Bonaire and Curacao

Bonaire and Curacao

We’ve sprayed them and poisoned them but we still have not got rid of our cockroaches. We haven’t found any eggs but with 52 lockers to choose from, plus the bilges, this is not really surprising. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Jeremy continues to amaze me. Our toilet stopped working out in the remote Islas Aves. We were on our way to Bonaire and I’m sure most people would have waited until they were tied up or anchored in a sheltered bay before taking the toilet to bits. Not Jeremy! He had his head down there, with the boat rocking and rolling with a following wind, for several hours and he didn’t give up until he’d fixed it. So no need to “bucket and chuck it”.

Our son-in-law, Ben is doing very well. He has a reconnection operation on 23rd February and expects to be in hospital for 5 days. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

In Bonaire, we met Frans and Lucia again from the yacht, Dalwhinnie (named after the town and the Scottish malt whisky). They were also heading for Curacao and gave us some good advice about the trip there. Meanwhile, we hired a jeep style car for a day to see the sights of Bonaire. Simon and Erin would have loved the “affordable” accommodation on the kitesurfing beach – rough shacks made of driftwood and other natural materials. Further on the small slave huts were a stark reminder of the island’s past. I could just stand up inside – all 5ft 3ins of me! The south of the island is a huge salt pan except for a unique shallow bay ideal for windsurfing. Around 65 dive sites are marked around the coast and, as long as you’re qualified and have the inexpensive permit, you can drive there or go by boat and dive. We tried a few for snorkelling but found our mooring to be one of the best places! The north of Bonaire is quite hilly and there is evidence of water, but what they describe as fertile land means an absence of cacti, I think. We got some great photos of flamingos in the north and south.

Now I couldn’t leave Bonaire without a visit to the donkey sanctuary. When the Spaniards left 300 years ago, they left their donkeys behind. It’s quite common to see wild donkeys but they often get hit by motor vehicles and end up at the sanctuary. They have 400 donkeys at present. We went on their donkey safari our hire car. It was quite scary at first when 50 or more donkeys surrounded our little car. When we were able to move some of them galloped alongside. There were little feeding areas with walls and a gate, where I enjoyed feeding the donkeys and talking to them until two of them jumped over the wall. We did have to make a run for it to get back to the car.

After a week, we set off to Klein (Little) Curacao, a reef with a lighthouse, a sandy beach and knee high scrubland. We anchored in strong winds but had time for a snorkel in crystal clear water. One French yacht was anchored there and a local fishing boat. The next day we rocked and rolled the 15 miles to Spaanse Water in Curacao. It took us one and a half hours to anchor in winds of 30+ knots and this was in an almost landlocked lake! This meant we missed the first bus to Willemstad, the capital, where we had to go to clear in. We just made it to Customs before they closed for lunch. Then we had to go across the water to Immigration and the Harbour Office. Security at the cruise ship dock would not let us continue without a pass, which they issued. Immigration was just closing as we arrived but they let us sit in their outer office on a park bench seat, while they went for lunch. We ate our sandwiches and waited. At least it was air conditioned but we were quite chilly after a while. Anyway, we cleared in and then went next door to get our anchoring permits. We had to state which bays we wanted to visit and the dates and we were only allowed 3 nights in 3 bays other than Spaanse Water. At last, armed with all the paperwork, we handed in our stamped pass to security and caught the bus back to Spaanse Water, once we’d discovered which bus and where to stand to wait for it.

Our trips to the three bays were good fun. We enjoyed exploring old mines and quarry works near Fuick Bay in the south. Santa Martha Bay had a safe lagoon to anchor in but we were near “badlands” territory and the nearby, recently closed, Sunset Waters Resort had been wrecked by thieves and vandals. We witnessed some thieving going on but as one of the men had a rifle, we turned and walked the other way. Santa Cruz, the third bay, was further north and very windy. It was the week-end and lots of families were having picnics and BBQ’s on the beach. Let’s Go Watersports catered for every need and even had a restaurant. We booked for Saturday night and ate fresh fish/king prawns sitting on their balcony overlooking the bay. We were their only evening visitors, although the place had been heaving earlier. On Monday, when it was quiet, we filled all our containers with fresh water from the beach shower. There was no visible tap and no fee to pay.

Back in Spaanse Water, we had dinner with Frans and Lucia. We returned their kindness by inviting them to Sal Darago on the evening of Jeremy’s birthday. I made Lancashire Hotpot which we had with red cabbage followed by chocolate cake. Naturally, we had candles and all sang “Happy Birthday”. Jeremy was delighted with their present – a small bottle of Dalwhinnie whisky.

We’re staying here to see the Carnival Procession on Sunday, but think we’ll be off to Aruba later next week.