Things that go "crunch" in the night

Just when you think that life has finally settled down and you have seen everything this island has to offer; you realize you haven't even scratched the surface. This story begins a few weeks ago while I was out floating in the pool after work. Blake had sneakily snuck back to the flat to get some more work done. As I swam solo in the warm soup that was most definitely not refreshing, I heard a sound that made me jump out of the pool and run for my towel. A sound that can only be described as a hybrid combo of a lamb in distress and a sick dog echoed full blast over the pool area. Once to the safety of my towel I looked around for the culprit, sure that a monstrous wolfy thing would jump out of the bushes. All was calm for a few more seconds until the eerie sound echoed loudly once more. That was enough, I was not sticking around to become dinner. I ran up to tell Blake. Unfortunately the unknown beast made me into a fool, because as soon as I brought Blake out, it had disappeared. A few nights later Blake and I were having a night swim in the pool and the tortuous sound began once more. Blake was the one who jumped a mile this time. I was able to locate the sound from a shady bushy section by the pool. I slowly approached the sound only to have it blast from the dark inches from my face. Both Blake and I ran! Later that week we were eating supper on our porch when I heard the sound coming from the pool area (it is that loud!). That was enough. I ran into the house, grabbed a flashlight and began my mission. By the pool I began to track the sound, fear rushing through me each time it cackled- Blake the coward was no help, refusing to move with 10 feet of the sound. As I honed in with the beam of the flashlight the creature uttered one last wretched squawk. The light fell on the culprit...a itty bitty frog who looked more frightened than Blake. I held the beam on him until he let out another crazy bark, to ensure that this little guy was the actual producer of such a horrific sound. Sure enough he was. Now everytime we hear the frogs at the pool we laugh.
The frogs may be a laughing matter, but the night has much more sinister creatures as of late. There has been an invasion of massive land crabs. These pie plate sized beings are everywhere! It is nearly impossible to drive home without hearing the awful crunching underneath your tires. Blake was running home from ball hockey one night and came to a face off with a giant crab on the sidewalk. As traffic rushed by Blake assessed the situation and decided to dart past on the right. The crab unfortunately had the same thought and the two nearly collided. At this point Blake got a little skittish and jumped back. Not wanting to spend more time this close to a crab he ran full speed and jumped over the poor guy while shrieking. I'm not sure who was more surprised, the crab or Blake. And just two nights ago we had just got out of our car when I spotted a large guy hiding next to our utilities box. The scary thing about these crabs is not just their size, but the fact that they can climb up the side of buildings. At work there are photos of the land crabs crawling up the side of the house... yuck!
The night by far holds the most mystery as the weirdest creatures come out, but during the day we also have to be cautious now. Blake was taking the trash out and came across a small boa at the bottom of our building. With fascination we watched from the steps as he slithered through our lawn. We will now be using the stepping stones for all journeys across any section of grass! Between the daylight reptiles and nightly beasts it is always an adventure here!

Pictured above: Invasion of the massive crabs, a small boa constrictor (not our picture. Thankfully the boas don't grow large here)

Miami adventures

It was finally time for Blake and I to leave "The Rock" and get some much needed sightseeing and city time. We arranged a trip to Miami with two couples a few months ago, and have just gotten back this past Monday. What a well needed city break! It is amazing how much you forget about the rest of the world when you are on a tropical island. To actually see lots of cars and buildings taller than four stories was refreshing. As Kate, our Aussie friend put it " There are people here! Heaps of people!"
Miami turned out to be the perfect choice for our first shopping vacation. We stayed in the famous South Beach area and had a blast watching the most flamboyant citizens of the US flaunt their crazy styles (and sometimes flaunt their you-know-whats). On our first night a homeless man with greying hair to his shoulders put on quite the show in his Dallas Cowboys cheer uniform. Our second day was great for Blake as he got to check out girls walking around in bras, and one daring girl who wore only a T-shirt and no underwear.
Aside from the hypnotic people watching we managed to get a full day of checking out our latin neighbourhood, the famous art-deco era buildings and the trendy Lincoln Street. We also used the day to stock up on necessities you can't get on island (or refuse to pay triple for) like facial cream, shampoo, bug spray, razors and just about every toiletry imaginable. The second day began with a major hang-over for most of our crew thanks to the kitchen sink size mojitos from the night before. The hour long stop and start bus trip to the mall in 37 degree heat didn't help much, but the air conditioned mall proved to be the perfect hangover cure (at least for me)! The third day we checked out the actual beach, had a refreshing swim in the Atlantic and broke down and spent a lovely hour in Starbucks- which was probably the highlight of the trip for Blake. That evening we had tickets to a concert by Tokyo City Police and Passion Pit at the Filmore Theatre. Amongst the angst ridden teenagers we moshed and danced the night away. The next morning Kate and Lachie left for Nicaragua and an epic surf trip, leaving Blake and I and Brett and Sarah to hop a bus to the Everglades and take a tour on a fanboat. For those of you who have never visited the Everglades or ridden in a airboat, these are a must! The way the boat glides on the surface of the water is amazing. It feels like you are hydroplaning the whole time while pulling fishtails and swerving through sawgrass. We even managed to see three alligators (or crocs... I still can't tell the difference) in their natural habitat. We followed the tour up with a informative presentation on alligators in which an idiot who must be related to Scuba Len risked his life with the unpredictable reptiles to prove how dangerous they are! That afternoon we returned to our Spanish hostel and packed up to fly back home.
Our total impression of Miami was great. It is truly a beautiful city with plenty of rivers, canals and a great beach. The people themselves are unique and quirky and perhaps a little sheltered. Not once, but twice, after I divulged that I wasn't from America, shocked saleswomen told me that I spoke excellent English. When I responded that I was from Canada, one gave me a blank stare and the other said "oh, well your English is still very good." Gotta love those Americans!

Hurricane season begins.... with a party?

We are now officially eight days into hurricane season and Blake and I are keeping our fingers crossed that this summer is mild despite the dismal forecast. In true Cayman fashion, the beginning of hurricane season was justification for a party ( of all things)! On Weather Central lawn they threw a massive party to usher in the start of another hurricane season. While the rest of Cayman partied it up, Blake and I did our hurricane preparedness shopping. It is necessary to have at least four days worth of food and water on hand for the season. So we perused the aisles of the grocery store looking for all things high calorie and filling. The contents of our cart began to resemble a carb-lover's paradise. Saltine crackers, granola, snack bars, jello containers, nuts and noodle soup, canned fruit, cookies, tinned tuna and salmon, plastic utensils, matches and paper bowls to name just a few. Just looking at the contents made me want to jump on a treadmill, but there is really little you can eat without electricity and a microwave. Wherever we go the topic usually turns to hurricanes. It is hard to imagine such a devastating storm hitting the island when the sky is still bright blue and the water as still as glass, but just looking at pictures from Hurricane Ivan prove that our complex alone will be both flooded and covered in sand should another category 4 hit. Speaking with locals definitely gives us a different perspective as well. My boss, crazy speedo lady, tells me that she has scuba tanks and axes in her roof so that when the flooding comes she can crawl into the attic, don the scuba attire and hack herself out through the roof. Although an interesting theory, and one that is hilarious to imagine, I think it might be a little extreme. Talking with a coworker of Blake's the other day, we were asked if we had all of our stuff ready. I mentioned we had done the shopping and he asked if we had gotten a tarp yet. "For what?" I asked. " To live under once your roof blows off!" he retorted in a serious tone. I thanked the stars that we are only renting and don't own this place!
In the event that one of more of the 23 predicted storms hit us, we will be heading to KPMG. They have a large building that exceeds the hurricane codes. In a communal living situation we will pass out the hours until it is clear to leave. It is hard to imagine what the island would look like after, and I hope we don't have to witness it. Should Cayman not win the battle with the hurricane we will be flown out to Toronto to resume work there, once the airport strip has been cleared and air traffic is allowed back in.
Although hurricanes are a serious matter here, Ivan was the last major storm in 2004. So severe was Ivan, that most people on the island now refer to events as either pre-Ivan or post-Ivan. One grocery store was open after the storm and the line up to get in wrapped around the building. It was quite a while before the electricity was restored as well. However, the loss of life was minimal and it is that fact alone that makes the oncoming season more bearable. So keep your fingers crossed with us. Blake and I will hold off on the hurricane celebration until the 30th of November!

These pictures were taken from a house right across the street from us. It has sat destroyed since Ivan, as the owner's wait for their insurance to come through ( 6 years later!)

Scuba Len- the final chapter

We have finally finished our PADI scuba diving certification! Our experience could probably qualify us in the Guinness Book of Records for longest PADI course in history- taking us no less than 10 weeks to complete. However, we have arrived unscathed at the end (no thanks to Scuba Len who appeared to take great pleasure in planning our watery deaths several times over).
Last time I wrote about diving was very nearly the last time we dove. In between then and now, Scuba Len has managed to break his foot, fly out of country for two weeks, get his finger bitten off by an iguana and switch girlfriends three times. No doubt more action than most see in an entire year. Scuba Len's unfortunate run in with an iguana proved to be the last straw for me. Sick of his excuses I emailed him and demanded he find time to finish our course. He responded by forwarding me a picture of a stubby index finger covered in black stitches and blood and told me he was being "monitored closely by physicians" and that he was not able to dive for two weeks. It nearly killed me to wait out the weeks, but I did and finally nailed him down to a time last week. Had I been able to see into the future, I probably would have gladly waited another week... We met up with Len at his place for our last two scheduled dives, which he had told us we were doing from shore. It had been a stormy week, but the morning was beautiful. Upon arrival Len decided he wanted to take us out in the boat instead and head out to the North Wall, a dive sight renowned for its 8000ft drop off into an ocean trench and the local hammerhead sharks. Although I was a little apprehensive about the site itself, I figured we should be alright together. He explained that it was his first dive since the iguana incident and he was eager to make it a good one. As soon as we pulled out of the quay and hit the North Sound we could tell that it was wavy. Since Len's last speed demon stunt I have developed a slight phobia of boats and big waves, but I went to sit down at the back of the boat and chastised myself for being such a baby. The North Wall is located past North Sound, out in the open ocean just on the other side of a large reef that protects the sound. Upon nearing the reef the pontoon began swaying heavily from side to side. We could see that there were even larger waves past the reef and I figured Len would call it quits and we could turn around and dive elsewhere. Unfortunately Len saw these large waves as a challenge and motored the boat a few hundred metres past the protection of the reef. By this time I was nearly green from seasickness and bruised from being jolted from side to side. The thought of entering the ocean was a welcome one, since I was nearly being thrown in with every tip of the boat. At this point Len decides to tell us that these are extreme dive conditions, which is evident from the fact that the North Sound and Wall are entirely devoid of any other boats except for the gutsy Dive club who moored a half kilometre away. Since the waves were pitching the boat up and down nearly seven feet it was crucial that we timed our jump off the boat to match the height of a wave, if not, we risked having the boat smash down on our heads with 7 feet worth of force. I briefly thought about not getting off, but my sea sickness put an end to all those dreams. I geared up and stepped forward. I remember the fear while standing on the edge, looking waaaaaay down at the water before it rushed up to meet me. Fear pushed me off of the boat and into the ocean. I attempted to descend as fast as possible, but the current and waves were so strong the I was being pushed and pulled in all directions. It took nearly 15 feet before I could escape the current. Blake had entered first, so I knew I had to get down to him as fast as possible. Once we reached the bottom the dive went alright... except that Blake ran low on air. Len indicated for us to ascend, and Blake took off. Watching him near the surface trying to reach for the ladder of the boat which violently smashed into the water, and then entirely disappeared into the air, was one of the scariest moments of my life, second only to my attempt to grab the bucking ladder minutes later. I hardly noticed that I lost a fin during my exit. Once on to the safety of the boat (if you could call a pitching boat that) Scuba Len unleashed a storm of fury on us about the importance of air and buddy systems. Apparently Len said he did not indicate for us to ascend, and was busy trying to take us one by one to see the Wall (however, scuba rules state that you should never leave your buddy- so his system of taking us individually was a little risky) and we had all misunderstood his signals. Wishing the dive would just end, I crawled to the back of the boat and proceeded to get a nasty sunglasses burn while Len decided to sail around the head of the island to try and find a less wavy area. Fifty minutes of extreme waves and whipping saltwater later, we arrived at dive site two. This one was only slightly milder than the north side. The dive went better until Blake completely ran out of air and had to use Len's extra source, while Len demonstrated how long he could hold his breath (a cardinal sin of scuba diving) and pick out the stitches from his iguana finger leading to a bloody shark attracting mess. We all ascended as fast as safety would allow and got back on to the boat before Len and his stumpy finger got us all eaten. At some point during the ride back Len asked " Hey, now that you are all certified, who'd like to go diving tomorrow?"