Little Cayman, British
West Indies
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Dear Kim:
We arrived in Little Cayman today so Laurel could do her diving thing.
After a flight on a big plane from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport,
allegedly the busiest airport in the world, we took Cayman Airways Express
from Grand Cayman.
The 19 seat plane is so tiny, you are only allowed 55 pounds for your
luggage and another 15 for carry on. You land on a grass strip, across
from the Post Office, the Fire Station and the Hungry Iguana Bar and
Restaurant.
What a beautiful place this is. The population—at least of people
who live here—is under 200. There is a larger population
of iguanas. Supposedly 2,000 iguanas live on the island. Can
you imagine?
(Kim: How
is it that we think of "population" as lots of people? We
use words like crowded when we have a bunch of noisy people in a smoke
filled room. And then, what does "live" mean? Does it mean
"love and work?" Does it mean "giving and taking"?
Is their "intimacy" among these prehistoric inhabitants?)
Prioritizing nature as we
need to do more often. And how wonderful that the proportion of the
iguanas to humans is ten to one.
The iguanas range from tiny, just a few inches in length, to as much
as four feet long. To see them is beyond thrilling. It is to reconnect
with our prehistoric past.
Later,
Joan
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