A Week in Grand Cayman, Part two

Hello,

Remember that trip to Grand Cayman I went on? Well, here's part two of my adventure!

One day, we rented a boat to take us to all the good sites. We went to Sting Ray City, Starfish Point, and the Mangrove Forest!

At Starfish Point, we were able to find some starfish and look at them up close! Starfish have a super cool anatomy. When they get scared or freaked out, their exoskeleton hardens like a rock, and when the relax, their exoskeleton relaxes too and they soften a little. Then their tube feet start exploring and suctioning onto their surroundings! Once they have suctioned themselves onto your hand (this happened to me) you can't pull them off. You just have to tap on the top of their body, and they'll stiffen up and let go of you! The only downside to starfish is that they are not very interactive, and they are about as slow as a snail.
The next stop was the Mangrove Forest! There are three different types of mangrove plants, red, white and black mangroves. In Grand Cayman help to protect the island from weather, and so they are valued and protected. FUN FACT: Mangroves get a lot more salt then they need living in the ocean, and each kind of mangrove deals with the excess salt differently. Red mangroves has a sacrificial leaf to which all the extra salt is sent until it dies and falls off. Then the plant chooses a new leaf and the process starts all over again! White and black mangroves excrete the salt through hundreds of tiny pores on their leaves. Cool, right?

Our last stop was by far the best. Sting Ray City. As we slowed to a stop slightly outside the gathering of other boats, I could see tons of dark, round shapes moving under the water. We were told to get out of the boat, but not to wear flippers. In the shallow water, we watched in awe as a sting ray swam right over to the guide, and lifted the tip of its body out of the water. The guide was on his knees in the water, and at eye level with the ray. The tip of the ray came peeking out of the water again, and it stayed there until the guide kissed her on the nose. While holding the ray, the guide told us that her name was Sofie, and that she was his favorite. We learned that she was pregnant, and that she LOVED squid. A Sting ray's mouth is located on the underside of it's body, and they eat like vacuum cleaners - just sucking up whatever is underneath them! Sting rays also have a symbiotic relationship with a fish called the Bar Jack. The Jack receives all the food the sting rays don't want, and in return, they act as a "rearview mirror" for the rays. The Rays aren't really able to see behind them, but if they sense that their partner is scared or fleeing, they will do the same. I got to hold her, pet her, kiss her and feed her. Wow - it was such a wonderful experience! Since Sting Ray City is such a popular tourist attraction, it is estimated that each ray is worth half a million dollars of income to the island per year! After many final goodbye kisses, we got back on the boat. Although we were sad to leave, the smiles on our faces were quite a bit bigger (and our faces were significantly more sunburned) then when we had left the hotel.

It is hard to put into words how wonderful this trip was. A great mix of fun, exciting and educational!
Sofie - I hope to be able to come out to see you again soon!