There are a few items that are clearly Caymanian.
One being the famous saying, Not today bobo.
Another would be conch fritters on Seven Mile Beach.
Another one is the Staycation.
East End Pier
The only way to leave the island of Grand Cayman is by plane. There are no ferries that visit other Caribbean islands from here, so your only option is jumping on a plane. And even people living on this whale shaped slice of paradise still get island fever. So the staycation provides the best option. You simply stay at a hotel on the lightly populated East End (whale head and blowhole) away from the hustle and bustle of the West End (whale fin).
Our highly anticipated fall break arrived and Nadine and I decided to take our first staycation and hang out with the Roney family.
Early Friday night, we packed our 2007 Ford Taurus with bags, 3 children, a baby swing, and one mother-in-law. Then we made the long 45 minute drive out east.
Granma holding her swimming buddy #2
The weekend weather welcomed us with a bang . . . as in a lightning show followed by buckets of rain. This show coincided with Jon and I’s maiden voyage to the outdoor bar.
The beds that pulled out of the wall mesmerized our kids. Simply having a huge open space on the water with her mother nearby thrilled Nadine. And little Annabelle was satisfied to sip on milk and swing in her swing.
Keep Away in the Pool
The kids spent the weekend occupying every possible body of water in the vicinity except for the Caribbean Sea.
Purely by happenstance, the road race started at East End. Morritt’s Resort was right next door to the Reef. There was the 19 mile race, but hey, no way was I going to run 19 miles while on “staycation”. For slackers like myself, they had a much shorter 5K race. I decided to go with that one.
The 5K was scheduled to start at 7:00, so I woke up at 6:20. When I signed up, I (mis)understood that the race was to start at 7:15. So I returned to my room 200 yards down the road and waited in the comfort of a sofa chair. Around 7:10, I decided I should make my way to the starting line. Yet once I set foot on the road, I noticed a large group of runners in the distance clumped together. A quick glance at my watch indicated it was only 7:11. Strange enough, that same group of people in neon outfits became more distant as I walked. The race had already started. Immediately my race started and I easily added an eighth of a mile to my run. When I reached the real starting line, everyone had rounded a corner and was out of sight. In my defense, I caught the seven-year old girl at mile 2.
Our first staycation left us refreshed and happy. In the end, the kids liked the staycation enough that they decided that they would rather live at the Reef instead of our current apartment in town.
Best Buds
