South of Cuba, west of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands lie adrift in the Caribbean Sea in a world of their own. There are plenty of reasons to spend time in this trio of islands: stunning beaches, the warmth of the locals, nature, diving, luxurious resorts…but I had a couple of additional motives for my recent trip and broadcast: the Cayman Islands Jazz Fest and the Cayman Islands Marathon.
The 7th Cayman Islands Marathon attracted nearly 500 runners between the half and the full Marathon from a dozen different countries, including a good showing of Canadians from most of the provinces. We set off from George Town at 5am in the dark for the cooler temperature and the first 20 kms were run beneath starry skies and beside whispering waves on unseen beaches. By 7am the sun was up and the next 20kms were in hot sun besides those same beaches which now tempted me to fling myself into the sea rather than keep on running back toward George Town. But the encouragement of the boisterous water station teams and the locals saw me home in under 4 hours in 12th place overall and 2nd in my age group. My congrats to Rhonda Kelly and her team for a really fun, well organized race.
This year’s Jazz Fest was held at two great venues: historic Pedro St. James and brand new Camana Bay. Each provided a scintillating backdrop to some memorable performances from Alicia Keys, Peabo Bryson, Oleta Adams, Kirk Whalum, Mike Phillips and some lively local talent too.
You are never far from a natural wonder in the Cayman Islands. The best known is Stingray City and Red Sail Sports took me out to Sting Ray Sand Bar aboard the sleek catamaran, Spirit of Poseidon. In the clear, shallow waters I kissed, cuddled and swam with these gentle giants (top photo) who are like underwater birds as they glide around you. The Cayman Turtle Farm is both an environmentally-driven turtle breeding establishment and also a great day out for all ages where you can interact with some of their 7,000 turtles (2nd pic). The blue iguana and Cayman parrot are fascinating examples of the unique island wildlife (next 2 pics).
Nature continues its drama beneath the waters surrounding the island: diving off Grand Cayman is world famous and I couldn’t resist flashing my PADI card and entering a whole different world. I was in the safe hands of Tom Yeo of Sun Divers at Boatswain’s Beach who took me on an exploration of Turtle Reef. We saw not only turtle, but also grouper, barracuda, parrot fish, blue vase sponge and a veritable underwater jungle of corals and sponges. At 40 feet down, the coral wall was still bright and colourful in the brilliantly clear water. Also at Boatswain’s Beach, I enjoyed a first class lunch overlooking my dive site at the Cracked Conch where the General Manager, Matt Moore, is from Nova Scotia.
Seven Mile Beach is the most famous on Grand Cayman and most of the hotels are situated here, including the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort where I enjoyed warm hospitality and excellent cuisine. There are many other beaches around the island and it is possible to find a quiet spot of beach all to yourself. The tiny capital town, George Town, is very walkable. It grew up beside its picturesque harbour (3rd pic) and its little National Museum is well worth a look (bottom pic).
There is no more enjoyable broadcast location than on a tropical beach, scrunching your toes in the sand, with the temperature at 32C as you talk to your audience back in Canada where the temperature is just above freezing . I was visiting Riviera Nayarit, the new name for an ancient land that stretches for 300 Kms along the central Pacific coast of Mexico. Starting just 10 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta International Airport – it’s where the mountains of the Sierra Madre meet the Pacific Ocean, vacation glitz meets authentic charm, old meets new…..
The beaches are what most vacationers come for and they stretch for much of the 300 kms coastline of Riviera Nayarit. I visited four, from South to North…. Nuevo Vallarta’s beach (top) runs for 5 kms through Flamingos and Bucerias and is where most of the major resorts are located. Punta de Mita’s beach (2nd) is smaller and more exclusive. Sayulita is a surfer’s haven with long breakers rolling in off the Pacific (3rd). And San Pancho (or San Francisco, as it appears on maps) is a funky, laid back beach stretching between two protective headlands (bottom). Beaches for all vacation types….
