Return To Hell

Yes. There is a Hell. And it has a zip code as I mentioned in an earlier post a while back. The little town of Hell is located on Grand Cayman Island and since we had our grandson with us on our recent dive trip, we thought we would take him there. He had a lot of fun with it for an eleven year old who usually can't use the word. How many kids can say their grandparents took them to Hell and back again? He even got a T-shirt that said so. (He won't be wearing it to church or school.)

Hell was the name assigned to an area of dark limestone formations that are said to be formed from "acid rain and consumption of the rock by carbonate-loving organisms." Supposedly the name stuck when a local official said he thought it was what hell must look like.

Cayman is a very conservative community. There are lots of churches dotting the island so it is kind of surprising that the name lasted. It has become a tourist draw. The one large souvenir shop (that is painted with scriptures) has been joined by several others right next to it. We knew from past experience that "Hell" was closed on Sunday but most of it is

also closed on Saturday--at least through the summer. A lot has to do with when the cruise ships come in and the excursions to Hell are plentiful.

We were happy to find that one little shop was open right next to the post office and we were able to buy several postcards and stamps and drop them in the mail slot at the post office so they would be postmarked, "Hell." That's also where our grandson found his T-shirt that he proudly wore for his mother when she picked him up after our trip was over.

How did he like his trip to Hell? "It wasn't as hot as I thought it would be," he said with a crooked grin.