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Getting around Bonaire: Where to go first after I rent a vehicle...on a Sunday?
Bonaire Talk: Getting around Bonaire: Archives: Archives 2007- 2008: Archives - 2007-06-01 to 2008-12-31: Where to go first after I rent a vehicle...on a Sunday?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #18) on Monday, September 15, 2008 - 1:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I'm coming in one the redeye from Newark and it's my first trip to Bonaire. It's early on a Sunday morning...maybe it will take some time to get the vehicle. Once I'm on my way with the truck, I have a reservation at Black Durgon Inn, but are there places to visit on my way to the Inn where I can pick up supplies, exchange money, etc? It is a Sunday morning, so I'm wondering what's open? What do I do first?

Thanks, Dan

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro (Bellevue Bonaire Condo ) (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1669) on Monday, September 15, 2008 - 6:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan, my advice is to relax. We came in on the red-eye several weeks ago. It can be a bit stressful. If it were me, first stop would be BDI to check in.
Second stop would be City Cafe for a nice breakfast.
Since you're in town and IF you're still motivated
I believe Cultimara is open till 12:00 noon on Sun for some fast supplies. Then go snorkeling & take a nap, go out & have a nice dinner.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #223) on Monday, September 15, 2008 - 6:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

You don't need to exchange money.

I'll second the breakfast idea either as recommended above or maybe a buffet like at the Divi Flamingo.

When will BDI let you check in? If not until later in the day I'd probably take a ride south and find a quiet beach to take a snooze.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Johnson (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #455) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 12:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bonaire is not a huge island. And the drive from the airport to Black Durgon is really not that far. In other words, stopping along the way really won't save you a ton of time. And I wouldn't park my car/truck with luggage inside while I walked off to go shopping. If I understand, you will be there for two weeks with a combo of snorkel and dive?

Others have provided very solid suggestions.

That said, I would consider the following:
a) How tired do you think you will be?
b) When can you store your stuff at BDI? When can you get in to your room?
c) Do you like to try and stay up as late as possible after a red eye or do you prefer to nap?
d) Are you big on breakfast?
e) Are you planning on buying and storing food at BDI?

On a Sunday, most restaurants are open. But that is not true of grocery stores. Cultimara (located downtown) is open in the morning. I think Jokes is open in the morning as was more for less, Exito Bakery and Sand $ Grocery. If I recall, all are closed by 1pm.

Sunshine Market (sort of near the Divi on Kaya Industria if I recall correctly) and the mini-mart at Lisa Gas are open later on Sunday.

Here would be three options (depending on your interests):
a) You are the type who likes to get everything ready for the stay and THEN you can rest. Drive to BDI. Assume you can get in to your room, unpack your stuff. Check in for diving. Go have breakfast. Stop at a ATM and get some guilders. Hit town (Cultimara) for some food/liquids. Stock the fridge. Go for a quick snorkel. Shower. Nap. Then decide. Dinner? Another snorkel? Drive around the southern end of the island?
b) You are the type who doesn't want to waste a second of vacation. Drive to BDI and store your luggage. Go eat breakfast and stop at the ATM and Cultimara. The full day is yours -- snorkel, swim, dive, lounge, etc.
c) You are trying to be mellow. Drive to BDI and store your luggage and/or check in. Nap. Get up and either: 1) go to store; 2) snorkel; 3) go eat; 4) unpack and shower; or 5) go back to sleep.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #224) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 12:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good point about leaving luggage in the car. Didn't think about that.

So the first step is find out when you can check in. Or at least if you can leave your luggage at the desk or stored someplace.

Heck... if they don't have anything available to store luggage you can throw it in my room (as long as it's after 7am) at the Carib Inn

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Natalie S (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #154) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 3:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Getting your rental truck won't take long. BDI includes breakfast. If your room isn't ready, bring your bags down to the kitchen area. Walk to the dock, look at the beautiful blue water and the fish, relax on the dock or in the kitchen area until breakfast begins. After breakfast you can pay your marine park pass fee and you'll be all set to go snorkeling or diving. Or grab a nap.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #19) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 6:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey Guys! What a great set of comments!!! Thanks!

I'm not sure what time I can get in the room at BDI. I'll have to ask Al. It may depend on whether someone just vacated the room to catch a flight out Sunday, or if it was open on Saturday, and therefore ready and waiting for me. Hopefully, even if the room isn't ready, I can store my luggage somewhere while I wait.

Natalie...I thought BDI included breakfast every day except Sunday. I think we are on our own, but the current residents may be making their own breakfast at various times in the morning. I may have to wait for Al to show up...I think he mentioned he would be there in the morning...but not necessarily at 6am if I get there that quick! So, I'm guessing I will be waiting on the dock or kitchen area for someone to show.

David, you are correct...I will be in Bonaire for 2 weeks to snorkel and dive. I'm a newly certified, so I don't plan to push the diving...one or two dives a day will be plenty. I probably won't sleep that well on the redeye...and for the same reason, wouldn't nap all that well...so I might as well snorkel...or shop for supplies and then snorkel...choice B it is! However, if I want to get my marine pass pronto, then I may want to do the buoyancy checkout dive that morning when Al is around. If I'm going to dive and snorkel...I assume I need at least the dive pass tag, but not both tags...is that right?

As for the ATM's...I'll assume they accept Mastercard and Visa...what about Amex Blue or Discover?

All these details will really help get me in the water sooner...and that's the whole point of my trip. Water time. More is better.

Again, I thank everyone for their comments.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Natalie S (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #155) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 7:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

They do have breakfast on Sunday, just no hot breakfast. There's bread for toasting and pb and jam, fruit, etc. Unless they've changed in the past year.

The dive tag will cover both snorkeling and diving, for $25.

(Message edited by Natalie_S on September 16, 2008)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #20) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 7:25 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Natalie,

Thanks for the quick response. Since I will want to get the dive tag (rather than the snorkel tag)...I will have to wait to do a checkout dive, before I can get that tag, right?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Natalie S (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #156) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 7:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

It's not really a checkout dive. No-one will watch you do your dive (unless you want someone to come with you). Basically, you pay for your tag, fill out the paperwork, get the 'do not touch' marine park briefing, and you're good to go. The 'check out' is more for you, to determine your proper amount of lead (if you don't already know how much you need)

(Message edited by Natalie_S on September 16, 2008)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #21) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 7:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Great! I can get the tag and go snorkeling that day for sure. I will have to do a lead weight check before I dive as I have not done any salt water diving.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #225) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 9:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ok.... I have to ask.

Aquatic Biologist and first time diving? Isn't that like an auto mechanic that doesn't drive ?

:-)

Come to the dinner get-together that sunday night and you'll get enough suggestions for things to do that you'll have to start planning your second trip!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole B. (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6943) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 9:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi, Dan! We take the same CON flight to BON and we find that after we grab the luggage, get the rental vehicle and get to our unit at the Divi we are ready for a quick swim and back to the room for a power nap and then up and about we go!

We stop at Chat n' Browse to see Michael Gaynor to catch up on what's happening on island and to pick up our cell phone rental. We hit the store for supplies and then we just hop in the vehicle and go for a nice ride up North or over to the eastern/windward side of the island for a look-see to determine if things have changed a lot since our previous trip, etc.

You could do the same thing and grab some snacks and water for the ride and just relax and enjoy!!

You could always just vegg out at the water side on your first day, too.

Anything your heart desires is yours on Bonaire...you are on vacation and there to have fun and relax! Have a great trip! Ayo. Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #22) on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 1:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey Ken,

You...and the rest of the board...are going to be sorry you brought up my occupation. Really sorry!

So...what I did on the job yesterday: Conduct a creel census on a local (open to the public) trout stream. What that means is I drove to various sites along the stream looking for fishermen to interview. I also wanted to check their catch. The point of doing this is to derive a management plan for this stream in terms of how many trout to stock. We already stock lots of trout, but that will be modified substantially as a result of this on-going census. I had a college student doing the actual stream side interviews all summer, but he's back at school and can only work the weekends, so I filled in yesterday. As the primary season for trout fishing (by anglers) is the spring, I saw many more fish eating birds than I saw people fishing. In fact, stocking the stream with lots of hatchery trout may well be contributing to an over abundance of fishing eating ducks...mergansers. We stock trout in the spring...just in time for mergansers to raise their young. After they finish eating the hatchery reared trout we stock (easier to catch than wild fish), they apparently switch to the native fish.

Over the spring and summer, I've talked to a number of anglers who told me fishing was better in the old days. Some of that attitude is undoubtedly due to their selective memory. But some of that is due to the new competition for trout from wildlife predators...mergansers. Didn't used to be so many mergansers in the "old" days...maybe it was DDT or PCB's thinning their egg shells. I haven't heard that about mergansers, but I believe that was the case for cormorants, another fishing eating bird. Well, cormorants have made a big come back over the last two decades and apparently...so have mergansers. The increasing population size is more noticeable in cormorants as they tend to nest together in large colonies. Not so for mergansers that spread out along streams and nest alone.

So, this may be an illustration of the law of unintended consequences. We stock hatchery reared trout to make anglers happy, but have also increased the number of mergansers which eat more trout than the anglers and when they are done with the hatchery trout...move on to the other fish species and nearby wild trout streams. One solution might be to stock trout of a size too large for mergansers to eat. However, to do that, our fish hatcheries might have to be modified (to hold high numbers of large trout over the summer which they typically don't do).

Oh yeah...scuba diving...it's not necessary, or even all that useful for managing trout streams. We also stock lakes, but use nets to do surveys...not scuba gear. People call and ask what fish to stock in their ponds...I don't need scuba diving certification to answer their questions. I could go on...but suffice to say that most of my colleagues do not scuba dive for recreation or for their jobs.

See...aren't you sorry you asked?!? If not, I can bore you some more at that dinner Sunday night.

(Message edited by oncor23 on September 17, 2008)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #227) on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 7:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sounds interesting and a good topic for the dinner.



 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole B. (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6945) on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 11:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan, I believe there is a hatchery on Bonaire over by Lac Bay. Check it out and see if you can have a tour of the place while you are on island.

Your job sounds wonderful to me! Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Brad Ford (BonaireTalker - Post #35) on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 11:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Dan,

Do what Natalie says with your stuff. You get to the back of BDI on the north end of the property (to your right if you're facing the building from the road). There is a hallway, usually with a chain across it. Unhook the chain, then hook it back when you're through. Be careful going down the steps. There are a couple of hammocks and deck chairs if you feel the need to snooze. Usually there is some left-behind bug spray in the kitchen if the skeeters start to bite. Al usually gets there about 0645 to make coffee and set up for breakfast.

As far as the Marine Park tag and the check-out dive...

Pay the MP fee first, listen to Al explain the rules, then you're good to go for diving and snorkeling. Al usually keeps an assortment of weights on a belt at the foot of the ladder. Get what you think you need from Al, hop in and adjust from there - either take any additional you need from the belt, or put any extra on the belt. Go diving/snorkeling (Small Wall is to the south from the end of the pier).

We really enjoyed BDI. Al is fascinating if you can get him talking. Doris - does housecleaning and cooks breakfast every day except Sunday - is a sweetheart.

Have a great time.

Edit: BDI is small, and you'll be close to people sleeping - sometimes after a few Brights the night before...


(Message edited by gbf on September 17, 2008)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #24) on Friday, September 19, 2008 - 11:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Carole,

I wonder what they raise in that hatchery? I haven't tried to look it up on the Internet.

There are times when my job is great and times when it's pretty average...there are also times when some people are upset with me for various (you can't please everyone) reasons. There is that standard frustration everyone has when dealing with the public...a public that wants results specific to their interests and doesn't want to know what is really going on. Nothing new there.

Dan

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #25) on Friday, September 19, 2008 - 11:50 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey Brad,


Thanks for the advice. It's good to hear from people who have been there and done that.

The time is getting closer...4 weeks and a day till the plane leaves Newark!

Dan

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ted Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #16) on Saturday, September 20, 2008 - 6:17 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

David,

I have to ask. You recommended stopping at an ATM to pick up some Guilders. I had thought that $$ were taken pretty much everywhere on Bonaire and that I would be OK with them. Am I missing something?

Thanks,
TED

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Taft (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #908) on Saturday, September 20, 2008 - 6:55 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ted, US dollars are accepted pretty much everywhere in Bonaire. Your change, however, will be returned to you in guilders. Also, many of the smaller places do not like large denominations such as hundred dollar bills. We always start with dollars but when we do need to go to an ATM we get guilders.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ted Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #18) on Saturday, September 20, 2008 - 9:58 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, Susan. That's what I had thought.

As to using large bills - no way! I don't have anything larger than a 20 <g>!

Best,
TED

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Dobson / Den Laman unit F (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #145) on Saturday, September 20, 2008 - 2:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan: They raise Prawns at the hatchery for export..."Bonaire Prawn" Dr. Daniel DeAnda Jr.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #26) on Monday, September 22, 2008 - 12:18 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the info about the hatchery. I don't know much about prawn aquaculture. I went to grad school with someone that eventually went to work for a fortune 500 company with a similar operation in Panama, but I never heard how he made out there. It really wasn't his background...or mine.

On the topic of money...of course I'll bring some cash, but is it better to bring traveler's checks and get them exchanged as needed or depend on plastic at local ATM's?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Johnson (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #457) on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 1:27 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Daniel:

Here is what I do:
a) I bring some US cash. It comes in very handy at US airports, on airplanes and is easy to use on Bonaire. But no more cash than I would feel comfortable carrying in a large US city.
b) I bring some travellers cheques as an emergency back-up. Just in case my ATM card melts down. Or something whacky happens with my bank. (I am probably over cautious -- I have never needed them. I always bring them back home unused.)
c) I mostly use the ATMs on island to get guilders from my checking account. (I even get to the point where I think in terms of guilders...)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #29) on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 5:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks David,

I will check with my bank about using the card in Bonaire.

 


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