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! :)
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