When we sent our “we’re living in a van and road schooling our children” email announcement, one of the responses we received was from our friend Susannah. Mark knew Susannah from their time as staff at a summer camp in the 1990’s, and we’d all gotten to be friends when we were living in Rhode Island (pre-kids). We had grown close with her while living near each other, but fallen out of touch since we’d moved to Portland.
Susannah’s response to our email was so amazing and inviting we knew we had to see her. In her invitation to visit her in Grand Cayman she listed at least 10 things that would be educational (and super cool) to do with the kids. She also told us that she, her husband Don, and their new baby girl were moving back to the States in the spring, so we’d have to hurry if we wanted to overlap with them in the Caribbean.
As a former diver, Grand Cayman has always been a dream destination for me. Adding education, pleasure and friends to the place as well, I knew this was something I really wanted to make happen.
Our RV travels continued to take us East, towards airports where it would be feasible and affordable to fly to Grand Cayman. When we learned that Babe wanted to join the trip as well, we were able to coordinate a string of events that met everyone’s needs and desires: the kids would spend a week with Dude and Babe in Portland, Babe would fly the kids to New Orleans where we’d hang for a couple of days, and then we’d all fly to Grand Cayman from NOLA.
The flights were cheap and available (this was pre-Coronavirus) so we booked it! We found a darling AirBnB on the West side of the island that was simple but would perfectly sleep us all.
Babe arrived with the girls and we all spent three fun-filled days in New Orleans riding the street car, eating lots of good food, sampling the beignets, collecting beads from the trees, and seeing the sights.
Our early morning (and almost totally empty flight) landed us on the island in the afternoon with plenty of time to get our car, unpack at the house, and get settled before sunset.
We met up with Susannah and Don and their little one for a lovely meal and gorgeous sunset at the aptly named, Sunset House restaurant. It was so great to catch up with Susannah, meet Don, and play with their darling daughter.
The next day we did a bit of exploring the west side of the island, but we spent the majority of our afternoon on the famous Seven Mile Beach with its warm turquoise waters, soft sand, and snorkeling right off shore.
One of the most popular tourist activities on the island (other than scuba diving) is doing a boat trip to Sting Ray City. We booked a morning boat out to the site. Upon arriving, there were already several boats and lots of people in the water with the rays. A boat crew member got in the water to set the anchor and “collect” a ray for passengers to hold and kiss. They describe the rays as the “puppy dogs of the sea” and they really do seem friendly and that they are happy to be touched and held (and, of course, fed squid).
As the some of the earlier boats left, the area cleared out of people and more rays arrived. We were able to swim in the shallow water and watch them cruise by. They are such majestic creatures, it felt like an honor to swim among them.
The morning tour made a second stop at a nearby reef that was excellent for snorkeling. Right off the bat, we saw a huge moray eel (I love eels!!) and beautiful coral (which is harder to find these days than you’d hope/expect). T wasn’t sure about getting in the water with the rays but she did it. She didn’t, however, feel like the snorkeling was for her and struggled with wanting to/not wanting to. She did give it a try, but then decided she was happier on the boat. The rest of us were the last ones to get on the boat when it was time to leave.
That afternoon, Susannah and Don brought the little one by so we could hang out with her while they went diving. We were really excited to give them a “date” and I loved that they wanted to use their free time to go diving. The baby was so happy and mellow and loved hanging out, until she wasn’t. Fortunately, she wasn’t unhappy for too long before mom showed up!
That day was also Don’s birthday, so we all went to another outdoor bar/restaurant location called Macabuca for a lovely alfresco dining experience and birthday celebration.
After dinner, he showed us the lion fish he speared while they were out diving. Lion fish are poisonous, but also incredibly invasive and destructive to the reefs, so divers are encouraged to hunt them whenever possible. It’s too bad they’re terrible neighbors, because they sure are beautiful.
Major winds were predicted in the forecast, so we knew that if we wanted to try scuba diving, we’d have to do it quickly. As Mark was researching resort diving instruction options, P spoke up that she wanted to try too. On the fourth day of our trip, the three of us took diving lessons together. I was PADI certified over 20 years ago so it was good to get the refresher course.
P was extremely nervous and excited (what she calls “nervousited”) but did a great job of listening during the training. When it was time to do the wet tests, we all were expected to dive about 10 feet below the surface, kneel on the sandy bottom, and do two tasks: removing the regulator (your air supply) and put it back in your mouth clearing the water out, and filling your mask partially with water and then clearing it.
On her first try with the regulator, P had a hard time getting the mouth piece back in her mouth, and quickly sped to the surface. Despite the difficulty, and the fear that accompanied it, she persisted through, trying again and again, and eventually became capable of passing the tests and comfortable to keep diving.
Once we’d all passed the tests, we were able to head out into open water with the instructor. Almost immediately, we saw a 4 foot long queen parrotfish which are super colorful and gorgeous. The reef wall was spectacular and it reminded me of how much I loved scuba diving. It may not be an activity we pick up with any regularity anytime soon (until the kids are grown), but I do hope to return to it someday.
While we were diving, Babe and T stayed home and enjoyed playing gin rummy together. That afternoon we went exploring by car to see the south part of the island, and cut across the middle to head up to the north end and an area called Starfish point. The shallow, warm water there was home to many starfish. The area itself was rather populated with small tour boats, and folks playing loud music, so it wasn’t our favorite stop. But we had some shade and the girls enjoyed playing tag in the shallow water.
As if all that wouldn’t be enough for one day, we stopped at a restaurant called Tukka on the way home. We arrived in time to see them feed the fish scraps from the kitchen to the frigate birds and the Tarpin who were waiting in the shallows just offshore. The girls bravely fed these giant birds from their hands. Not too long after the feeding, two sharks arrived to help with cleanup. The food was delicious, the evening warm, the other diners and the waitstaff very friendly. It couldn’t have been a nicer evening.
The wind arrived on the 5th day as predicted, kicking up big waves completely closing the dive site where we’d been just the day before. We had hoped to snorkel that morning, but the water there was not friendly for that. Instead, we took a quick detour to Hell, where we saw the jagged limestone rock deposit (for which it is named) and the tourist shops that had popped up there to sell you “I went to Hell” postcards and shot glasses.
Not letting the waves deter us, we went to Spotts Beach on the south side of the island where we understood turtles could often be seen. Despite the heavier waves on the other side of the reef, the water was decently clear enough to allow us to see two green turtles swimming around and munching on the sea grass.
All over the island are wild chickens and roosters and their baby chicks. The chicks are totally adorable and the roosters are beautifully colored and I didn’t mind them except for at night when several crowed all night long just outside our bedroom window, keeping us up most of the night. Since we arrived, P was excited to catch a baby chick. At Spott’s beach, she found a chick alone without a mama hen to protect it, and she was able to catch and cuddle it. I’m sure you can guess what our answer was to her question about whether she could bring it home.
That afternoon, we met up with Susannah and Don at Pure Art, a store just outside of Georgetown that sells things made by local artisans. She gave us a tour of her photography that was available in the store. Susannah is an incredible underwater photographer (who has specialized in underwater archeology). I’m so glad that we all got to see more of her work in print. Check out her amazing work at: https://www.susannahphotography.com/index
We learned that much of the island shuts down on Sundays, so we made sure to go exploring Georgetown on Saturday. Fortunately for us, the high winds and waves meant the cruise ships that were supposed to be docked offshore were unable to, so the town was almost deserted (we weren’t sad about not sharing germs with thousands of cruise ship passengers).
We walked around the deserted town, poking in some of the tourist stores, and taking George’s photo in front of her fort.
We’d read that the local Margaritaville restaurant had a free water slide kids could use. We stopped there in the afternoon for a cocktail for the adults, and swimming for the kids. I’m not sure the $50 for three drinks was worth it, even for the drinks and water slide combined, but the girls had a good time and it generated some thoughtful conversation about the state of the world, plastic waste, America’s longing for relaxation in these times of busy-ness, and more.
On the way back to the car, P spotted two lizards outside the empty stores. These wide, fast creatures are everywhere and have been taunting P since we arrived. She had to go for a catch. As one tried to escape her grasp it ran into the open door of a crystal shop. P emerged moments later holding the big guy. She said the slick floors of the store gave her an advantage because it wasn’t able to get a good grip to run away from her.
That night we returned to the Sunset House for another fun dinner with Susannah and Don. This time, the wind kicked up huge waves that crashed on the barrier wall just outside the restaurant.
With most of the island closed on Sunday, and the wind still blowing, we took a chance on going back to Seven Mile Beach. While there were white caps way out in the water, the shoreline water was calm and the wind was mild enough to put up our tent. We spent a lovely few hours swimming, watching the girls build sand villages and castles, going for a walk, and snorkeling offshore with some very friendly fish.
As we were leaving, we noticed a stream of smoke forming not far away, being blown out over the sea. We drove closer to it on our way to dinner, and learned that the small fire that had started at the town dump a few days before was now burning out of control, enhanced by the winds. The small stream of gray turned into a huge stream of black and we watched it billow and blow from the restaurant where we ate dinner.
Our dining spot for the night was an Italian restaurant with tables out along the shoreline. The food was super fresh and tasty, the sunset (although marred by the black smoke) was lovely, and we watched Tarpin in the shallows.
The dump fire snarled traffic the next day as they had to shut down a section of the main road from the west side to Georgetown due to the smoke. We got a later start after enjoying a mellow morning, and ended up pulling off into a new development to get breakfast because we (mostly me) were starving. By the time we ate and explored around a bit, the traffic had lightened enough for us to get across the island.
We drove right to the Botanic Gardens and their tour of the blue iguana breeding center. The blue iguanas are an endemic species to Grand Cayman, and in the 1980’s their numbers were reduced to the teens. Now being bred and released back into the island, their numbers are up over 1,000. The breeding program combined with the culling of the invasive and competitive green iguanas has helped them come back. It was great to get to learn more about these gorgeous creatures.
We also enjoyed walking around the botanic gardens including the heritage house which showed a typical turn of the century home on the island.
A few miles away from the gardens was the blow hole, which was really spouting given the extra winds and waves.
We made one more stop at Pure Art to see some jewelry we’d missed the first time — earrings and necklaces made with lion fish and green iguana scales (good things to do with invasive species). T found a beautiful pair of earrings with shimmering green iguana scales that she purchased for herself.
We celebrated our last night with a patio pizza party at Susannah and Don’s house. They treated us to delicious pies while we enjoyed the full moon rise and getting in one last visit before we left. We love Don and see what a great match he and Susannah are. And we love that little girl of theirs — so darling! (Her pink mask added in post for internet privacy!)
Our final morning was packing up, eating up the food in the fridge, and heading for the airport. Our flight out gave us one more view of the turquoise Caribbean waters as well as the dump fire.
It was hard to say goodbye to Babe — especially for the girls who had been with her for almost 3 weeks straight. I love how well we all travel together and it is such a pleasure to have her along on these adventures. We definitely missed Dude but knew that he was having a good time at home. And we are grateful that he’s wiling to part with Babe so she can travel with us.
I feel so grateful we were able to do this trip. I am so grateful Susannah reached out and invited us to come. I’m grateful the Coronavirus didn’t disrupt the trip. I am grateful that we are committed to making these adventures happen and get creative to do so.
I don’t know what the next few months will bring as the Coronavirus makes it way around. Let’s use this time as a reminder to take care of each other, to slow down and really look at what’s important in our life, and to find gratitude for each day we get on this beautiful planet.
More soon on where we’ve landed now…
Susannah was with us on the trip to Stingray City, and she just shared these photos she took of our family! Thank you so much Susannah!!!
