Beautiful private home with the popular red stucco roof. The place look deserted, so I climbed up a small hill to take another look. I indulged
in a guilty pleasure by taking a close peak into their back yard.

A trophy house to be sure.  Was I the only one who thought it was decadent to have a swimming pool just forty yards from the ocean? 
I will say one thing - this particular pool was very decorative. 
 

While I was up on the hill, I took a picture of the group.
I trailed the group practically all day long.

Shoe issues.

Attractive, but oddly deserted.  Where is everybody?

 

The Discovery Point Club. Also deserted. In fact, except for the hotels and the public access areas, the entire beach was deserted all day long
 

The Christopher Columbus.  Deserted.
 

The Anchorage.  Deserted.
 

Following along with Google Earth.  Look at the row of swimming pools.
Why bother having an ocean?

No trespassing.  I wondered how the owners of private homes felt
about people basically walking through their back yards.
 

Amazing... some undeveloped property on the beach front. There was a sign that said 'marine park'.  I have no idea what that meant.

 

Those are long roads right behind Seven Mile Beach.  Where do they
go to?   Not one dwelling in sight.  There must be some sort of
long term development idea here.
 

Yellow Structure.  Deserted.
 

Pink Structure - the Commonwealth.  Deserted.
 

The group decided to rest for a bit next to a building with a purple roof.
I forgot to get a picture of it, but it was called The London House
 

Mary shows us how its done.  The girl has style.

 

The Renaissance. Deserted.
 

The Heritage Club.  I am not going to say 'deserted' again
because I think you get my point.
 

Another undeveloped area.  See our group way ahead of me?
 

following along with Google Earth
 

White Sands... deserted...oops, I promised not to say it again!
 

structure damaged from hurricane. The brick is standing, but nothing else
 

Note the stunning four-post bed complete with clean sheets and pillows.
I wanted so badly to test it out.  I needed a nap!
 

The Sundowner

 

boring Green home
 

Another long undeveloped section. It lasted almost half a mile. Obviously we weren't walking the pricey part of Seven Mile at the moment
 

Hohum structure.  I wonder why it is boarded up.
 

another undeveloped area after the hohum structure
 

This was a ghost hotel on the other side of West Bay Road. I believe
 it was once the Marriott. It looks great from the outside, but suffered intense interior rain damage from a leaking roof during a hurricane. 
Now it just sits there molding away.
 

Google Earth helps us follow the trail.

After we passed the ghost hotel, we finally came to an area known as "Public Beach". This area was jammed pack with cruisers who had
taxied down.  Here we found Keith and Betty Baker enjoying their day.
 

That's Carol, Marla, and Roberta under the umbrellas.
Servicing the area was a fast-food place called "Calico Jack's Bar". 
That sign says "$9.25" for frozen drinks.  Hmm.  I'll pass. 

There were two things I could see in the distance from Calico Jack's
and I wasn't happy about either.  One, that ship didn't look any closer
and two, there was a big storm brewing.  Fortunately it never rained.
 

We were all tired from the morning.  I was not particularly happy that
we had not even reached the halfway point.  At this point, I estimate
we had only covered one-third of our trip.  I was worried about time.
 

If I had been better prepared, I would have brought a watch and marked the intervals for time. I would have bought bottled water in Georgetown.
I would have taken the bus instead of a taxi.  I would had a map. 

To be honest, this little trip we were taking was very unique.  I doubt any other passenger on our cruise ship duplicated our effort.  A real problem that plagues all side trips is "Time".  Everyone would like to explore a little, but frequently you have no idea how long your little detour will take. 

For example, Mara and Bruce Rivas went to the far edge of the island to visit a botanical garden.  It was Mara's big idea; she had researched it thoroughly.  However, thanks to a breakdown in the public transportation, Bruce and Mara came close to being stranded in the middle of nowhere.  It took a cop no less to take pity on them.  They were saved when he gave them a ride back to town.  

Another time I estimate that Marla and I sacrificed over two hours of fun at the Isle of Capri off the coast of Italy just because we were unsure how long the transportation would take us.  Sad to say, the cruise ship preys on that insecurity.  They sell cruise excursions with the guarantee that the ship will never leave without them if the group is delayed getting back.  In the meantime, they make huge profits selling the trips at wildly inflated prices.  They get away with it because few of us have the guts to deal with time and transportation uncertainties. 

That's why this particular Beach Walk was such a treat.  We weren't dependent on transportation and the time gamble wasn't so great because we had dedicated the entire day to our trip.  Furthermore, my experience the previous year had given me enough knowledge to know we probably had enough time.  Mind you, I was worried all day long about time.

One nice feature about our "Same Time Next Year" dance cruises through Hurricane Alley - Jamaica, Cayman, Cozumel - is that Marla and I become knowledgeable about what is fun to do and what has worked in the past.  Today's Beach Walk was a nice gift we could share with some of our passengers.  It was rewarding to feel like a guide.

Just as we started the second leg of our trip, we all smiled when we ran across this gentleman. 

So what was this handsome young man spelling in the sand?

It says, "Will U M..."

You guessed it... he was about to propose to his girlfriend just as soon as he finishes the rock message.

I didn't ask where the prospective mate was, but I assumed she was up at Calico Jack's having a drink.

Won't she be surprised?

Harbor Heights
 

Avalon

The Great House.  If you look carefully, there are no windows. 
How can it be "great" with no windows?
 

I went closer.  Everything in the "Great House" was covered.  Either this
 is how they close for the season or perhaps they were remodeling.

The Plantana Condominiums.  Very attractive.
 

The Pinnacle
 

As you can see, right behind this row of condominiums is
a huge yacht marina.  Grand Cayman seems to be a true water world.

What amazes me about this area is just how little land there is. 
The width of the isthmus is little more than a mile and over half of
that area is filled with water.  In some places like this section near
the Pinnacle, less than 500 yards separates the water on either side.
 

This area is known as the Governor's Beach.
No loud music allowed.  And no public nudity either. 
No wonder this place was deserted! 
 

Next to the Loud Music sign we came to the Governor's Residence.
Now the 'no loud music' sign made sense.
Can't keep the Governor awake at night, now can we?

After the Governor's House, we came to a Red Sail Sports boat.
That's our group in front of the sail boat.
 

We finally came upon the start of the upscale buildings.
This lovely place is the Westin Resort
 

This is the beachfront of the Westin.
Those lounge chairs were calling to me.
 

The Westin Resort was tastefully landscaped. 
The Westin was a very attractive hotel.
 

Villas of the Galleon

The Ritz-Carlton knocked my socks off.  This place was stunning!
 

Nobody offered to take my picture all day long,
so I took matters into my own hands. 

The Westin had been very attractive, but so far nothing topped the Ritz-Carlton for lavish beauty.

Here's a publicity picture of the Ritz.  Very impressive.  That is the North Sound water in back.  Notice they have some water tongues that come within walking distance of the Ritz.  I am sure boats come right up the edge of the Ritz to take people to Sting Ray City, etc.
 

This Google Earth overview indicates the watery tongues. 
The area behind the exclusive hotels is a massive marina.
In addition, there is a golf course known as the 'Links of Safehaven'. 
Let me add there are many exclusive homes as well.
 

Located on the northern inlet of Grand Cayman Island, the Links at Safehaven golf course is set on a gorgeous piece of land.  Opened in 1994, Director of Golf Bob Cooke says the beautiful scenery mixed with a challenging layout (75.1 slope rating) keeps its guests coming back.  (Personally, I have seen prettier golf courses. I think the course could use a lot more trees and shrubbery.)

"Golfers at The Links at Safehaven are always looking forward to their next round at our course," says Cooke. "The scenery is beautiful, the course is challenging, but playable."

Challenging indeed. The course yardage is impressive at just over 6,500 yards. The island climate, mixed with wind makes the course resemble a layout closer to 7,000 yards. The fairways provide generous landing zones, usually around 70 yards wide. The greens are also monstrous, averaging 5,000 square feet. Cooke describes the rest of the layout.  "The course is a Roy Case design.  It is snuggled up against the North Sound, a beautiful inlet of crystal clear Caribbean Sea." Cooke continues.  "The course is reminiscent of the undulating Scottish moors giving credence to the Links name. The property has been left as natural as possible, with wide-open spaces and heather-like grasses that are home to many indigenous flora and fauna, including our resident iguanas." Rick's Note: Undulating Scottish Moors?  How much Jamaican Rum has this guy been drinking?

Now that we had passed the Westin, the Villas Galleon and the Ritz, we had reached the halfway point.  However, on the previous trip, I had started my journey from the Royal Palms.  We had not even come close to making it to the Royal Palms and we were already worn out.  Looking back on our marathon trek, I wish again I had kept a log of what kind of time we made that day to each point. 
If I am ever going to become a fearless group leader, maybe I should learn to wear a watch. 

There was no quit in this gang!  Frances is in front.  Marla and Wendy are next.  Peggy and Kevin follow.  Then we have Mary. Sam is next.  Since Sam appears to have three legs, I am guessing his third leg is named Elizabeth.  Carol and Edward are next. Mark and Roberta bring up the rear.  Everyone was tired, sweaty, smelly, and uncomfortable due to the sticky sand that covered their arms and legs.  Several people had sunburns.  However, they were determined not to stop.  I was very proud of my Dirty Dozen.

BEACH WALK 2009 CONTINUED - The Third Leg of our Trip