Final Cayman Blog Post!

Sadly this is my last post on this blog. I have had great fun while blogging about my experiences living and working as an expat in Cayman Islands. It is not the end of the road for my writing though as a couple of my friends and I have been working on a website project over the past year, and I will continue to write about my experiences here in Cayman Islands for this particular website. I would like to thank all those who followed my posts over the past 15 months for their precious time and wish everyone well…

adios amigos

Gaelic Football in Cayman Islands

A couple of weeks ago, one of my mates on island asked me to join their Gaelic football team which plays in the local Sunday league every two weeks. My knowledge of Gaelic was limited to a few seconds ever so often while flicking channels on cable, so I joined the team as a total novice at the game. Gaelic football on island is more than just a game, it is a chance for the Irish community plus other communities interested in anything Irish to socialize, play and generally make merry. There is both a men and women’s league so everyone can participate.

Having played several games over the past few weeks, I now have a healthy respect for the game and its players, you really have to be fit. Whereas in say, soccer you tend to mark spaces, in Gaelic football it is man-to-man marking throughout the game which means that you cannot slack off, even for a few seconds. Also, I can genuinely say that when playing Gaelic football it feels is like you are playing soccer, rugby, basketball and volleyball at the same time. This means that you have to be fairly agile to be an effective player. All the games are played at the Rugby club in South Sound every two weeks and after the games

Above Ground

As I have come to know more Jamaicans both in Jamaica and here in Cayman, I find them a very fascinating bunch of people. In truth, I have met Jamaicans in the UK and other parts of the world. Yet, they truly are are different people on home turf. One saying of theirs that always has me thinking how lucky I am is “Everyday above ground is truly a blessing”. It is very simple but yet so true, I know we stress about the “credit crunch”, about our jobs, about our health, about our family – the list is endless.

Over the years, I have learned to appreciate what life has to offer – not the superficial things but the real things, and this particular Jamaican saying really hits home….

Cuban Cigars

On island you cannot help but notice all cigar shops and lounges scattered along Seven Mile Beach road and of course they all brag about their offering of genuine Cuban cigars (Cuba is a short plane ride away from Grand Cayman – all of about 45 minutes). Indeed at one of the Cuban cigar lounges, you can watch a Cuban expert hand roll a cigar for you. These shops and lounges are pretty popular with Americans, who tend to smoke themselves silly, simply because they cannot purchase Cuban cigars in their own country (It has something to do with some sanctions that the Americans slapped on Cuba decades ago and really have changed nothing in Cuba).

I am definitely not a cigar connoisseur, but it seems that for those seeking to indulge in Cuban cigar smoking, you have to be careful as you can easily buy fake Cuban cigars. Especially in the US, as it is estimated that more than 80% of the Cuban cigars sold there (smuggled in of course) are fake.

A number of local merchants now sell their cigars online, deliver world wide and have money back guarantees.

Africa Thumped !

The Cayman Islands World Cup got under way yesterday, and team Africa’s first match was against Canada. The team could not have had a worse start as Canada managed to blast 4 goals past our goal keeper within the 26 minutes allotted for the game. In all honesty, if it was not for the valiant efforts of our keeper, Canada could have scored at least another 4 goals.

So what went wrong ? The one thing I noticed from the sidelines, is that we probably had about 6 coaches on the team, (most teams in the world have one coach). We were disorganised, we were back chatting the refs and generally our team (although talented) did not have a clue how to play 5-a-side effectively. Having said that, I must say – well done Canada, you played a very good game.

Today, we play 3 matches and we really have to up our game, unfortunately I will not be able to watch the first game due to a prior commitment but I will definitely lend my support for the other two remaining games… Go Team Africa!

World Cup Soccer In Cayman Islands

Well it’s finally here! The Cayman World Cup of Football starts today, 6 February, and we have entered our own team – Africa. Yes Africa, is not a country, but we decided to go in as Africa, because our team consists of Zimbabweans, Kenyans, Nigerians and one guy from Trinidad. In true African form, we were not able to agree on any particular country so the compromise was to call the team Africa and come up with an African flag.

Anyway, having successfully navigated through this potentially hot political potato of name-choosing, we managed to have a successful training session last night. The fact that, we all play 11-a-side soccer against each every Sunday has enabled to pick a team of 15 relatively good players for the five-a-side tournament to be held at King’s sports complex in Prospect, Grand Cayman. Tonight is the opening tournament, which is a “grand” occasion for the soccer loving residents here. The tournament will be broadcast live on the net and it will also be given adequate press coverage here. Check out the Cayman World Cup website for further information on live broadcasts.

Africa’s first match is tonight at 9 pm against Canada, then tomorrow we play Scotland, Honduras and England who are all in our group. There are two groups of 4 teams and only the top 2 teams in each group will qualify for the semi finals on Sunday, with the final being played late on the same day. All that said, I will definitely keep you informed of our progress… Go Team Africa !!!

Macumba Lounge

The bad news is that my favourite jazz night club in Grand Cayman closed down sometime in October last year when I was on vacation in South Africa. Cohiba lounge to me represented a place where I could relax and find inner peace on a Thursday night, even if it was for just a couple of hours. Gary Ebanks (local jazz artist) and co really made me look forward to my nights at Cohiba lounge.

Well, guess what? There is now a new club at the exact same location where Cohiba Lounge was, only that it is bigger and better (reminds me of Texas, where everything is bigger and better according to the locals). Jazz is now a dish that is served with great passion on Saturday nights at Macumba (which I think means “religion” in Spanish – my Spanish is not that good yet, but I will get there!). I love the fact that they have completely redone the decor and now they have a sophisticated entertainment system that caters for all tastes, sport, music, internet etc.

The challenge that the new owners will face, is that when you are on an island, most people basically want to get tanked as cheaply and as quickly as possible. You will get the occasional oddball (like me) that just want to listen to good jazz for all of about 3 hours once a week, therefore you are not really going to make a bundle out of people like myself. So, over time, it remains to be seen whether Macumba will suffer the same fate as its predecessor – Cohiba Lounge. But, in the meantime I will enjoy its service offerings…

Touched by an elephant

Kitso and his keeper Sifiso

During my vacation in South Africa over the festive season, I had the opportunity to visit the African bushveld with my family. We chose to go to Mpumalanga province on the eastern side of South Africa. In the Cayman Islands, there is very little wild life to speak of, however in South Africa there is an abundance of God’s creatures living in their natural habitat. One of the places that we visited was the Elephant Sanctuary near Hazyview in Mpumalanga province.

The elephants are highly intelligent and have the ability to interact with humans in a friendly and non-threatening manner. You are able to get up close and personal with the largest mammal on African soil, indeed the sanctuary also offers activities such as walking with the elephants and/or riding on top of them. The elephant sanctuary is a family orientated establishment and caters for both young and old. The guides are well versed in elephant folklore and you will find yourself hanging onto every word as they educate you on the lives of these truly great creatures.

If you do visit South Africa, I do highly recommend that you visit the Elephant Sanctuary and you will be guaranteed to walk away with a memorable lifetime experience.

Golf at Bryanston Country Club

Lovely view at BCC

After arriving back in South Africa for my Christmas vacation, I was really itching to play some golf on one of the many beautiful courses in Johannesburg. Cayman Islands only has 2 golf courses and the one is a 9 hole course that can be adapted into an 18 hole course. So, I definitely do miss my golf when I am on island. South Africa on the other hand is developing into “the world’s next golf paradise” according to the National Golf Network there and there are some 456 courses throughout the country with an estimated 120,000 registered golfers. These numbers are strong indicators of how popular golf is in South Africa.

Any back to Bryanston Country Club. It is one of those golf clubs that succesfully blends the traditions of a gone-by era and the latest golf club trends except that you are not allowed to use your cellphone anywhere on the premises. Which by the way, is a good thing. I have been playing at BCC, which is situated in the leafy suburb of Bryanston in Johannesburg north, for the past 10 or so years as a guest. So, I was thrilled when one of my close friends who is a member at the club, invited me to play in a fourball yesterday morning at the crack of dawn.

Clubhouse BCC

I had not played at BCC for more than a year, but I found it still immaculately maintained and relatively inexpensive compared to the Cayman Islands. (I paid a total of US$40 for my round including lunch and caddie fees). A great feature of BCC is the natural beauty of the landscape, the trees and the water features. The food is great and the 19th hole is surrounded by wonderful shady trees, so even if your golf is not that great you can still enjoy the after-play socializing in this beautiful setting. I would recommend a round at BCC to any golf enthusiast visiting South Africa.

Christmas In Cayman Islands

Christmas time on the rock is typically the same as anywhere else in the world except that you are on a magical island and life really (and I mean really) moves slowly. Everyone is in a festive mood, especially from 30 November when the hurricane season officially ends and the endless Christmas parties begin. The usual year end office parties take place with great gusto as does the carol singing and christmas tree lighting at various locations on the island. Many of the bars and restaurants get an annual boost to their revenues from the local residents at this time of the year.

The one thing about Christmas time on the Cayman Islands that kind of distinguishes it from other places I have been to during the festive season is that the islanders really know how to light up their houses with the most wonderful christmas lights and decorations. So much so that many houses on Grand Cayman have become a tourist attraction during the festive season for both locals residents and visitors to the island. Another Caymanian tradition, which dates way back is to have “fresh” meat on Christmas day. This goes back to the days when fresh meat was a rarity on the island, and fresh literally means the beast was slaughtered today (in a very human way off course).

Last year I spent my first Christmas on island and had a wonderful time with my wife, this year however I am travelling back home to spend time with friends and family, but I will definitely miss a good old fashioned Carribean Christmas.