CAUTION, IGUANA CROSSING

"There are 50,000 people living in grand Cayman, a beach 5.5 miles long, no river, over 400 banks, more than 90 churches, 2 prisons, 7 traffic lights, 1 bridge, and many,many chickens." This is the beginning of a book I found on life in the Caymans this week.


When Emma first drove back into our complex after picking up the rental car she saw the iguana crossing sign and just figured it was one of those funny tourist signs you see. That was until she almost ran over a large iguana in the middle of the parking lot. There are lots of large iguanas that hang out in the parking lot and lots of smaller lizards all around our complex. At first Ellie was afraid of the small lizards and she would make us pick her up when we walked past areas that were known lizard hang outs. Now she is fascinated by the big iguanas, tries to chase them around and wants to pet them!


It has been another busy week. Looking at a lot more houses and we also started looking for a car. Alex and Ellie went to their first day of nursery on Thursday. Alex did a year of nursery back in Muscat but this was Ellie's first day ever. We assumed it would be easier to leave Alex first then take Ellie down to her class. When we all walked into Alex's new class he went to the corner on his own and started playing with some toys. Ellie saw all the three year olds sitting in the corner singing so she walked right over, sat right down in the middle of the group and tried to join in. Next the teacher had them all sit at the tables and she held up a card with animals on it. Ellie jumped up saying "animals, animals" and started naming them before any of the other kids had a chance; "zebra, giraffe, elephant". Finally I had to take Ellie down to her class first. She eagerly made herself at home and Alex and I went back upstairs. After a while he finally settled in and they both had a good day. The only bad moment Ellie had was when she saw Alex in the playground and started crying because she wanted to see her brother! They will be going five mornings a week starting this Monday.

We have also been to the butterfly farm, the mothers playgroup, and spent a lot of time at the many parks with amazing climbing frames. Alex and Ellie are quickly becoming quite the little climbers and enjoying all the big slides. Today Alex had his first real haircut. Up until now Emma has just tried to cut little bits where she could. We have tried the kids hair cut places before but Alex could never be convinced to sit in a toy car to have his hair cut. Today he willingly climbed into the toy airplane and watched "Toy Story 2" while the lady cut his hair. His hair was getting so long it was bothering him when the wind blew and it got in his eyes. He looks much older now with his short hair.

Later in my new book on the Caymans it continues: "There aren't just banks in Grand Cayman. There are many law firms too." Emma has finished her first week of work and is getting busy already. Our future living arrangmenets keep getting more confused as we see more places. There are lots of very nice places we are trying to decide on. We will keep you informed when we have our own place so you can book youor holidays. Hopefully the sun is shining on you too.

No parking brake (Emergency brake) needed

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for us despite our fears about it. With the thought of getting up at 0400 to drive 2 hours down to Heathrow and then a very long day flight we feared the worst. Instead it was lucky 13 for us as everything went right to plan without any hitches. The kids were a bit of a handful on the flight as they usually are on day flights. They don't like to sleep on day flights and they did very little sleeping. By the time we got off the plane after 13 hours cooped up, a lot of people told us how impressed they were with how good the kids were and I just assumed they thought some other kids on the plane must have been mine. The attendants were really good and played with them while we were on the ground in the Bahamas during our stop over. Alex was even invited by the Captain to sit in the cockpit and thought that was really cool! Alex and Ellie also impressed everyone in terminal 5 at Heathrow as they each pulled their own trolley bag through the airport. We were also lucky as we checked in as several of our bags were a few kilos overweight but the lady at the desk never even flinched.

We knew things were looking up as we came in to Nassau, the Bahamas to land as we saw the beautiful shades of blue and the reefs as we landed. That is when the smiles began. We also knew we only had an hour on the ground and then a short flight to the Caymans. We had fantastic views of the blues surrounding the island and the coast as we swooped down to land in George Town. It was a short ride and we were home by the beach. Emma's firm is putting us up for 30 days in a holiday condo on seven mile beach called Villas of the Galleon. We have breakfast every morning on the patio listening to the water on the shore and watching the cruise ships pull into the harbour. The beach starts right at the bottom of our steps.


Saturday morning Emma went to pick up the rental car her firm is providing us for our first thirty. Initially they had a Jeep Wrangler all ready for us. While most of you may think this is the perfect car for the Caymans, it is not the perfect car for 2 kids and a large double pushchair. They found us a more appropriate vehicle and when Emma checked it out she discovered the parking brake (emergency brake, depending on what parts you are from) didn't work. When she pointed it out the man said don't worry about it, the whole island is flat! And he is right too we haven't needed it! We do miss having the mountains which surround you wherever you look in Muscat though. The highest point on the island is about 60 feet above sea level and that is the top of the Ritz-Carlton which is right next to us.

Even amidst paradise and holiday goers we have had lots to get done. We have spent a large part of the week looking for a place to live. We have seen lots of lovely places and have decided to rent for a while until we are fully settled before we think about buying a place. The kids have been very good being dragged from house to house, many full of toys belonging to the owners that they can't just stay and play with. Hopefully by tomorrow we will have made our final choice as we only have three more weeks left in our beachfront condo. We have also been looking for nursery schools for the kids. This is proving more difficult as there is a big shortage of nursery spots on the island. We think we may have found somewhere to start soon and may have spots at a beautiful Montessori for Alex and Ellie starting in September.

We are quickly finding our way around as it is not a large island. The Caymans is a British Overseas Territory. The only way you would know is we drive on the left side of the road. The cars however, are about half right side drive and half left side drive. It is only really a problem at the drive-thru as they are all set up for vehicles driven on the right side of the car. Electricity, TV, stores and most of the accents would lead you to believe you were in the U.S.


Emma starts work on Monday so the long break is quickly ending. Eric had an interview for the head of maths post at St Ignatius Catholic School. The interview went very well and they asked him to come back and teach an A level class. That also went well and Eric has the job as head of maths to start in September with the new school year. Everything is falling nicely into place.

We have had lots of fun with the kids playing at some wonderful parks, on the beautiful beaches and tonight we had dinner at a popular weekend hang out spot. The second largest skate park in the world is here in the Caymans and you can have dinner and watch the big kids skate. You could see it in Ellie's eyes that she already wants a skateboard of her own! There is also an artificial surf park next door. Alex and Ellie had a great time playing with all the kids as it is a big family hang out in the evenings on weekends. We have the kids begging to go to sleep before their normal bedtime, which is good, as the first few mornings they were up very early because of the jet lag. (Our first morning they had us up at 0230.) Most evenings we sit and watch the amazing sunsets and many evenings the old pirate sailing ship heads across the sun as it fades away.

English ABC's

A is for animals which Ellie just adores. Unfortunately in Muscat there was a small selection of animals for her to see. We had friends with dogs and there were lots of bin cats in the neighborhood and you could see camels or goats around in some places but that was about it. Not even a zoo to go see. One day we went to the Twycross Zoo to see some new animals. Alex and Ellie loved seeing the elephants, giraffes, lions, penguins, sea lions, lots of monkeys and even the camels. (The camels were from Asia and very different from the Arabian camels they are used to seeing.) By the end of the day Ellie was exhausted and sitting in the push chair as we watched the chimps. It was a wonderful scene Ellie in the push chair right up against the glass and a chimp came up and sat right on the other side with his arms folded examining Ellie.



One day we went to Hoar Park to see the farm animals. Alex and Ellie had a blast feeding the huge variety of chickens, ducks, deer, goats and other animals. Alex and Ellie were far braver than mummy in letting the deer and goats eat the food right off their hands. There was also a very not-pretty boar that got a lot of giggles and pictures!


On another day we took the train into Birmingham to the National Sea Life Centre. There were lots of sharks, rays, turtles and otters. Alex and Ellie also enjoyed seeing the real life versions of their friends from "Finding Nemo" which is one of their favorite movies. Alex was very brave again and enjoyed touching the crab in the tide pool several times. There were also lots of visit to the park in town to feed the ducks. Not only do the ducks get feed well but the kids seem to enjoy stale bread as much as the ducks.

B is for buses over which Alex always fusses. Alex loves all things motorised; cars, planes, trains and buses. He likes to ride them, watch them and play with his small versions. Since Ellie likes to do everything Alex does, she is also into motorised transport. There are no trains and not many opportunities to ride buses in Muscat. About the only time we ride a bus is at the airport to get to the airplane. Emma, Alex and Ellie went on the bus into Leicester with nana and da Tonks one day while Eric rested his foot. The only purpose of the trip was to ride the bus and the kids had a great time. A trip with presents to the Disney store in Leicester added to a great day out. We rode the train into Birmingham going to the Sea Life Centre and today we took the train back to Leicester with nana and da for a day out. Alex and Ellie just have a blast riding on the trains.

C is for castles and the one in Warwick is fantastical. Last Sunday we met our good friends the McCarters who are now living in England at Warwick Castle. While the weather quickly turned very wet we all had a great time roaming this awesome site. It looks like a castle should and it is full of displays of all types of weapons and costumes. Alex and Eric even managed to make it up and down the narrow winding stairs of the large turrets, albeit with a little help from the McCarters. Alex and Ellie enjoyed the knights on horses and playing with the McCarter boys. We enjoyed a scrumptious traditional English roast for lunch to top it off.


V is for visa which we now have. On Monday Emma heard the news we were anxiously awaiting; her work visa had come through. This means that Friday morning, the 13th we will be winging towards the Caymans, due to touch down Friday evening in Georgetown. We have all had fun in England. Alex and Ellie have loved being able to play with their big cousins Ben and Beth. The weather has mostly been dry and not too cold so we have been able to get out and do lots with Emma's family and do things we couldn't in Muscat. It looks like our long journey chasing the sun westward is finally coming to an end for now. See you on the other side.

The end is just another beginning

"The end is just another beginning" came from a t-shirt I got at my hostel in Perth, Australia, my first stop after I got out of the Marine Corps in 1999. This was also about a week before I first met Emma not far from Melbourne. It seems it is fast becoming the family moto.

We had a lovely stay at the Shangri-La hotel outside Muscat. It took us a little longer to get there as it was hard work getting everything out of the house and sorted. By Thursday night we were settled in a lovely family room and the kids were already in the pool. We had a lovely dinner with friends who came out to see us. Friday and Saturday were spent mostly in the pool. The kids had a lovely time and were the first in the pool every morning and would not come out until we dragged them out well after dark and everyone long gone. We had lots of friends come out to see us and spend some time in the pool and at the beach with us. Alex and Ellie enjoyed the chance to play with their friends one more time. Eric also managed to start walking without his crutches for short distances. After the weeks of hard work, frustration and tension of trying to get packed and sorted we were relaxed, recharged and ready for the big adventure.

Saturday night we were off to the airport. We managed to get our eight large suitcases, two car seats, one double push chair, the four of us and Latha into the hotel van. It was a tight fit and we thought we might need another van. Latha had stayed with us at the hotel and was coming to help at the airport and see the kids off. She had already been in tears the last few days as she is going to really miss the kids. The plan is she will join us in the Caymans but we can't get her visa until after we arrive. That means it might be a couple months before she can make it out.

Muscat is a long, narrow city squeezed by the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. That means most of Muscat is not far from the main highway that runs its length. As we headed down the highway towards the airport in the dark, I wanted to join Alex and Ellie as they dozed in their seats, not realizing how long it would be until they could finally get a good sleep. Instead I was flooded by warm memories of Muscat and friends as the lights whizzed by. Everywhere I could see our memories of the last few years, just off the road among the lights. Places we had lived, friends' houses, work, eating out and playing were quickly slipping into the past. The only conversation was talk about how we have to come back when the kids are older so they can see where they are from and we can see how much has changed.

We managed to get all our stuff through the airport and get all our departure paperwork done very smoothly. After so many bumps and obstacles trying to get ready to go, our last hours were finally going smoothly. Alex had to keep telling Latha as he has all week "Latha crying, no Latha cry!". It was difficult for her to say goodbye, even knowing we will see her again soon. We flew British Airways from Muscat to Heathrow with a stop on the ground in Abu Dhabi. The kids finally fell asleep somewhere around Abu Dhabi which was about 0100.

Our trip all went very smoothly and Emma's parents were there to meet us. With all our stuff they had to come down in two cars. We arrived at Heathrow's new terminal five which just opened last year. Even if you have not been through it, you probably heard all about its problems when it first opened. It is beautiful and new but why do you build a new terminal without walkways to get on and off airplanes? In the land of rain? That is usually the mark of a small or primitive airport when you have to walk down the stairs and get on a bus to get off the plane as you do in Muscat still. This struck me even more as I was still using my crutches to help me get around. Alex's first remark as we walked to the bus to take us to the terminal was "no rain". He still remembers England as the land of rain and we were glad it was dry as we walked down the stairs to the bus.

The kids are pretty much over their jet lag and enjoying their time in England. We will let you know what we are up to here in the land of rain soon. Thanks to all our friends in Muscat for a wonderful time and we are looking forward to our new beginning!