Well, finished 'So You Want to Live on an Island' by Gay Morse, an ex-pat diving instructor now living on the Cayman Islands (Little Cayman to be precise). Whilst Morse makes no pretentions to being a literary giant, this is a bright and breezy book with an entertaining mix of anecdotes - largely centring around the often eccentric tourists and wannabe divers straight off the cruise ships (one classic question Gay has often been asked 'So do you live here?' (clue: she doesn't commute from the US every day!).
Morse also captures the equally eccentric side of expat like on the islands as well as the native islanders - with interesting details of the restriction of foods and necessities due to Little Cayman's remoteness and reliance on supply chains from neighbouring Grand Cayman - an irritation for the various resorts there, but a serious issue for the locals, with the one main grocery store often sitting with empty shelves.
Morse also touches upon the history of the Caymans and the current and future prospects of this delicate ecosystem - acknowledging that tourist activity inevitably affect the surrounding environment through fish feeding, coral damage etc., whilst arguing the case for better preservation and education around such issues...
I'm now midway through my trip to Cuba with 'The King of Cuba' by, Cristina Garcia an account of the aging and ailing 'El Comandante' (a thinly disguised Fidel Castro) in Havana, reminiscing over past 'glories' and fretting over the future of his revolution and Cuban-in-exile - and equally aging and ailing - Goyo Herrera; whose last wish is to kill 'the tyrant' before he himself dies.
You might notice that this is a change from my previously listed choice for Cuba - as the original list was created up to 9 years ago when my journey started, I am taking the opportunity to update books to more contemporary and relevant works that may have been published in the meantime - so expect more surprises along the way!
Morse also captures the equally eccentric side of expat like on the islands as well as the native islanders - with interesting details of the restriction of foods and necessities due to Little Cayman's remoteness and reliance on supply chains from neighbouring Grand Cayman - an irritation for the various resorts there, but a serious issue for the locals, with the one main grocery store often sitting with empty shelves.
Morse also touches upon the history of the Caymans and the current and future prospects of this delicate ecosystem - acknowledging that tourist activity inevitably affect the surrounding environment through fish feeding, coral damage etc., whilst arguing the case for better preservation and education around such issues...
I'm now midway through my trip to Cuba with 'The King of Cuba' by, Cristina Garcia an account of the aging and ailing 'El Comandante' (a thinly disguised Fidel Castro) in Havana, reminiscing over past 'glories' and fretting over the future of his revolution and Cuban-in-exile - and equally aging and ailing - Goyo Herrera; whose last wish is to kill 'the tyrant' before he himself dies.
You might notice that this is a change from my previously listed choice for Cuba - as the original list was created up to 9 years ago when my journey started, I am taking the opportunity to update books to more contemporary and relevant works that may have been published in the meantime - so expect more surprises along the way!
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