Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman It's the second time I've come to this Caribbean island. Here there's the famous Seven Mile Beach, where all the tourists flock to sunbathe right in front of the, if you like, picturesque sight of the cruise ships. The sea is as usual very attractive; I go for a swim too, then a bit of relaxation, carefully avoiding the sun. It's not like me to get skin cancer; a tan is of no use. Anyway, if you're ugly you stay ugly and if you're handsome you stay handsome. Besides, I always wear a hat since I've been bald. Once, before turning 28, there was no problem. With a minibus that passes right behind the beach every half hour, I go back to the port area, precisely into the centre of the town of the same name. Here there's the Cayman dollar, and it's an overseas territory of England.

Here everything is expensive, and being a tax haven there are many banks, and I'd say stuffed with money too, like in Switzerland. There are many little shops; whoever comes ashore for the day from the various cruise ships clears out the local souvenirs. Here, for divers, it's a paradise: besides dolphins you can meet the great manta rays that flutter around you, and which you can touch without any problem. A pity I don't have time, otherwise I'd have taken advantage of it, even though diving here in the Cayman costs you an arm and a leg. Everything here is very expensive, and it's not hard to understand why: everything comes from England, a bit like French Polynesia.

I buy one of those transparent plastic cubes with water and little shells inside, with the words Grand Cayman, to put in my display case; one of the few times I buy for the display case, usually I put in things from the place found on the spot, like the sand etc. The island, of a group of three, is all flat, has no mountains, the vegetation is all based on palms. There are also turtle farms; I haven't quite understood why, to repopulate the sea or to eat them as I saw done in Bali in Indonesia? The sun peeps out at sea and photos in the shade of the four cruise ships abound; a pairing that's too beautiful. There's also the Costa Mediterranea keeping the Italian flag flying, twin of the Atlantica, which I've already used. At the boarding quay of the various tenders you have to be careful to take the one that takes you to the right ship.

Ours takes us to the majesty of the seas of the Royal Caribbean cruise line. From up on the ship, where the pools are, we can still see Seven Mile Beach; not long ago we were down there strolling. Bye bye