Saturday was our first full day off (well Deb's first full day off) and even with our very late friday night we had many plans for the day. Debi finally let me do something historical and we went to visit Pedro St. James or Pedro Castle . Of course that was not our first stop. We had to stop along the coast to take some pictures. This is some of the leftover damage from Hurricane Ivan that hit the island in 2004. As Deb and I traveled to the far side of the island you can still see downed trees and many shells of houses. A lot of them were flooded so the outsides still remain but there is nothing left inside. Many people cannot afford the repairs so they just sit there.
It was then on to Pedro St. James.
Pedro Castle is the oldest existing stone structure and dwelling in the Caymans and was home to some very important moments in Cayman history. It was built in 1780 by an englishman named William Eden with slave labour from Jamaica. It is referred to as the Birthplace of Democracy. Really it is the equivalent to the US' Independence Hall or Government House in Charlottetown. The Caymans (being part of the British West Indies) were under British control but many on the island felt that Britain did not care and was too far away to control the island with thier laws and such. Many locals felt there should be five districts represented on the Island. In 1831, several men on the island gathered at Pedro Castle to create the representative stucture of the island. On December 31, 1831 the first meeting of the legislative assembly also met at Pedro St. James. Over the years Pedro Castle would play host to jail cells, a court room, a meeting room as well as living quarters for several families.
It was in this room at Pedro St. James that the Constitution of the Cayman Islands was written.
This the small window into one of the jail cells.
It was on these steps where in 1835 the emancipation proclomation ending slavery in the Caymans was read.
Debi didn't actually last that long with all the exciting historical info (apparently love of history does NOT run in the family) so here she is enjoying some shade while I finished reading everything.
We then headed to the Botanical gardens but had to stop at the Iron Shore for some pictures first. What an amazing place. The water was so blue, the area was so quiet and the breeze off the water made the heat tolerable.
A couple shots from the Iron Shore
Next stop was at the Botanical Garden. This is not only home to some beautiful flowers but also home to the Blue Iguanas. You will probably never see a blue iguana in the wild because they are an endangered species but there are protected in the gardens and wander about as they please. Now I had my eyes peeled for them because they bite and they are giant lizards and well that kind of freaks me out. Of course we were there about 3 minutes when I walked around a corner and jump about 6 feet when I saw my first iguana. Of course we still took a whole lot of pictures of him. He seemed very use to having people around and had no issues with Deb and I wandering around him with our cameras.
I was not even getting this close, but Debi didn't seem to mind. The little iguana didn't seem to either (of course little is a relative term). He was quite camera friendly.
The garden is also full of some very pretty flowers and an old Cayman dwelling. It was set up to show what life on the island would have be like many years ago. It was actually moved to the gardens from another part of the island. Very interesting to know that all the kitchens were separated from the main part of the house. I figured it was because it would keep the houses a little bit cooler but I also learned that it was for fire prevention. There is a lot of fried cooking in the Caymans so if the kitchen caught on fire, the separation would help protect the rest of the house.
Me along the walkway to the old Cayman dwelling....it is lined with conch shells.
I magine sweeping the floor with this.
A couple shots of some flowers. Can you spot the bee in this one?
We are too pretty for the island aren't we?
From there we headed to the Mission House in Bodden Town. In the 1700's settlers used the house and area for its abundant waterfowl and supply of water (it happens to sit on a supply of fresh water that is now protected by the National Trust). In the 1800's it was used by missionaries, teachers and families and contributed to the establishment of the Prebyterian ministry and school in Bodden Town. It was in this building that schooling started with the teaching of teachers throught the Presbyterian church.. The lady who works there is very interesting...and very opinionated. I think we would have enjoyed the history a little more without her side commentary however it was till very neat to see. It is set up now to show the life and history of the three main families who lived there. Lots of orginal artifacts from the families and all that kind of stuff.
Next stop was in downtown Georgetown to await a sunset boat ride. Basically Deb got a text from her friend Scotty saying we were going on a sunset boat ride, but no other details. Deb and I had no idea what we would be doing. It turned out we were heading out to sail the bay on a Pirate ship...the very same Pirate ship I had taken pictures of my first day on the beach. How much fun did we have. It is one of those cruises where you pay a flat fee, get on the boat to enjoy the sunset......and an open bar. (Some of you may refer to it as a Booze Cruise) Deb and I may have had a drink or 2 and enjoyed another wonderful sunset, and some dancing and had a great time with a bunch of people I just met.
The ship coming into port.
Deb and I on the ship
Deb and Scotty
A couple sunset pictures.
Once the ship returned to port, we headed home..........of course we didn't. The sunset cruise ended at 8pm........the bars didn't close until midnight so we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for some dancing, followed by some more dancing at Calico Jacks.
The thing about the Caymans though is that saturday night everything closes as midnight....so everyone can get up sunday morning and go to church....or in Debi's case work. It is probably a good thing that things close early or Deb may not have made it to the Ritz that next day.
Crazy Cayman nights....there is nothing else like them.
Julie
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