, then a lobster tail with mashed tators and veggies. We also got to taste the lobster thermidor and the lobster mac and cheese. And for dessert.........key lime pie and sticky toffee cake. The portions were small, except for the lobster tail, and we didn't eat all of everything, but still were stuffed. Our favorite waiter, Walter, was there and we got European cheek kisses on the way out. I think a lot of people treat the wait staff here like robots, don't talk to them like people. Connie and I like to talk and laugh with them. The service here has been top notch, people go out of their way to do things for you. If you say thank you, they always say you are very welcome or it is my pleasure.
Well, hate to say it but we have to get ready to leave tomorrow. Not looking forward to getting back to cold weather, but will be glad to see my puddie tats.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
A relaxing day
I'm back on the balcony with my morning coffee, watching the water. This is truely my idea of paradise. I feel so lucky for everything in my life that has led up to my being able to have these indulgences. I am happy to live modestly most the time, not that I ever lack for creature comforts, but I don't need fancy things if I can see new places and stay somewhere like this occasionally.
Monday night, after our drinks hit us kind of hard, we just ate cheese and crackers in the room and called it a night. Tues AM I returned the rental car and we went to see Davina, the German concierge, about swimming with the dolphins. We picked a company that will take us back out to stingray city after the dolphins. HaHaHaHa Got that set up for Wed AM, so had the day to just goof around. I had the most delicious massage and Connie has a pedicure. Olive came by and invited us to join them for dinner at Casanova, one of the better places on the island.
I asked Nealy, the doorman, if they would be bringing Herr Professor Dr Dr Rope a Dope Lover Boy out some time that day. Here's the Marriott way......Nealy called Walem, who came down and out came a gorgeous parrot. Walem has been his handler for 7 years and calls him Echo. He brought nuts to bribe "Echo" and he let me hold and love on him. It was pretty cool.
The rest of the day we hung out in chairs at the beach. The umbrella guy makes his rounds and repositions the umbrellas as the sun moves. We stayed in the shade as much as possible, both of us were red in places from Monday's outing. Besides I think that with the water and sand you can get enough reflected rays to get burned even under cover. Anyhow, on a chair, in and out of the water, William brought us drinks, it was a very good day.
We cleaned up for dinner and headed over to John and Olive's condo. On our way out the Marriott drive I spotted a turtle headed for the road. I stopped and picked him up, carried him through our lobby and put him in the stream with his brothers. I just didn't want him to get squished. John and olive live on the top floor of a 3 story building with a screened in porch that looks out over the water. The complex has it's own pool and their unit can be rented when they are not there. (Probably mucho dinero).
They drove to dinner, Casanova is an honest to god Italian restaurant, all painted in those buttery colors with murals of Italy everywhere. John and Olive are obviously regulars, we got quite a welcome with European kisses all around. The restaurant is right on the shore and the capacity expands with the weather. On a nice night, the tables are set right in the sand, as close to the water as they can go and down the pier all the way to a big dock. We sat out on the pier, a beautiful night with water and stars all around. The food, wine and service were excellent. I ate a parpadelle with chunks of tuna, tomato, olives and eggplant. Delish.
Olive's hair is all gray and I had always assumed they were older than me. Turns out only by a couple years. They met in Jr High in Newcomer's town and have been together forever. They are both MD's, John talked about college at OSU, and having flown planes over Vietnam. He worked for many years for the FDA, I think both are trained in dermatology. Not sure. He retired from the FDA, now consults with drug companies in other countries, helping them deal with their regulatory agencies.
They are both smart and funny and have traveled a great deal. John still does and I lost count of how many languages he speaks. Olive manages the business end of the consulting and has to fly to the US for a day to two every so often to do their banking. I didn't get the whole story but somehow because they are not Caymanian, they can't have bank accounts here. An attempt to discourage money laundering? Anyhow we drank 2 bottles of wine and laughed and talked. For all their wealth and privelege they are pretty down to earth. Their son gave them discs of Breaking Bad for Christmas so we talked about that and John's new fascination with Notan, a Japanese design concept. Looked it up this am and it is a very interesting use of positive and negative space. John is learning to speak Japanese as he wil lbe traveling there more.
After dinner we went over to a shallow pool by some other tables and found a whole group of tarpons swimming in this little shallow area. They have gotten used to getting food scraps from the 3 nearby restaurants and hang out. A couple looked to be 4 feet long or larger. The wildlife here is amazing. That being said, I'm off to join the dolphins and rays.
Monday night, after our drinks hit us kind of hard, we just ate cheese and crackers in the room and called it a night. Tues AM I returned the rental car and we went to see Davina, the German concierge, about swimming with the dolphins. We picked a company that will take us back out to stingray city after the dolphins. HaHaHaHa Got that set up for Wed AM, so had the day to just goof around. I had the most delicious massage and Connie has a pedicure. Olive came by and invited us to join them for dinner at Casanova, one of the better places on the island.
I asked Nealy, the doorman, if they would be bringing Herr Professor Dr Dr Rope a Dope Lover Boy out some time that day. Here's the Marriott way......Nealy called Walem, who came down and out came a gorgeous parrot. Walem has been his handler for 7 years and calls him Echo. He brought nuts to bribe "Echo" and he let me hold and love on him. It was pretty cool.
The rest of the day we hung out in chairs at the beach. The umbrella guy makes his rounds and repositions the umbrellas as the sun moves. We stayed in the shade as much as possible, both of us were red in places from Monday's outing. Besides I think that with the water and sand you can get enough reflected rays to get burned even under cover. Anyhow, on a chair, in and out of the water, William brought us drinks, it was a very good day.
We cleaned up for dinner and headed over to John and Olive's condo. On our way out the Marriott drive I spotted a turtle headed for the road. I stopped and picked him up, carried him through our lobby and put him in the stream with his brothers. I just didn't want him to get squished. John and olive live on the top floor of a 3 story building with a screened in porch that looks out over the water. The complex has it's own pool and their unit can be rented when they are not there. (Probably mucho dinero).
They drove to dinner, Casanova is an honest to god Italian restaurant, all painted in those buttery colors with murals of Italy everywhere. John and Olive are obviously regulars, we got quite a welcome with European kisses all around. The restaurant is right on the shore and the capacity expands with the weather. On a nice night, the tables are set right in the sand, as close to the water as they can go and down the pier all the way to a big dock. We sat out on the pier, a beautiful night with water and stars all around. The food, wine and service were excellent. I ate a parpadelle with chunks of tuna, tomato, olives and eggplant. Delish.
Olive's hair is all gray and I had always assumed they were older than me. Turns out only by a couple years. They met in Jr High in Newcomer's town and have been together forever. They are both MD's, John talked about college at OSU, and having flown planes over Vietnam. He worked for many years for the FDA, I think both are trained in dermatology. Not sure. He retired from the FDA, now consults with drug companies in other countries, helping them deal with their regulatory agencies.
They are both smart and funny and have traveled a great deal. John still does and I lost count of how many languages he speaks. Olive manages the business end of the consulting and has to fly to the US for a day to two every so often to do their banking. I didn't get the whole story but somehow because they are not Caymanian, they can't have bank accounts here. An attempt to discourage money laundering? Anyhow we drank 2 bottles of wine and laughed and talked. For all their wealth and privelege they are pretty down to earth. Their son gave them discs of Breaking Bad for Christmas so we talked about that and John's new fascination with Notan, a Japanese design concept. Looked it up this am and it is a very interesting use of positive and negative space. John is learning to speak Japanese as he wil lbe traveling there more.
After dinner we went over to a shallow pool by some other tables and found a whole group of tarpons swimming in this little shallow area. They have gotten used to getting food scraps from the 3 nearby restaurants and hang out. A couple looked to be 4 feet long or larger. The wildlife here is amazing. That being said, I'm off to join the dolphins and rays.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
just a few random thoughts for tues am
Went to fill the car up with gas so it could be returned. We had a Suzuki Swift that used less than 2 gallons of gas with all the driving we did yesterday. Good thing, too. Gas was $5.61 Cayman dollar for an Imperial gallon which is .8 of a US gallon. Yikes, it must be expensive for the boats to operate.
Stopped at the desk to talk to Laura, one of my favorites. She's from Argentina, same as Pablo, my latest new gay boyfriend. She said they studied hotel management together and were in the Virgin Islands for a couple years. Went back to Argentina to further their education, then got jobs here. Imagine what they invested in tuition to work at the reception desk. Our drinks guy last night is from the Phillipines and the cleaning lady on the beach is from jamaica. It's a little United Nations here.
Stopped to see the parrot on my way in. He wanted to play tug o war again and screeched with delight when he won. I have decided to call him Herr Proffesor Dr Dr Sleepy Nie Nie Rope a Dope Lover Boy. Nealie, the door man says they do take him out everyday and let him interact with people in the lobby and on the beach.
Lastly, but definitely not leastly. I need a Tim Gunn intervention here. It's one thing for the young boys to sag their britches, sometimes it's funny to see them try to run without losing their pants. But honestly, who ever thought that it was a good idea for a man with a big belly to fasten his pants, shorts, bathing trunks, whatever........low under the belly and let that big ol thing hang out for the world to see. And if they are hairy........don't get me started. "No" said Kane and Jix, "that is a very bad idea indeed".
Stopped at the desk to talk to Laura, one of my favorites. She's from Argentina, same as Pablo, my latest new gay boyfriend. She said they studied hotel management together and were in the Virgin Islands for a couple years. Went back to Argentina to further their education, then got jobs here. Imagine what they invested in tuition to work at the reception desk. Our drinks guy last night is from the Phillipines and the cleaning lady on the beach is from jamaica. It's a little United Nations here.
Stopped to see the parrot on my way in. He wanted to play tug o war again and screeched with delight when he won. I have decided to call him Herr Proffesor Dr Dr Sleepy Nie Nie Rope a Dope Lover Boy. Nealie, the door man says they do take him out everyday and let him interact with people in the lobby and on the beach.
Lastly, but definitely not leastly. I need a Tim Gunn intervention here. It's one thing for the young boys to sag their britches, sometimes it's funny to see them try to run without losing their pants. But honestly, who ever thought that it was a good idea for a man with a big belly to fasten his pants, shorts, bathing trunks, whatever........low under the belly and let that big ol thing hang out for the world to see. And if they are hairy........don't get me started. "No" said Kane and Jix, "that is a very bad idea indeed".
Monday, March 10, 2014
Kane and Jix great adventure
Kane and Jix were a couple of wild women. One day they decided it would be a good idea to drive around an island where everyone drives on the left side of the road. "Yes", they said "that would be a very good idea." So the picked an island that has very few stop lights, one where most of the intersections are roundabouts. "Yes", they said, "roundabouts are an excellent idea". So off they went in a rented car with the steering wheel on the right. "Let's take lots of maps", they said. So they did.
We started out with a short jaunt down the main road to a breakfast spot known for it's hash. On the way out of the Marriott driveway someone banged the car into the left side curb hard enough to crack the plastic hubcap. Luckily they had decided to splurge on the "extra" insurance coverage. We got to Cimbocco and learned they only have hash on the weekends, so we had fruit and french toast. Then we were on our way to the Queen Eliz 2 Botanical gardens in the middle of the island. Finding our way from the west side to the road that runs along the south side of the island took some time and some backtracking, but we made it. Then we traveled along the south shore for a while til turning north on Frank Sound Rd. When we got there we learned that the part of the park where you can see the giant blue iguanas and learn about the conservation efforts on their behalf was closed. The rest of the park was beautiful with all sorts of different plants, many with beautiful flowers. The special orchid area was disapointing because it too late in the season and most had finished blooming. We did see some smaller iguanas, parrots, butterflies, dragon flies and other water birds.
From there we decided to continue north to the north shore and went all the way out on the western point to Cayman Kai. We stopped at a small public beach access area and waded a bit. It was interesting to see different parts of the island. We saw lots of places for rent and for sale. Olive says everything is for sale in the Caymans, at the right price. We headed back along the north shore and stopped at a place called Over the Edge. A simple open air restaurant with a deck that is built literally over the edge of the waterfront. We had spicy peel and eat shrimp and sandwiches. Good food with pleasant service. So relaxing to sit and watch the water while you eat. No hurry. In fact we didn't know or care what time it was all day. That's a real luxury. By the time we got back into Georgetown, we could tell by the traffic that it was the end of the work day. We stopped at Kirk supermarket, way nicer than the one I had gone to earlier in the week. Got a few snacks and a jug of water and headed home.
The driving was a little nerve wracking at first, especially getting out of town and figuring out how to use the roundabouts. But once we got past 7 Mile Beach and Georgetown, the traffic thinned out and it wasn't bad. Had a drink at the bar then a little rest. We are looking at a swim with the dolphins tomorrow or Wed. It's so nice here, just wander around in shorts and sandals, so warm, the water so beautiful. On the way home we passed the residence hall for St Matthew's University. Looked it up and it's a combo medical/veterinary school. What a hoot.
We started out with a short jaunt down the main road to a breakfast spot known for it's hash. On the way out of the Marriott driveway someone banged the car into the left side curb hard enough to crack the plastic hubcap. Luckily they had decided to splurge on the "extra" insurance coverage. We got to Cimbocco and learned they only have hash on the weekends, so we had fruit and french toast. Then we were on our way to the Queen Eliz 2 Botanical gardens in the middle of the island. Finding our way from the west side to the road that runs along the south side of the island took some time and some backtracking, but we made it. Then we traveled along the south shore for a while til turning north on Frank Sound Rd. When we got there we learned that the part of the park where you can see the giant blue iguanas and learn about the conservation efforts on their behalf was closed. The rest of the park was beautiful with all sorts of different plants, many with beautiful flowers. The special orchid area was disapointing because it too late in the season and most had finished blooming. We did see some smaller iguanas, parrots, butterflies, dragon flies and other water birds.
From there we decided to continue north to the north shore and went all the way out on the western point to Cayman Kai. We stopped at a small public beach access area and waded a bit. It was interesting to see different parts of the island. We saw lots of places for rent and for sale. Olive says everything is for sale in the Caymans, at the right price. We headed back along the north shore and stopped at a place called Over the Edge. A simple open air restaurant with a deck that is built literally over the edge of the waterfront. We had spicy peel and eat shrimp and sandwiches. Good food with pleasant service. So relaxing to sit and watch the water while you eat. No hurry. In fact we didn't know or care what time it was all day. That's a real luxury. By the time we got back into Georgetown, we could tell by the traffic that it was the end of the work day. We stopped at Kirk supermarket, way nicer than the one I had gone to earlier in the week. Got a few snacks and a jug of water and headed home.
The driving was a little nerve wracking at first, especially getting out of town and figuring out how to use the roundabouts. But once we got past 7 Mile Beach and Georgetown, the traffic thinned out and it wasn't bad. Had a drink at the bar then a little rest. We are looking at a swim with the dolphins tomorrow or Wed. It's so nice here, just wander around in shorts and sandals, so warm, the water so beautiful. On the way home we passed the residence hall for St Matthew's University. Looked it up and it's a combo medical/veterinary school. What a hoot.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Today.......I got the bear
7:15 wake up call, coffee, muffin and banana. Then downstairs to wait for our pick up. Olive joined us. While we waited I visited with the huge parrot that lives in a cage out front. A pretty miserable existence. I think he gets out once a week when the hotel does it's pirate themed dinner. He came over to the bars so I could pet his feathers and scratch his head. He has some random things hanging in the cage and brought me the edge of what looked like a little wind chime so we could play tug of war.
Captain Marvin's van came, the founder of the company is still alive at 97 and sometimes makes appearances, but not today. Got shuttled to a dock and aboard a medium size boat, not packed in. The channel we used to get to open water had homes on either side, nice homes, expensive homes. We rode out to the area where the stingrays come and there were only about 4 other boats there. We got our instructions and could see the rays all around. The water was only about waist deep and very comfortable. The guides gave us squids to hold and the rays glided over our hands and sucked them up. They are naturally bottom feeders so the amount of suction from their mouths was amazing. They just swam around us, seeming to glide with those beautiful wings. They didn't seem to mind being touched, their tops can be a little rough and bumpy but the underneath is like velvet. They stayed as long as we had food. The guides spotted Orion, an older female who they have seen for years. They know her by the pattern of the white age spots on her back. We saw a few with small wounds, the guides said it happens sometimes from other animals or the coral. Orion let Eric, our captain, hold her and he let us hold her and give her kisses. I was in seventh heaven. Olive told us that when Ivan passed through in 2004 they were worried about the stingrays, whether they had become too dependent on human feeding and if they would get swept out to deep sea. After the hurricane passed, within a couple days they started coming back, seemingly no worse for wear.
Back on the boat to a spot we could snorkel. I didn't see many fishes there but the water was clear and the coral beautiful. We moved next to the Coral Gardens, and there I saw lots of different fish. I tried to use one of the guides to identify them but couldn't figure it out. That was our last stop, it was great including the boat ride.
We grabbed lunch from the deli at the hotel, ate and had a nap. The sun really takes the stuffing out of you. It was nice to have Olive along, she and her husband have been coming here for years and now live here part of each year so she knows what to see and do. She is a very pleasant person and I enjoy her company.
In case you haven't figured it out, I'm having trouble getting pictures on this thing again. Will continue to work on it.
Captain Marvin's van came, the founder of the company is still alive at 97 and sometimes makes appearances, but not today. Got shuttled to a dock and aboard a medium size boat, not packed in. The channel we used to get to open water had homes on either side, nice homes, expensive homes. We rode out to the area where the stingrays come and there were only about 4 other boats there. We got our instructions and could see the rays all around. The water was only about waist deep and very comfortable. The guides gave us squids to hold and the rays glided over our hands and sucked them up. They are naturally bottom feeders so the amount of suction from their mouths was amazing. They just swam around us, seeming to glide with those beautiful wings. They didn't seem to mind being touched, their tops can be a little rough and bumpy but the underneath is like velvet. They stayed as long as we had food. The guides spotted Orion, an older female who they have seen for years. They know her by the pattern of the white age spots on her back. We saw a few with small wounds, the guides said it happens sometimes from other animals or the coral. Orion let Eric, our captain, hold her and he let us hold her and give her kisses. I was in seventh heaven. Olive told us that when Ivan passed through in 2004 they were worried about the stingrays, whether they had become too dependent on human feeding and if they would get swept out to deep sea. After the hurricane passed, within a couple days they started coming back, seemingly no worse for wear.
Back on the boat to a spot we could snorkel. I didn't see many fishes there but the water was clear and the coral beautiful. We moved next to the Coral Gardens, and there I saw lots of different fish. I tried to use one of the guides to identify them but couldn't figure it out. That was our last stop, it was great including the boat ride.
We grabbed lunch from the deli at the hotel, ate and had a nap. The sun really takes the stuffing out of you. It was nice to have Olive along, she and her husband have been coming here for years and now live here part of each year so she knows what to see and do. She is a very pleasant person and I enjoy her company.
In case you haven't figured it out, I'm having trouble getting pictures on this thing again. Will continue to work on it.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
A good day to dive, or maybe not
Friday night Connie and I ate at one of the hotel restaurants. I had a Cesaer salad with ultra yummy seared tuna on it. We both slept well, the beds here are so comfy and it is quiet at night. Woke up and did one of my favorite things, drank coffee on the balcony watching the water. It was noticeably more windy than yesterday. I went to the concierge to check on how to get to the QE 2 Botanical gardens. The blue iguanas live there and they are having an orchid show. Maybe do that Monday. Connie's friend Olive came by and is going to go with us to Stingray City tomorrow. There is a shallow spot where the rays come, you can get in the water and feed them. They have been doing it a long time and the rays are fairly "tame". We sat on the beach and had a club sandwich, then at 12 I went to wait for the dive shop to pick me up. Mackenzie said the water at their usual dock was a little choppy so she took us to an alternate location. It was just me, Chris from Alberta, Mackenzie and the boat driver Marco. We got fitted for our gear and boarded a pontoon boat that could easily have accommodated 20 people.
We went to a dive buoy at a spot called La Mesa. It was directly across from the Marriott, altho out in the water quite a way. Mackenzie was excited to be there, she had not been diving there in several weeks. Some environmental entity rotates the diving buoys so that one particular spot does not get all the wear and tear of us tourists. I got all ready and took that giant step off the back of the boat, popped up and grabbed the rope to the buoy. I made my way along the rope, but was having trouble getting my breath. I rested a minute, then felt okay to go below. For someone as buoyant as me, the easiest way is to go hand over hand down the buoy anchor line. My mask was all fogged up and leaking, My eyes were stinging from the salt water. I had trouble getting the pressure in my right ear to equalize and it was hurting. I came off the rope and was trying to follow Chris and Mackenzie, but having a devil of a time. The little bit I could see of the coral was gorgeous, but my visibility was very limited. I was struggling to keep up. At one point Mackenzie waited, she had me in her sights the whole time and had signed to ask if I was okay several times. I got close to her and got disoriented and was bumping into the coral. At that point, I'm not sure how, but my regulator came out of my mouth and I got a mouthful of sea water. I got my regulator back in but was so anxious at that point I pointed up and Mackenzie nodded. We weren't far from the anchor rope so she took me over and watched til I got to the surface. I yelled for Marco, who was very kind, helped me get my gear off and get back in the boat. My stomach was churning my head was thumping and I drank some water and lay down on a bench in the shade. In due time, Chris and Mackenzie came up, I'm glad Chris was able to finish her dive. They moved the boat to Fish Pot Reef for the second dive. I decided to pass. Marco went with Chris and Mackenzie stayed on the boat with me. Usually the movement of the boats does not bother me, but I ended up feeding my club sandwich to the fish. Actually felt a little better after that. Talked to Mackenzie for a while. She grew up on Long Island, was pre med at the University of Miami. Decided against being a doctor and came to the Caymans with a friend. They were going to stay 6 weeks and get certified to teach scuba. She met a man from North Carolina in her class, they both got hired when they finished. She's been here 6 months now and just found a new apartment that she and the boyfriend can share. (2 bedroom/2 bath is $1100. CI or about $1300. US per month) I asked about work permits for people who aren't from the British Commonwealth. She told me that in her line of work there are few Caymanians who want to teach diving so she has been able to get work permits. But she said she only plans to stay through the summer so she can further her education. She's currently taking a course on line on Sustainability of Urban Development taught by a professor from Columbia Univ. They way she described it I could tell that she is passionate about conservation.
Anyhoo, Marco and Chris finished their dive and they brought me back to the hotel. They said that the currents had been pretty strong and it may have been the struggle that winded me. I was disappointed, but lived to tell the tale. After a shower, tylenol, club soda and a nap, I felt human again. Went down to watch the sunset, but it was obscured by the clouds. We ate sushi here at the Marriott, it was pretty good with a glass of wine and a lemon pudding cake/blueberry compote desert. We've set the alarm for our 8AM pick up for Stingray City.
Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you.
We went to a dive buoy at a spot called La Mesa. It was directly across from the Marriott, altho out in the water quite a way. Mackenzie was excited to be there, she had not been diving there in several weeks. Some environmental entity rotates the diving buoys so that one particular spot does not get all the wear and tear of us tourists. I got all ready and took that giant step off the back of the boat, popped up and grabbed the rope to the buoy. I made my way along the rope, but was having trouble getting my breath. I rested a minute, then felt okay to go below. For someone as buoyant as me, the easiest way is to go hand over hand down the buoy anchor line. My mask was all fogged up and leaking, My eyes were stinging from the salt water. I had trouble getting the pressure in my right ear to equalize and it was hurting. I came off the rope and was trying to follow Chris and Mackenzie, but having a devil of a time. The little bit I could see of the coral was gorgeous, but my visibility was very limited. I was struggling to keep up. At one point Mackenzie waited, she had me in her sights the whole time and had signed to ask if I was okay several times. I got close to her and got disoriented and was bumping into the coral. At that point, I'm not sure how, but my regulator came out of my mouth and I got a mouthful of sea water. I got my regulator back in but was so anxious at that point I pointed up and Mackenzie nodded. We weren't far from the anchor rope so she took me over and watched til I got to the surface. I yelled for Marco, who was very kind, helped me get my gear off and get back in the boat. My stomach was churning my head was thumping and I drank some water and lay down on a bench in the shade. In due time, Chris and Mackenzie came up, I'm glad Chris was able to finish her dive. They moved the boat to Fish Pot Reef for the second dive. I decided to pass. Marco went with Chris and Mackenzie stayed on the boat with me. Usually the movement of the boats does not bother me, but I ended up feeding my club sandwich to the fish. Actually felt a little better after that. Talked to Mackenzie for a while. She grew up on Long Island, was pre med at the University of Miami. Decided against being a doctor and came to the Caymans with a friend. They were going to stay 6 weeks and get certified to teach scuba. She met a man from North Carolina in her class, they both got hired when they finished. She's been here 6 months now and just found a new apartment that she and the boyfriend can share. (2 bedroom/2 bath is $1100. CI or about $1300. US per month) I asked about work permits for people who aren't from the British Commonwealth. She told me that in her line of work there are few Caymanians who want to teach diving so she has been able to get work permits. But she said she only plans to stay through the summer so she can further her education. She's currently taking a course on line on Sustainability of Urban Development taught by a professor from Columbia Univ. They way she described it I could tell that she is passionate about conservation.
Anyhoo, Marco and Chris finished their dive and they brought me back to the hotel. They said that the currents had been pretty strong and it may have been the struggle that winded me. I was disappointed, but lived to tell the tale. After a shower, tylenol, club soda and a nap, I felt human again. Went down to watch the sunset, but it was obscured by the clouds. We ate sushi here at the Marriott, it was pretty good with a glass of wine and a lemon pudding cake/blueberry compote desert. We've set the alarm for our 8AM pick up for Stingray City.
Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you.
Friday, March 7, 2014
The Caymans a slice of heaven
After lunch I took a nap (surprise), woke up in time to walk the beach just after sunset. The stars were starting to come out and I could see the lights all the way up 7 mile beach. The Marriott is on the west side of the island at the south end of 7 mile beach. Fine white sand and ocean seem to go on forever. After my walk I made a s'more , the resort sets up a fire on the beach every night. Then decided to get some provisions in for breakfast. The local grocery store was fairly large with good selections. The Cayman dollar is worth about 20% more than US and everything is expensive. I wonder where all the workers live and shop. They people in the grocery were very nice and called a cab for me when I was done. Cabs are plentiful but the 5 minute ride back from the grocery cost $10. US.
The cabs from the airport are regulated and the dispatcher assigns the driver and sets the price. Our driver Eric was chatty, we commented on driving on the left side and he said he'd been doing it a couple weeks. He was obviously kidding, so I said that it was amazing what you learned in prison these days. (A reference to La Cage). He said, in fact, he had been in prison for 22 years. Bazinga. The whole story was that he grew up in a small village outside Belize City and became a police officer. He came to the Caymans on a one year contract, met a woman, got snagged and married. Had a couple of kids and went from police work to corrections officer. He retired a few years ago and now drives a cab. This is one of the best parts of travel for me, meeting people and hearing their stories.
I am thankful that Connie made all the arrangements for us to get here. I was so crazed with La Cage that I just had enough brain power to grab my passport and a few clothes. Today I have to find an ATM , get batteries for my camera and a disposable underwater camera. I'm learning that doing this stuff on the fly instead of planning for weeks can be liberating. Expensive, but liberating.
After the grocery I went to the pool, you've got to love the climate where you can go to the pool at 10PM. The stars were gorgeous and a crescent moon was hanging in the sky like a big soup bowl. The water was a little cool but I got used to it . I was thinking about the hot tub but there were 2 people already in it and it looked like they were getting a bit passionate.
Today I want to go see the farm where they raise the sea turtles and schedule my dives. Then we'll have drinks with Connie's former neighbors who have a condo here.
We went down to the beach for a while, it's nice but with all the Marriott guests squeezed onto their little patch of beach, kind of crowded. They give you terry cloth covers for the chairs and beach towels. Courtney used his big drill to sink an umbrella for us and Evans brought us drinks. We sat for a while, then went out in the water. So beautiful and clear. The Marriott has sunk dozens of "reef balls" out in the water to conserve the sand and provide habitats for sea life. They are big, hollow half balls of concrete with holes in them like giant wiffle balls. They take pieces of broken off coral and stick it on the balls and it starts to grow. The coral is too young to look like much, but there are fish all around.
We decided to head out to the Turtle Farm. We stopped at the concierge desk and she gave us a discount card for admission and told us how to catch the city bus. The buses are really mini vans that drive specified routes and you can flag them down at any point and get off whenever you want. They only cost $2.50 US one way. The Turtle Farm breeds, hatches, grows and releases sea turtles. They also farm a certain number for local cuisine. They have prevented the extinction of the turtles and of course provide education. Lately, tho, they have added a water park. It probably brings in revenue to support the conservation, but it gave a sort of weird vibe to the place. Anyhow, we went first to the breeding pond, a big area with plenty of room for the turtles to swim and mingle with a big sandy area for the mommies to lay their eggs. The farm digs up the nests and transfers the eggs to an indoor nursery to keep them safe from predators. We saw some pretty big iguanas roaming around. Then there are tanks with the juveniles, they keep the males and females separate till they reach sexual maturity (I think they said 15 to 20 years). Lastly we went to a spot that had young ones, about as big as my hand that you could touch. You could even wade in the tanks with them. I was in hog heaven, when I tried to hold them they flapped their flippers and were amazingly strong. Reminded me of trying to hold a cat to trim its nails.
Rode the bus back and went into Divers Down, talked to Spilios about a dive for tomorrow afternoon. Got back to the room and had a snack. I decided I'd rather rest than go for a drink so agreed to meet Connie for dinner.
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