When I first came on island, I didn't know where to start -- in terms of what community events to go to, where to shop, where to get food, etc. It was surprising for me how everything here is so manual, as I was used to living in the city where almost every goods and services are available online. I spent my first few months researching on how to navigate the island based on my lifestyle, and if you are a first time expat like I was, here are some useful local websites to get you started!
Disclaimer: these are NOT paid ads!
This is a very helpful resource for anyone who has just landed on island. This website contains literally everything you need to know like transportation, finding a doctor, immigration, settling in, and many more! You can also grab printed copies at nearby grocery stores, and gas stations. This is your Cayman encyclopedia!
2. Ecay Trade
This is Cayman's version of eBay. You can find almost any item here being sold pre-owned or brand new. I see most people sell electronics, appliances, furniture, and used cars here. Always remember to negotiate the price because based on experience, sellers spike the price up to make room for discounts asked by the buyers.
3. Event Pro
Do you want to be involved in community events but don't know where to get info on what's hot? Say no more! EventPro summarizes all promoted events island-wide and you can also buy your tickets here in advance using your debit/credit card. As the week ends, you can catch me browsing through their calendar and securing tickets for fun-filled events! They even list those that are scheduled months from now, and also official national festivals like The Pirates Week and Batabano Carnival.
4. Let's Eat
This is similar to Event Pro but instead of events, they have a listing of almost all restaurants on the island for you to check out! They deliver food pretty quickly! I use this website for lazy days when I just want to have my breakfast or dinner delivered. All I do is choose from the menu in the app, pay via debit/credit card, and viola, driver is on the way! You can event track where the delivery guy is at!
The first thing on my list when I came here was to buy a local sim card. I bought one from another network but it was such a hassle because I need to physically go to a top up station every time I need credit. Eventually I discovered a website where you can top up using your card, however, I still needed to manually register for plans and it's tad bit more expensive than Digicel. They also set up the plans to auto-renew by default so I had to stop it all the time. I'm a prepaid user and it was just a lot of work for me. So I switched to Digicel and had my sim card "ported". You can go to any Digicel store and ask them to change the network and still retain your number, FOR FREE! What I like about Digicel are their very affordable rates and bundles, and ofcourse an app where you can do everything; regular top up, purchasing bundles, and subscribing to their partner apps like SportsMax or Loop. They also have their very own version of Spotify called D'Music!
Your number one source of authentic news on island. This is my digital newspaper. That's all I have to say!
No matter how much locals deny they read this infamous page, trust me, they do! This is the number one source of gossip on island. I wouldn't consider this a news site but rather a tabloid where you can send in your "interesting discoveries" and street mishaps for public consumption. I wouldn't suggest you get your daily news from here because it has a reputation for misinformation and bad journalism, but if you are looking for entertainment, then grab your popcorn as this might be a good site for you. Be careful though, if they catch you doing something stupid on the road, they might report you in this site!
If you have been living in the Cayman Islands for a while, don't forget to share some websites you have discovered in the comments below!
Photo is from Pexels. If you enjoyed reading this, you might also like my posts on Anywhere with Choi. Check them out!
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