Cayman

June 08, 2024 – Cayman

Heading to Cayman for Sweetie’s business trip! I made sure to try on my wet suit before the trip. We slept through most of the flight and arrived at the hotel in the afternoon, where we had a smooth check-in.

Jun 3

In the morning, our room looked much brighter than we remembered from the night before—we really liked it.

We checked out the pool area and bar.

Later, we went to the hotel restaurant. It was raining and hot, but the food was excellent. The roasted cauliflower had a Middle Eastern flavor with yogurt and cumin spices. I also had the local branzino, topped with ultra-thin potato scallops that resembled scales. Then, we shared a dessert—a banoffee. It featured two whole bananas and two generous dollops of a delightful mix, almost like crème brûlée and caramel ice cream. In the end, we ate way too much and forgot to take a picture of the dessert.

There were plenty of chickens wandering around, and one of them jumped onto an umbrella before leaping into the tree above.

Jun 4

This morning, I went for a run, although I had to run a few blocks on the road before reaching the beach.

I also did my usual stock trading and some Zenith grinding because I need to get to level 100 and obtain my unique boots and bow before they reset for season 3.

It’s so lovely out here under the fans with the breeze where I went out for lunch. The chicken was perfect, and both salads were really good. Then I went back and hung out at the pool for a while!

We went out for dinner with Lothar’s friends, Juan and Sarah. After stopping by their house and seeing this lovely sunset, we headed to The Falls Steakhouse. The company was wonderful, and their son joined us as well. He had just finished his medical degree, so we had plenty of biology-related conversations.

The food was really good, though the steak could have been a bit less done for a ribeye. And I couldn’t resist—I caved in for the sticky toffee pudding dessert.

Jun 5

I went next door to the Marriott for lunch—what a wonderful view! My table felt like a front-row seat, lol.

The crab and shrimp salad was amazing. And since I had such a huge dessert last night, I just asked for mango slices—the mangoes here are fresh and local.

Jun 6

I embarked on an unforgettable diving adventure with Off The Wall Divers, exploring the renowned North Wall. Our first dive was a thrilling wall dive, and I was mesmerized by the sheer drop-off. While the reef life wasn’t as vibrant as I remembered, I figured it was due to the spring season. The warm water surrounded me, and I was relieved that my contact lenses didn’t cause any issues during either dive.

The only hiccup was a brief bout of motion sickness toward the end of the 45-minute surface interval on the boat. Still, the experience was exhilarating, and I fully immersed myself in the beauty of the underwater world.

Once I finally got refreshed and rinsed off, I headed to Kamana Bay for lunch. I stopped by Edgy Veggie and enjoyed some delicious cauliflower “chicken” wings and a falafel salad.

And a nice dinner later together, just the two of us along the water!

Jun 7

Friday was full of delightful surprises. We met up with Lothar’s friend Jack for coffee, and he recommended a hidden gem for lunch—Agua, a waterfront restaurant in Camana Bay. The set menu was perfect for me, offering high-quality, flavorful dishes at a reasonable price. The setting was breathtaking, with turquoise water gently lapping at our feet.

But our relaxing day took an unexpected turn when our flight was repeatedly delayed. Before we knew it, we were rebooked on a completely different flight to Miami, with an overnight layover. Our connecting flight to Bermuda was no longer an option.

Jun 8

Making the most of the detour, we spent the day at Dolphin Mall in Miami. We strolled, shopped, and soaked up the sunshine until it was time to head back to the airport for our rebooked flight. Despite the travel hiccups, we embraced the unexpected twists and found joy in the journey.

Sail GP

May 12, 2024 – Bermuda

We went to the Sail GP. Little did I know that the Canadian boat was a top contender!. But as soon as I found out, my excitement level skyrocketed! I was thrilled to cheer on the Canadian team, and I wasn’t alone – a whole contingent of Canadian fans was in the crowd, all of us eager to see the team in action.

We had splurged on VIP tickets, and it was totally worth it. Our seats were perfect, with a big screen to track the race and decent food to fuel our cheering. The sun shone brightly as we enjoyed a lovely day by the water, watching those incredible boats zip past on their foils.

But our day wasn’t without a hitch – we had to navigate a conflict with Formula One, which was happening at the same time! We managed to secure our parking spots just in time, then streamed F1 in the car!

And then we were free to focus on the sailing. And what a thrill it was! The speed, the skill, the suspense – it all combined for an unforgettable experience. Go Canada!

We went early, got our parking spot, and then set ourselves up to watch Formula One in the car.

Tempo Salsa

April 28, 2024 – Bermuda

I joined the Ladies Salsa On2 Tempo team in February. We learned the choreography over 3 months, and performed in April! We started out with 4 girls but ended up performing with just 3. Here’s us at a photo shoot leading up to performance day!

It wasn’t my first performance, but the excitement on performance night was felt by all, both old and new! Some backstage shots before the stage at my prep area

And here are 2 of us ready and waiting to go up. Del and I are new friends now and see each other outside dancing.

The City Hall stage, and some of the other performances.

Finally, some stills from our performance, including our bows at the end.

And here’s our video!

And a couple of pics from the after-party at the art gallery upstairs. Can’t believe I didn’t get one with Lothar!!

Eclipse

April 08, 2024 – Bermuda

So on April 8th, we had a total solar eclipse in parts of North America. Here in Bermuda, we got a 50% eclipse. Everybody contends with a lot of clouds.

I followed a live stream that was put on by the University of Toronto and so I got some good screenshots from their feed. It was funny because everybody initially was having technical difficulties positioning their telescopes to point at the sun because of the clouds. But eventually, we got some really good views.

It was cool how it got all dark and eerie at the highest point of the eclipse.

When it came here in Bermuda, I was able to capture some kind of image with my phone and also glimpse it through some breaks in the clouds. The picture turned out neat because I used an action shot thinking it was going to give me the quickest exposure. I had no luck capturing the eclipse on the sun itself however I got some pretty accurate representations in the lens reflections!

In Peterborough, they were able to go to a lake nearby and see the total eclipse, including what looked like sunsets on all sides.

BBBS Easter Eggstravaganza

March 23, 2024 – Bermuda

We gathered at the historic White Horse extravaganza on a windy day.

The kids built kites while the adults found space to stand.

Then, we headed outside for a scavenger hunt, thinking we’d done well, but actually coming in last. Afterward, we enjoyed a piñata filled with candy, made by Sophia’s mom. The kids loved it, and the sweets disappeared in seconds. Despite the wind and surprises, we had a fun day together!