week 1, in review

Unbelievably, we've been here a week already. Over the past week, we have...

• Enjoyed our stay in Sunshine Suites, which will be our home for the next four weeks. It's also home to our 15 boxes, one of which is semi-permanently blocking the fridge, making our already bare-bones diet even leaner.
• Eaten at The Sunshine Grill twice, where I've gotten the exact same thing (island fish tacos) twice, because they are that heavenly.
• Survived the very wet effects of Tropical Storm Nicole. Except for puddles that threatened to swallow our little rental car, it wasn't bad. Warm rain isn't nearly as depressing as cold.

View from Treasure Island's beach, right before a downpour

Choppy waters and dark skies

• Met loads and loads of accountants coming onto the island. At least three of the firms are presently using Sunshine Suites for temporary lodging, because we are tripping over each other at breakfast and almost running over each other (especially those of us from the U.S.) in the parking lot. It's ridiculously easy to make new friends, and we're all comparing notes on house-hunting and car-shopping. I've concluded that accountants, as a group, know the least about vehicles and their inner workings, because we're all convinced that any car we buy could secretly (or expressly) be a lemon and we'd be none the wiser. For that reason, we're all trying to invest as little money as possible on our "new" cars.
• Test driven at least half a dozen cars. NS likes to ask a standard set of questions ("Does it start every time?"; "Are the tires new?"; "Was it on the island during [Hurricane] Ivan?"; "Have you had any major issues?"), and then he likes to pop the hood, and we both stare into the mass of metal and pretend it's all very meaningful.  Most of the cars we've tested are 10+ years old, so we'll pay very little for them and hope they last a couple years.
• Toured various apartments and settled on the location we had our eye on before even coming to the island. Once the lease is signed, we'll share more details.  For now, we're pleased that we'll be out of the fray in West Bay, with expected commute times of 10 minutes for me and 18 for NS.
• Driven all the way around the island. I love self-directed explorations, and the small size of Grand Cayman makes this easy.  The other two islands (Cayman Brac and Little Cayman) are even smaller (12 and 10 miles long, respectively), so I imagine we'll explore those independently at some point as well.
• Seen several iguanas, all of which are of the green variety (the blue ones are endangered). I LOVE them. I think/hope they're afraid of humans, because I haven't had one come after me. NS plans to tempt them with food once we're in our apartment (visitors: BEWARE!)  They look like dinosaurs, and they run like penguins (kind of a fast waddle).  I didn't see them for a few days, but I've learned to look up in the palm trees. Hopefully they don't take flying leaps.

Four of these guys lined up in a tree

• Purchased wet suits - the start of our dive gear collection.  NS found two used suits - just our size - on www.ecaytrade.com, and for $50, he now has a skin suit, I have a cold water suit, and he has water shoes with attachable flippers and gloves. We brought our own masks and snorkels with us.  NS is organizing a group to take dive lessons, as we all need to be certified. I have my apprehensions based on prior snorkeling experiences, but I'm putting the past behind me and plan to make diving one of my new favorite pastimes.  
• Gotten two cell phone plans. The service here is decent, but for the record, we've been to the LIME store four times already to get various issues sorted out. At least it's less than five minutes away.
• Spent a day lying in the sun. The skies finally cooperated today, and traditional Grand Cayman weather returned. Warm and sunny, just like my mood!

Seven Mile Beach. Some turtle grass remains from the storm, but still gorgeous.

Palm trees beside evergreens