Day 2:
Our first stop was the Cayman Islands, famous for being a rat hole for the rich. We weren't really expecting much from this stop and hadn't booked a tour. This was the first time on a cruise that we got off the ship using a tender. This is like a floating double decker bus and not a strip of chicken which is what pops into my head.
Despite the rough weather it was very warm. In fact given the time of year we normally go on holiday I think this is the first time where it was considerably warmer outside no matter what time you went out. Normally if you go out in the pre dawn you get a nice chill but this was oppressively warm ALL the time.
As the sun was shining Lyn said I needed a hat so we went into the first tat shop we came across and paid $25 for a $5 hat! It was the most touristy one I could find and the lady in the shop laughed when I put it on which was, as I told her, exactly the reaction I was after.
We walked around a bit but honestly there's not much to see in George Town. Its mostly very over priced shops. Disappointingly for Lyn the Pandora Shop had sold out of destination charms. Speaking to someone later in the cruise they said that if you get past the main tourist area the prices get better, which is the same in every tourist town, but I certainly can't be bothered to make that sort of effort to save a few dollars.
We eventually ended up in The Silverside Restaurant and Rum Bar which is just down from The HardRock Cafe (which was packed with Americans from the other 2 cruise ships 🤷♂️). I had a beer and a fish sandwich which comprised of grilled snapper. It’s very nice, a bit like mackerel but better. Lyn had a Pina Colada which she described as ‘bloody nice’. She said that's probably how they’re supposed to be made.
Trying to find a bit of art proved tricky mostly because of price's. In the end we got something from a local artists in a shop called 3 Girls and a Kiln. It was way over priced (like 3x what it's worth) but fulfilled our criteria and was in walking distance of where we were prepared to go.
The Cayman Islands was a stop that neither of us expected to be very good and on that score we weren’t disappointed. It’s expensive as I suspect the rest of the Caribbean will be. My abiding memory will be the fish sandwich which despite the price was very good and at least 'felt' authentic.
In the evening we had dinner in one of the not included restaurants, the Surf and Turf Stake House. We got chatting to the manager who wasn’t that keen on the Caribbean and preferred Europe. In particular she liked the UK and missed Poundland and Primark. Not sure what that says about the UK when the highlight for someone are the discount stores.
Day 3: Sea Day.
After a very hearty dinner at Surf & Turf the night before I managed to sleep until 5am. I don’t know if the sea was a little calmer, or we were just getting use to it, or the fact the ship was travelling at half the speed it was the previous night. In any case we both had a better sleep.
The main dining room was open for breakfast at 8:30 and I decided to have the days speciality, a kipper, for breakfast because why not. What was brought out was probably the most disappointing thing I’ve ever had on holiday. Even the waitress looked at it and said ‘I’m so sorry would you like something else?" After that mammoth disappointment we went back to the buffet so I could actually have some breakfast. The whole incident has become known as "Kipper-gate" and is now used in connection with anything bad happening e.g. "Look at that my legs just fallen off... It's just like 'kipper-gate' all over again."
There was a lecture about Havana in the show lounge so we went to that. It seems that unless you actually ask you don’t get your passport stamped in Cuba. This technically means that as long as you didn't mind missing out the fact you'd visited, you can still visit the US without having to go through a full visa process which would entail a trip to the embassy in London and a cost of $180. I honestly have no desire to visit the US, been there, don't want to go again so it doesn't bother me. The fact is there's no real reason for Cuba to be on the list other than the US is a f'ing child who can't stand to see other countries, especially those they perceived as 'enemies', doing well without first kowtowing to them. There are far more interesting and better places in the world to visit other than the US of A. See them instead.
Lunch was more successful and was accompanied with lots of wine. Lyn is getting into the rose’ wine and of course the cocktails. In the evening we put on our smart clothes as it was dress to impress night and had a nice chat with a couple who were on their second week. They told us the weather had been far worse the week before. We had planned to see a show but it had already started by the time we finished dinner and Lyn said it would be rude to walk in.
Comentarios