Grand Cayman #8

Today was our last full day on the island. My, how time flies! Tomorrow we head back to the USA. Although we are sad our time is over, we lived today to its fullest.

We headed out for an early morning visit to Stingray City on a small boat with our driver, tour guide and stingray hunter, Chris. The weather was still choppy, so those who get seasick had a rough morning. We managed to have a great time, hug a few stingrays and I even got a “back massage” from one stingray. Daughter 1, bless her heart, didn’t like the stingrays and didn’t stay long in the water! Once we were finished at Stingray City, we headed to an area full of star fish, sea biscuits and sand dollars—It was a fun time. We had a nice leisurely ride back into the harbor and awed over the beautiful seafront homes.

After a shower and lunch, most of us headed back into town for last minute shopping and pictures. We all worked on packing before heading 45 minutes around the island to eat at The Reef Restaurant, so we could hear the Barefoot Man sing. He is an island favorite and has lived in Grand Cayman for many years. His CDs included titles such as: A Thong Gone Wrong, Fake Boobs & Belly Buttons, Big Black Dick, Hot Hot Hot Collection, and Blue Skies White Beaches and a Red Striped Beer. If you like Jimmy Buffet, you would like the Barefoot Man. He did a mean set of Johnny Cash songs, too!

After another 45 minute ride back to the hotel, we are packing a bit more and snuggling into bed. Sir and Daughter 2 are already fast asleep as I bid you goodnight. Thanks for joining the Woman On The Move for a week in paradise!

Grand Cayman #7

The divers once again headed out at 7:45 this morning for another morning of fun. The wind had picked up so the weather wasn’t the best, but they were still able to have a good time. They found the most interesting bike to ride.

Here is a recap of some of the sea life the divers have been seeing all week: turtles, a nurse shark, banded coral shrimp, sea biscuits, barracuda, moray eel, tarpon, stingrays, spotted eels, garden eels, jelly fish, sea cucumber, juvenile drum fish, Christmas tree worms, crab spider, live conch shells, queen angel fish and tons of aquarium fish. The divers all loved Tara and Dan at the Ambassador Dive Shop. There were only up to 8 people each dive with loads of personal attention.

While they were diving, I had a very relaxing morning. I went for a car ride, read by the pool and worked on pictures. And I was surprised when the divers returned home earlier than expected.

Unfortunately due to the increase in winds, our afternoon Jet Ski trip to Stingray City was cancelled, so we were forced to go shopping in town. We all came home with an item of clothing and several pictures to prove we were all in Cayman.

We traveled back to our rooms and rested before our dinner at Lone Star. Everyone is pooped so we are all laying around resting before one more action packed day!

Grand Cayman #5

Oh my gosh, we all slept in. Well, Doug and Teri were our token exercisers and walked early in the morning! After we pushed Daughter 1 and Daughter 2 out of bed, we headed for an island tour.

We drove all the way around the east end of the island landing finally at Rum Point. Our stops along the way included: Prospect Point, Bodden Town Mission, the Lighthouse, a blow hole and Rum Point. We had a fun time driving, taking pictures and laughing. Once at Rum Point, we checked out the pier and hand lunch at a grill on the beach. Lounging in the sun and shade, playing in the water, sleeping, eating ice cream, shopping and taking pictures filled our afternoon. We finally called it a day and headed home, a much faster trip because we took a short cut through the island.

The evening ended with a surprise birthday party for Uncle Doug at the hotel. The party included sushi, cake and a rousing game of cards.

Sun bathing

Shade bathing

Shade Posing

Prospect Point

Blow Hole

Grand Cayman #4

What a glorious day! The divers headed out at 7:45 again this morning. They had two great dives and Daughter 1 finished her certification. We are all thrilled for her.

I was up and out of the room to once again explore another part of the island. What a beautiful island. The beaches are gorgeous and I love the color of the houses. I got a little lost and ended up driving through the “real” Cayman. What a difference from the main road around the island that is cluttered with hotels, resorts and restaurants.

We met up for a late lunch around the pool before we headed out for an afternoon on the water to go parasailing. What a fun time. It was my first experience parasailing. Floating through the air and seeing the across the island was amazing! We also felt like we were in a James Bond movie – we had to jump from a small boat to the boat with the parasailing platform while we were moving through the water. Thank goodness both drivers were very skilled. Doug and Teri will go up tomorrow or Sunday.

Once we returned to the hotel, we gathered our drinks and our cameras and headed to the beach for sunset pictures and a walk on the beach. Dinner tonight was at Casanovas, where we literally sat on the beach to eat dinner. We asked for outside, ended up on the sand just feet away from the water. Life can’t get much better.

Grand Cayman #3

I enjoyed a morning sleeping in!! The rest of my poor travel mates had to be at the dive shop at 7:45 to head out for the morning. After a quick breakfast and a morning run, I went to the pool to read and relax. The weary divers returned home in time for a late lunch by the pool. Daughter 1 was back at class in the afternoon, while Daughter 2 was on her computer and watched TV. The adults went into Georgetown and had a leisurely stroll through the shops. The cruise ships had already left port so the town was empty and many of the stores had already closed even though it was only 4:30! After naps, we all gathered around the pool for drinks and a game of cards! The evening was so pleasant and we had a great time just laughing and having fun. Dinner was yummy at the Lobster Pot – the restaurant overlooked the ocean and we had a great view of the boats scattered in the water. Good night to all.

Grand Cayman #2

We awoke to a beautiful, sunny sky. After a quick breakfast, the adults headed to the streets for a walk and run; Daughter 1 went to the dive shop to start the process of becoming scuba-diving certified. Four years ago she did all of the training and passed the written test but, unfortunately due to the Tsunami, our island in the Maldives was wiped out so we were unable to make the trip. While Daughter 1 was busy for the day, the rest of us headed on a quick island tour of the west end of the island. We went to Hell and came back alive! By 12:45, Doug, Teri, Sir and Daughter 2 were loading up to head out for a dive and Daughter 2 was still in class. I loaded up the van; map, drinks, snacks and camera and headed out for an afternoon of exploring. The sky is so blue, the ocean is crystal clear and the sand is gorgeous, it is no wonder this is a favorite beach vacation destination.

By six, we were all gathered at the hotel to get ready to go out for dinner – tonight’s choice, Hard Rock Café. Yes, I know, touristy but necessary.

Grand Cayman #1

I was happy to board a plane and headed to Miami with Sir, Daughter 1 and Daughter 2. We met up in Miami with our friends Doug and Teri to start of week long vacation in Grand Cayman. We arrived to dark skies, but the lights and energy in Georgetown kept us excited for the days to come. We arrived at our quaint hotel right by the beach, only to hear loud music coming from across the street. Oh yeah! St. Patty’s Day – good thing I had on green underwear! After checking in we headed towards the music at a wild party at Coconut Joe’s. We snarfed down our food, listened to the music and headed back to the hotel to get unpacked and get to bed. But we could still hear the music into the wee hours of the night. Later we found out they had a contest going – the person that kept their hand on the “blarney stone” the longest received 2 round trip tickets to Tampa and a three night hotel stay. Well, apparently it ended up being a test of bladders. After 5 hours and many forced drinks, the last two remaining contestants were friends and decided to split the trip! They were obviously under 40 and have had no kids!