Surely you remember the movie Groundhog Day about a cynical fellow who becomes trapped in a time loop forcing him to relive February 2 (Groundhog Day in the U.S.) repeatedly. Well, I awoke again on Day 3 of our vacation in a time loop, gazing at another gorgeous sunrise and knowing that I would be forced to relive another delightful day in Rum Point.
Rick and I started the day we usually do, with yoga, stretching and a walk. We chose our path to lead us to the area where we had dined the night before – Kaibo.
– and perhaps pause there for some coffee …
Alas, we were too early, and so we did an about face and headed back to the Rum Point Resort (RPR) for a leisurely breakfast on our Terrace.
As we did on Day 2, we did a post-breakfast beach walk – however this day we headed in the opposite direction from the RPR, going northeast. It is a different terrain in this direction, not just pebbles ─ instead of sand and water lapping at your feet ─ but additionally some vicious rocks of the nature we found on our visit to Hell. Water shoes are a “must have” to negotiate this waterfront area.
It is also wise to walk with a trash collection sack in hand. Sadly, as this is the path less traveled with only scattered mansions left vacant off season, all sorts of uninvited debris washes on shore. I’ll spare you the photo.
As our walk was indeed a workout, we opted for a subsequent short swim in the lap pool and did not stray far for lunch. We chose simple fair ─ a mixed green salad with grilled chicken breast ─poolside at the RPR’s Blue Flame.
Of course, their menu additionally offers some more substantial and creative luncheon selections.
Revived by lunch, we set out to have a “never-done-that-before” experience ─ snorkeling!
I am embarrassed to admit that even though we have resided on Grand Cayman Island for over 3 years, we had yet to go snorkeling.
We arrived at Rum Point professionally outfitted with gear and having watched numerous “how to” videos.
Did you know that when wearing fins and attempting to walk on land you should walk backwards to keep from tripping?
The area where we were staying is noted for snorkeling and that day was clear with gentle waters of 86˚F/30˚C. So in we went. I will gracefully admit that I had trouble with the fins. I simply found it too challenging on this first try to walk wearing them over the stone in the shallow water to get to a swimming depth. Thus, I ditched the fins and snorkeled with just mask and snorkel. Note to self: next time either pick a beach that is entirely sand; or enter the water from a dock or a boat with a ladder; or learn how to put on fins after standing waist deep in water.
It was an amazing experience even without the fins. I blissfully paddled around looking at the fish with curiosity, and they looking back at me with curiosity. They were all so cute I wondered how I could possibly ever enjoy eating them again. Then suddenly the pieces of a puzzle fell into place. Rick and I have a dear friend and frequent dinner companion of many years living back in the States whom I came to recognize never ordered fish. He is also an avid scuba diver and snorkeler. I asked myself, could the former be because of the latter?
For our grand finale dining experience in Kaibo, I had made a dinner reservation at Upstairs at Kaibo to partake in some “fine dining.” However, after comparing Upstairs at Kaibo menu offerings with that of the a la cart menu for Kaibo Beach, we elected to stay downstairs for another dinner with our toes in the sand.
By no means were we in error.
Rick ordered one of his favorites – a Margherita Pizza, and I ordered one of my favorites – a Half Roasted Chicken plus a side order of the Blackened Red Snapper that we had enjoyed as part of the prior nights BBQ Dinner.
Everything was sooooooooooooo good!
And just as we had started this day on Rum Point gazing at an amazing sunrise, we ended this day gazing at an amazing sunset.
