Cruise – Day 3
Today was an outstanding day!
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| A tender boat took us from our cruise ship to the pier of Cayman Island |
Today’s port of call was Cayman Island. We chose this cruise because of this port of call as we have heard much about this little island country.
Because the cruise ship could not dock right at the pier of
Cayman Island, a tender boat was used to ferry passenger from the ship to the
pier.
We were up at 7am, ate breakfast and was ready to board the tender boat taking us to Cayman Island.
The day before, we wanted to book an excursion on Cayman
Island which involved taking tourists to the famous Sandbar to meet the
stingrays face to face and to do some snorkeling.
But the tours were sold out. Therefore, we planned to do a walking tour instead.
At 9:45am, we landed on the pier of Cayman Island.
A lady came up to us offering us the same tour at a much cheaper price than the one who wanted to book on the cruise ship. We were a little hesitant, unsure if this was a hoist.
So before we gave her the cash for this tour, I took pictures with my cell phone of her brochure, company and her ID badge. I
Just in case, she took our money and there was no tour; we could report her to the local police.
But the tours were sold out. Therefore, we planned to do a walking tour instead.
At 9:45am, we landed on the pier of Cayman Island.
A lady came up to us offering us the same tour at a much cheaper price than the one who wanted to book on the cruise ship. We were a little hesitant, unsure if this was a hoist.
So before we gave her the cash for this tour, I took pictures with my cell phone of her brochure, company and her ID badge. I
Just in case, she took our money and there was no tour; we could report her to the local police.
10:30am, we boarded a mini van and transferred to a tour boat which took us to the famous Sandbar.
The boat ride was about 45 minutes.
Stingrays could hurt people if they are provoked or attacked.
The tour guide gave us specific instructions what to do and how to handle the stingray so that we would not hurt or frighten it. Each one of us got to touch this sea creature and kissed it for good luck.
Some of the passengers were scared of the stingray at the beginning but we soon all got used to them as they were swimming around and under us.
It was amazing!
The water was warm and crystal clear; the stingrays were gentle.
The tour guide arranged for each one of us an opportunity to touch and kiss the stingray!
How about that!
After we touched the stingray, we stayed in the shallow
water and swam around.
As I was swimming, I felt a big stingray swimming on top of me, its smooth slippery body riding and touching my body.
I was nervous.
I was afraid that it might be frightened and attacked me. I kept very quiet, steady, and continued swimming but I slowed down my pace.
Finally, the stingray swam over me and I reached our boat. People who saw what happened were amazed and some came to see if I was all right.
As I was swimming, I felt a big stingray swimming on top of me, its smooth slippery body riding and touching my body.
I was nervous.
I was afraid that it might be frightened and attacked me. I kept very quiet, steady, and continued swimming but I slowed down my pace.
Finally, the stingray swam over me and I reached our boat. People who saw what happened were amazed and some came to see if I was all right.
I recovered from my fear and I was fine. Keeping calm under unexpected circumstances is vital.
After our encounter with the stingrays, our tour boat took us to the coral reef area to do some snorkeling.
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| Ready for my first snorkeling adventure on this trip! |
I was excited!
I have not done snorkeling for a long time. I wondered if I still remembered what to do.
Before I went down the water, I practised breathing with the snorkeling equipment.
Since we were snorkeling in more than 12 feet deep of water, we were encouraged to wear a life vest. I did and this gave me more confidence.
With my snorkeling equipment on, I dove down into the water.
I saw the active life under water, fish of all kinds darting around, corals of different size sitting at the bottom of the sea.
I recalled vividly the happy snorkeling experience we had in Fiji years ago.
I felt young and alive!
This was an activity I did when I was much younger and I was doing it again on this trip.
It felt great to be able to do the things I used to do.
I was happy that I was willing to give it a try after all these years.
We got back to the snorkeling boat
The tour guide took us to a quick tour of the island.
We saw many beautiful houses along the oceanfront.
We also saw an iguana suntanning itself along the shore of the island!
Life is about taking calculated risks.
I was willing to take some risks today and tried these activities. I regained some confidence of my abilities!
We went back to the ship. It was still too early for dinner.
We went to explore the 9th floor and watched the sunset!
It was a fabulous day; we had a fantastic time!
R.T.
Cayman Island
Our 1st Port of Call
Caribbean Cruise
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