No, I didn't just make a pun out of a title, I went there in July. Hell is a little wide spot in the road in the West End of Grand Cayman. As I left Georgetown and headed up to West End, I found myself "on the road to Hell"
"Whatever
lies behind the name, it’s definitely an appropriate one. The black,
jagged rock formation gives an intimidating impression of what Hell may be like. These jagged rock formations occupy an area around half the size
of a soccer field. Walking among the rocks is no longer permitted, to prevent any further damage to the site. However, two observation platforms give a fascinating view of
Dante's Landscape.
The
rock outcrops are not lava, despite the appearance of same. They are limestone and dolomite that has been eroded over the years by
algae. The resultant land form is called a phytokarst. The algae attacks the calcium
in the limestone leaving "the devil's garden" made up of the harder dolomite. These
shapes are what you can see in Hell today. There is no more erosion expected, because the algae requires water to stay alive. The rock was originally
bright white in color, but has been blackened by the algae, giving rise to its
devilish look today.
The Hell Post Office is one of the biggest attractions in Hell. You can send all of your friends a "Post Card from Hell", as I did and so many others as well. All in all quite a unique experience, "going to Hell". I guess you can say it was a "Hell of an experience". Maybe I need to "get the Hell out of here" and put this blog to bed.
