Living in Grand Cayman

As every year since we got here, I took Aipa this morning to the annual Cayman Islands dog show.  About 150-200 dogs (and their owners of course) showed up for this event which is to raise funds for the local humane society (an equivalent to the SPCA). Dogs from all walks of life and all kinds were there.  Some arrive in more style than others though …   I saw one dog riding shotgun in his owners Porsche 911 ; riding in style 🙂

Here I am with Aipa in the ring getting judged for one of the contests. No prizes today.  There is some heavy favoritism for dog with 3-legs & other ailments.  That’s OK .. they probably deserve it!

These guys were quite popular with the kids (everyone actually) So cute!!!

This gives a good idea of the setup (and my friend Sau’s backside …)  and the people that showed up with their pooches on a Saturday AM.  Here her dog is being “evaluated” by the judges.  Its mostly petting the dogs, hearing about their story (many of the dogs there are rescued dogs) and chatting a bit with the owners. Its all in good fun.

Not much else new here in Cayman. Its election time here ; I am curious to see if elections here are like in Canada.  We cant vote though as expats.

Summer is definately getting close though ; we have been turning on the A/C earlier in the day and its been much hotter in the last week or so.

A few days ago I had the opportunity to do some snorkeling ; something I really enjoy and that I should really do more of.  Cayman is the ideal place to do this activity : the water is super clear, many coral reefs are easily accessible and even if you swim far from shore, there are rarely currents to pull you out to sea.

My guests who are staying with us both brought underwater cameras ; amazing!  I should have got one one those a long time ago.  We had a great time taking pictures during this snorkel.

From about 10ft away, you can see how clear the water is.

Genevieve, Julie’s friend.  My snorkel companion for the day 🙂

A very pretty sea fan

A very colorful parrot fish.  I was impressed at how well the colors came out in this picture.

A school of about 15 Tarpon’s.  Its difficult to tell, but these fish are about 3.5 – 5ft long each. It was quite a sight from a distance to see the large fish just “hanging around”.  Could be quite scary for someone who does not know that they are 100% harmless to human.  They could easily be mistaken for sharks.

Probably the prettiest fish we saw. I think this is a “coral beauty”, but not sure.

These pictures were all taken at Smith Cove. Most of the time we were 80-100 meters from the shore and way beyond the “standard” swim zone.

One of our favorite places for Sunday brunch (very popular “activity” in Cayman) is at the Portofino. It is located at the very tip of the eastern part of the island. From George Town, it will take +-40 minutes to get to depending on how fast one drives or if you are stuck behind a very slow moving car as it is often the case here!

I though I would mention this place since we enjoy going there for brunch & dinner alike.  Its not as fancy as some of the 7-Mile beach places,  but the prices are very reasonable for what you get and is extremely peaceful at that end of the island ; away from all the “hustle & bustle”.

For those that do not venture much outside of George Town, just getting to the place is worth it.  We usually drive along the coast, then after brunch simply drive in the same direction until we get to Frank Sound Rd (the road that crosses the island) and then back towards town.  There are some great places for pictures and also a quick stop at the blowholes which can be impressive if there is lots of wave action.

Here are some shots taken from where we were sitting on the outside/ocean view terrace.

On a windy day, there will often be kite surfers ; very impressive show.

Here is their website. I have no affiliation with them, but am definately happy to talk about this place that we like a whole lot.

http://caymanislandsdiscounts.com/Portofino.htm

Final item of note, Julie’s best friend Genevieve, is here with us for a 3rd time!  Each month of March, like clockwork, she has visited us.  First year she was alone, last year with her mom and this year with her aunt Lise. Here they are at Cayman Kai with a few starfish that we found along the shore.