The Cayman Islands as they Crest

by Alice Grant Bingner

The moment in 1970 that I discovered this largest of three sand spits lying south of Cuba, I sensed an aura that settled around me. I had island hopped from Jamaica to Trinidad, loved them all, but none gripped me as this one did. Within hours of my arrival I had become obsessed with the desire to live in the earlier era that Grand Cayman represented. I felt as if I'd taken a time step backwards to a simpler life. The Caymanians welcomed me like a belonger, on the one hand, and on the other as someone extra special. One flatterer considered me akin to a queen bee. I was among a handful of American, British, and Canadian expatriates who fell in love at that time with an Eden we were privileged to settle on. Caymanians encouraged us to enjoy the amenities they themselves took for granted. Gratefully, we chose to ignore the occasional inconvenience that came with the territory. We felt honored to live among our hospitable new friends. Many of the expatriates I came to know lived there for years before and after me. This book is to share my witness of the early-on transition of not only Grand Cayman but also its sister islands, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The aura I'd sensed over several years sadly dissipated with modernization, yet the fascination with the trio continues undaunted among the millions who now enjoy the archipelago every year, unaware that it had been an unsophisticated wonderland.. When I moved there, I had no idea what to expect. Every day was a delight to wake up to-sunny and surprising. What a paradise to introduce my edgy teenagers to. They'd be intrigued too, wouldn't they? Against their original rejection, necessity sent them down to me in my paradise. The plot then thickened.