Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2019 | Page 136

I’m glad I chose
The Cayman Islands
by Aaron, the Impromptu Traveller
As I sat in my car on the way
home from work, I loosened
the collar on my shirt and
turned up the air. I loved
my job but my brain was
exhausted and my eyes were
heavy even though it was
only Tuesday. As I stared at
the bumper in front of me,
exhaust billowing up into the
sky listening to the newest
episode of my favorite
podcast, I knew it was time
for a break. I wanted to go
somewhere relatively close,
but far enough away from
the stress that the speed of
my life causes. I got home,
sat at my desk and looked
up the best beaches to visit
and instantly I knew where I
would be headed.
Three weeks later, I was on
a plane to Grand Cayman.
I stepped off the plane
immediately feeling the relief
of the warm tropical breeze
rush across my face as my
friend and I waved down
a taxi to our hotel. After a
short 10 minute cab ride
surrounded by trees, we
arrived at our hotel.
From the lobby, I could
see the pool and beyond
it, the aqua blue water. At
that moment I took a deep
breath, immediately releasing
all of my stress into the
ocean breeze. We spent the
better part of the day sitting
by the amazing pool and
soaking up the Carribean
sun, drinking tart Mai Tais
and the most refreshing Pina
Coladas I’ve ever had.
We read up on Seven Mile
Beach before we left, and the
next day decided to check
it out to see what the hype
was all about. After a quick
walk from our room, we
were face to face with one of
the most beautiful beaches
I’d ever seen. We walked
a little farther to get away
from the crowds and I felt
like an Instagram model as
my friend jokingly snapped
picture after picture of me
with the warm white sand
smoothly molding around
my toes, before I headed into
the water. The ocean was so
clear, I could see the lines in
my hands as they bobbed
under the cool Caribbean
water, our bodies too,
swaying back and forth with
fish gliding under our feet as
waves gently lapped against
our bodies.
That night, we decided to
head out to the streets to
check out the local cuisine.
Personally, I don’t feel like
I’ve truly explored another
country until I’ve tried the
unique food they have to
offer. I decided I’d start with
dessert first. The Cayman
Islands are famous for their
Cassava Cake and everything
I’d heard made me more
inclined to try it. The cake
is made of cassava, flour,
milk, vanilla, and a few other
ingredients and all I can say
is, it was delicious! It was a
dense cake, very sweet and
moist, perfect after a long
day of relaxing and soaking
up some sun. We were told
that the cake is so popular
that every year they have a
competition to see who can
make the best one!
After that, we snacked on
some cracked conch, which
is The Cayman Islands’ own
version of fish and chips. It
was amazingly fresh and
the tartar sauce with it was
incredibly creamy. We spent
the next couple days relaxing
and eating, but on our last
full day we decided some
adventure was in order. We
selected a snorkeling tour
and within seconds I knew it
was already worth the price.
Our stop was at Stingray City
and once the boat stopped,
I could see at least thirty
stingrays coming towards the
boat like a dark wave. I was a
little hesitant to get into the
water at first, but eventually
I ended up in the ocean with
these gentle creatures all
around me. I’d never been
this close to stingrays before,
but they were incredibly
docile and friendly as they
curiously surrounded every
one of us and let us pet and
feed them. Once they were
done, we got back on the
boat and spent the rest of
the tour snorkeling among
beautiful reefs filled with
colorful fish and starfish as
the warm breeze tickled our
backs.
The trip was even more
amazing than I’d hoped and
the people couldn’t have been
nicer. If anyone is looking
for a relaxing trip in the near
future, I would highly suggest
The Cayman Islands!