Cayman Island

We arrive bright and early to the islands.  We had to be tendered in again.  There are 3 islands  in the Grand Cayman's.  This is the island where all the money is. Our tour guild said there are over 700  banks in Georgetown.

I decided to take the "Cayman Island Heritage Discovery" tour.  First stop was the Pedro Castle, which is know as the birthplace of democracy and the end of slavery. It is located on the ocean in the small town of Savannah.  It was built by the Englishman William Eden more then 200 years ago. The gentleman that gave our first few facts about the "castle" is a direct descendant of  William Eden.  

The  area inside the whole balcony is made of 18 inch thick walls, and is 3  stories.  There  is a  jail cell in the lower right hand corner. The view of the ocean was fabulous. Through the years (over 200) the building has been damaged by fire and hurricanes  It has stood the test of time.

Our second stop was Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.   What a beautiful place.   There were a lot of flowers in bloom.  The ponds had water lilies and ducks.

The botanic garden is famous for blue iguanas.  They were beautiful.  Who knew they could be.  This one is named Mary and was quite friendly.  She let our tour guild feed her flowers.  While touring the gardens, we did come upon several more.  It is said there is one on the grounds that is 6 feet long.  There are signs all around to watch out for them.  They love to sleep in shady places, like under cars.  There are big fines and jail time if you are caught killing one.   

As usual, I have to take a few pictures of flowers.  This is a form of ginger.                                                                          

The lighthouse restaurant is a popular spot for fine dining.                                                                                                      

There were 6 cruise ship in the harbor.  They are working on the  ship terminals, so we were all tendered in.  The last  tender for our ship was at 1:30 in the afternoon.

This flower is referred to as the Lobster Claw.

Here is the famous Shoe Tree.  After Hurricane Ivan the land and houses in this area was all destroyed.  One of the former residents  put a shoe on the tree in memory of the hurricane  People are still adding shoes to it.  

This was my birthday day.  I had a lot of fun and enjoyed everything.

Mary