Vacation blog Jun 16-20, 2016
The vacation started as always, in a whirlwind. On Wednesday night, I got home from a trip at close to 3 a.m and was unpacked for the Cayman trip, having flown 6 fatiguing days in a row. To Rebecca's credit, she was 1. Packed and 2. Had it all in one bag. She also had a time crunch, as she was teaching swim lessons in the morning prior to our planned 12 noon departure. Or, I thought it was a noon departure. Turns out, in true Panama time, my 12 noon mental perception turned into a real 12:30 departure. Unless you count the returns to home for forgotten items. The theme of the day turned into. "Geoff, if you weren't here I would (fill in the blank) I.e. "Return for my contact lens case". Despite the "gate returns", we muscled through an uneventful 3 hour drive to Miami International Airport.
Update on the kids: Rachel is staying with Aunt Melinda for the weekend, Ryan is pretty much home alone and with Grandfather, and Dylan is taking a road trip in my Odyssey mini van packed with surfboards and 5 other high school grads to a surf trip on the Outer Banks.
In Miami, we were flying to Grand Cayman for the night on American Airlines. We had purchased our "zed" passes in advance, and the only challenge was to find out where and how to be listed. Turns out that Rebecca had to go to one line, and I to another. That's because, I was on a jumpseat status.
We were at our gate early, and searched the concourse for a meal, and happened upon a great pizza place. Back at the gate, we sat with the usual anticipation of the standby name "roll call". We were called (last) and took our seats in the last row. The flight attendants were very cool and gave us two liter bottles of water "to go" since we were unsure of the agua situation in Grand Cayman. That was a fast flight, lasting less than an hour, surprising me in mid nap when we prepared to touch down. I didn't previously realize that Cayman was so close to Miami.
The Cayminians were immediately wonderful as we passed through Customs, Immigration, and into a cab, having arrived and shuttled through a terminal ever familiar to Island/Caribbean/third world nations.
Customs gave us our first "localism" when we stated our destination was Cayman Brac, and with an Island reply, stated in return, "Oh, you going to de Brac" Apparently here, "Cayman" is silent when referring to Cayman Brac.
In Miami, we had realized that a hotel reservation was overlooked for our one night in Grand Cayman, so as we waited for our name to be called on the standby list, we made some calls and ended up with a sweet airline rate at the Holiday Inn Resort. This was after Rebeca decided that the super cheap "motel" between the tank farms fell into the category of "if you weren't here, I'd stay at the Holiday Inn Resort". Of course, that turned out to be a great call as we enjoyed our short stay at the hotel on the West End beach. The restaurant, the "Blue Iguana" was fresh, cheap, and very yummy! I had an amazing appetizer meal of a Cayminian type ceviche made with shrimp and crab.
The next morning we rose early to catch the cab back to Grand Cayman airport. The female cabbie gave us a brief history if the Caymans, the inhabitants, the story of their banking origin here, and how to "soul search" on de Brac!
The standby check in went flawlessly, and since our original listed flight was looking tight, we took the earlier flight which went through Little Cayman enroute to our destination of de Brac.
We clambered aboard a very tight Twin Otter, and I sat just behind the cockpit, not having seen an antiquated cockpit such as this being flown by Air Cayman. I struck up a pre flight conversation with the Captain as well, another very nice resident of these Islands. The loud drone of the twin props, and the fuel smell was a stark reminder of a true Island feel on this flight.
Taking off out of Grand Cayman, we truly saw for the first time the gorgeous blue quality of the waters surrounding these Islands. The approach to Little Cayman was equally gorgeous, and we landed on a small paved strip that was little more than a road, and in fact turned into the town road at the end of the runway. That island is barely inhabited, with just a few hundred full time residents, and capping out at just about 1000 during the season including tourists. This island was the true one for "soul searching"
Taking off again in the short take off capable Twin Otter, we made the short 7 minute hop from Little to Brac. We gathered our carry on luggage, and made our way out to the welcoming waiting smiles and hugs of Monica and John. My greeting was the usual, reserved for my Zonian friends, "Woppin, Ras, Chuleta!" Draws a chuckle every time.
John and Monica are newly found lovers launching into a relationship after 24 years of separation from old CZ and Balboa High School.
We had happily arrived, and made our way in the little white rental car to the condo on the South side of de Brac, about 3/4 of the way to the tip. The island is only 12 miles long, and 1 mile wide with a distinguishing "bluff" across the middle like a backbone. The volcanic rock bluff tapers down at the West end, but rises to up to 100' in places, and at the East End is the lighthouse.
Always a joyful reunion with Rebecca and Monica, we prepared and departed for a snorkeling beach on the North side of the island. The trade winds dominate the South side creating a swell up onto the shallow coral bottom, so snorkeling is best on the South side of the island. Interestingly, we launched into our first snorkeling expedition at a spot called Panama Canal. Fitting for a few Zonian snorkelers.
The Cayman snorkeling experience is simply amazing. In our first couple of hours we spied beautiful coral heads with Dr. Seuss like formations of coral and sponge radiating magnificent vivid colors.
Of the sea creature variety, we saw large rays, beautiful reef fish sea slugs, lobster hiding in the coral crevices and the highlight was a four to five foot nurse shark that we saw coming back into the shore. Rebecca muffled shark in her snorkel, and tucked behind me but we both swam towards it prior to it swimming away.
Later that afternoon we picked up Martie, and Monica would make a rooster call and extend a bent elbow upwards and call out Maaartie. A high school party call that has endured the ages.
We had a great dinner at a shoreside restaurant and some got the buffet which turned out to be the best, and some got the curry fish, which was also great. Much better than the lame DJ busting out of tune songs poolside.
John chase down a land crab into the bushes, and had it to observe until the pincers won the battle.
Next morning, there was a lot of Canal Zone reminiscing going on prior to getting mobilized to go on our snorkeling boat ride to Little Cayman. It was a grand tour, let me tell you.
First we hit a beach on the East End which was protected by a coral reef, with white sand bottoms, and coral heads intersper4rsed. Our boat driver, Curtis was quite the water man, and definitely possessed local knowledge of the area. Without which, the bottom of his boat would've surely been ripped out.
Here we saw more spectacular coral heads surrounded by the beautiful Cayman reef fishes, and some large lobster and conch seemingly littered everywhere. Turns out that this beautiful stretch of beach line is so pristine as it lays alongside a marine preserve.
After navigating out the reef break again, we next went to the Bloody Bay Wall. This description is as follows:
The first creature I spied upon entering the water was a sea turtle, and we saw many. Of those during this excursion at the Bloody Bay Wall. It was beautiful as it passed over the twenty foot shallows and then disappeared into a blue abyss, the color of which I have never had the glory to observe in a natural setting, that was not on a painter s palate.
The grand moment of the afternoon was the grouper hunt. Curtis is one of only a few boatmen with a grandfathered spear gun license. It is highly coveted, and is no longer issued. In fact, the Cayman government is so restrictive on spear fishing that it is prohibited to ship in spare parts for spear guns. Curtis was just making it with improvised parts for his twenty year old gun.
This was my first chance to ever free dive spear fish, and we drifted with the current in thirty plus feet of water looking for grouper. Curtis called the yellow fin grouper a rockfish, and that was also on our hunt list.
John. Was an old hand at spear fishing, and has spent an entire lifetime diving and around the water. Her spotted a medium sized tiger grouper within a short drift, and scuttled down to get it. He got up to the Rock the fish had tied to escape into, and shot, killing the fish through the head in a single shot, and victoriously bringing him to the surface holding it on the expended spear.
Again, he repeated the sequence on a medium to large rock fish and this time missed the first shot, and as the fish tried to escape, we tracked him into another shelter hole, and the fish lost to the spear.
Curtis' license is only good for three fish per day, and that meant it was my time to hunt. After an ever so brief tutorial of spear gun technique and mechanism procedure, I was drifting with John keeping watch. We drifted for a while this time when we both spotted a small shark reclining on the bottom. But, just then a grouper swam out in front of him, about thirty five feet below. I took in a deep breath, released the guns safety, and swam down towards the prey. He felt the pursuit, and quickened his escape, and tucked into a deep hole next to a coral head. I got the gun aimed, within firing range and shot the spear, just as the fish tried for a speed y escape. Boom, a hit, and with that this large grouper began to thrash. I was becoming quickly depleted for air after the pursuit of this fish, and as I tried to pull him out of his hole, he only deepened his thrashing retreat. At that time, my only choice was to try to use the line to pull him out, as I made quick ascent to much needed air. As I began to kick up, and pull simultaneously, the fish once again swam deeper into it s hi die hole, and I had to release the gun to surface for a life giving breath of air.
John was watching the development from the surface, and when he sensed the trouble below, quickly dived to retrieve the gun and the fish before it could break off the spear tip, and be lost. LUckily for me and the fate of the spear gun did John make to rescue, and haul the thrashing fish to the surface and bring to end the hunt for a twenty plus pound yellow fin grouper.
I barely surfaced with enough time to breathe, and Rebecca shouted are you alright. I couldn't immediately answer since I was air deficient, and had to catch some air for life.
That was a bad ass fish, and what a kill for my first spear hunting experience.
That evening, John broiled a delicious meal of grouper, broccoli, and potatoes. Nothing like fresh fish in de Brock. Cayman vacation soooo fun soooo far.
Tird day, a bit tired from a full day in the water the day before. A slow start, but off to Catholic Church for Fathers Day. Missing my kids. IT WAS a bit of an adventure finding the church on this island without a road map, and only verbal directions.. We ended up at a different church before finding the correct one.
After church, back to a spot called Smileys for some beach launch snorkeling. Probably the most impressive coral heads for the vacation, beautiful colors abounded with many beautiful fan coral of the deepest purple. The ingress and egress was a bit sketchy over shallow lying coral infused with sea urchin, but no casualties despite the sea state kicked up by the winds.
Next stop was the Panama Canal again, where I sat out, as the rest snorkelers, seeing an eel, and some interesting star fish.
Stopped at Rebecca's Cave, and hiked to the blow holes, as a beautiful full moon appeared over the horizon. Rising into the twilight sky.
Dinner at home spaghetti followed by a beachside fire. Full moon reflecting on the Breakers with the fire in the foreground was a spectacular and befitting end to a perfect trip to the Cayman Brac.
