Living in Grand Cayman

Electricity in the Cayman Islands (and in most of the Caribbean) is very expensive.  Most islands do not have rivers to turn turbines or the critical mass (or the will) to have coal or nuclear generators.

Just a few weeks ago, a new promising technology was launched in Grand Cayman by our local utility, the Cayman Electric Company (CEC).

The company expects 60% of homes in Grand Cayman will use this technology by 2012.  Its not a new idea, but definitely a first on such a large scale. In a nutshell, its Pedal Power!  CEC will install a home power generator that can be connected to any regular bicycle.  According to the article I read in the local paper, the company estimates that “1h of cycling every day can reduce the average family’s bill by 30% and help ’em lose some weight at the same time”.

Here is a demo that was given last week by CEC at the George Town park by a local kid.  He was “plugged” into a specially designed electrical panel to show just how much electricity pedal power can generate.

This is the gizmo that will be installed in homes (on the electrical box)  The company says that it will take less than 30 minutes for the technicians to “patch” it into the homes electric box.  Installation & all equipment costs 200CI (about 250$US) for the setup.

Being the eco-friendly people we are, we signed up immediately for the program.  Here I am testing it out with the portable generator & the cord to plug into the electrical grid.  Cant wait to see if next month’s bill will be lower.   Not bad at all. It can be moved from room to room. We are leaving it in the living room so that we can pedal & watch TV.

All-in-all, a great step for Cayman power generation.  Honestly, if it is to save us lots of money, I may spend all of April fool’s day pedaling! 🙂

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.

I have featured this beach in a few pictures in the past but never really talked about it.  This beach, although somewhat unknown to most on the island, is definitely one of our favorites. This beach can be found on the southern coast of Grand Cayman, about 2 miles before getting to Savannah. The entrance is just beside a small cemetery … very easy to miss.

Its not the most pretty, nor the most fun spectacular  for snorkeling, but has lots to love!

First things first ; we had Julie’s sister, her BF Emmanuel & his parents over for a week.  They had a great time exploring the island and we loved having them over!

Now back to Spotts.  When you get to the beach, this is what you see!  Understand why I like this place so much?

The swimming is so-so, but if you snorkel, you are in for a treat.  80% of the time I get to swim with sea turtles. You can also see loads of Conch (do not take : its a replenishment zone), lobsters (do not take either …) and stingrays.  I have even seen a moral eel and some tarpon.  The bottom is not very spectacular, but the wildlife makes up for it.  A friend of mine even swam once with a massive Manta ray there!  Must have been great.

Here is a picture from the pier of a turtle surfacing for air. They like the area since there is lots of sea grass which they eat. Be quick on the camera if you try to take a picture like this ; they only surface for 2-3 seconds every few minutes.

When we have guests we usually take them to Spotts for dinner & sunset.  Since Emmanuel & his parents are from France, wine was a must for this meal 🙂 Dinner on the pier!  Very nice.

During summer time, Spotts beach is also great for sunsets.   (In winter its too far north and is over land)   If you have ever been in this area of the world, you know how fast the sun sets.  The three pictures below are at about 2 minute intervals.