Grand Cayman 6/8 - 6/9/15

Grand Cayman 6/8-9/15

We hung out at the condo in the morning in order to let the rush hour traffic die down before we headed out to go diving.  We finally set out around 10 o’clock or so.  After we left the condo we weren’t very far down the road when I got a bunch of flack from the back seat passengers for running over a bunch of crabs on the road as they were crossing, obviously on a pilgrimage of some sort. 

Our first stop was at Diver’s World.  Dick and Zane wanted to get a red filter for their Go Pro and Kati did some souvenir shopping.  After we got done shopping we made our way to today’s dive site at Dive Tec.  Just about the time we arrived there it started to pour rain.  We had decided we were all hungry so we would eat lunch there first before our dive.  They have a very nice restaurant there where they serve very healthy organic and locally grown food selections. 

Right after we got set down to order it really started to pour rain.  It rained so hard you could barely see past the end of their dock.  Zane ordered a milkshake and the rest of us ordered smoothies and I think everyone would agree with me that those were the best smoothies ever.  Dick ended up ordering two and Eric had another one after the dive as well.  The food was amazing.  Eric had the chicken Panini and Kati had the chicken wrap, of which Zane ordered another after the dive.  Kati’s wrap came with sweet potato fries and Kati and I agreed those were the best sweet potato fries we have ever had anywhere.  They were so good we got two orders to go as well.  Dick had the grilled cheese sandwich, which was very good (including the weeds) and I had a very tasty falafel salad, which was super good. 

After we got done with lunch we got all geared up to dive in.  We each did our giant stride off the pier and headed out to find the 17 ft. tall statue there (similar to the Mermaid at Sunset House) called the Guardian.  After we found the Guardian we headed along the mini wall and came across a large green turtle.  Right after we turned around and started to head back in Eric and Zane came across a small hawksbill turtle who was very cooperative.  Eric filmed it a little bit and then I spent quite some time filming it. 

After our dive we got all our gear rinsed off and packed the car back up in order to head back to the condo.  We wanted to make sure we got back before the rush hour hit as we had made reservations at Casanova by the Sea for dinner to celebrate Dick and Lou’s 54^th wedding anniversary. 

We made it back to the condo ahead of rush hour and we all got cleaned up for our special night out.  As there were six of us, we took two cars to go back downtown.  We then regrouped at the restaurant.  When we made our reservation we had asked to be seated out on the patio as it is right over the water and has a wonderful view of the sunset and the tarpon feeding next door at Rackam’s. 

Shortly after we sat down and ordered our meals, the harpist came over and played a beautiful song for Dick and Lou to celebrate their anniversary.  We all picked a meal that included some type of pasta and everyone very much enjoyed their choices.  The food at Casanova’s is very good authentic Italian.  We had some really good bruschetta, bread, and wine along with our amazing meals.  The clouds also cleared just enough for us to enjoy a lovely sunset.  After the sun had gone down, around 7:30, they had the tarpon feeding next door at Rackam’s.  I don’t believe it was as dramatic as Zane was expecting.  Little did he know that a short time later the waiter at Casanova’s would bring out a tray of fish parts and let him and a few of the other customers feed the tarpon that were hanging around right in front of the restaurant.

Following the fish feeding, we all ordered our desserts.  Kati, Dick, and Zane ordered the Apple strudel, Eric and I ordered the chocolate cake (of course), and Lou ordered the lemon sorbet.  Needless to say, all our choices were amazing.  Following dessert they also brought us complimentary lemoncello.  Following our wonderful meal, we all waddled out to the car (each with our box of leftovers for the next day) and drove back to the condo fat and contented.

I think after we got back to the condo everyone was pretty tired so we all headed off to bed.

Today was our last full day on Grand Cayman and our last day of diving.  We headed out a little after 9 a.m. in order to avoid the morning rush hour and made our way to Sunset House.  When we arrived we got the premium parking spot right by the dive shop and set-up point.  I think there was only one other car in the entire parking lot at that time. 

We got checked in, rented our tanks, got everything set up, and jumped in the water.  Of course by now we are all finally pretty good at the setting up and getting in routine (now that it is time to leave).  On the way to the dive site Kati, Eric, Zane, and Dick had decided they wanted to do a “special underwater video.”  They decided they wanted to dance to the song YMCA underwater.  Each one was assigned to do one of the letters.  We had decided we were going to do this routine on the second dive, but about three fourths of the way through the dive, after seeing the mermaid, Kati settled down in a sandy ravine and broke out into dance. 

I saw her and started video taping and shortly thereafter Dick and the others spotted her and joined in.  It was rather comical to say the least.  After the comedy routine was over, we continued our dive.  Toward the end of the dive, after Zane and Dick had headed in, Kati spotted some squid.  I started video taping them and spent quite a bit of time with them as they were VERY cooperative subjects.

After our dive we rinsed all our gear and laid it out on the wall to dry as we had our lunch at the bar as Sunset House.  Of course right after our food arrived, a dark ominous cloud appeared and we had to run out and collect up our stuff to put in the car before it got drenched again. 

Following our lunch, we headed just a short way down the road to our final dive site for this trip (which was also the first dive site of this trip and one of Zane’s favorites), Eden Rock.  When we arrived they were actually extremely busy, especially considering there were no cruise ships in town today. 

We got our tanks rented and geared up and dove in for our final dive of the trip.  There are actually two dive sites at this location, Devil’s Grotto and Eden Rock.  The first time we did Eden Rock, so this time we did the Devil’s Grotto area.  Shortly after dropping down the group decided to do the second take of the YMCA song, which was again very comical.  Kati has decided that Eric actually has some pretty good moves—at least underwater.

Following our YMCA production, we continued on with the dive.  Every time we have been to this site we have seen something especially interesting and this time was no exception.  The highlight was a VERY cooperative sting ray who had no issues with me filming it vacuuming the sandy ocean floor for its dinner.  We also saw a couple very pretty filefish and a large group of blue tang foraging around the reef for algae. 

We all very much enjoyed this site as the last dive of our trip.  I think the Gebhard family will have fond memories of this site for a very long time being that this was where both Zane and I did our first ocean dives.  Following our dive, as we were checking out at the dive shop, we learned some very sad and unfortunate news.  Eden Rock may not be around for much longer.  There are plans to destroy this entire reef in order to build a new cruise ship terminal.  This is another example of the sheer stupidity displayed by some in the name of a few extra dollars in their pockets.  This reef is truly and irreplaceable treasure. 

After rinsing all our gear and packing up the car we headed back to the condo.  Luckily we were able to make it back before evening rush hour.  We unloaded the car and set everything out on the back patio to dry out so we could pack it all up the next day for the trip home.  We didn’t have to worry about finding dinner tonight as we all had our leftovers from Casanova by the Seat.  As we all ate our dinner we enjoyed watching the videos everyone had taken today, especially the two productions of the underwater YMCA.  It was a fabulous way to end our last full day in Grand Cayman.  

Grand Cayman 6/7/15

Grand Cayman 6/7

Today was another relaxing day.  We all got up at our leisure and sat around and chatted for a while.  We had some of the leftover peanut butter pancakes for breakfast.  Then Dick and Zane drove the tank we had rented yesterday back to Eden Rock to return it by 8:30.  Dick and Eric had used the tank to test out Dick’s equipment in the swimming pool at the condo—which worked out very well.  While Dick and Zane were returning the tank, the rest of us wandered over to the office and talked with the owner.  We also got to pet Calilo (the cat) and Mango (the dog).  The owner also shared some of her photos of the destruction from hurricane Ivan with Kati and Lou. 

Zane and Dick made it back and after they returned it began to sprinkle so we all headed back to the condo.  We had some more time to visit as we did not have to head out until a little after noon.  We had booked a two tank afternoon dive at Ocean Frontiers for Eric, Sheila, Zane, Kati and Dick and had to be to the boat by 1p.m.  We all got our gear together and headed down to the east end a little early.  On the way we stopped and took Kati and Dick’s picture by the elderly people crossing sign. 

We arrived at Ocean Frontiers and got all checked in and got our gear down to the boat.  On our boat was our group and three other people, which made it very nice.  The first dive site we went to was called The Maze, which was a nice spot for everyone.  It is right along the wall, but the top of the reef is at 40-45 feet which made it perfect for Zane as his max depth is in this range.  This was Zane’s first experience on an ocean going boat and he got a little green around the gills on the ride out.  So as soon as we got to the dive site he got in the water to alleviate the motion sickness and then he was fine. 

Everyone had a very good dive and Zane got to see his first shark.  Actually we saw one or more sharks on both dives we did.  Once everyone was back on the boat, Zane again had the effects of motion sickness.  So the captain of the boat was nice enough to return to the dock so that Zane and Dick could get off before the second dive. 

After dropping off Dick and Zane and unloading some of the gear at the dock for our surface interval, we then headed out for the second dive.  The second dive we did was just a short trip from the dock again and was a much shallower dive.  We again saw sharks on this dive along with barracuda, several lionfish, and the other usual suspects.  Toward the end of the dive we also saw a lot of fish spawning. 

After the second dive we returned to the dock to join Zane and Dick at the bar to have a couple drinks before returning back to the condo.  Lou had another lovely day enjoying the peace and quiet back at the condo, reading, enjoying the view, the ocean breeze, and visiting with the neighbors. 

After returning to the condo we unloaded all of the gear from the car and took it out to the back patio to dry out a little before bringing it in or the night.  Zane took the opportunity to jump in the pool and swim around while Lou and Kati visited with the neighbors and I started dinner.  I got some whole wheat vegan drop biscuits mixed up and put in the oven.  I left Eric in charge of checking them when the timer went off as I wanted to go take a shower and clean up.  Just as I got out of the shower I heard the smoke alarm in the condo going off.  I ran downstairs to find Dick and Eric trying to get the smoke alarm to go off by opening the back patio door and fanning the detector.  I thought maybe the biscuits had burned, but they had not.  It must have just been something burning off in the oven as it was set to 450—I doubt it gets used at this temperature much here. 

We all enjoyed our biscuits while Eric started up the movie for the night, Yellowbeard.  We figured a pirate movie would be appropriate for our location.  However, everyone started falling asleep during the movie so Eric paused it so we could finish it some other time.

Grand Cayman 6/4 - 6/6/15

Grand Cayman 6/4 – 6/6

Our journey started early in the morning when our taxi picked us up at 3:15 a.m. to head to the airport.  We arrived at the airport and got through security without even so much as a swab of my camera bag, which is a rarity when we travel. 

We headed for the United Lounge to fill our water bottles, use the restroom, and see what kind of goodies they had for breakfast.  By the time we got to the gate they had actually started boarding the plane early so we just walked right up an got on (we were in first class, which was the group they were boarding). 

We had a very nice flight from Phoenix to Houston.  They actually served breakfast and I have to say it was pretty good.  They had steel cut oats with brown sugar crumb topping, dried cranberries, a biscuit with butter and strawberry jam, a fresh fruit plate, and a vanilla Greek yogurt. 

When we got to Houston we had about a three hour layover.  We took the opportunity to have some lunch as you never know what you are going to get on the plane (in the case of coach it is nothing any more).  We decided on Ruby’s dinner as Eric was starving and wanted some real food.  After our “lunch” at 9 a.m. (we had been up since 2:30 a.m.), we made our way to the United Lounge to relax for the rest of our layover.  Our layover time went by in a hurry and we headed to our gate to board the flight to Grand Cayman.  After our past trips to Asia and Europe the Caribbean trips seem incredibly short now. 

We had another good flight and landed on time in Grand Cayman.  We got off the plane and were one of the first few people through immigration.  By the time we got to the baggage claim area they already had three-fourths of the bags unloaded from the plane and off the belt ready for people to pick up.  They are really on the ball compared to Bonaire where it takes half the length of the flight just to get your bag--mainly due to the fact that they leave the entire job of unloading the bags from the plane and putting them on the baggage claim belt to a single 80-year-old man.  

After picking up our bags, we made our way out the front door of the airport and headed down to the walkway toward the rental car agency.  When we landed we noticed it was very wet everywhere around the airport and it looked very stormy off in the distance, but for the moment it was dry.  We got our car rented and loaded all our bags in and headed toward the condo we had rented for the week at the Turtle Nest Inn. 

We decided to stop at the grocery store on our way to the condo and pick up some things so we would not have to do it later.  We ran into the store and got all the items on our shopping list but by the time we were ready to check out it was pouring down rain and I mean pouring.  By the time we got our groceries out to the car and got in we were pretty much soaked to the bone.  We made it the rest of the way to the condo in the downpour and then had to run from the parking lot over to the Inn to check in and then back to the condo.  By the time we got to the condo I don’t think there was a dry spot on either one of us. 

After we got toweled off a little bit, the rain let up so I took Dick, Katie and Zane back to the grocery store as they had not had a chance to stop when they arrived a couple hours earlier.  We got lucky and made it in and out of the store without getting wet.  After we got back to the condo we had to decide what to do for dinner.  Everyone was pretty beat as we had all been up since early in the morning or in the case of Dick, Lou, Katie, and Zane since the day before.  So we decided to stay in and Eric and I made tostadas and Dick, Katie, and Zane had some of the hot items they had purchased from the deli at the grocery store.  After dinner everyone was pretty beat so we all headed off to bed. 

The next morning the sun was out for a short bit.  As we were all on vacation, we decided to sleep in and take our time getting up.  After having some breakfast everyone got their gear rounded up and put together so we could head out to do our first dive.  We decided on Eden Rock for the first dive, which would also be Zane’s first official ocean dive.  This is the spot where I also did my first ocean dive.  It took us a while to get everything together and get in the water, but we finally did it. 

Zane had an exciting first dive.  We saw two turtles, a sting ray, barracuda, and tarpon (which are everywhere here).  After our dive we packed up the car and headed to Turtle Reef on the other end of the island to do the second dive.  We had lunch at Sunset Diver’s restaurant/bar as we watched the divers come and go.  Everyone enjoyed lunch very much.  Most of the day had been overcast and just after we finished lunch it started raining.  It did not really matter much to us as we were going to be getting wet anyway, but it does cool things off. 

We had a nice dive on the mini wall, but there was some pretty good current.  This was Zane’s first experience with current and I don’t think he liked it too much.  Zane, Eric, and Katie saw a baby ray along with all the other usual suspects you see on most dives. 

After getting out of the water it started pouring down rain again.  We rinsed all our gear and loaded it in the car for the journey back to the condo.  We made the mistake of trying to make our way from one end of the island to the other through the middle of town during rush hour on a weekday—Not a good idea.  It took us over an hour to get back to the condo and we had pouring rain the whole way on top of it. 

After we finally made it back and got all our stuff in the condo, we were all starving to death.  We were trying to decide what to do for dinner and finally decided to just order pizza.  It was pouring down rain and we did not want to all load into the car and drive all the way back to town to have dinner.  There is a Dominos pizza just down to the road that we have gotten pizza at before on past vacations here.  So we tried calling but all we could get was a busy signal.  Eric and I decided to just drive down there and place the order in person.  The drive down the road was like driving through a hurricane.  I have not seen rain like that in a long time, if ever.  The road was partially flooded, there were tree parts all over in the road and by the time we got to Dominos the parking lot was packed and it was standing room only inside.  I stayed in the car while Eric went in to place the order.  He came back out to the car for the ½ hour wait to get the pizzas.  He went back in after ½ hour but had to wait an additional ½ hour just to get up to the counter to pick up his order.  Meanwhile I waited out in the car wondering when someone was going to hit the rental car I was driving with all the maneuvering around in the tiny packed parking lot in the pouring rain.  Eric finally picked up the order and we managed to make it back to the condo in one piece.  After dinner we were all pretty pooped after our full day.  Lou stayed at the condo and relaxed, walked on the beach, and did some reading while we were out all day.

The next day we were up a little bit earlier than the previous day.  I got up and made Rosa Parks peanut butter pancakes for everyone after which we got all our dive gear rounded up and headed out for some diving.  Before we did our first dive we stopped at Diver’s World so Dick could get a rash guard and some swim trunks, along with some other dive accessories.

After our shopping trip we stopped at Rackham’s bar and grill downtown to have some lunch.  This is where they feed the tarpon every night at 7:30, so they tend to hang our around there all the time.  They also have quite a few iguanas that like to sun themselves on the rocks there (and eat scraps that customers throw them).  The weather was still overcast this morning but it made for beautiful weather to sit along the waterfront and have lunch. 

After lunch the consensus was to go back to Eden Rock for the next dive as Zane really liked that spot yesterday.  As it ended up, Eric, Zane, Katie, and I did this dive.  Dick was having some issues with his BC and decided to sit this one out.  I managed to find a tiny octopus on this dive along with a huge parrotfish—just to name a few of the really cool things we saw. 

After this dive we packed the car up and headed back to the condo.  The dive shop let Eric and Dick rent a tank to bring back so that Dick could get his BC set up and test everything out in the pool.  Luckily it was a weekend so we did not have to deal with rush hour traffic on the way back to the condo this time.

After we got back to the condo Eric and Dick set about the task of getting Dick’s BC set up with the new webbing he had purchased earlier in the morning.  They got everything working well and then Eric also reworked Zane’s BC with similar type webbing.   After everyone was thoroughly waterlogged, they came in and we had some of the left-over Dominos pizza.  We made sure we purchased enough the night before so we could have leftovers for another meal. 

Everyone enjoyed watching some of the video clips I had taken earlier in the day and then we all watched part of the Young Frankenstein movie before we headed off to bed.