It doesn’t take long to realize that Bonaire, the third of the Dutch ABC islands, is different from Aruba and Curaçao. Kralendijk, the capital, has a population of only 10,000, and the entire island is home to only 24,000 citizens, a fraction of its more populous neighbors. You can walk the downtown area in around half an hour, so if you have a day in Bonaire you should probably consider scheduling some kind of excursion or adventure.
Happily, there are plenty of options, depending on your interests and abilities. Bonaire is famous for its snorkeling and diving, and windsurfing and kitesurfing are also popular. We passed on those opportunities and chose instead to book a tour of the island, and I’m glad we did, because Bonaire is unique in many ways.
Our morning excursion covered the southern half of the island, which is flat as a pancake and barely above sea level. We stopped first at the Cargill salt mine, where I learned that after refined petroleum, salt is Bonaire’s largest export. However, it’s how they do it that’s interesting. Seawater is allowed to flow into enormous shallow ponds (remember I mentioned how flat it is), where it is captured and allowed to evaporate, leaving the salt to harvest. Then there’s a large conveyor-like system that transports the salt from the ponds out to the Caribbean, where it is loaded onto ships for transport. Bonaire salt is used in everything from soup to road salt. Check out the photos below.
Our next stop was just as interesting, but a good deal more depressing. Unfortunately, slaves were used to mine the salt in the early days, and we visited the tiny huts that were used as sleeping quarters by the slaves. The huts, which are barely six feet high at the peak, are largely as they were when they were constructed in 1850, though I doubt they were as nicely painted, and we were told that originally the roofs were of woven grass. Given the heat, humidity and complete lack of shade, I can only imagine how dreadful life was for the slaves who worked the saltponds.
On our way to our next stop we saw lots of flamingos, though most were pretty far in the distance. Bonaire is one of only four places where the American flamingo nests, and the nesting areas are protected to avoid disturbing them. Still, a few wander out near the roads, and we were able to get a couple good photos. We also saw wild Nubian donkeys, which are of Somalian origin and not native to Bonaire, but were introduced by the Spaniards a long time ago.
The final destination on our excursion was a beach where windsurfing is the primary activity. It’s an ideal location, because the wind is good, the waves aren’t very high, and the water is shallow quite far out, making it a relatively safe place to learn.
That was it for our morning excursion, and our bus driver returned us to the ship just in time for lunch, after which we set out on foot to explore the town. As I mentioned above, Kralendijk is tiny compared to the capitals of Aruba and Curaçao, and half an hour of leisurely walking did indeed suffice to cover the downtown area. On our morning excursion our guide told us that Bonaire only has one traffic light, and I got a nice photo of it on our afternoon walk.
Returning to the ship, I spent the rest of the afternoon curating my photos and working on the text for this blog post. I’m finding that I really enjoy blogging, and I’m delighted that many of you have said you like my little travelogue.
Finally, a little about Papiamentu (Curaçao and Bonaire) or Papiamento (Aruba), the native language of the ABC Dutch islands. Though it is based on Spanish and Portuguese, it is believed to have been modified and influenced by Dutch, African, Native American (primarily Arawak), Jewish, and English speakers. A word you will see and hear a lot on the islands is “dushi.” Dushi is a kind of all purpose word that basically means good. If your girlfriend is nice, she’s dushi. If you enjoyed the movie, it was dushi. If the weather is nice, it’s dushi. If you liked the food, it was dushi. The sign above the store in my photos is advertising that it’s a good place to eat or shop. There, now you can speak a little Papiamento.
Tomorrow is a sea day, which will be welcome after three days spent exploring the Dutch ABC islands. Then it’s off to Barbados and Grenada before turning south and beginning our journey down the east coast of South America. Much more to come, so stay tuned.
A salt pond. Fresh seawater is allowed to flow in, is captured, evaporates, and the salt is mined.
Salt piles and the conveyor that takes it the short distance to the Caribbean to be loaded on ships.
The other end of the conveyor, where the salt is loaded on ships.
Michele collecting salt samples that were put out for us to take as souvenirs.
Slave huts. Try to imagine what that must have been like.
Bonaire is one of only four places where American flamingos nest.
Wild Nubian donkey. Native to Somalia, where they're now extinct, they were introduced to Bonaire by the Spanish.
Bonaire is famous for its great windsurfing.
The windsurfing beach we visited wasn't bad for just hanging out either.
This is what an excursion is like between stops. A knowledgeable tour guide fills the time with information, stories, anecdotes and a little humor. They're almost always excellent.
The only traffic light in Bonaire.
Downtown Kralendijk.
Comments