house guests.17: action, action, action

We hosted visitors over Easter this year, and since Easter means a 4-day weekend here in Grand Cayman, we were ready to play! Our latest set of guests were two guys looking for every adventure the island had to offer, and NS was well prepared to fill their week with plenty of action.

Thumbs up for red warning signs! [KT, NS, & JDub]

Before I even had the chance to say hello to these two guys that grew up with my family - which several years ago included family beach vacations and many days of building forts in the woods - the boys were busy integrating into island life, climbing palm trees in search of fresh coconuts.

Yes, that's a machete between his teeth.
I apologize to his mother, who will hopefully not read this particular post.

But that was just the beginning. Since he was experiencing a temporary reprieve at work, NS planned a full weekend for the guys, beginning with a visit to the bluffs. In an attempt to relive their central-Pennsylvania bridge jumping days, the bluffs (probably the highest ground on the island) offered the guys the opportunity to throw caution to the wind and take the plunge once again.

Navigating the rugged iron shore.

As you can see, proper footwear is recommended, since there is no such thing as a soft patch of ground on this portion of the island.

But the views from the edge are expansive and impressive.

I think these dark, imposing rocks are just amazing. Since most of Grand Cayman is barely above sea level, we normally have to be under water to see these kinds of rock formations.

So, about the adventure. The seas were pretty rough when we arrived, and since the bluffs are not for the faint of heart, we reclaimed our sense of caution, and stuck with taking nice photos.

"The bluffs called our bluff." - JDub

And as I was busy trying to compose an interesting photo, I discovered a strange new plant emerging from the rocks.

A very rare species indeed.

On our way from the bluffs to our scheduled jet ski tour, we stopped off at the wave machine at Black Pearl Skate and Surf Park. The wave machine was being rented by a private party, but we sat and watched the surfers enjoying waves of various sizes, all while their best moves were filmed by a GoPro.

This looks like a great way to spend an afternoon! 
Unfortunately, I have it on good authority that the machine is out of commission until a hard-to-obtain spare part can be shipped to the island. Here's hoping it won't take as long as they expect!

Finally, it was time for the day's big adventure: A jet ski tour with Fat Fish Adventures. NS had enjoyed his previous experience on this tour, since it's a great way to see Stingray City and Rum Point, and it's honestly a pretty affordable way to ride a jet ski for more than the standard 30 minutes. The tour worked out nicely for our group, which included the four of us along with BK, MO, and two of her visitors.

GoPro on and ready to hit it!
[Okay, full disclosure: This pic was taken after the tour.
Don't you love the wind-blown hair?!]

After winding our way from Grand Harbour through the mangroves and out into the North Sound, our first stop was Stingray City. Our guide found his favorite stingray and provided us with squid to feed her, which JDub proceeded to sample.

I guess I should have packed a lunch for this guy.

I can see why the guide considers this ray (identified by a small green scar on top) as his favorite: She almost acted as though she liked being held.

I was a bit appalled that he hadn't named his favorite sea friend, so I did it for him: Kelly (as in, Kelly Green.) Keep a lookout for her!

I don't know that there is empirical evidence to support the notion of seven years of good luck following a stingray kiss, but it's a tradition that we all observe.

After a stop for some snorkeling, it was on to Rum Point, but not before we caught the rare sight of an eagle ray leaping out of the water.

(photo credit)

[Side note: Good thing I didn't know about the story of the flying eagle ray that you'll find in the link above, or I would have scooted my jet ski away from the area in a hurry!]

Our final stop was Rum Point, where there's always room to stretch out, relax, and sip on fruity beverages.

Some subjects look great even when shot with the world's oldest point-and-shoot:

Picasa love: With Lomo-ish effects.

Picasa love: With Orton-ish effects

Ahhh, long weekends. The calm, relaxed vibe was almost tangible at Rum Point that day.

Picasa love: With some HDR-ish effects

BK enjoying Rum Point's R&R atmosphere.

During the ride back to Grand Harbour, I was on the back of a jet ski with MO, who was driving so fast that my lips were flapping in the breeze (like those funny sky diving videos) and I couldn't even begin to vocalize a thing. Talk about sheer exhilaration. 

Other adventures the boys got up to: Snorkeling out to the reef outside of our house, a daily dose of beach volleyball at Seven Mile Public Beach, scuba diving in George Town, and driving our car (unsupervised) on the left side of the road. All equally heart-racing activities!

My next post on their visit will cover the way these boys fueled their day-time activities: With loads of delicious food. More to come.

Commencing vacation pose.