SHOULD I SELL MY DAUGHTER? (Cayman Islands)

Member Name: nona

Product:	Cayman Islands
Date:	26/07/02 (654 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's the Caribbean.

Disadvantages: Hurricanes.

My eldest daughter seems to realise she is attractive. I wish she wouldn't wear such skimpy clothes. A rich Arab has made me an offer.

I can't stand cold water. I'm enjoying some spicy fish and a glass of wine beside the pool. But I'm not going into the water. I shall continue reading.

But the kids have been snorkling.

The kids also liked the 'Atlantis submarine', from which they stared at colourful tropical fish. Then there was the glass-bottom boat from which they viewed giant stingrays.

The Jolly Rojer cruise was a trifle phoney as the ship was a replica of an old ship. But watching people walk the plank was a photo opportunity. My eldest daughter liked some of the boys.

Cardinal D's Park was a hit. Lots of parrots, iguanas and other Cayman creatures.

There's even a bowling centre with modern dance music and computers to do the scoring.

And pleasant walks through a countryside of palm trees, flowers and funny little houses.

Younger kids have lots of imagination and enjoy exploring. Certain teenagers don't seem to be interested in scenery.

CAYMEN ISLANDS: 3 green, low lying Caribbean islands, with pine, palm trees, mangroves, turtles, coral reefs.

GRAND CAYMAN: 7 mile beach; diving; water sports; golf. Lots of rich people.

CAYMAN BRAC & LITTLE CAYMAN: gingerbread houses, deserted beaches, flower lined lanes, diving.

GOVERNMENT: British Crown Colony; a tax haven; a trans-shipment point for drugs.

The Cayman Islands is the fifth biggest financial centre in the world, having hundreds of banks, insurance companies and mutual funds.

There is reputedly $800 billion in banks in Grand Cayman, an area with bank secrecy.

PEOPLE: the population is approx. 37,000, most of whom live in Georgetown, the capital.

Cayman Brac has about 2,000 people and Little Cayman about 120 people.

You
will see lots of white faces as there are many Europeans living in the Caymans. In order to meet a native of the islands you may have to leave your hotel and the beach and travel inland.

The islands are a bit too American in terms of culture.

ALTERNATIVES to the Caymens: there are many: Cuba is picturesque, Dominica has volcanic hills and forests, Dominican republic has scenic colonial towns, Grenada is quaint, St Lucia has the Pitons, Trinidad has carnival, St Vincent is pretty... I like all these places, but I also like Caymen Brac because of its quiet charm. Cayman Brac would be too quiet for teenagers.

FLIGHTS: British Airways has 2 flights a week via Nassau.

LOCAL TRANSPORT: buses and inter-island flights.

ACCOMMODATION: there are cheap guest houses as well as expensive hotels

PACKAGES: Hayes and Jarvis, for example, offer 1 week in September at the 2 star Cayman Inn and Resort on Grand Cayman at a price of approx.£769 per person (single supplement from £28 per night). 1 week in December at the Hyatt Grand Regency would cost approx. £2379 (single supplement approx £178 per night).

DIVING: The diving-tourism market is very active; April-October can be the best time for diving. There are both shallow and very deep dives. 'Ocean Frontiers' is reputed to be a good company. Hotels often have diving facilities attached. Diving is not my scene.

CLIMATE: Hurricane season is June-October. Otherwise, warm but lots of sea breezes.

SAFETY: only a few drug related thefts; Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 brought severe storms. Mosquitoes can be a problem. There are good hospitals.

FOOD: fish and rum.

SHOPPING: There is duty free shopping. But shopping is not fantastic.

GEORGE TOWN: is the capital, and has many modern commercial buildings as well as older colonial buildings.

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A typical day: breakfast of croissants and fruit juice and
coffee in our villa. Trying to persuade my eldest daughter to eat more.

Making sandcastles on the beach, except for my eldest daughter, who is somewhere around.

A treasure hunt involving pirates. The adults and younger children enjoy this.

Lunch in a restaurant.

An exploration inland.

Dinner provided by our maid/cook.

A silly wide game.

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A bar in george Town:

My number one daughter is bored. My sons are somewhere down the road.

A tall grizzled gentleman from Texas tells me about possible links between Caymen banks and Enron, Bush and bin Laden. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has allegedly been told that Enron set up nearly 700 accounts in Caymen.

The Cayman Islands are a favourite place for companies and individuals wanting to escape taxation.

Deutsche Bank (allegedly one of the banks used by bin Laden and inside traders at the CIA) supposedly has an interest in Safron Partners, which is part of a corporate network on the Cayman Islands that is allegedly run by Bin Laden's half brother, Hassan.

Bin Laden and the CIA and a Mr Hekmatyar are reputed to have been involved in the Afghan heroin business. Bin-Laden allegedly established branches of his business in the Cayman Islands; and he allegedly employed law firms and consultants connected to Langley, Virginia and the CIA. He was presumably conning poorly educated Moslems that he was a radical fundamentalist leader. Ho ho.

Were the British interested? The French Internet publication, Indigo, reported that bin-Laden was a guest of British Intelligence in London in 1996.

President Bush? One of his backers was James Bath, who was "the bin Laden family's representative in Texas." Bath supposedly managed millions of dollars for Khalid bin Mahfouz, one of the central figures in Bank BCCI, which was labeled as the bank for the Medellin dru
g cartel, Noriega, Saddam, Abu Nidal, and heroin godfather Khun Sa. Mahfouz was apparently an investor in the Carlyle Group of which Bush senior was a director.

In 1999 it was reported that bin Mahfouz was financing Osama bin Laden. Mahfouz has a palatial estate in Houston Texas. James Bath was seemingly president of Skyway Aircraft leasing , a Texas company, owned by bin Mahfouz, and registered in the Cayman Islands.

Summary: