Day 3: Grand Cayman - private driver, rum factory and private beach

---

This little boy about 7 years old walked by with great determination, he clinched his fists, gritted his teeth and says with all the fire in his belly…THIS. IS. GOING. TO. BE. THE. BEST. DAY. OF. MY. ENTIRE. LIFE!

Preach my boy!!! I was very excited about Grand Cayman because we hired a private driver I found at https://caymanfriendlytours.com.

Captain D had emailed me and we spoke on WhatsApp. He assured me that he was going to take care of us and I had no doubt he wouldn’t.

The night before while we were eating midnight pizza, Tori brought me a letter from her room that talked about boat time verses Grand Cayman time and getting a ticket to get on the tender boat.

So apparently Grand Cayman does not participate in daylight savings time. Who knew! Ironically DST was just this past Sunday. I didn’t think to research that when making plans. Well, we discuss that and then I tell them I will wake up and get in line for the tickets to the tender.

I do get nervous about some things and getting a spot in line worried me a little. I set my alarm for 5:30am. I actually wake up to my alarm and get to getting. I figured there couldn’t be too many people so I brush my teeth put on my little grey sweater over my sleeping shirt and I didn’t change out of my Alabama pj bottoms. Who need a bra? I’m not gonna see people. Wrong! Ugh!

I got all 29 tickets for zone 14 which should put us off the boat around 9:30am. I text Captain D and let him know how the day is going.

We get onto the tender with ease and find Captain D holding a sign the says ‘Starling Party’ and we follow him to his bus. He has it nice and cool for us. Everyone files and and Captain D starts the tour.

Captain D is a pretty awesome guy. He just exudes sunshine and smiles. He is taking us to the rum cake factory, a brief tour of the island and he has set us up with beach chairs and umbrellas.

We drive around downtown and he tells us about the Government, the banks, the commerce on the island and how the Dart Company has changed and improved the island.

We had a brief stop at the Tortuga Rum Cake Factory. I have seen these cakes for years but I have never tasted them. Oh boy, they are sooo good! We bought a variety pack and so did a couple of other people.

We got back into the bus and he began to tell us all about the Dart Company and his they have changed the area. I couldn’t help but think if that happened in my hometown I would be kind of sad. I didn’t get that vibe from Captain D so I asked him how he felt about it. He said that they have given back to the community and they have improved the roads. He spoke with happiness about all the changes.

When he was driving us around this residential shopping area we looked over and saw Cheryl and the girls. Captain D opened the window and called her over. We laughed. They were in the area exploring and Captain D gave her some pointers and we moved along.

He took us down the West End of the island so we could visit an area called Hell. There are several stories on how Hell got its name. Captain D told us that the rock formation is actually called Iron Shore Rock. He said that when he was younger him and his classmates would collect pretty rocks for the smart teachers (scientists). After the smart teachers studied the rocks they actually figured out that this area they call Hell was actually the original shoreline.

I think the kids enjoyed chasing the roosters more than seeing the rock formations. You win some, you lose some.

He also told us about how Grand Cayman got
it’s name. When the island was first discovered it was inhabited alligators or crocodiles not sure which. They became extinct due to over hunting. Same thing happen with the turtles. They have since created a sea turtle sanctuary and the population is slowly increasing.

I am sure I have told a few inaccuracies but Captain D was very knowledgeable. You can tell he loves his home, the history, the progress and sharing it with visitors.

After the tour he set us up with Natasha who provided chairs and umbrellas. She also had drinks and food available.

We enjoyed the water and the local brews and after 2 hours Captain D greeted us at the meeting spot with water to wash the sand fro our feet.

He took us back to the boat and we tenders back with plenty of time left to relax and get ready for dinner.

Jeff finished the night by teaching Brooke how to play Black Jack.

Tomorrow we will be in Roatan.

---