Our friends from the Cayman Islands Rotary Club came to visit on Friday. That morning, Fernando, an 11-year-old student of Guaruma, was at our door at 7AM, ready to meet and greet our visitors. He cajoled Chris into letting him ride the bus picking up the Rotarians, so he didn’t have wait until they came up to Las Mangas to start talking their ears off. He was a big hit and made a lasting impression on Velma.
The group spent the morning touring the facilities in Las Mangas and El Pital.
We got out of the classrooms to hike the Guaruma nature trail. Adolfo was our fearless leader and nature specialist. He told us all about the Ceiba tree and how its raised roots can be used as a shelter for protection from rain and animals. Another tree of note is the Red Birch, also called the Naked Indian or Gringo Skin, which has a burnt red bark that is used for medicinal purposes in child birth, as well as the production of matches because its pleasant smell combats the smell of sulfer.
Three more adventurous visitors, Kim, Michael, and Will, decided to test the waters of the Río Cangrejal. They spent the afternoon rafting with Omega Tours and came back full of tales about jumping off rocks and getting tossed about by their devious guide who flipped their raft at the end of the run.
We were sorry to see them go, but thankful for their visit. The donations of school supplies, treats to encourage good classroom behavior, clothes, an underwater camera, a coffee maker, and the next six months of internet in Las Mangas will make us think of them often.
Thank you Rotary Sunrise of Grand Cayman!
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