Living in Grand Cayman

Julie & I really love it here, so recently we have been shopping around for a property.  There was one that really stood out and I have liked it since our first visit to Cayman.  The current market is not great here and it has been on the market for a while, so we made an offer late last week on it : Its ACCEPTED!!!  We are thrilled. Now we have to get it inspected and clear the financing part.

Here is the picture of this Caribbean beauty:

And here is an aerial picture that the real estate agent gave us:

Its quite private and there is a staircase to the ocean where we have access to a coral reef for snorkeling, swimming and fishing.  Its also 33ft above sea level, so it is very well protected from hurricanes.  For me its a 30 minute drive to work and is in a gorgeous part of the island. It also has a 3-car garage and 4 bedrooms. Floors are ceramic throughout the house.

We just cant wait for you all to visit us … next April fools day 😉

On Saturday, my mother flew in from Montreal. I cant blame her! Believe it or not, Montreal has beaten most snow records this winter. So far (winter is not over …) they have received a whopping 500+ cm (thats over 5.4 yards for any Americans or Brits reading this).

The weather has been very cloudy since she got here. However, on sunday we decided to go for a drive around the east end and had a great time.

Here she is near a rocky ledge. If anyone ever wondered why I am so skinny, I can only say : do you have any more questions? 😉

Our very own Loch Ness Cayman monster can be seen at east end village. Actually we are not really sure what it is. I suspect its an old ship anchor. Julie thinks its a lamppost of some sort. Who knows … and who cares anyway.

Mother getting wet near the largest of the blowholes along the south shore of the island.

We stopped in front of this store to take a picture. Two funny things here. First thing, “Buy one Jerk, get one free”.  🙂 Secondly, we liked the fact that this guy was so honest, that he called his store “The tourist trap”. At least when you walk into this store, you know what you are getting into.

(Note: I made another post just 2 days ago. See below)

Our visitors leave on Sunday, so on Saturday we took them for our favorite activity on Grand Cayman ; Stingray City! The boat ride takes us to three destinations in the North Sound : Stingray City, the barrier reef and a place called “Coral Gardens”. Its a 3-hour tour. Anyone who visits us can be sure we will take them on this tour.

Here is a Stingray passing right next to the boat as we arrive at Stingray City.

Here Genevieve and I are playing with a friendly stingray.

These are extremely gentle animals. Its a true privilege to be able to handle them in this manner, making sure to keep them in the water at all times. Their underside is as smooth as silk and not slimy at all. As you can see, any concerns about them being dangerous are totally overblown! Just to be clear, these stingrays are wild and I am not in an “stingray tank” of any sort. Stingray City is simply a shallow sand bar about 2 miles offshore. They are of course tame because people have been feeding them for years, but they are still 100% wild and must be handled with care. Do I look happy or what? 🙂

Here I am snorkeling at the barrier reef. Fantastic sea life to be seen here in this crystal clear water. Not to mention a perfect temperature to snorkel for as long as you want.

A final picture when departing back to land. Definitely a fantastic day with our guests and another brilliant day here in Grand Cayman Island.

A final note. I have implemented a post notification function. If you sign up (click on “register” on the right) you will automatically receive an email each time I make a new post. I promise not to send you any spam or any other message ; I dislike spam as much as you!

This week have have our first repeat visitor.  Julie’s friend Genevieve liked her visit last year so much (she was our 1st guest after we moved here) that she has come to visit us once again and even brought her mother with here this time.  She does not seem to miss the crazy amount of snow they are getting this year in Montreal. I for one don’t miss it one bit.

They have had nothing but spectacular weather every day so far!

Here are some pictures from Rum Point on the week-end

We now have a turtle dove nest right outside our dining room window.  Hope we get to see the little ones soon.

Finally, here is Genevieve and her mom at Smith Cove. A great place to snorkel and take it easy.  Its also a popular spot for locals, unlike Rum Point which is mostly for tourists & expats.

This picture is of the construction site just next to my office building. Can you see whats wrong? (the answer is below the picture)

If you did not see it, the answer is what you cant see : Graffiti. The contruction site is surrounded by white panels to keep people out. There is not one single poster, sign, drawing or graffiti on either side. I know for a fact that in any other place, those nice white panels would be covered with graffiti within a few days if not hours!