Bye “Bobo”, Hello “Bye”

“Bobo” is a Caymanian term of endearment for a close and personal friend, the object of one’s affection, a woman’s pet name for a boyfriend or close male friend.

“Bye” in Bermuda is a male child. “Ace bye” is the Bermudian equivalent to the Caymanian “Bobo”.

Six years, six jobs and I recently said “Bye Bobo” to the Cayman Islands.

My life is always a series of serendipitous events. I end up in places where I never intended to be and doing things I never set out to do.

The Journey

Six years ago I was taking the scenic route back to Trinidad and Tobago, the land of my birth, after my tour of duty in Bermuda, which lasted a very brief eleven years, when someone put forward a proposal of sorts in the form of a question: “Why don’t you come to the Cayman Islands?” He went on further: “There are plenty of jobs here for people with your qualification and experience, additionally the ex-pats all head to the cocktail bars at 5 in the afternoon to imbibe and watch the sunset.”

Sounds appealing right? I certainly thought so. I filled out the necessary paperwork for a temporary job placement and received a work permit in record time. I therefore changed sails, I charted a different course.

I landed in the Owen Roberts International Airport with two pieces of luggage on April 30, 2013 and started a new job the very next day.

The Exit

I left Cayman Islands vía the same airport on April 20, 2019, with 5 pieces of luggage and I am still awaiting 7 boxes of just personal effects to be shipped to Bermuda. How and why did I accumulate so much stuff as a transient person? I keep insisting that every item is necessary for my well being.

The In Between

Whilst the promise of leaving the office at 5 p.m. each day did not pan out, I did experience many spectacular sunsets. Cayman Islands’ sunsets can only be rivaled by those I’ve seen on the Serengeti and in Zanzibar.

Stingray City

One cannot visit the Cayman Islands nor live there without doing the boat expedition to Stingray City.

Stingray City  is a series of shallow sandbars found in the north sound of Grand Cayman. It is a tourist attraction where southern stingrays are found in abundance and visitors can pet and interact with the animals. There are two sandbars, one which is in the shallows and the other one which is deeper and where it’s possible to dive with stingrays.

I never drummed up enough courage to kiss a stingray but I got close and personal enough.

Legend has it that if you kiss a stingray you would have seven years of good luck.

West Ends vs East End

Living the the West End of the Island, I always relished the idea of making road trips to the East End and stopping off at the blow holes for photo ops.

Just before I left the Island, I had Sunday brunch at Tukka Restaurant, where the fare includes many exotic meats including the green iguana, which has become a national problem, but is being addressed as I write. My only regret was that I didn’t dine there earlier. Taylor Swift was spotted there a few years ago.

One of the things to do at Tukka is to feed the frigate birds, which congregate around 5 p.m for their dinner.

Do you know the direction?

Batabano, Pirates Week and Kaaboo

Batabano and Pirates Week are two of the signature events held in the Cayman Islands. Batabano is Cayman’s Carnival held the first weekend in May every year.

Former Ms Cayman

Pirates Week is celebrated in November each year.

Kaboo is of more recent vintage and was held for the first time in February 2109. It is envisioned that this would be an annual event.

My favorite vegan restaurants are in Cayman Islands. I would certainly miss the varied mangoes and vegetables.

Tomatoes grown locally

The Three Islands

Cayman Islands consists of three islands, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, with Grand Cayman being the main one. Little Cayman is the smallest of the three with only about 300 residents year round.

The Bluff – Cayman Brac

Yoga Retreat

I always looked forward to attending the Yoga Retreat in January of each year in Little Cayman.

Back To The Triangle

It has only been a week since I have been back in Bermuda and I am trying to reacquaint myself with the landscape and the old haunts.

I have already taken a ride on the ferry from Hamilton to Dockyard.

The iconic Johnny Barnes

Photos were taken with my iPad and iPhone The frames were done using PS Express app.

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and instagram account: comewithg4649