Cayman Brac Holiday Weekend

We haven't posted for a while as things have been very busy here. The start of classes, work on the second accreditation report and completion of the Caribcert program have been taking up most of our time. Today is National Heroes Day in Cayman and is a national holiday. Katie and I took advantage of the holiday weekend to get away for a couple of days to one of the sister islands Cayman Brac. Located about 90 miles northwest of Grand Cayman, "the Brac" as it is referred to by Caymanians has a much more Caribbean feel than Grand Cayman which can sometimes feel like Miami south. The Brac was actually the spot where Christopher Columbus in 1503 discovered the Cayman Islands and claimed them for Spain. He sailed along the Northern coast of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman the third island in the group which is located about 5 miles west of the Brac. There were no inhabitants other than turtles until 1833, though pirates often used the two sister Islands before they were settled to hide their booty and make repairs.

We flew over on Saturday morning at 7:45 a.m. on a small prop plane that seated 18 people and was packed. The flight took less than 40 minutes and by 8:30 we had arrived and gotten our luggage. A short cab ride took us to the Brac Reef resort where we had gotten a special deal they give to locals, two nights plus the flight plus the Saturday evening dinner. One of the reasons Katie chose this resort was the bike rentals. It turned out that the bikes were free for guests so after we checked in and unpacked we headed out to explore the Island. We had brought our own bike helmets and our water bottles so we were in great shape for a long exploratory ride.

Cayman Brac is a long thin island that looks a lot like a piece of rice. It rises from sea level on the western side where we stayed up a bluff that gets to 140 feet at the eastern edge of the Island. We rode our bikes from the southwestern corner where our resort was located over the western edge of the bluff and to the north side of the island about a 1 and a half mile ride. We stopped at the local market and had sandwiches for lunch. Feeling adventurous we set out east on the northern road. The bluff is full of caves that were and sometimes still are used by locals to hide in during storms. We stopped at a cave called Half Way Ground Cave (see picture to the right) and went exploring. You could walk well into the cave without flashlights (next time we go we are bringing flashlights to explore deeper). We then biked to the road in the middle of the Island that cuts over the bluff and connects the north and south side. Heading back west on the southern road we came to the Bat Cave which went deep into the southern side of the bluff. We explored as far as we could with the natural light, we saw one bat very briefly fly into the darkness but otherwise didn't see the bats or owls that live in the cave.

Arriving back at the hotel after our approximately 12 mile bike ride we decided to take advantage of the hammocks that were set up throughout the beach and read and sleep. Saturday night we walked to the western edge of the Island and watched the sunset then headed back to the resort for the Saturday dinner. Dinner included lobster bisque, seafood newburg, beef wellington and many side dishes. After our active day it was a great way to wind down.

Before going to the Brac everyone had said you couldn't get to the top of the bluff unless you rented a car. We took that as a challenge. Sunday morning we got up and after eating breakfast got on our bikes headed to the summit of the bluff. Saturday afternoon we had gone back to the market and picked up granola bars, apples and two 64 oz bottles of Gatorade. We refilled our 64 oz water bottles as well and were well stocked with energy food and liquids. Saturday evening we had watched some of the discovery channel before going to dinner and it was showing an episode on Everest and interviewing people who had summitted. We decided that with everyone telling us we couldn't do without a car, the bluff (yes all 140 feet of it) was our Everest and were going sans the auto.

We started off great and less than an hour into our ride were over half way there. Then disaster struck. The bikes were only one speed and with chains that had rusted from salt exposure. As I headed up a sharp incline my chain cracked, rendering the bike useless. We had brought our cell phone so we called the resort to come get the bikes. I told Katie I was sorry it loked like our summit would have to wait but Katie was undaunted. She suggested we hike the 6 remaining miles up the bluff to the lighthouse that sat on the eastern edge. With plenty of liquids and food and feeling like we wanted to finish what we had started we set out on our trek. It took us about three hours to get from the parrot preserve where my bike broke to the lighthouse. Along the way we actually deviated from the shortest route cutting over to an old path used by the lightkeepers before the road was built. The path went through shrub land and over black coral a beautiful but often difficult hiking trail. When we got to the eastern bluff we were met with incredibly beautiful scenery and breathtaking overlook.
The lighthouse, which is actually just a light not the traditional house and light, sits near a brown booby bird nesting site and we could see the birds nesting on the bluff in amongst the rocks. We took pictures, ate our apples and feeling like we had accomplished a lot headed back west. The trip back to the resort was over 15 miles with the winding road and having already walked seven miles we didn't expect to make it. Our goal was go as far as we could then call for a cab. We hiked for about two hours from the lighthouse making it back to the parrot preserve our starting point for the hike when we both reached our limit. We called the resort for a ride and while waiting for it to arrive actually got to see some Brac parrots eating on a tree near the road.

Dinner Sunday night was at the Tipsy Turtle Pub but after a seven mile ride and 14 mile hike we didn't care what we were eating, we just chugged it down. We headed back to the hammocks on the beach and enjoyed another sunset over the water. This morning we went out cayaking on the southern side of the Island, something Katie has been wanting to do for a while. We played some ping pong and then checked out. With only 18 people to check in we didnt have to go to the airport until 30 minutes before our flight. This was a really incredible vacation and we will definitely be heading back to the Brac again. We plan to go to Little Cayman in May and see the third island in the group.