August 1996: Netherlands Antilles

TRAVEL DIARY:

We arrive to the trains station of Bologna, we say hallo to my sister who gives us many messages and gifts to bring to Stefi, the friend who invited us in Curaçao. We leave for Milano Centrale where we join, by bus, the Milan airport of Linate from where, at 16.30, we will take off for Amsterdam.
Out from Schiphol it's raining , but fortunately there is a bus that takes us to the entrance of the hotel. Last week, I asked help to: rec.travel.europe and many friends suggested me the Ibis Hotel, so we made the reservation from Italy, and now we are sure to find room (the hall is so crowded!!!). For dinner we manage to stay in the hotel as it is still raining and it is impossible for us to go downtown.
The morning after, we leave early to go to the airport. Departure at 10:40 a.m. to Curaçao, we will fly the whole day, and we will land to Willemstad at 16:20 p.m. We collect our baggage and my friend Stefi is to the exit waiting for us.
We had a shower to refresh a little, but... surprise: there only is the cold water tap!! On this island there is no water, so it is taken from the sea and the result is an optimal drinkable water!!!! But it is WARM! As for shower it is a great advantage: you do not have to try and try again to find a good temperature: it is still right and it remains constant!!! As to drink it, you have to refresh it adding some ice!!!
Once ready we go downtown for a first short visit and to celebrate our arrival with a good dinner in a small restaurant.

Curaçao has 170.000 inhabitants on an area of 472 km². The surface is mostly slope, the higher top is the Christoffel mount (375m). The Capital is Willemstad, where the great part of the population live.

First day: on morning, we go to the bank in order to change our Dollars in Netherlands Antilles Guilder (Nafl), then we go to the beach . Finally we are there: the sea is a dream!!
In the afternoon we visit the Curaçao Sea Aquarium: it is really nice. Every species of local marine life is showed in beautiful aquarius: sea-turtles, stingrays, giant moray eels, and twenty-foot sharks, for a total of 800 species. It is divided in 3 areas: first the 3 outside pools for the great sea-turtles and sharks. Secondly you can find the small building with the typical Aquarius. Finally a great closed natural pool with coralline barrier where there is a submarine where you can seat and stay to admire the fantastic landscape in which you are. You can also dive here (approximately $50) with an instructor and feed sharks protected by a net, in an unusual interactive exhibit called Animal Encounter The Sea aquarium beach, is really nice, but it is artificial. Here the sea would be much more deep so, in order to help people to have a safer place, it has been built a cliff barrier which indicates the bathing limit! It is a 450 meters long manmade beach. Because of its location so near the center of Willemstad, and its complete facilities, this one is a tourists favorite. Not far from here, you can find the great Curaçao Underwater Park, it is a 12.5 mile stretch of protected coral reef with many attractions for even the most experienced of divers.

Second day we go to a tourist agency downtown to reserve the flight to Bonaire. Stefi says it is wonderful and, as it is low season, it is easy to find some place . .
As we are looking for only one night, we choose an expensive hotel on the beach : we will leave the day after tomorrow.
We spend all the afternoon in the wonderful waters of the sea.

The third day is dedicated to visit the city: Willemstad. It is the administrative capital of the Netherlands Antilles, it lies on the southern coast overlooking the St. Anna Bay and is weel known for its Dutch colonial architecture in beautiful pastel colors. On one side of the bay the city takes the name of Punda and on the other Otrabanda.

To Punda you find all the historical buildings, the fashionable stores and all the duty free shops for cruiser tourists in transit.
In an inner channel there is the Floating Market. Schooners come in from Venezuela to set up market at the docks in downtown Willemstad to sell fresh fish, fruits, and spices alongside of local merchants. The prices are low so you have the chance to drink a good coconut (remember, the green ones, still fresh) and to eat sweetest bananas. But remember the vendors are Venezuelan and they do not speak English!
You also have to see the Jewish Cultural Historical Museum side by side to the Mikve Israel Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in use in the Americas since 1732
Finally, near the sea, you will find the Waterfort Arches, fortified walls constructed in 1634 to defend from pirati and French and English armies, but they were also used during the II World war in order protect the Allied Forces from nazi submarines. Along the channel, before the floating bridge that connects the bay, there is the Fort Amsterdam dates back to 1769 and now houses the Governor's Palace and a Dutch Reformed Church.

From the other side of the bay, there isOtrabanda, the most popular area. It is the real part of the town, the most colourful and typical.
To join the two parts there is the longest floating pedestrian bridge in the world (700 feet in length - 214m): the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge. The bridge floats between the two shopping districts of Punda and Otrobanda, swinging open up to thirty times a day to let in ships to St. Anna Bay. When the bridge is open, a free ferry plays across the channel.

The fourth day we wake up early to flight to Bonaire. We arrive in 20 minutes in one of the better place for loving nature people, you can also see it from the stamp on your passaport: the symbol of this small country is a beautiful pink flamingo .

Bonaire has 14.000 inhabitants on 180 km². It is located 30 miles (48 km) from Curacao; 50 miles (80 km) north of Venezuela. The surface is mostly slope, and the higher top is Brandaris Hill (239 m). The Capital is Kralendijk (pronounced 'Crawl-en-dike') that means: "coral dam" in Papiamento.

Also the airport is really charming! To the parking of taxis, a large indicator helps visitor by indicating rates for the main destinations; we find our hotel: the Sunset Beach Hotel. The room is nice, there are two big beds, air-conditioned, sat-tv (nearly all American channels), refrigerator (empty, but useful to conserve drinks and sandwiches), and out of the room you can find an ice distributor to refresh water or drinks!
We rent a car to the reception, for the whole day, then we direct to the "Washington-Slagbaai National Park". The man to the entrance explain us that the roads in the park are are rugged and dirty, so only four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. Fortunately some kind Americans, assure us they have made this tour many times and they have the same car as us. But remember: "You have to go very slowly..." so we decide to do the shorter circuit.
This park offers an excellent introduction to the landscape and vegetation of Bonaire. Covering almost one-fifth of the island, the park offers hills with scenic view , vast saline plains, beaches and trees filled with exotic birds. Animal life includes wild donkeys, goats and iguanas. There are also spots that offer excellent snorkelling and diving.
We join Boca Slagbaai, in the south coast, is ideal for swimming and snorkelling . Buildings dating back to 1868 still stand on the beach to demontrate the historic importance of this place. There also is a Saliñas (salt pans): Salina Slagbaai a good places to see birds feeding, especially pink flamingoes.
It is midday and our drinks are very hot, but we have to drink! We pass near another great salt pan (Goto Meer) with many many pink flamingoes ... wonderful!!! Goto Meer becomes a veritable sea of pink during the January-July breeding season. Then we drive out the Park
We arrive to Kralendijk where we stop to eat to Papiamentu restaurant. It is a very little and nice bar-restaurant, which today prepares "Cabritu stube" (goat and fried bananas, rice and vegetals) good and cheap!!! We go to south passing the airport and arriving to the end of the island, along the leeward coast and its spectacular waters.
There you have to see:

• Pekel Meer: the salt flats of Pekelmeer spread out in front of a visitor in great squares of brilliant color, ranging from the turquoise of newly-flooded areas and the pink of pools filled with brine shrimp to the blinding white of dried salt. Off to the side lie enormous mounds of dried and drying salt, and in the distance stand great flocks of flamingoes, happily supping on the shrimp.
• At Cabaje: you may find a number of picturesque and grimly fascinating stone huts. Waist-high, with small doors and no windows, these cramped quarters were built in the 18th century as housing for the slaves who harvested salt in the nearby flats. Also at Cabaje is a salt obelisk which was used as a marker for ships arriving to load the island's precious commodity.
• Lac bay: although it is located on the windward side of Bonaire, its encircling arms protect the waters within and create a lake for mangrove.

Then we are so tired that we decide to go to Kralendijk to buy essence and something to eat for dinner and re-enter to the Hotel. Now it is really dark, so we go to the beach bar of the hotel to enjoy our welcome cocktail. This is paradise!!!

On morning, we return the car and the key room to the reception, then we go to the beach to have our breakfast!
We will spend all the day in this wonderful beach that is strategically located, as it is the place from where all boats for divers leave to Klein (small) Bonaire. Klein Bonaire lies just off the western coast of the island, a smaller sister to Bonaire, and it is surrounded by a multitude of outstanding dive sites and is a popular spot for picnicking and barbecues-in part because it is completely undeveloped. The whole island has magnificent reef, thanks to the effort in the preservation of the Caribbean's invaluable underwater ecology, Bonaire Marine Park today ranks among the world's premier destinations for both divers and snorkelers with its 270 tropical fishes!

In the evening, we walk to the main street to go downtown. The main street is a browser's collection of dive shops, boutiques, arts and crafts galleries, restaurants and bars. In the city center, you find a small port, where water is so clear that visitors standing on the low cliffs above the bay can see the colorful parrotfishes below.
Then we call a taxi to go to the airport.
it is the last fly of the day and we are only five on the plane!!! In Curaçao, we find Stefi waiting for us... so we go home.

Today it is Saturday, we go for a short "shopping tour" to the city, looking for gifts to carry to Italy. At 11 o'clock, the sun starts to be to hard, so we go to the beach to refresh in its clear water and go to the Aquarius in order see again small fishes we have met in Bonaire and find out its names. Tomorrow, we will go to "Klein Curaçao" a completely desert island.

Kleine Curaçao is 2,5 km for 750m, it is completely slope and the only present construction is an old abandoned beacon.

Today it is Sunday, on morning we arrive to the Aquarium from where we are embarked on the motor-ship to "Kleine Curaçao" ... the adventure begins!
The adventure? YES! We will soon discover that the ocean waves are not a joke!!! The crew of the "Waterworld" is rather calm, but the ship makes great leaps thanks to the sea!!! Our stomachs are quite agitated and the ones of us who do not love navigation, are a little nervous!!!
The worst arrives when the crew see a life raft in the sea. The stop the boat, reverse the march and that's too much for many of us!!! Luckily the life raft is empty and nobody needs help, so we leaves again to Klein Curaçao... but the weather get worse!!! ... I remember everybody say it never rains here, wasn'it !?!? I think that even if it is true that here it never rains, you have to pay attention to not find bad weather while sailing or you hardly forgive it!!

The crew suggest us to go to the center of the ship to repare form rain, so we stay all so near to became an only passenger, while the barman dance to the rhythm of music and waves!

Passed the thunderstorm, finally, we arrive to the small island. Here there is not a dock, so the crew use to takes us to the river in group of 5. Some people do not resist and dive in these blue waters (but I think they did not wanted to wait to "touch earth"!)

The sky is still black, the sun is arriving. We spend the day laying on the sand and swimming in this fabulous sea.
Before sunset, we go back to Curacao, the sea is rather calm now, so we re-enter without problems.

Today we decide to relax to the beach!!!!

Today, we start our tour from the: Hato Caves, on the north coast near the airport. A nice professional guide illustrates us the inside of the these small, but beautiful, grotto... telling us its history and origins: they are limestone caverns with stalactites and stalagmites in unusual formations, underwater ponds, and 1500 year-old Caiquetio petroglyphs (Indian Caves). In the nineteenth century, the Hato Caves were used as hiding places for run-away slaves, and formerly, ancient religious ceremonies were conducted here.
Returning Willemstad, we stop to Amstel Brewery (Tuesdays and Thursdays, the famous brewery opens for tours). Here you can taste the beer made from saltwater, in fact, Amstel is the only brewery in the world that uses water from the ocean. Beer-lovers will get a kick out watching the efficient operations here, which produce over 40,000 bottles per hour.
To few blocks of distance, you have to stop to Landuis Chobolobo the Curaçao Liqueur Distillery, which is housed in one of the old plantations, and it is open for tours and tastings.
Finally we visit Landhuis Brievengat probably the finest example of its type of country estates.
Actually it is successfully used as a centre for cultural activities and festivals.
Before re-enter, we stop to reserve a room for our last night on the islands, as Stefi (who now hosts us) will leaves a day before us. It is not a problem to find a room, we prefer to choose a fabulous hotel on the sea, so, even if we will not have the car, we will be able to spend the last day to the beach.

Today we have decided to make a tour of the north-west of the island. To west, there is the natural park: Christoffel National Park. Around Mt. Christoffel (375m), the highest peak on the island, ther is a natural preserve covering 4,500 acres of land near the northwest coast forty minutes outside of Willemstad. Many species of plants and animals, some of which are only to be found in the Netherlands Antilles, can be seen here, and guided tours are offered by jeep, or there are well-marked trails running throughout the park for hiking.

To the entrance you can stop and see many animals () and the beautiful Landhuis Savonet where you can see the small Natural History Museum. If you go on towards west, you can find another small park Boka Tabla. Here, the impetuous waves of the ocean, have dug the cliff forming grottoes. Following the paths you can reach some caves or walk on reefs .
We visit a second landhuis: the Kenepa and its magnificent rooms still furnished in colonial style. Do not forget to go to the garden to take a picture of the great "tree of the fire" () and its red leaves.
Following the road you arrive in the leeward coast, that one of the turquoise sea. First beach: Playa Kalki (kalki in Papiamentu, the local language, means corals), the coralline barrier begins here a few meters from river. It is a little scenic beach, snorkelers love it because of the heavy growth of mountainous star coral. It also boasts one of the loveliest sunsets in Curacao.
Second stop: Knip beach a charming angle that only asks for being photographed as this beach is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful beaches Curacao has tooffer. The white sand, turquoise waters and rocky sides make this beach ideal for sunbathing, swimming, snorkelling and playing The manzanilla trees in the back (be careful the fruits are poisoning) provide some shadow, and there is a snack bar with good, inexpensive food and drinks. Here we spend the rest of the day, drinking fresh coconuts and swimming.
The last stop of the day is St. Maria salinja a pink flamingoes sanctuary.

Today it is the last day in Curaçao for Stefi. She decide to clean the home alone, she only asks us to put in order our room, then she accompanies us to the Lions Dive Hotel
The room is a dream!!! Two big beds, tv-sat from the USA, refrigerator, air conditioned or ceiling fans to choice, and out of the window, coconut and banana palms.
In the afternoon, Stefi comes to say hallo... we will see her in Bologna! We stay and look our last sunset on the Caribbean sea, then we go to have dinner to the Mambo, the beach restaurant .

Last day:: we start with a fabulous American breakfast, then we spend all the morning relaxing in the beach and, after lunch, we reserve a taxi to go to the airport .