When the Rains Came

Our first flight took us to Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman Islands. Then we caught a smaller plane for a 40 minute flight to Cayman Brac or as the locals call it, the Brac.

On our approach, the sun had set and nightfall was coming on quickly, coincidently, there was a rainsquall moving through, so the pilot advised us he was going to circle a couple of times and we'd wait it out. As we circled and circled, it grew darker and darker with no landing strip lights in sight. The thought of having to head back to Grand Cayman was on our mind, and it wasn't a pleasant one. But, when the conditions were right, the runway lights came on and down we went to a bumpy landing and spontaneous applause for the pilot.

Our 13 hour travel day ended with an uneventful drive up the Island to our rental accommodation, Featherstone House. They drive on the left here in the Caymans, which for us is a challenge having spent a lifetime driving on the right side.

Next day, we ventured out and about, picking up groceries and getting oriented. It's a largely under developed island and traffic was light. We visited the lighthouse site, arguably the most notable tourist attraction, viewing the sea from atop the bluff.

There were Brown Footed Boobies nesting there. The young with their white fluffy feathers are as large the parent birds. It looks funny to see the parent feeding another bird its own size.

Then we dropped down to the sea to experience the bluffs from below.

The skies were threatening but we ventured along the rocky beach, combing as we went. When out of reach of the car, we could see a rainsquall approaching with certainty. Our options were limited, and the best one involved a gentle climb to some caves in the bluff wall. This wasn't an original idea; folklore has it, many caves have been used for shelter here during hurricanes.

We arrived before the rain and took refuge. The caves were not particularly deep but provided all the protection we needed. There were climbing rings just outside the mouth that would take climbers further up the wall.

 Thirty minutes later, the weather had cleared so we could complete our beachcombing.

Fortunately, the rains came at opportune times, first to give us an adventure in the sky and then again to take us to some caves we may not otherwise have been motivated to reach.

Click here for the next story in this series: No Parrots and No Blood