There was never anything actually here. No plantations, so no slave trade and the resultant colourful heritage that typifies other Caribbean island nations. It also means there is no race animosity. They don’t even manage to have a Grand chip on their shoulder. They don’t have a mountain, or hill even, but you do get the distinct feeling that all kinds of things are happening below the surface. It’s a multi-layered society.
The 2 pillars of the economy are banking, with over 500 banks registered here, and many international businesses. Wouldn’t be the tax haven status of course! The second pillar is tourism.
Being a well known tax haven, there are armies of solicitors and accountants living here. Swamps have been drained, filled, ‘canaled’ and beautiful homes built, most with pontoons with expensive power cruisers and sports fishing boats attached. There is an unmistakable colonial, expatriate feel about the place and those people earn serious money, tax free, and have a wonderful life.
The tourism side relies heavily on the continual flow of cruise ships. There are a number of expensive resorts here, but the island lives for the day the cruise ship comes in.
Yesterday we had Disney Fantasy. As cruise ships go she is a beauty. What a contrast to the little welded box of boatpeople that was just 500 yards away the day before. They were from Cuba hoping to get to America, obviously not by navigation!!! They were spirited away before the cruise ship anchored.
Sometimes there are 2 ships in, but usually one at a time, about 3 or 4 per week. They slip in and drop anchor a few hundred yards from us early in the morning, and they’re gone again by the evening.
George Town springs to life to make the most of the day’s cash splash.
Boats line up to ferry thousands of passengers to shore and for a day the many expensive jewellery, clothing, cigar, alcohol, ‘craft’ shops and T-shirt outlets do a roaring trade. The tourists churn through as though there'll be some horrible punishment if they fail to spend every penny of their holiday budgets.
All the dive and snorkel boat operators are loaded up to bursting, as are the underwater observatory boats. Jolly Roger, our little pirate ship neighbour charges around taking out group after group of 21st century pirates. I don’t know that this place ever had any actual pirate history, but hey, don’t let that get in the way of a good fantasy! (In fact every year they celebrate by having Pirate Week. It’s a big thing starting with pirates kidnapping the governor of Cayman Islands, and a week later he is rescued after numerous plank walkings etc.)
The taxis run passengers up the coast to a variety of bars and restaurants right on the beaches. Patrons have lovely experiences and Kodak moments, and pay dearly for them.
As the day draws to an end the ship blasts it’s fog horn to rally the masses and they all make their way back out to their 5 star floating hotel.
No doubt tomorrow they’ll wake up in Jamaica or somewhere and do it all again. It seems so contrived and crassly commercial. I’m sure they all go home saying, “We’ve seen the Cayman Islands. It was great. A bit pricey, but hey, we swam with a stingray!” What they actually saw was the Cayman Islands dog and pony show. It’s sad in a way.
Going to Disneyland or Universal Studios is different. There you go to a place you know is pure fantasy for a bit of fun. This is more a case of fantasy pretending to be reality.
But it keeps people in jobs and the wheels of commerce turning, and people are happy to pay for it.
C’est la vie.