Yesterday we took a long dinghy ride to Stingray City, a sandbar where you can wade with big stingrays swimming all around you. It's like a petting zoo, with rays coming up to your waist and floating there while you pet their wings. A bit crowded with tourists, but still fun.
When we returned to the boat from Stingray City, the rain let loose in buckets. We took the opportunity to take showers on the trampoline and wash the boat. Then Josh and Roy went looking for a place where one can reportedly swim with turtles, to round out their day of swimming with rays, while I cleared us out with Customs and Immigration.
It was a holiday yesterday, so I had to pay a $90 USD fee for clearing out. A cheerful guy from customs processed the paperwork and collected my money efficiently. I found it interesting to hear a white man speak with a beautiful Caribbean accent, somehow heartening too.
I had time to kill and Cayman dollars to spend so I stopped at outdoor bar that looked lively with loud Caribbean music playing. A big group of people, local, Jamaican and Bermudian were enjoying post-Carnival revelry, grinding against each other in a line dance that would be group sex if they hadn't been wearing clothes. I was invited by a woman who I was told was from an old Jamaican family to come there for a visit. And the Nepalese bartender gave me free drinks. I felt somewhat sorry to be leaving Cayman right when the fun had started.
We ended the night with a nice dinner at a fancy beachfront restaurant. I enjoyed roasted Brussels sprouts, a dish I wasn't expecting to find on a Caribbean island. They were good!
Two huge cruise ships anchored in the harbor during the night. The are huge vessels, each with over 2,000 passengers. I call them "anthills".
We slipped our mooring lines this morning at 0900 and are now sailing gently downwind on the Code 0 on gentle seas. The weather forecast suggests that these conditions, perhaps with a bit more wind (which would be nice) will continue for our entire passage. If that proves to be true, it will be a very relaxing trip.
We expect to arrive in Isla Mujeres in about three days.
