A land of pink flamingos, mountains of bright white salt and aquarium clear water, was Bonaire to us.
Bonaire, along with Curacao and Aruba, makes up the ABC islands just off the Venezuelan coast and was our first stop in these islands.
Bonaire is shaped like a boomerang and is 111 square miles. It is the number one diving island in the Caribbean with its coral reefs and its pristine waters.
Starting the Day in Bonaire
Our ship docked alongside another one in a row. David was out early and said it was quite the sight to see our ship maneuver in front of another, sort of like parallel parking for two cruise ships.
I noticed a faint rainbow over Klein Bonaire, the small island just off Bonaire’s coast. I pointed it out to Andrew and we watched as it slowly disappeared.
After breakfast on the ship, we headed out to the downtown Kralendijk, which was right off the cruise dock. We were seeing the town in the morning before doing an excursion that afternoon.
Before going through security I spied some crabs on the cement dock wondering about. Andrew and I went around searching for them. It was a fun game before David signaled us to get on through security and check out the nearby craft and souvenir stalls.
Flamingo Sculpture Done in Garbage
On the boardwalk, there is a pink flamingo made out of garbage. There were pink flip-flops and other debris mixed in it. Along with the large flamingo was a baby flamingo made with metal and plastic bottles. I assumed the statement was about the dangers of garbage in the ocean.
“I see Lightning McQueen,” Andrew said.
He was right, in the mix was a Lightning McQueen box, and this, of course, was something he would notice.
Next, we checked out the artisan market stalls, we usually window shop first to see the best deals before buying souvenirs and handmade goods. One vendor was selling painted postcards that included flamingos in flight, saltpans and the colorful homes that can be found here.
Fort Oranje Walk Around
Next, we headed to Fort Oranje. The museum for some reason was closed. Yet, we were able to walk about checking out the cannons and the small bastion built by the Dutch in 1639 and once served as the governor’s mansion until 1837. Actually the cannons had been salvaged from a British ship that had grounded here in the early 1800s. The fort did not see action, although it had been traded to the British a few times before finally being settled as a Dutch possession. The fort also includes a small three-story lighthouse.
Checking out Kralendijk
The tourist information center is across the street from the fort and I walked in got a map. We spent the morning walking through the downtown checking out the shops. The buildings were different colors, orange, red, blue and even pink.
The town’s Terramar Museum gives an overview of the history of Bonaire, but we didn’t have time for it since we had the excursion in the early afternoon.
Afternoon Tour Leads With Cactus Fencing
After lunch on the boat, we headed out for the day on a motorcoach to see the island.
The tour guide explained that a lot of fencing on the island is done using long narrow cactus planted close together.
It is really cool and outdoes the arborvitae that I use at home. I liked the natural touch and I am sure it works since no one will want to get spiked by a cactus. The island, of course, has a dry climate and is out of the hurricane belt like all the ABC islands.
Bonaire Cliff Side
We headed along a narrow road below rocky orange cliffs. Here we passed many dive sites that are marked by pink triangles. Occasionally, we would see vehicles on small dusty parking lots and tiny heads of divers popping up not far from shore.
He stopped the bus briefly to point out a natural bridge. “A legend says that if you walk under the natural bridge your marriage will last forever.”
A sweet thought, although the bridge was surrounded by undergrowth, so I guess it takes work to have a long marriage.
We come across a tree that had a large mound on it that turned out to be a termite nest.
“A parakeet will lay its eggs in the nest and they will eat the ant,” the tour guide said as we passed by it.
A 1,000 Steps to Dive
One-stop is called 1,000 steps that led to a famous dive spot known for snorkeling among sea turtles.
The tour guide explained the name, “It is not actually 1,000, he said it just feels that way when you come back up them from a day of diving. It is actually 64 steps.”
The dive stop also includes a small beach. We wished the tour allowed for a break here so we could take a moment off the full bus and stretch our legs, but we kept on.
Venezuela Connection
Across a lake, we saw an oil terminal, which is used for Venezuelan gas, but the country is in political turmoil so the refinery is silent and only a skeleton crew to maintain it is allowed there. It was a sad fact of the area to see this.
Flamingo Watch
We turn and follow a lake and here he tells us we can find flamingos.
As we get closer to the shoreline I finally see them. They are bright pink. Flamingos have this color from the pink shrimp they eat.
The coolest thing for me was to see one in flight, which at the zoo they are of course stopped from doing this. It was nice to see one free to spread its wings, free to go into the skies.
As we drove through the trees and along the shoreline I keep spying small flocks. There was not a lot, but I really liked being able to see them this way. Andrew also enjoyed looking for them as we drove along. He kept saying, “Dad there’s another one.”
Stopping in Rincon
The bus turned away from the lake and headed into the hills toward Rincon, a town that was for the slaves that used to work in the salt mines. The tour guide gave some insight into their lives.
“The slaves would walk from here for many miles to the salt mining on the south side of the island. By the saltpans, there are huts where they would sleep. We will see those later.”
Here we stopped to try cactus liquor and have some iguana soup, which I tried and found it tasted like chicken.
The museum where we stopped had a house that gave you an idea of how a former slave lived. It was of course very simple.
Salt Pans and Slave Huts
After a bit of drive, we came to the saltpans that slaves once worked. The saltpans are mined now by the equipment. He explained the process.
“They use large ponds that are filled with water that turns pink in color and then the ponds are drained and they scrape off the salt that is left on the bottom once it has dried using machinery. Seventy percent is used for water softener and 30 percent is used for table salt.”
The salt here is stacked like huge haystacks, like tiny white mountains by a pink sea. It is quite a bright white.
We came here to check out the former slave huts by the ocean with the old salt lakes on the other side.
“Before the stone huts were built the slaves would have stayed in crude stick and grass shanties.”
I didn’t walk in through the narrow small entrance. It was quite small and the windowless interior included a hard stone floor.
I read later in my travel book, that five to six men would be crammed into this tiny space. There were no cooking or washing facilities here for them either. It was only used for sleeping. The huts were used from 1860 to 1863 until slavery was abolished by the Dutch. It was sad to think about the harsh life they had lived.
Down by the water you would see these amazing coral rocks and rounded smooth coral pieces. The beach was filled with broken smooth coral. It was quite a sight and cool to touch.
We headed north to stop briefly where a pipe went towards a waiting boat for salt. Here there is a box where you can pick up leftover rock salt. We had a token to take home with us.
Heading back to the ship, we stopped to see the fish and aquatic life in the dock area by the boat. The sea life is amazing here. Lots of long fish, blue ones, striped ones, and even eels could be seen. We didn’t even have to get snorkeling gear on. The water completely clear and the fish were just right below us between the boat and the pier. Andrew really enjoyed this.
Last Stop
Andrew and David headed onto the ship while I picked up a few souvenirs. I bought the postcards that I mentioned earlier and then went to the Bonaire Salt Shop and bought a grinder for about seven bucks. With Bonaire’s long history of exporting salt, I thought it was neat to take home a bit of history with me.
We also don’t have a nice salt grinder and it will be cool to put this out when we have guests over for dinner. I liked that on the side of the box there is a story of salt production on the island.
Next, we are off to the island of Curacao, a day without an excursion to check out the city of Willemstad.
Three Other Ports
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