Part of the A-B-C islands, Curacao has a population of 164,000 folks that speak both Dutch, English, as well as Papiamento, a local dialect. Once called the Netherlands Antilles, Dutch is very much part of the culture. Willemstad, the capital, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and a "go-go" destination worldwide we understand.
Sint Annabaai shipping channel cuts the town in half with colonial neighborhoods on one side ( Otrobanda), and old sailor districts turned edgy cafes and bars on the other side (Punda). The popular food and drink includes funchi, a fried cornmeal cake or used as a coating. Nasi goreng, an Indonesian fried rice, which ties the Dutch to Indonesia. And how about iguana stew? Yes, it will show up on some menus here. Curacao is their signature liqueur, which is tinted blue, but is made from fermented orange rinds.
Of course there were some HAL excursions here such as Curacao land and sea in a semi-submergible vessel for 2 ½ hours for $60. Authentic Curacao island tour was $45 for 2 ½ hours, while Ultimate Curacao beach and turtle snorkel with lunch was $110 for 6 hours. Cooking with a Caribbean chef with lunch was $180 for 5 ½ hours, and Caves and city highlights was $55 for 2 ¾ hours. A trip to an ostrich farm and aloe plantation was 3 hours for $60. The trolley train for 1 ½ hours was $45, while a country drive was $60 for 3 ½ hours. Kimberly's talk yesterday revealed many more activities people could do on their own. There were various museums, including old slave houses, liqueur distilleries, government buildings, and a mangrove park for starters. There was a list of beaches, but nothing close-by. Much of this city can be reached right from the area where we were docked. And for half of the day, that is exactly what we did…..walk the city.
Our travel group of about 70 people were invited to take a bus tour to see the Cathedral of Thorns, the Curacao Liqueur Distillery followed by a drive through the popular shopping area of the Punda district. Finally, at 1:30pm, there was a buffet lunch at Restaurant & Café Gouverneur De Rouville. One of us has been having some back problems, and decided not to take the bus tour portion of the tour. Instead, we planned to meet the group at 1:15pm and join them for lunch.
We were not alone in the port today as the Ambience was already docked in the harbor. She was formerly the Regal Princess (1991), then sold to P&O Australia as the Pacific Dream. Now part of Ambassador Cruise Lines, it holds 1400 passengers and has a gross tonnage of 70,285. They boast having 89 cabins for singles. Later in the day, we were surprised to find Celebrity's Equinox docked right behind the Zuiderdam. That's a whole lot of people in town for sure.
Willemstad is a very walkable town, where once you leave the ship, you are on your way through the Renaissance Wind Creek Resort and Mall, which is full of highend shopping. Taking a right turn through a small tunnel, you end up in an 1828 Rif Fort, built to defend the city. Today there are even more shopping opportunities and dining venues in the fort. Outside the fort, we followed the main street which was lined with souvenir stands. The biggest attraction here has to be the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge also known as the Swinging Old Lady. This bridge rests on 16 pontoons and opens for ships and boats to enter the harbor. Built in 1888, it costs 2 cents to cross, unless you removed your shoes, then it was free.
Now we were in the Punda district, and one of the first buildings we saw on the right was Fort Amsterdam, built in 1634, is a museum these days and the Fort Church. On the left of the bridge is the world-famous street of colorful buildings that are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main and side streets are full of old buildings with baroque gables and arched galleries that house many a boutique, jewelry shops, and art galleries.
We also strolled by Wilhelmina Park and the statue of Queen Wilhelmina along with the I Love Curacao and Dushi signs. This area is full of government and office buildings. From here we made our way down the narrow streets full of souvenir shops to Marshe Nobo, the largest indoor produce market as well as handmade crafts for sale. Plasa Bieu is where the locals go for traditional dishes, more like a cafeteria. The aroma of fish was heavy in the air.
From here we made our way to the Floating Market where the fishing boats from Venezuela bring their fresh catch to sell daily. They also have the nicest selection of fruit and vegetables. The funny thing is that we read the boxes of the fruit, finding most of it came from Argentina, Peru, and Colombia. As for the fish, there were two tables where they usually butcher the larger varieties, but all of it was already sold by the time we got there.
We slowly made our way around the Scharloo district and some more museums across a bridge. The Curacao Maritime Museum was located there. Rounding the corner, we found we were on the Handelskade street with the famous old pastel buildings. These days they house shops and cafes. We needed to be across the harbor to meet our group for lunch by 1:15pm, so we crossed the swinging bridge again, located the restaurant right by the ferry landing.
Being that we were the first ones to arrive, we had our choice of seats on the upper covered outdoor patio facing the harbor. We were served drinks of pineapple juice with coconut rum served over ice. Sure went down easy after three hours of exploring on foot. That was followed by bottled beers while we waited for the rest of the people to arrive. A nice buffet was being set up in their garden under a large tent. Once the tables were full of guests, they called us to the line one table at a time. Right before we were called to the line, a sudden wind came up along with a sudden downfall of rain. The wind must have been 50 mph and blew sideways right at our group sitting on the patio. Lucky we did not have our food yet, although the table next to us had theirs. And it did get wet. It passed over as quickly as it had begun. The waiters came with towels and dried our table, while the other folks scrambled to escape the rain with no where to go. Oh well, a little water did not hurt us, except fpr the beverages that spilled in or laps.
Our small group was the last to get our food, but the buffet was kept full and fresh from beginning to end. Our meal consisted of a mixed green salad with Caesar dressing, a bay shrimp cocktail and a cerviche shrimp tasting. There were squares of quiche, banana soup, a fish stew with curry, spaghetti, and rice with a beef and veggie stew. Decadent brownies and a silky custard were there for dessert. To make up for spilled beer and drinks from the wind, the staff kept the beverages coming.
Some of the guests took the shuttle back, but most of us walked. All aboard was 4:30pm, and we still had plenty of time to wander through the stands and shops on the way back. That's when we noticed that the Equinox had arrived. Shortly after getting back to our room, the Ambience left the harbor blowing the horn all the way out. The Zuiderdam pulled away from the pier closer to 5:30pm, apparently waiting for a late-arriving guest.
We noticed at that time that our room was heating up. Looking at the thermometer of our projection clock, it read 86 degrees. Checking the ceiling vents, we realized they were not working. The exhaust fan in the bathroom went silent as well. Calling the front desk was useless as they were not answering the phone. So on our way to dinner, we saw our room steward who said that our block of rooms were not working. He had no idea how long it would take to fix it. We sure hoped by the time dinner was over, it would be repaired.
Dinner began with chicken empanadas, Caesar salads, and one Bolognese spaghetti dish and one flat iron steak meal. Both were good. Desserts were a slice of cake and one plate of pineapple. And did the air-conditioning get fixed? Nope….it was even hotter by the time we returned at 9:30pm. A note was slipped under our door saying that technicians were working on the problem, and it would be repaired as soon as possible. Easier said than done. If we could not tolerate the warmer temps, we could ask to get another room for the evening. We were lucky enough to have a tower fan, and turning that on helped a lot. Right now, it is 11pm, and nothing is fixed. The temperature outside is still warm, so opening the door might make it worse. Time for a cool shower…..
Captain Frank mentioned in his talk that we will be experiencing rougher seas due to a system that has covered the entire Caribbean. He expects high winds and deep swells by tomorrow as we head towards the Panama Canal.
Bill & Mary Ann
