What an amazing island.

This, our sixth trip to Bonaire, started with the auspicious and customary (knock on wood) arrival of all of our gear on the same plane we flew in on. We've had tangles with American Eagle going to other islands, but Bonaire has been very lucky for us. What a wonderful feeling it is to climb down those steps and feel the humid breeze blowing across the apron. It never fails to make me smile.

We stayed with Benny and Ester at Bonaire Townhomes, as we have the last four times, and as always, were very pleased with the accommodations. Benny is a real sweetheart, his cottages are homes away from home, and his prices are very reasonable. The cottages have great setups for cleaning and drying gear, and there's no more relaxing way to spend the cocktail hour drinking Amstel on the patio while Jenn cleans the gear (on her day, of course; we trade off). If you’re new to Bonaire, check him out, and if you’re an old hand and haven’t stayed with him, you owe it to yourself to give him a call & check out his digs.

The diving was outstanding, and we found a new favorite on this trip. We'd never done the drift down from La Dania's Leap to Karpata before, but a nice German couple at Karpata gave us a good description of the method, and we tried it the next day. Wow! I think it may be my very favorite dive now. The short wall at 100+ feet is OK, though we didn't see many fish down there, but the reef above 40 feet is truly a wonderland. We dove it three times, and all three times the current was from the south and all we had to do was drift along for an hour or so till we came to Karpata. Amazing. The leap isn’t nearly as big of a deal as it sounds: I’ll bet it’s only four feet to the water. The only real pain is getting your gear to the cliff; we decided to carry everything down & set up on the cliff. It takes a while, but it’s not too bad. The walk back to the truck from Karpata is nothing: maybe 5 minutes.

We were on the island for Ivan, and though it messed up the diving for a couple of days, the calm days afterward made it possible to dive Willemstoren Lighthouse, another first for us. A very different scene down there, with forests of sea fans and other soft coral. No unusual big fish, but we did see a small school of 8 or so tarpon in about 30 feet.

Other favorites were Invisibles, Tori’s Reef, Margate Bay, and Chogogo, where we ran into a HUGE school of scad being herded by a big jack. There were so many of them and they were so seemingly oblivious to us that we could swim right into the school and lose the sun. We didn’t end up doing any boat dives, but we got our air from Toucan (a great operation) and had fun catching up with old friends there. Also, had a high-pressure hose give out & they replaced it in a jiffy.

Our first time on the island since Mai Mai opened up, and we were pretty impressed. The design of the restaurant is a beautiful blend of Caribbean charm and metropolitan chic. Dark woods, plantation shutters, funky art, and simple touches like the coral pieces used as chopstick holders make for a great ambiance. And the food? Well, with one exception, I'd have to say everything was as well executed as the atmosphere. The flavors were fresh, the combinations were inspired, and the presentation was absolutely gorgeous. Our favorites were the green curry soup, the dim sum basket, and the spring roll. The only real failure was the preparation of the sushi rice, and it was particularly disappointing because the quality of the fish was so good. Sushi rice is an art, and Mai Mai just needs a little more practice.

We also liked the Ribs Factory, Garden Café (Raja—what a great guy), and It Rains Fishes. Got to Lac Bay too late on Sunday for any fish, but the pastiche, Amstel, and find company made up for it. Great music, too, and a little lagniappe in the form of some fresh conch sashimi from the cleaning shack.

We didn’t experience any crime (we never have), but we followed our usual procedure of leaving nothing valuable in the truck while we dive and nothing outside the house while we sleep or go out. Benny’s place is VERY secure, and he just installed an alarm for the compound, so we feel very safe there.

Didn’t get around to diving with Larry, but I’m regretting it now. We’ll definitely do it next time. Did do some snorkeling out near the reef at Lac Bay (after a LONG walk out there). Pretty cool stuff: very shallow water, but filled with the usual reef suspects, including a four-foot tarpon in 3 feet of water, and a half dozen ‘cudas. Rented a boat from Toucan the last day & had a great time freediving & lounging out at Klein, and putt-putting along the coast.

Also didn’t get around to looking up two nice folks we met in SJ, Katie & Steve, who were staying at the Carib Inn, another regret. S&K: if you read this, drop me a line with your email; we’d love to stay in touch.

That’s my story; Jenn will probably want to post something with her thoughts (& corrections, no doubt).

Thank you to all you Bonaireans who make our time there so enjoyable.

John

John, Thanks for your post, great report!!

LaDania's Leap to Karparta is one of my favorites as well.

Thank-you for your report!

Thanks for your report- we haven't been there since June '04 & now....I have to plan the next trip!!! Great detail!

John,

When we were there we weren't able to find anything that identified the leap. We did find one spot that had a yellow rock close to what I believe was the leap but it had some other name on the rock. Also nothing by the roadside to mark it either. At least that we could see. Anyhow what did you use to determine you were at the site?

John:

Believe it or not, enough people have trod upon the coral rock to have created a visible trail of smoothed stone, and if you follow it down to the cliff's edge, you can see a couple of spots where it is smooth right by the edge. It's also the lowest spot on the edge of the cliff. The yellow stone you saw is about 20 feet north of where we leapt.

Hope that helps. (Does anyone else want to add any further directions?)

Oh, I almost forgot. There's a yin/yang painted on the road near the trailhead. I think it's blue and yellow, and there's a spot on the east side of the road big enough to park two trucks.

Looks like we were at the Leap then. We did go down to Karpata and snorkeled down to where the marker was and the mooring float and then drifted back to Karpata.

Thanks for the report, John. We also stay at Bonaire Town Homes, and LOVE it. We've got Benny's "new" 2-bedroom unit reserved for six weeks next year (we really feel at home there then!). You're right, it's a very secure place and I've always felt very safe there for the three weeks I'm generally there alone.

I've got to do the LaDania's to Karpata drift dive -- Benny makes a good dive buddy when I'm alone there -- perhaps I can pursuade him to join me there.

Benny always says how he enjoys having you and Jenn there -- perhaps we'll meet you there sometime!
Josie

Here's what you're looking for....

ying/yang


temp parking