The sun rose over George Town, capital of Grand Cayman on Tuesday morning… time for an adventure?
We were tendered off the ship, 350 at a time, to be greeted on our arrival with music and a sign!
The ship wasn’t far away.
I had booked the Island Tour with Tiki Beach shore excursion. there was time to inspect the shops before we set off on a mini bus to our first stop. The island is very flat so the only way to get a panoramic view is to go to one of the new developments and go up to the fifth floor.
So that’s what we did!
There was a striking mosaic featuring the local sea life all the way up the staircase. Here’s one particularly lovely fish.
There wasn’t really a lot to see at the top but the sun was shining and I was very aware of the near zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures back home.
I got distracted by the Pandora store (!!) and nearly missed the bus. Fortunately the driver remembered he’d had a grey haired English lady and was waiting for me…
Next stop, the small town of Hell, named for the grey rock formations…
An enterprising local had a green iguana available for photo opportunities for a small fee so I paid and a new friend from the bus posed…
I wasn’t having any iguana on my head!
Next we were taken to a rum cake outlet for a small cake sample and tot of rum… I could get to like rum, particularly when flavored with coconut!
The view from the parking lot took my fancy and I snapped a few pictures.
You can see how quickly the sea bed dips down at this point.
And then Tiki Beach!
Lots of plastic sun beds and iguanas wandering around.
Yes, that one was really that close!
I discovered that I had downloaded my books onto my iPhone (not sure how that happened) and spent a very pleasant couple of hours in a (warm) shady spot…
And then back to the ship.
Dinner, a good night’s sleep and time for Falmouth, Jamaica.
I thought I’d booked a ten o’clock start but a closer look at my ticket revealed I was due at my meeting place at 8.15… The ship was able to go right into the harbor so it was easy to disembark and wander past the stall holders setting up for the day.
I had booked a Cultural Excursion at the Good Hope Estate. We set off into the interior of the island for an entertaining half hour’s drive to arrive at our destination.
Our first adventure was a horse and buggy ride around the estate.
We stopped at the sugar cane crushing site, not in use any more but very photogenic.
The estate dates back to the mid 1700s and is one of very few still standing.
Next, we were taken to the owner’s mansion,
complete with one of the first hot water baths in the Americas…
Unfortunately it was made of lead and the user died of lead poisoning within six years…
The views were amazing.
I took lots of pictures but I will spare you those!
Jamaica is known for rum production so next up on the day’s schedule was a rum tasting…
Mmm…
We were told the estate survived the slave revolt partly due to its benevolent owner…
Before we left we made a quick trip to the hospital ruins which are now an aviary.
Look closely in the wall to spot this fine fellow.
And then it was time for a colorful ride back down to Falmouth.
Time to inspect the shops and return to our floating hotel!
It wasn’t just the sunshine and beautiful scenery that made my day in Jamaica so wonderful… I smiled all day! May be I’ll be able to visit again one day?
