The Cayman Islands: The End

Our last full day of the trip was on Friday, May 2nd. It turned out to be a little disappointing, because Peter got really sick in the middle of the night on Thursday and was bed-ridden and miserable all day on Friday. We had planned on going out to Stingray City that day, which is a sandbar in the ocean where stingrays congegrate and will come right up and swim with you. They're supposed to be very friendly and gentle and we were really looking forward to experiencing that. We were also going to give snorkeling a try while we were there.

But those plans were cancelled, because we didn't want to go without Peter, and my mom and I were too chicken to drive the rental car around that much anyway. (The steering wheel was on the right side of the car, and they drive on the opposite side of the road there. Even just thinking about it confuses me. I'm sure that I would have been a driving disaster.) So we spent a low-key day mostly around the resort, relaxing, swimming, getting packed up, etc. It was actually nice to just relax for a day before returning home.

This is where Peter spent most of the day. (Well, here and the bathroom.) Poor guy! He ended up being sick for three more days after this one. None of the rest of us got sick, so it may have been something that he ate.
Our patio, draped with towels and swimsuits that were sitting out to dry. The pool was just beyond those plants out there, so we were nice and close to it, which was convenient.

That's me waving good-bye in the mirror.

In the evening, my mother, John, and I walked over to the beach before going to dinner. This group of boys was having such a blast playing in the water. Their energy and exuberance were refreshing to watch.

Sleepy Mommy and Johnny.

On Saturday morning we had to say good-bye and fly back home. I always feel a little depressed at the end of a vacation, and this time was no exception. We did many fun things while there, but not everything, and Peter getting sick on the last day sealed the deal...we'll be back in a few years! It was a wonderful vacation and I'll always treasure the memories, the photos, the mementos, and the experiences we had in the Cayman Islands. It's such a beautiful place. Everyone should go at least once in their life.

This is the airport. I took this picture from my seat on the plane. It's a small airport, so we had to walk up steps to the plane instead of going through a tunnel. How charmingly old-fashioned! I'd never done that before.

My mom and John as the plane was getting ready to take off. He fell asleep on her almost immediately and slept for 2-1/2 hours. That was nice!

I'll miss you, Grand Cayman. I'll be back!

When we arrived in Boston at 5:00 p.m., it was cold, raw, and wet. We were shivering when we were outside. Welcome back to reality!

The Cayman Islands: Day 6

Thursday, May 1st, was one of the best days of the trip. We went shopping at George Town (the capital), we went for an awesome hour-long submarine ride, we ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, and Peter and I had one of the most beautiful and romantic dinners imaginable.

Waiting for the submarine ride.


There were two cruise ships there that day. Sometimes there are as many as twelve(!!) ships in a day, so we were lucky that George Town wasn't totally overrun with people. We're thinking about going on a cruise around the Caribbean next year so that we can get a taste of the various islands and see which ones we might want to come back and stay at sometime.

On the submarine. It was fascinating to be under water and see what life is like there. This was definitely one of our favorite things we did.

We got to see two shipwrecks. This was the first one. It was cool and a little creepy.



The coral reefs were amazing.

I thought this tunnel down below was neat.

We loved being able to see the fish up so close.



George Town was nice. The buildings were colorful and attractive and the main street is right on the water. One of the great things about this island is that it is clean, safe, and family-friendly. I didn't see any pushy street vendors or homeless people or anything like that during our week there.

We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was the first time any of us had ever eaten at one. It was nice to have good classic American food again.

Peter and I went out to dinner that evening at Grand Old House, a former plantation house built on the edge of the sea. We got to eat at a very special private table that's right on the beach. Couples often get this table for special occasions like anniversaries, marriage proposals, etc. (We were able to get it because of our credit card rewards program. How's that for romance?!) These were our amazing views as we dined by the seaside. It was magical. One of the best fine dining experiences of my life!

The Cayman Islands: Day 5

Vacation Day #5 was on Wednesday, April 30th. We went to the Pirate's Caves and to two historic sites. The Pirate's Caves were one of our favorite things we did on this trip.

Hurricane Ivan devastated Grand Cayman in 2004. There was still some damage evident four years later, like here.
The Pirate's Caves were so much fun. We had the whole place to ourselves that morning. These caves were regularly used by actual pirates once upon a time.
There was a little zoo there. John and Peter are checking out the mini stingrays. My mom was stressing that Peter was going to let John fall in.

There were lots of pretty flowers there too.

Down in the caves...

Peter had a lot of fun exploring the caves. His inner Boy Scout came out strong!

Dangling handcuffs. Hopefully this is the closest John will ever get to a pair of cuffs.

This reminds me of Indiana Jones.

John will follow Peter wherever he goes...

Peter found bats back there. One of them actually flew out! I guess that's what exploring will do for you.

Up above ground again, we got to hold this friendly white bird. His mohawk would go up and down at will, which was funny. He was a charming little cutie!


At The Mission House, where the wealthy British settlers lived in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

At Pedro St. James, which is the most famous historic site on the island. This is where democracy was born for the Islands. This is a very funky, very unique old house. I'd never seen one like it before.
The grounds had beautiful views of the ocean.


Hee-haw!

Relaxing up on the top veranda of the house.

Back at home that evening, Peter made some tasty chicken fajitas for dinner. Our condo had this great screened-in patio that was really nice to spend time on. We ate most of our meals here when we didn't eat out.
Chef Pierre, preparing dinner.

At night, Peter and I went swimming and we switched between the pool and the hot tub a couple of times. It is soooo relaxing to go from the hot to cool temperatures like that, especially when you've got the warm Caribbean air around you and the stars glimmering in the sky above. By that point, I really didn't want this trip to end!