Friday, 14 February

I stayed up very latre last night to watch from my veranda as the Maasdam set out to sea for the short overnight sail to Bonaire, the third of the Netherlands Antilles, saving the best for last.  Because I have an early shore excurion, I order room service breakfast before going to bed and it arrives promptly at 7am.  Good thing I set the alarm for 6:45

Although there is a long line of passengers waiting on the pier for this partiuclar tour, we are divided into three smaller groups, each having its own van, driver, and guide.  Our guide is a local-born young man who looks 15, but has celebrated birthday number 30.  Although he has attended universities in Curacao, the Netherlands, and Florida, it is not easy finding meaningful work locally.  Since his mother is American he can visit and work in the US without the rigamarole of extensive paperwork, and he plans to return to Miami as soon as the tourist season here is over.  His English is excellent, with a charming lilt brought over from the two other languages in which he is fluent, Dutch and the local indigenous languatge.

The tour is decribed as a drive around all parts of the island, with several stops for photos.  But it is significantly more interesting than I expectd, since  the landscape is quite varied, the seacoast is an amazing collection of different colored waters (based on water depth and temperature), and there is ample opporunity to see local wildlife, including colorful parakeets (larger than their American cousin), flying in the wild; parrots that change color to blend with their environments; sluggish iguanas; wild donkeys; and--pride of the island of Bonaire--one of the largest flamingo colonies in the Western Hemisphere.

Heading north on the east side of the island, we pass through severl suburbs of Kralendijk (the capital city), with houses ranging from $300,000 to $600,000.  There are scenic views along the road at every turn. When we reach the north end we turn eastward and inward past a lake with local flamingos (they turn from brown to pink around the age of 5 years from bacteria in their diet).  In the small town of Rincon, we visit a distillery that brews a local liquer and then head to one of the highest points on the island, for the panoramic views as well as the Christian monument at the top. 

The southern part of the island contains the salt pans--huge deposits of salt drained from water that has turned pink from (healthy) bacteria.  The contrast of blue-green ocean, pink water, and bright white salt stretching for miles is amazing.  We also visit some restored slave "houses" that were used for the original workers.  Back in Kralendijk, I return to the Maasdam for lunch and then go ashore again to explore the small downtown and the few craft shops.

Tomorrow is a sea day and I plan to do nothing at all!