Day 5 (November 13, 2022): A Low-Key Day of Pure Rest

The four of us agreed that today would be a day of simple rest and relaxation here at the resort. And that is exactly what it was.  A 7AM rise, with breakfast on our balcony, was followed by another 4km walk down the beach.  Next up:  a couple of hours of lounging on the beach, lunch at the resort's beach restaurant, and an afternoon snorkel off the pier of the Morritt's Hotel (next door), which is among the top 20 snorkeling sites on Grand Cayman.  Pam and Nicole did some shopping at the strip mall across from the resort, and then we gathered in the Johnson's room for a glass of wine and popcorn before heading to a seaside restaurant for dinner in nearby Old Man's Bay on the North Side.  

And that, my friends, is the recipe for a low-key day of pure rest in the Caymans.

Given the sparse nature of today's blog entry, let me take a moment to summarize a few key facts about the Cayman Islands and its history:

- Capital: George Town;

- Area: 264 sq km;

- Population: 78,500;

- Self-governing British Overseas Territory;

- The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman;

- The Cayman Islands got their name from the word for crocodile (caiman) in the language of the Arawak-Taíno people; and

- It is believed that the first European to sight the islands was Christopher Columbus, on 10 May 1503, during his final voyage to the Americas.  He named them "Las Tortugas", after the large number of turtles found there, which were soon hunted to near-extinction.

England took formal control of the Cayman Islands, along with Jamaica, as a result of the Treaty of Madrid of 1670.  In1863, the Cayman Islands was officially declared and administered as a dependency of the Crown Colony of Jamaica.  The islands continued to be governed as part of the Colony of Jamaica until 1962, when they became a separate Crown colony, after Jamaica became an independent Commonwealth realm.  In 1972, a large degree of internal autonomy was granted by a new constitution, with further revisions made in 1994.  In September 2004, the island of Grand Cayman, which is largely unprotected at sea level, was battered by Hurricane Ivan, the worst hurricane to hit the islands in 86 years. It created an 8-foot storm surge which flooded most o Grand Cayman and damaged 83% of the dwellings.

With two plates of bacon 'n eggs and coffee costing over $100 CAD, we opted to do breakfast on our own, using groceries purchased upon arrival.  The above has been our exact breakfast for the last three mornings, with cereal and granola added to the mix each day.

Ms. Pam, along with three of her new-found chicken friends, before setting off on our morning walk.

This piece of coral on the beach resembled a human cerebellum.

This heron was in full-on stealth mode for a long time and looked like it was about to pounce on some creature.

The beauty of Grand Cayman's eastern shore.

Being the windward side, the waters inside the barrier reef on the eastern shore are the perfect place to kite-surf.  

Pam and Nicole into some serious hammock mischief!

The pier at the Morritt’s Resort, where we had a wonderful time snorkelling.

While we didn’t have our underwater camera, this is a view, looking down at the water, just to show the plethora of fish.

Our dinner at Over the Edge Cafe in Old Man's Bay was heavy on the Mahi Mahi and Grouper dishes!