George Town Grand Cayman

Four days into our Caribbean cruise, I had started to get used to the luxury of the ship, my newly acquired tan and visiting exotic ports. So I was completely ready for Grand Cayman.
With a population of almost thirty thousand, George Town is not only the capital of the beautiful Cayman Islands but also a leader in captive domiciles, hedge fund registrations and a major international banking center. Since we were not interested in their banking services, we decided to invest our money in shopping and to adventure in Stingray city for a swim with the creatures who killed Steve Irwin. Scary? Not at all.

Bet let's start with the shopping experience. We were tendered to the shore in a shuttle boat, and disembarked in the center of Grand Cayman's shopping district with nothing but a map of the town and two hours to kill until we boarded the boat that was going to take us to the stingrays. So we had a look at what George Town has to offer in terms of diamonds, and went of course, to my favorite jewelry retailer, Diamonds International. At the time of our cruise, the shop had organized a 'hunt'; you had to purchase one of their bracelets and then visit their shop in each and every one of the ports, to collect your free pendants. A very interesting marketing idea, to bring tourists to their locations, and, I must admit, the pendants were worth the trouble, as they made for beautiful souvenirs of my first Caribbean trip. Even so, the Caribbean Islands are famous for the amazing deals they offer on jewelry, so it is the perfect location to treat yourself to something shiny. Plus, if you are traveling with somebody who knows how to bargain, you will score some amazing deals on your purchases. The vendors will bend over backwards to sell you whatever you are interested in, and they will be open to negotiations for any type of jewelry, from tanzanites to fabulous diamonds.

Grand Cayman is also known as 'Brand Cayman', due to the wide range of duty-free designer products like Chopard, Gucci, Cartier or Concord, to name a few. Have a look in the local supermarkets and let yourself be tempted by the delicious rum cakes and local liquors.

If you are hungry, stop by the Hard Rock Cafe or the Guy Harvey restaurant. Or have a drink in the famous Margaritaville.
We skipped having lunch in the port, since we had a barbecue included in the Stingray city excursion. Which brings me to the highlight of my vacation. We boarded the 'Cockatoo' a small boat,  that was going to sails us to Stingray City, at about 11 am, and were introduced to the captain and the two professional guides that were leading us into this beautiful adventure.

 The sail is peaceful and wonderful. You will have the opportunity to take some amazing photos of the island, and of the clear, beautiful turquoise water. In no other Caribbean ports, have I had such a breathtaking view of the sea, and even now, when I think about it, it gives me chills. It's a piece of paradise, which is why, I guess, Grand Cayman is so far , for me, the ideal destination. Now, about the stingrays. Sure, they might be dangerous. After all, we are talking about wild sea life, and, as I like to call them, professional killers, since one of them managed to take down the king of wildlife himself, Steve Irwin. This is why, you have to pay attention to the guide's instructions on how to approach and hold the stingrays, so you can avoid the 'love bites' they might 'place' on your skin - nothing extremely painful or that will require medical attention, just a bit of a burn, since some stingrays' mouths contain two powerful, shell-crushing plates, while other species only have sucking mouthparts-. Just stay away from their tails, and you will be ok. Relax and enjoy the experience, knowing that the tour guides will be permanently around you in the water. Here is a picture of Alex, holding a stingray, just to prove that they are harmless and extremely friendly.

For me, the stingrays were not the main source of my anxiety, but the fact that, at that point, I couldn't swim. Which wouldn't be a problem for a normal height person, but becomes a challenge for one like me, who barely reaches 1.60. Yeah, I know, I am a tiny human..but, you know what they say : strong essences are kept in small bottles. Screw that, it sucks to be short:) Especially when you are in the ocean and your feet can't touch anything. My luck was that my boyfriend is tall enough to piggy-bank me and to occasionally make fun at my terrified face. But once I relaxed, I managed to pick up one of the tens of stingrays gliding around us, swimming in our arms, and I even gave it a kiss. They are used to being fed by tourists, and this is one of the reasons why they become so affectionate ( at times, they act like pets, rubbing themselves on your leg, so you can scratch their bellies).

Once the stingrays were fed and played with, we returned to the ship, not before having a tasty lunch on the 'Cockatoo', consisting of barbecue chicken wings, fries, salads, rum cakes and margaritas.
Stingray city is definitely a destination you shouldn't miss, just check the incredible reviews it has on trip advisor, from the thousands of people who have loved it and who, like us, would do it over and over again.

We sailed away from Grand Cayman in the evening, heading towards our last stop...Cozumel, Mexico! On my blog, in a couple of days! :)

Falmouth, Jamaica

Out of all the ports of call, Falmouth was the one I was looking forward to, the most. Located on Jamaica's North Coast, 18 miles East of Montego Bay, Falmouth is one of the first ports in the Caribbean and, also, a  wealthy city that has had piped water even before New York. 

But, despite the technology and the incredibly-well preserved Georgian architecture, Fallmouth's treasure is Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, born and raised here. While driving towards Ocho Rios for our adrenaline filled shore excursion, we passed by the place where Bolt used to train. It's impressive to see where determination and hard work takes you, considering the fact that the track is smaller than the one I had in Highschool.

I mentioned in a previous post that we chose to do zip lining in Jamaica, mainly due to the breathtaking view you have of the rain forests, and to the slightly higher difficulty of the track. I watched people zip lining in Haiti, so I thought all I will need to do is basically be safely and tightly strapped on a slope and descend slowly in the sea. I couldn't have been further from the truth. The ride to Ocho Rios takes about 40 minutes and is a fantastic opportunity to take in the surroundings and get familiar with the local culture and habits. From passing by kids coming back from school, dressed in what looks like military uniforms, to witnessing locals smoking pot, to enjoying the ragge music that here seems to be the soundtrack of life itself. Upon arrival, the tour guides will provide you with the  professional equipment you need in order to safely zip line : a jacket and a helmet. I must admit that my favorite part of this experience were the guides. Three bubbly, full of life Jamaican guys, with an incredible sense of humor, that will make you feel safe, relaxed and most of all, happy, the entire trip. We started our ascend by car, and we still remember one of the tour guides yelling at the driver to go faster by telling him ' Yo, man! Drive it like it's stollen', which made the entire group burst into laughing

The good mood lasted until we got to the starting point of our zip line. I have no idea how high we were, but all I could see was a long wire hanging from one tree leading to another at the opposite side of the forest. Basically, about 20 meters of gliding with nothing but levels and levels of rainforest vegetation underneath your feet..The guides took about10 minutes to demonstrate how it's done, but all I could hear was my hart beating out of my chest, so I couldn't tell you what they actually said..All I remember is one of the guys strapping the belt from my jacket to the wire and giving me a push..all of a sudden I was rapidly drifting down the line and, since there was no way back, I decided to open my eyes and look around me. That was the moment when I realized where I was and how insainely magical this entire experience actually is. I felt like I was flying over the forest! We continued for 10 more lines, but I don't want to tell you more about the entire track, I'd rather you get surprised. Have a look on their website if you would like to book a tour http://chukka.com/tour/zipline-canopy/ or, if you are on board of a ship talk to whoever is in charge of the shore excursions. 

If you are not an adrenaline junky, there are plenty other things you can do. Have a walk through the port and take in the magnificent british colonial architecture, take a trip through time on a horse-and-buggy ride, relax on one of the beaches in Montego Bay and don't forget to buy some of the Jamaican Jerk, the island's signature spice mix.

That is all about Jamaica...next, you will get to have a virtual trip with us in one of my favorite places in the world...Grand Cayman!