Thanksgiving with the Stingrays

---

Happy Thanksgiving! We began the day early again, so Bryan could go on his last 2 dives. I finished up the packing and read for awhile before I checked out of the Sunshine Suites.

Luckily, the Ritz was within walking distance, so around 11:30, I walked over and checked into our room. The Ritz Carlton is huge and luxurious! When you check in, not only do they give you a map of the property, they have someone escort you to your room!

Bryan met me in the lobby, happy from his dives. He classified his last dive to Trinity Caves as "excellent!" After he checked out the room, we had to turn around and leave again for our afternoon activities. We walked over to the Sunshine Suites and got our car and luggage. Then, went to Eats Cafe for lunch.

They had a Thanksgiving special, so we wound up getting a traditional turkey dinner--turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, yams and stuffing. It was yummy! Since neither of us like pumpkin pie, we settled for a delicious slice of key lime instead.

After lunch, we had booked a snorkeling excursion to Stingray City, the barrier reef and the coral gardens with Captain Marvin's. The one thing that is a "must do" on Grand Cayman is snorkel with the stingrays. I was not very excited about being in the water with such large, potentially dangerous creatures, but I thought, everyone else said it is fun, so why not do it? I should have listened to my instinct!

We got on the boat for about a half an hour ride out to our first stop, Stingray City. Once we arrived, we could see about 20 rays just circling the boat, waiting for food.

Again, I thought, wow, they are really big, but once I get in the water, I will be fine. So, I jumped in with Bryan by my side. That is when reality hit. I had these creatures all around me and I was freaked out! Every time one came slightly near me, I used Bryan as a shield and clung onto his arm. (so much so, that I think he has bruises to prove it! Sorry, dear.) I know he was annoyed that I kept interrupting his great picture taking opportunities. So, having not overcome my fear like I had hoped, I climbed back on the boat after about 10 minutes. I happily watched the beautiful stingrays from a safe distance on the boat!

After Stingray City, we went to both the coral gardens and the barrier reef. Both sites were filled with lots of coral, blue sea fans and tons of fish. We even saw a spiny lobster! Except for being in the water with the rays, it was a wonderful afternoon. 😊

The boat headed back to land as the sun was setting, again beautiful colors! When we arrived at our car, it was wet from rain. Kind of weird because we did not have any rain on the water. It continued to rain all night.

That did not stop us from going out to dinner, though. We went to a place called Stingers, that supposedly had the best conch fritters on the island. It was essentially a hotel bar. However, I tried an appetizer plate that included the conch fritters, fried shrimp and calamari. All were delicious! Bryan settled on a mango chicken dish with rice and beans. They also had a drink called a Key Lime Pie, a mix of a margarita with ice cream and rum!! It was awesome (and about 1,000 calories!) Bryan tried a drink that was half of a pina colada and half strawberry daiquiri. Mmm!

It was still raining after dinner and we were tired. So, we called it another early night (we are so pathetic!). Tomorrow is our last day in the Islands.

---