Trip to the Tortugas

When Christopher Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands he called them The Tortugas, which is Spanish for 'turtle'. The moniker is now more famously linked to the islands' famous rum and rum company, and equally famous rum cake (which is soggy and heavy and was the breakfast of champions for The Three on our last morning ... when we picked the beach over the breakfast buffet.)

Sadly, the turtles, which where so plentiful when Chris arrived in 1503, are decidedly less so five centuries later. In the years after discovery, this trio of islands became a stop over spot in the West Indies for stocking up on rations ... Turtle meat among the provisions.

In the era of the mythical Jack Sparrow, when the West Indies were under the British crown (as they remain today) and pirates and rum runners where part of Caribbean experience, the Cayman Islands were known for ship building and turtling, which didn't bode particularly well for the once plentiful tortuga population.

But the truest, harshest threat to the big graceful Green Sea Turtle has come on our watch.

As 伊利亚 read to 贝贝 on our trip to the turtle farm, the only two known predators of sea turtles are: sharks and man.

"Hey, Daddy's a man!" 贝贝 helpfully pointed out.

Tourism is encroaching on the tortuga's territory. Sand is being mined and excavated. Loss of habitat and a build up of urban areas has squeezed out the Green Sea turtle.

On Friday we visited The Cayman Turtle Farm which has spent the last four decades building up the turtle population on Grand Cayman. Part petting zoo, part day resort, part educational, the farm guards and incubates the eggs laid by the mature turtles, and maintains a huge lagoon for the laying-age population. In separate tanks, smaller sea turtles, under one year, are on view. In the next set of tanks are turtles aged 12 to 18 months. These are the leathery reptiles guests have the opportunity to handle.

We stayed in this area for ages. We stepped aside as larger tour groups moved through, and then went back to pet and handle the tortugas.

伊利亚 quickly learned how to grasp the juveniles, how to calm them, and when to release them back into the tank.



贝贝 gained confidence too. We spent most of our visit at those tanks.



Other exhibits included: a caged cayman, and tanks of older, but not yet sexually mature turtles.

To the girlies delight, we found a small wading pool where it was possible to splash and wade with young turtles.




The farm has a hatchery and education center, and curiously a lagoon and pool facility which draws lots of day trippers. One pool boasts a glass bottom, under which is a shark tank. It's kitchy without being completely tacky (although we opted only for the turtle section of the facility).

But this tour group pleaser is making a difference. Turtle populations are slowly on the rise, and there is even debate about moving the Green Sea turtle from the endangered list to the threatened column.

And for that ... My little animal lovers are grateful!





-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Rediscovering the Holidays :: Thanksgiving

It was a three day school week for our kiddos. They had an early out on Wednesday and then an extra long weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Bei Bei's class celebrated a feast to commemorate the Pilgrim's meal of Thanksgiving they shared with the Native Americans who had assessed them through their arduous first winter in the New World. Bei Bei's class are the Native Americans. The second grade class are the pilgrims. Her required at home preparation was to make a vest out of a paper bag and adorn it with Native American symbols. She also had to bring in a gallon of apple juice. The classes donned their representational clothing, put on a short play and feasted on crackers and cheese and sausage cubes, and made real butter.

Bei Bei's take away comes in snippets that she shares at random times. This morning she told us as her sister buttered her English muffin, that if a pilgrim wanted butter they would have to make it, they couldn't just go somewhere and buy it.

We find that many customs and traditions of holidays are making a big impact on the girls. We certainly made an effort when we were in Asia to celebrate holidays, but many of the ways we celebrate in the United States are intrinsically American.

In China our Thanksgiving meals were either celebrated in Shanghai with Mr Johnson's good friend KR, who was in China every other year for a bi-annual trade show curiously held over Turkey day. When we were home in QD we got together with other friends and families from Mr J's company, and enjoyed a traditional meal that was sometimes augmented by Chinese treats.

We made a point to remind the girls about all we had to be tfor, and those feelings of thankfulness sometimes overwhelmed us. We were thankful for distant family, for friendships within China, and for the uniqueness of our experience.

We didn't, perhaps, put a lot of emphasis on the Pilgrims and Squanto.

Which might be why it has captured Bei Bei's interest so.

Last weekend she disappeared to her desk in her bedroom and reappeared sometime later with a picture she had created for Thanksgiving. When I asked her to explain it she said simply that the people had captured the turkey and were going to 'torture' it and eat it for their feast.




Related Posts::

http://thejohnsonsinchina.blogspot.com/2009/11/chopstickfried-chicken-kind-of.html

http://thejohnsonsinchina.blogspot.com/2008/11/thanksgiving.html

http://thejohnsonsinchina.blogspot.com/2008/12/line-crosser.html

A Picnic in Wine Country

@ Domaine Berrien Winery & Cellars

Berrien Springs, MI :: Lake Michigan Shore

Life's a Beach ...

@ Silver Beach :: St. Joseph, Michigan

Independence Day Weekend 2011

Eat. Pray. Love. Read. Swim.

Eat.

EHJ- My most-reluctant-to-try-something-new

selected: oatmeal with cane sugar,

bacon, soft-pretzel (bretzilin),
and yes, that is popcorn chicken for breakfast!

Ever adventurous, MGJ

Sipping on Coconut Milk

After she consumed the milk,
they cracked it open for her to eat the meat inside

My lived-in-Asia-her-whole-life-baby

sampled: Korean kim bob (seaweed rolls), prosciutto and parma ham,

Edam and blue cheese, Indian paratha,
and a Munich sausage with a side of whole grain mustard,
washed down with coconut milk,
and followed up with hunks of juicy watermelon.

(Can you guess which thing she didn't actually end up liking?)

Eat:: Breakfast

The morning buffet @ the Ritz-Carlton Sanya was possibly the most complex and satisfying way we've ever broken our daily fast.

It was and East meets West meets East again experience. Our plates were an interesting amalgamation of dishes from all over the world. And although some seem gastronomically juxtaposed, it was amazing to have such a dizzying array to choose from:

• Dim Sum and then some: We are not huge fans of this hit of Hong Kong, but there were some pretty savory morsels available in those never ending stacks of bamboo steamers.
• Korean favorites: kim chi and kim bob (yes spicy pickles and sushi rolls for breakfast!).
• The Curry station: Curries from India, Malaysia and Japan, with healthy chunks of oily panfried paratha and rice for sides.
• Stir Fries and Hot-pots: While Westerns opt for a sweeter morning meal, Asians tend to go for savory. Full veg and fish dishes, fried noodles and fried rice, and the steaming hot-pot creations where you submit to the sous chef the fresh veggies you want to have blanched in boiling water, and indicate the level of spiciness your morning palate might require. (We mostly missed out on this area too, although Mr Johnson & MGJ made sure to get some Si Chuan spicy beans, and Bei Bei did stand in this line, loudly proclaiming her need for steamed broccoli at 7:30 in the morning!)
• Congee Corner: We have never gotten into this bit of Asian breakfast cuisine, but if we wanted to this would have been the place to start!
  
• Fresh Juices: as in watch-the-whole-fruit-become-juice-before-your-eyes, then watch as it's transfered into blown glass pitchers which are nestled in a bed of ice. Then you stand there trying to choose which one: watermelon, mango, apple, pineapple, grapefruit, or tomato. (Did I mention whole coconuts are also on the beverage list?)
• Cheese Plate: with wheels of brie, wedges of edam, chunks of camembert, and crumbles of a mild blue. Of course this was aligned with the cold-cut meats and smoked salmon and blended beautifully into the salad station
• Salad Station: It was in hard fact to tell where the imported protein items (cheese et. al) ended and the salad station started. And where do I start? -- probably with the Caprice salad - balls of buffalo mozzarella 'nuff said!
• Western Breakfast foods too: in addition to all the unique Asian items there were Western ones as well-- bacon and eggs (various styles), German sausages, British baked beans and broiled tomatoes, Austrian muesli, and a variety of fresh made yogurts, oatmeal with all the fixings, and cold breakfast cereals--- but really who could be bothered! There were some really fabulous bread choices, and pastries, and crepes, waffles and French toast. There was even honey dripping from a comb. These folks down right out did themselves!
• Fresh Fruits: After fusion plates of Western and Eastern breakfasts were consumed and tea and coffee cups drained, we made a true Chinese experience by ending our meal with fresh fruits. And again, the selection was neither minimal nor mundane. We were forced to decide between: bananas and mini bananas (plantains), apples and pineapples, watermelon, rambutans, lychees, longan, mangoes and mangosteens (I googled "mangosteens" it for you and this is what wise geek says:

The mangosteen grows on small evergreen trees in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and southern India. Some farmers are trying their luck in Hawaii and the Caribbean, but the fruit is known for being difficult to grow. It is said that Queen Victoria offered a sizable prize to anyone who could bring an edible mangosteen back to England, but no one was able. Mangosteens are currently not available in the United States because the rind can carry pests that would threaten other crops.

Eat:: Lunch Not surprisingly, we opted not to. At least not Mr. Johnson or I. We diligently ordered mini-cheese burgers for the kiddos a little after Noon. Then, just as we saw the trays with the stainless domes arriving, we'd call them out of the water for some sustenance, a new coat of sun screen, and then they'd slip back into the water like little fishes!

Eat:: Dinner

Our dinner was different each night. Thai take out from a neighboring hotel. Dining in on pizza from the wood-fired oven @ the on-sight Italian eatery. Dining alfresco on the beach to the sound of gently splashing waves of the South China sea, and the crooning sounds of two Philippine balladeers. And, plain old room service.

Back from "China's Hawaii"

Nothing is better for a sun starved soul than a good long dose of sunshine. That's what we treated ourselves to this last week. We're just back from a six day, five night stay in Sanya... the "Chinese Hawaii."

We celebrated our eldest's 11th birthday there on Wednesday with sunscreen, cabanas, swimming and cake... twice! We enjoyed the blue skies, fresh air, warm temps and time together.

And, I had a great Mom's Day. Sweet home made cards. A haiku from MGJ. A final Brunch @ the Ritz- Carlton, Sanya (where I received a single red rose and warm Mother's day wishes in three languages-- Mandarin, English & Russian). We had a quick swim under palm trees and blue skies. A short flight. A transfer in Shanghai. And an even shorter flight home to QD, where a bouquet of flowers (arranged by Mr. Johnson) awaited me.

There are a pair duffels waiting to be unpacked, six loads of laundry in the queue, and there will be tired little people to gently coax out of bed in the morning (our flight from Shanghai was delayed due to in-climate weather on both ends). We have fond memories of our chilled out time together in the Hawaiian (err Chinese) sunshine, and the tan lines and freckles to prove it!