Bonaire, the "B" island of the ABC Dutch Lesser Antilles, has a total of about 18,000 people. The island is 24 miles long, with 112 square miles. And it is totally different from the other two islands in that it has a small town atmosphere about it. Kralendijk, the capital, has about 3000 residents with a lot of vehicles. It is known for the excellent diving and snorkeling, perhaps a rival to The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The waters are crystal clear, due to the fact it is a dry climate with little or no soil run-off. One big draw is the fact you can night dive in many of the sites. Typical fish sighted are the parrot fish, surgeonfish, angelfish, eel, snapper, and grouper. The sites are actually marked by yellow-painted stones along the roadside. There is a $10 nature fee you need to pay before entering water to scuba or snorkel, but it is good for one year.
The Dutch seized all three of these islands from the Spanish back in 1633, and expanded the salt industry. This is an important industry even today. Besides the water activities, biking is big here. There are 180 miles of paved and unpaved roads to explore. A half day sport fishing tour might set you back $325. The catch could be wahoo, marlin, tuna, sword and sailfish.
The local crafts include fancy-painted driftwood, or hand-painted kunuku, which are little wilderness houses. Forbidden to take home are goatskin or tortoise shell items, or sea fans, coral, or conch shells. There is a huge fine for attempting to do so.
The Nieuw Statendam did not arrive here until close to 11am, docking at the South Pier. At the North pier, there was the Oceana Marina, which ended up leaving about 1:30pm. Today we were required to bring our ID's, room card, and also a copy of our Covid vaccination card. These cards were checked when we left the ship, before entering the town. Once again, we left the masks on most of the time.
This has to be the only island that does not have a gigantic variety of high end jewelry shops. It is more low-key. Yesterday, one of us picked up a coupon for a free charm at Milano Jewelers. If we happen to pass it, we'd get it.
Walking the same direction as we did back in January, we were happy to see the most colorful parrotfish in the waters right off of the main drive. A seawall lines the Kaya CEB Hellmund Drive, and has a few benches along the way. On one side of the road, there was a block or two of cafes, shops, and businesses that looked quite busy. Passing by the crowds, we continued past the inns and condos, where the vacationing folks can walk right to the water with their snorkel gear or tanks. Directly across from the town is an island called Klein Bonaire, a very small island with a few perfect beaches. No development has ever been allowed there, so you need to bring everything you want with you. Water taxis will bring you there for about $14 per person round trip. We noticed that many types of tour boats were bringing cruise ship guests there.
Taking our time, we eventually reached the end the walkway, to find an iguana crossing the street. It headed right for a tree along the beach, leapt up the trunk, and slithered its way to the branches. Once up there, we had a hard time finding it. Seeing the long tail hanging down, we saw that it was eating the leaves and red flowers of the tree. A pair of small canaries were also dining on the nectar, oblivious of the monster lizard lurking there. Guess he doesn't eat birds. We also saw a fleeting small lizard as it headed under an old house. We also spotted some more iguanas sunning themselves on the concrete wall further down the road.
Turning back, we cut up one of the small side streets to Kaya Grande, the main drag. Finding the street that went up to a roundabout, we saw the sign, Kaya LD Gerharts, and followed that. Passing several historical sites, we ended up at St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church. Carefully crossing at the roundabout, we went inside for a bit. We can say one thing for certain, people that live here don't necessarily believe in pedestrians having the right-of-way. If you are not fast enough crossing, you will be almost run over. And they might even beep their horn. To be fair, there were some nicer folks who did stop for us, just not many of them.
Back-tracking, we did see Milano Jewelers on the corner, went inside, and got their charm. They were selling a chain for the charm, but I already have several like it. And the charm itself was a flamingo, which is what this island is known for. In fact, there are an estimated 15,000 of them in the salt ponds. But unless you take a tour there to see them from a distance, the only flamingoes you will see in town will be on t-shirts, painted on buildings, in the sidewalks made with stones, or with cleverly-made mailboxes.
Getting back to the ship by 1:30pm, we headed for the Grand Dutch Café for ice cold beers and sandwiches with fries. Once again, we split one of the huge eclairs. The rest of the afternoon, we spent cooling off on our veranda and working in the room on the computer. The day had started overcast, but warm. Eventually the clouds opened up and it got pretty hot. The humidity seemed to go up as well. But we did not see any rain, which was lucky.
Dinner was in the dining room with our buddies. It sure is fun when the stories come up that we can all share. Always while on a ship somewhere like the Amazon, Australia, or Africa, or someplace with monkeys, snakes, crocs, or birds, we could talk for hours. That's how we end up being among the last to leave the room by 10pm.
Tomorrow we shall be in Curacao. Shall expand the exploring there.
Bill & Mary Ann
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Report #61 Kralendijk, Bonaire Wednesday - February 16, 2022 Mostly sunny & 85 degrees
