By and large the reactions of friends and family to this news has been a several-stage process, which goes something like:
1. Yay, you got a new job!
2. No! You're leaving?
3. Wow, the Cayman Islands!
4. Hang on, where are the Cayman Islands?
So I thought I would start this little blog experiment (it remains to be seen how long I can keep it up) by setting out a little bit of information about the Cayman Islands from my extensive (but unsurprising if you've met me) research prior to making this decision. I also need some place to share this otherwise-completely-useless knowledge with the world.
The Cayman Islands is a tiny archipelago of 3 islands in the Caribbean, sitting between the East coast of Mexico, Cuba and Jamaica. It's about an hour's flight from Miami, Florida.
The largest of the 3 islands is Grand Cayman, and it is flanked by two smaller islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, which are former British colonies and now known as British Overseas Territories. They have a Governor, appointed by the Queen, but have their own parliament.
The population of all three islands is a whopping 55,000ish people meaning there are more registered businesses on the island (over 95,000) than humans. Many of these businesses are banks, making the Cayman Islands the fifth largest financial centre in the world. One five storey building in George Town, Ugland House, has over 18,000 businesses registered at that address. Apparently everyone loves a tax free low-visibility jurisdiction!
Weather wise, the Cayman Islands are a balmy 26-30 degrees year-around. They don't really have a spring or autumn, just a hot, wet summer and then a hot, dry winter. However, if you are feeling jealous about this weather, bear in mind that summer is hurricane season (I will do a separate post when I set up my hurricane survival kit!) plus humidity in summer will be about a thousand per cent, so my hair is going to be a hot mess.
For the time being, I will enjoy my hair straightener while it works and pack up my lightweight corporate wear for what I anticipate will be the longest and most inconvenient flight path on the planet, from Sydney to Grand Cayman....
