Our adventures in Grand Cayman: 2012

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

I know it has been a while since I posted anything about our adventures! We have been on-island for 2 months now! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown! We have been having a great time this past month. Pirates week was in mid-November, and that was so much fun!!! What a party the Caymans can put on! Pirates, rum, music, dancing, fireworks, food, what more could you possibly want!? We also had some friends, Ray, Grace, and family come visit! They were here on a Disney cruise and we had the opportunity of showing them around the island. We had such a great time!!!

After Pirate's week was over, we went right into the holiday season, and Caleb's birthday. This was our first Thanksgiving outside of the US, and Caleb's first birthday out of the US. We missed everyone terribly, but I did manage to make a small "feast" for Caleb and I. All in all we had a lovely Thanksgiving, and we got to spend some time on the weekend with some of Caleb's co-workers to celebrate his birthday!

I have had the condo decorated for Christmas since about the 2nd week in November, but the rest of the island has finally caught up to me! Lights and other Christmas decorations are everywhere! I so love this time of year! We went to the tree lighting at Camana Bay, which was just wonderful, a great way to start out the Christmas season!

Caleb and I continue to enjoy the local food and culture. During Pirate's week we actually got to taste turtle stew! It was surprisingly good! This week we had the opportunity to go to "Gimistory", which is put on by the Cayman Cultural society. It is a time of storytelling by people all over the Caribbean! It was a great time! There was also a fish fry, which was of course, delicious!

The weather has been wonderful. A bit cooler than what it was in October, and not so rainy! Perfect weather actually! It gets cool enough in the evening to wear sweatshirts and jeans, which I love!

We are still loving the island, and are looking forward to more Holiday fun. The parade of lights is Saturday, and Caleb's company is having their annual Christmas party next weekend! So much to look forward to!

Our patio

Caleb has a shadow, and her name is Claire!

Chillin by the pool

Go Tritons!!!

Christmas Tree at Camana Bay

Happy Thanksgiving from the Island!!!

Getting my bronze on!

Pirate's week food, yummy!!

Make a wish!!!

Sentencing of the pirates: WALK THE PLANK!!!!

Cemetary beach

Food festival during Pirate's week

Our little tree

Rounding up the pirates

Our patio all lit up

Pirate ship

View from our pool

Random dog who joined me while laying out!

Until next time...Cheers!!!

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

So, what have we been doing the past 5 weeks other than going to the beach?? Well, Caleb has been working, and getting used to his new job running the swim program for CBAC. He seems to be really enjoying it. I enjoy it because I get to see him so much more. The latest he works is 7. So, we actually get to eat dinner at a reasonable time each night and spend some time together! It really has been wonderful. I have not found employment yet, but have contacted a recruiting agency who is looking into some jobs for me. So, that is a plus! It is a very good thing I haven't been working though, as I have been super busy with finding us a place to live and buying a car, setting up the new place, etc. There are so many things you have to do when you first move. You have to get a driver's license, get a cell phone, get a bank account, find a place to live (which includes connecting the electricity, water, cable, internet, etc.), buy a car. If I had been working, I have NO clue how we would have gotten it all done! It took us a while to find the perfect home for us. We looked at at least 6 different places. Some where houses, townhouses, condos. Some were in Prospect, Savannah, Bodden Town, West Bay. First we had to really decide where we wanted to live. Prospect is nice because it is quiet, but the commute to George Town where Caleb works is bad because of traffic, and it is not close to a bus route. Savannah and Bodden Town are both very nice, but the commute is just too far. So, we decided West Bay was the place for us. It is closer to his work, and VERY close to beaches, and there are plenty of bus routes. Then, we had to decide where in West Bay we wanted to be. There are some "sketchy" areas in West Bay, so we knew we wanted to avoid those places. We looked at a view houses in the area, and then stumbled upon the oceanfront condo at Oceanside Plantation. Of course we just fell in love with it! The building itself is a little older, and is made of wood rather than concrete, but the inside is very nice. It is a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo with an open plane living/dining and kitchen area. Our patio view is AMAZING, and you literally walk off the patio and within 30 feet you are in the ocean. It truly is an amazing view. We couldn't be happier! It is also walking distance from the West Bay beach, restaurants, grocery store, etc. So, it really is in a great location!! Once we found a home, we needed a car. We thought we had purchased a 96 Honda CRV, only to be told by the owner he decided to sell it to someone else. Then, I found a 99 Honda CRV for the same price! So, we ended up going with that one! It runs well, and is in good shape (of course now it is leaking when it rains, but we think we know the problem, and it can be fixed :-) ) Oh the joys of owning a car!!

Below are a few pictures of our car, and our new home! My next post will be about the restaurants and eating experiences we have had so far in the past 5 weeks, so check back soon!!!

Living room view from the kitchen

The beautiful view from our patio

Our car!!! You cannot really tell, but it is dark green, and yes that is a snowboard rack on top....LOL!

Spare bedroom, the master bedroom is similar but bigger with it's own bathroom

living room/kitchen/dining area

Thursday, 1 November 2012

What have we been doing the past month?

Well, we have been on the island for over one month now. Can you even believe it?? I know we can't! We have done so much in such a short amount of time, it really feels like we have been here longer than a month! Let's start with the different beaches we have been to:

Smith's Cove: What a great little spot this is! It is a very natural beach with some great reefs for snorkeling!! One day while floating around the water I (Bethany) saw 3 weddings (and it was a Tuesday!) So, apparently it is a VERY popular destination wedding location! It is just a few minutes for GeorgeTown and the cruise ships, so it is a great place for tourist and locals alike! There is a bath house, picnic tables and grills. There are plenty of trees for natural shade. You can't beat a day at Smith's Cove! We also enjoyed a few sunsets at Smith's Cove.

Govenor's Beach (Seven Mile Beach): This is a great spot right along the famous Seven Mile Beach (SMB). This is a great spot because there is a lot of area to swim, snorkel, or walk along the beach. There are volleyball nets and picnic tables, and plenty of trees for natural shade. The only bad thing about Govenor's beach is there are no bath houses. This is a great place to come and do some open water swimming, and enjoy a romantic sunset. This beach is also still close enough to the cruise ships for tourist to enjoy, and there is a restaurant/bar just a short walk up the beach! This is a great place to go after dinner to enjoy a quiet night walk on the beach.

Cemetary Beach (West Bay): This is Caleb's favorite because it is good for snorkeling and open water swimming. This beach is a bit further away from George Town, but is still on SMB. There are no bath houses or picnic tables, so you need to be prepared for that. But it is a lovely beach!

Rum Point: This is a VERY touristy beach. This does not however make it a bad beach, but if you go there, just be aware that it will be very crowded. There are a lot of families, and a lot of young adults. There is a bar and restaurant, and they do have great cocktails! Rum Point is on the Northern side of the island, so it does take about 45 minutes to get there. So, if you go, plan on going for an entire day! The cool thing about Rum Point is there are lots of lounge chairs, and hammocks for anyone to enjoy. So, if you don't mind the drive and the crowds, this is a great beach to just sit back, relax and enjoy a cocktail!

Starfish Point: This is just a neat little beach to go and see all the starfish. There is a lot of grass, so snorkeling is not all that good. But, there are a lot of starfish, and it seemed like this is where people with boats liked to go. So, if you want to see some live starfish, go to Starfish Point!

Blow Holes: This is a very cool place that has "blow holes" in the reef. Basically, they are just holes in the reef that when the waves come in, they blow huge amounts of water out of the holes. It's a great place to stop on your way back from Rum Point!!

Prospect Point: This is a nice secluded beach in Prospect. It was beautiful. The water again, was grassy, so snorkeling is not going to be great at this beach. It was also kind of difficult to get to ask you had to walk over a lot of rocks to get to any sand.

Barker's (National Park): This was a very neat place to go. There are TONS of mangroves and conchs. There is a walking trail and some picnic tables. This is not your typical beach. It is a natural park, so there are birds, and beautiful plants. We did however see a stingray which was cool!! This is also where they do the on-beach horseback riding!!

These are all the beaches we have been to on the island our first month here!!! There are so many more to explore and I cannot wait to share them with you!!! Enjoy the pictures below!