Day 4 (November 13, 2023): No stingrays today, folks! :-(

Sunday morning started with a brief rain shower, which was quickly replaced by the blazing sun.  Another day of 30C! In fact, the temperature range each day of this vacation is -- and will be -- from 28C to 30C.  While the heat and humidity is draining, you can at least admire the weather's consistency!

Today was supposed to hold one main activity:  swimming with sting rays in the protected and shallow area on the north of the Island, known as Stingray City.  Alas, the wind was not cooperating today, and the captain of the tour boat we had hired informed us mid-morning that our noon tour had to be cancelled, as the waves at Stingray City were four feet high.  That was a real disappoint to all of us, as Stingray City is known as Grand Cayman's top attraction.  But that's how things go sometimes when you travel:  weather and local events (such as last night's traffic accident) are events we cannot control.  Life goes on, so we filled the day with other fun things.

After another in-room breakfast, we started with a 3.5km walk down the beach.  We love the East End of the island, as it lacks the over-development of the west side, which is built around the famous Seven Mile Beach.  After our morning walk, we ventured to a small but oh-so-ritzy peninsula on the north side of the Island for lunch, followed by snorkeling at a place appropriately named Starfish Point, followed by a short exploration of Rum Point.  Then it was back to the resort for a late afternoon soaking in the warm Caribbean waters.  The day ended with a refreshing bevvy at the resort's restaurant, followed by a Mexican meal at a wonderful restaurant about 6km from the resort.

In spite of the Stingray City cancelation, we had a wonderful second full day here on Grand Cayman.

That's Stingray City, where you mix 'n mingle with great numbers of stingrays -- and other tourists -- in waist-deep water.  Unfortunately, it was not meant to be part of our experience on this trip, due to the winds and high waves.

A heron taking flight during our morning beach walk.

The relatively undeveloped coastline of the East End, just south of our resort.

The blue line shows the route we drove today, from our resort in the east, to Starfish Point and Rum Point, along the Island's north shore.

Canada has moose and deer warning signs, the Caymans has iguana warning signs!  They really need another similar warning sign:  the Squished Feral Chicken sign!  (The poor things are in such numbers here that squished versions are a common sight on the highways.)

Yesterday's blog showed a monument to Queen Victoria.  Today, we passed another monument to royalty: this one, to Queen Elizabeth II, is located in the community of North Side.

The lovely cove at Kaibo Restaurant, where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch.

Chillin' at Kaibo Restaurant.

After lunch, we enjoyed a snorkel at Starfish Point, a secluded beach that has a lot of -- you guessed it -- starfish. The water here is very shallow, but after maybe 10 yards, it drops off to about a 10-foot depth. Most of the starfish are in the deeper area, but they move into the shallow areas occasionally.  We saw a great selection of them.

Next up:  the popular Rum Point, featuring a public beach, cafes, gift shops, etc.etc.

The pier at Rum Point.

We love this humourous art installation at the resort's beach.  It shows a man on the left motioning to a relaxed swimmer on the right that an approaching shark is just behind...

A late-afternoon cold beverage.  Look at all that whipped cream!

The day ended with a wonderful Mexican dinner at La Casita.