Happy April Fool's Day!!
Well, here we are for the fourth visit to an island we like…….Bonaire. It would have been the fifth time, if we had not had to leave the ship back in January due to Covid. We arrived around 7:30am to find that the Celebrity Silhouette was docked in our usual spot, the South Pier. She is bigger than us at 122,210 gross tons. Took a while before we were docked at the North Pier, just yards away from each other. And it took the local authorities until 9am before we were cleared. By then, anxious guests were waiting in the public areas of deck 2 to join their tours. Since the ship will be here until 11pm, none of the tours will be shortened.
For some reason unknown to us, Club Orange seemed especially warm this morning. We simply mentioned this to greeter, Queenlyn, who reported it. Lo and behold, we began to feel the air circulating, cooling the room off. We were not complaining about it, just commenting. Queenlyn was happy since she has to wear a uniform that includes a jacket.
Back in our room, we saw a flotilla of boats outside our veranda. You name them…..tour, catamaran, glass bottom, and even a pirate ship were waiting for their guests to arrive. Just about then, there was the signal that another crew drill was about to begin. All of the ship's services were shut down for one hour. Just as the alarm went off, we had been calling the spa to make an appointment for a trim. The phone rang, but was eventually disconnected. That's what they meant by an interruption of services. Literally, there was no one "home". We could try again later.
By 10:30am, we left the ship. Once again, we had been reminded to bring our Covid vaccination cards. And indeed, they were checked by locals as we left the pier. Docked a bit closer to town, we turned left, and followed the seawall. This is where the prettiest fish can be found. Mostly large turquoise and blue parrot fish. Cannot believe people eat these in Barbados and other parts of the world. Got to admit, they are plump. Snorkelers can often find surgeonfish, angelfish, eel, snapper, and grouper. The dive sites are marked with large yellow-painted stones along the roadside. There is a $10 nature fee, which can be paid at any dive shop. It is good for one year.
Besides the fish, we also saw may types of birds today. There were the laughing gulls, brown pelicans, a few frigates, what we think are banded red knots, and a snowy egret or two. We even spotted a bare-eyed pigeon, and the yellow shouldered Amazon parrot. Other creatures we saw were small lizards with turquoise tails and the iguanas. Would have been nice to see the flamingoes, which number in the thousands. But that would involve a tour in a van, and we aren't doing that this trip. And besides, these birds are in a protected area, and can only be viewed from a distance. The best display we have seen of flamingoes had to be while in Walvis Bay, Namibia. You can walk right to the beach area and see the flocks right off of the shoreline.
The day had started out quite overcast and windy. But eventually, the sun came out and it got hot. No wonder so many people take to the water here, especially snorkeling or diving. Bonaire is one of the best diving destinations in the world. And if you are into deep sea fishing, there are wahoo, marlin, tuna, swordfish and sailfish to be caught and released.
Our walk took us all the way to a yacht club, which is where we turned back. At this point, you have to walk on a busy highway. We like the beachfront better. With two ships in, most all of the restaurants were full to capacity. Even the craft and souvenir area in Wilhelmina Park had many customers. One of us was in search of a matching pendant for existing earrings made of dichroic glass. Passing a small shop with dozens of such jewelry in the window, we went inside to look. Wearing the earrings today helped us find a good match. These are all handmade on the island….each one is unique. We have read that the tiles used on space shuttles are made of the same glass. It takes the heat of 1200 degrees to mold the glass, so it does well in outer space. Who knew?
We were back to the ship by 1pm, and dined on our veranda for lunch. Lots of ice cold sodas. We faced the open ocean, so it was fun watching the passing tour boats go by. Every hour on the hour, a group went out. The best was the pirate boat, especially when they put the red sail up. The one thing we recalled facing this way was the intense heat from the sun. Could have fried an egg out there on the veranda. However, we did get treated to a great sunset.
The Celebrity Silhouette with her possible 2886 passengers left the pier around 6pm. And we are scheduled for some time after 10:30pm.
Dinner was in the dining room starting with double spring rolls on a bed of glass noodles with sweet and sour sauce. Best ever, that could be an entrée in itself. We both had salads, then shared lasagna with one order of wiener pork schnitzel. Totally full, we skipped dessert, although one of us snuck one piece of the pillow candy in our room.
Bill And Mary Ann
Saturday, April 2, 2022
Report #105 Kralendijk, Bonaire Friday April 1, 2022 Cloudy With Sun Hot And Muggy 85 Degrees
