Blogabano

It's finally here as Batabano has hit Grand Cayman!!!



Thursday night is the masquerade ball at Pedro's Castle. Friday night will be the "Friday Night Fete" and the big Machel Montano concert. If you have noticed Ive been blogging allot about concerts recently(big music fan) so its only right i let you all know about whats new and exciting music is coming to Cayman.


Machel Montano is a huge Soca artist and originally hails from Trinidad. Some of his hits include "Big Phat fish" "I just wanna dance" and "Jumpin" to name a few.

As well, Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires (Calypso) will be performing in what has become his seemingly annual performance here at Batabano. many other talented local artists will also be on the bill.

After all that fun Friday night, get ready to wine during the street parade on Saturday afternoon as well as the Adults only street dance at night time.


I will be giving you a detailed report about Saturday nights events.

Cayman Wildlife Rescue

Cayman Wildlife Rescue will be hosting a Pub Quiz at Triple Crown Restaurant on May 31st.

A pub quiz is basically a trivia game, with much of the questions revolving around popular culture-sports, music, things of that sort. Teams of four will compete, with prizes awarded to those who do the best. Last year’s pub quiz was so successful that they decided to make it an annual affair.

Cayman Wildlife Rescue is a program of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands that is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations and fundraising. CWR rescues and rehabilitates injured wildlife with the aim of releasing affected animals back into the wild.

So head to To Triple Crown on May 31st, who knows you might win something from The Reef.(Hint Hint)

Time is on my side.....yes it is.

One of the more frequently asked questions by both owners and future guests is, "What's the time there right now?"

Thanks to Mr. McCarthy, your time concerns have been answered as Island time has now been replaced by Cayman time. Take a look at the top right hand corner of our website and you'll see the local time here in the Cayman Islands.

No more worrying about calling a family member too early, or calling the reservation department too late. Simply, visit our homepage before you make a call.

Beres Hammond Concert

Performing April 25th, 2008 the one and only Beres Hammond will be performing here in Cayman. Reggae lovers of any age will know Beres Hammond as the king of smooth reggae and lover-rock.

With a career spanning over 30 years, Beres has accumulated smash hits such as "Love from a Distance", "Standing in my way" "Double Trouble" and "Living Dangerously" just to name a few. Still going strong and always a favorite here in Cayman, this is one concert not too miss.

Local acts such Impulse Band (one of my favorites), Stewart Wilson and Tinga Stewart will be opening the show.

The Name Game

Today's Caymanian History lesson will focus on 3 uniquely caymanian last names of Ebanks, Bodden, and Watler.

Many repeat visitors to cayman will soon come to notice the last name of Ebanks is very prominent in all three Cayman Islands. This name is said to be a version of "Eubanks".In fact, If you were to look in the phone book, the last name with the most pages would be..... Ebanks

I can pretty much guarantee that if you meet an Ebanks in any part of the world, somewhere down the line he has Caymanian heritage.

Bodden is the next name on our list. "Derived from "Bowden", who along with the Watlers were the first the first permanent settlers in Grand Cayman. This is also where the district and former capital, Bodden Town comes from.

The final name is Watler. "Derived from "Walter". Once again another of the first settlers to Cayman from Jamaica. A Watler created what is now the Mastic trail which is located a few short miles from The Reef.

Batabano 2008

Its almost that time of year again for Batabano!!!!

For those who may not know, Batabano is the annual carnival in Cayman that occurs the first week of May. This tradition started in 1984 by the Rotary Club is second to only Pirates Week in terms of popularity among visitors and locals. There is a street parade that features colorful costumes with music and dancing all day long.

Just as popular as the street parade are the street dances that occur at night. The latest soca, reggae, and dancehall music pumping through the speakers is guaranteed to put everyone in a festive mood.


The Junior Batabano Carnival starts April 26th and the Adult Parade and street dance occur May 3rd.


For more info please visit Batabano's official website.

Houston calling

Sandra from Reservations as well as other Cayman resorts and the DoT traveled to Houston, Texas last week to introduce The Reef, its brand new All Inclusive program and the Cayman Islands in general to agents and travelers in the area. The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism in Houston did a fantastic job putting this Blitz together. The 4-day event included visiting the main travel agencies in Houston, a VIP meeting with Cayman's top producing Travel Agents as well as a 2 day consumer show inviting everyone who loves to travel. We look forward to welcoming our Texan guests who can take advantage of a 2h 20min non-stop flight right out of IAH on Continental - currently 4 times a week and as of summer 2008 DAILY!!! See you in the beautiful Cayman Islands!!!

Nuclear Energy

The following article is taken from today's Cayman Compass.



A US company has proposed a small nuclear power generator for Cayman now that the electricity industry has been liberalised.
The nuclear reactor is called SSTAR – an acronym for “small, sealed, transportable, autonomous, reactor” is being proposed by a Terre Haute, Indiana–based company called Everglow Power Inc.
The company uses the so–called “pocket nuke” line of reactors that come in sizes that can generate between 10 to 100 megawatts of electricity. Everglow Power Sales and Marketing Manager Gordon Zapya said the company was looking to put a 10–megawatt generator here in Cayman.
“We’ve had several meetings with various government officials and we’ve already done a preliminary survey of possible sites for the generator,” he said. “Because a 10 megawatt generator is 40–feet tall, it would have to be installed partially underground to meet your planning code, we must have a site that is at least 20 feet above sea level.
Although he would not say what his company’s preferred location was for the nuclear generator, Mr. Zapya said it was along the north coast of Grand Cayman in an area of indigenous cliff rock.
Contrary to popular belief, nuclear power is more environmentally friendly than other generating methods using hydro or oil–based methods, Mr. Zapya said.
“People are coming to understand that nuclear is the true “green” power,” he said, adding that technological advances over the past decade have also made nuclear power extremely safe.
Disposal of nuclear waste is not a problem with the company’s SSTAR generators.
“The reactor only has enough Uranium–238 fuel to provide a constant source of power for 30 years,” he said. “After that, the manufacturer will come and take the generator away.”
Mr. Zapya said the Cayman Islands need not worry about the manufacturer fulfilling its obligations to remove the spent nuclear reactor.
“The manufacturer will put a significant amount of the purchase price in an investment escrow account here in the Cayman Islands. Over the 30–year life of the reactor, the escrow account will be worth more than the purchase price.”
The SSTAR has several advanced safety features.
“The reactor is passively safe, which means it does not require operator action or electronic feedback in order to shut down safely in the event of some kind of emergency like overheating or tampering.” he said. “Basically, the reactor is idiot proof. Homer Simpson could operate it.”
Because most of the nuclear reactor will be housed underground, only a small portion will protrude above ground.
“The reactor is housed in a mostly–underground bunker that could withstand a hurricane with 175 mile per hour winds or a Magnitude 8 earthquake,” Mr. Zapya said. “In addition, it’s missile proof.”
The protruding part of housing will be decorated so that it fits in with Cayman’s tropical surroundings.
“We’ll paint it pink or some other colour that fits in with the rest of Cayman’s buildings and then nicely landscape the grounds.”
Although the reactor does not require an operator, Everglow Power does suggest at least one security guard on the site, who could also monitor the operation light.
“On the top of the reactor, there will be two lights, one green and one red. The green light will stay on while the reactor is operational and when all the fuel is spent, the red light will come on. Then it’s time for a new reactor.”
The SSTAR has anti–tampering devices and alarms to prevent any rogue elements from trying to steal the fuel for nuclear weapons.
Everglow Power lead scientist Itza Ruse said anyone who tried to tamper with the SSTAR would be in big trouble.
“The reactor’s alphabet alarms – named that way because there are 26 of them – are directly linked to the US Department of Defense. If someone messes with the reactor, US fighters or drones could be deployed from Guantanamo Bay in less than an hour to zap the bad guys.”
Mr. Ruse acknowledged that a lot of people just don’t believe there can be safe nuclear reactors.
“As sure as it’s April Fool’s day, we can light up Cayman safely,” he said.