Saturday, October 30, 2010

Hell in Grand Cayman Islands


Greetings from Hell, Grand Cayman, B.W.I.

"Go to Hell". See the wild formation of rocks that look like hell with its bottomless pits. Send a cards from Hell or just pose with the devil. "Hope to see you in Hell" - Grand Cayman Islands.

postmarked with a 20c 'Best Wishes' Cayman Islands stamp in 2008

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Hell, Grand Cayman is a group of short, black, limestone formations in the northwest Grand Cayman town of West Bay. It is roughly the size of half a soccer field, and people are not allowed in amongst the limestone formations; two viewing platforms exist for tourists. There are numerous versions of how Hell received its name, but they are generally variations on "a local official exclaimed, 'This is what Hell must look like.'"

Regardless of how it first came to be called Hell, the name stuck and the area has become something of a tourist attraction, featuring a fire-engine red hell-themed post office from which you can send "postcards from hell", and a gift shop with 'Satan' passing out souvenirs while greeting people with phrases like 'How the hell are you?' and 'Where the hell are you from?'

It is also claimed that the name "Hell" is derived from the fact that if a pebble is thrown out into the formation, it echoes amongst the limestone peaks and valleys and sounds as if the pebble is falling all the way down to "Hell."

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