To Hell and Back, All For Turtles and Stingrays . . .


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Published: August 8th 2007
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This is Sam, the social host’s, last cruise. She really wanted to do something fun. So we went on tour together today in Grand Cayman.

We first visited the Turtle Farm. At the farm, they breed sea turtles. Since 1967, they’ve set something like 70,000 sea turtles into the wild - major numbers for these endangered animals. The farm also raises turtles to be sold as meat, a delicacy in some places. This really disturbs some people. While I have no desire to eat the meat, I think that if it helps them fund the breeding and freeing of the turtles, then why not. It’s not like they’re capturing wild turtles for the meat; they raise them specifically for that purpose. In which case, how is different than any other farming of animals for meat?

I’d visited the Turtle Farm before when I went on a cruise 4 years ago and loved it. I loved it again. I adore the turtles. In the touch tanks, you can pick them up and hold them. It’s so cool. I think there’s something magical about them. Knowing how old they are, how long they can live (the oldest at the farm is 170 years old) . . . there’s something really beautiful about touching that life.

Our tour also visited a rum cake factory where we had samples. I’ve had rum cakes lots of times and always just taste the cake. But holy hannah - one piece I had was like taking a shot of rum and holding it in your mouth! It was potent!

We then went to Hell. Hell is a spot on the island where there are black and white rock formations that some believe look like what the dried flames of Hell would resemble. When the island had been submerged under the ocean, this spot was likely coral. The rocks are interesting to look at. But ultimately, I think Hell is a tacky tourist pun. I wasn’t especially impressed the first time I went there (also on the cruise 4 years ago) and this time, even less so. Think of every pun that can be made: “going to Hell and back”, “hotter than Hell”, “the road to Hell”, etc etc etc . . . it’s made there. So cheesy.

For the second half of our tour, the highlight of the day, we did the one thing I really wanted to do in Grand Cayman before going home. We went snorkelling with stringrays! We visisted Stingray City, a sandbar off the coast of the island where about 100 stingrays gather. Initially they were drawn there because fishermen would dump their fish scraps. Then the tourists started coming. Now they keep coming back because the tourists feed them. They’re really tame and very used to people coming around.

There were dozens of stingrays all around us. It was at times freaky, the way they’d swim up and swarm you. But it was also so magical. To be underwater swimming with stingrays of all sizes - huge ones and itty bitty babies - was just outrageously wonderful. Once in a lifetime. I’m so happy we went.

The guides also help you hold them. I held one. She was put on my back to “massage” me (flap around). I got to rub their backs and underbellies. The one I held, I asked if she had a name. The guide said no, I should name her. I just called her “pretty girl”. The guide said to kiss her. What? Kiss her, he said. Where? Right on the front. I apprehensively pursed out my lips and lowered towards her and suddenly she popped up from the water to me! They say it’s seven years of good luck if you kiss a stingray. Seeing as she kissed me, I figure that’s got to be worth at least 10!




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12th May 2007

Oh WOW!
Amazing. Amazing. I love sting rays and turtles. What an incredible experience.
13th May 2007

That is one HUGE pretty girl that you are kissing Netter. Wow. I love it. Much bigger than any of the ones I've seen swimming around in the ocean! So cool.

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