We left Sat the 21st Boston-Miami-Curaçao (American Airlines)-Bonaire(Divi Divi), got to Bonaire around 3:45 PM. Breezed thru Customs & Immigration. We were pleasantly surprised to see Renee Leach of Renee Snorkel Trips waiting to greet us. She had no new arrivals at the airport to transfer, just stopped by to see us in. After Renee went back home, we picked up our jeep from Island rentals (always had good experiences with them) and drove to Sorobon where we always stay. We knew most of the guests there since repeat visitors tend to come back the same time each year, and knew through e-mails who was coming when. It's always nice to returning to a familiar place and seeing all those familiar faces.....happy hours at Sorobon tend to be intimate affairs as we all form a circle of chairs on the terrace and catch up on everyone's experiences. It is a small enough resort that everyone knows each other after a couple of days and we somehow manage to solve all the world's problems.....at least after a couple of rum drinks we think we have all the answers;-) Maybe the UN should have happy hours?!
We didn't do much of anything the first full day (Sunday) as we were too beat from working too many hours trying to ensure something other than complete chaos at work upon our return.
After the first day on Bonaire, we didn't give a d__n about work anymore!
We visited Renee at home on Sunday to set up some trips with her over the next two weeks and arranged a couple of dinner dates with her as well. If anyone wants to really see, enjoy, and learn about the underwater life, Renee is the one to go with. She is really good at spotting just about everything there is to see underwater, and even though she does this about every day, she has genuine enthusiasm, as if she is seeing everything for the first time. More on snorkeling and freediving later.
RESTAURANTS-
We saw that there were a lot of new ones since last year and decided to try some of them, as well as a few of our favorites.
Kontiki- We dined there twice because of their proximity to Sorobon. We have been frequenting this excellent restaurant since it was known as the Red Pelican under other ownership and have never been disappointed. From the catch of the day to the beef dishes, all good. And the beef carpaccio appetizer is to die for!
Le Flamboyant- where Beefeaters used to be, on Kaya Grandi. Courtyard dining, away from traffic noise. We ate there twice, once by ourselves and again with friends (residents) whom we have gotten to know over the years. All meals were well prepared and the atmosphere is relaxing.
Cactus Blue- We had read all the BT postings, the good and the not so good, and decided to find out for ourselves. Apparently their practice of distributing flyers all over the island has stopped as we saw no evidence of this anywhere. The live music for alfresco dining was a bit too loud for our taste and we opted for dining indoors. The meals were much better than anticipated and the atmosphere, at least inside was superb. If their practice of littering the island with flyers has indeed ceased, we would highly recommend this establishment.
Wattaburger- We had missed them last year; we liked to go there after night snorkeling in the past for a quick, relatively cheap meal. They've reopened and unfortunately it isn't quite what it used to be. While the french fries were still delicious, the burgers didn't taste the same. We will go there again, but with much lower expectations.
Ribs Factory- always good, always dependable, always relatively prompt service, always not too expensive.
Gibi's- We went there Tuesday the 24th but it was a slow night for BT'ers; there were only six people there in total and a few no-shows, according to Gibi. It's unfortunate, he plans on an expected number based on reservations. The eats as usual were excellent, best funchi on the island in our opinion. We had a good time in spite of the low attendance.
Swisse Chalet- After not going there for 5 or 6 years, we returned and had a wholesome, satisfying meal. We love Rosti, that fried potato thingie, and prices are still very reasonable.
EXCURSIONS-
There is a new (to us) hiking trail near the Park. We have a couple of friends; Judith, a massage therapist who has a spa at the Plaza and also at Sorobon, and her husband Cesar (they were also our dining companions at Le Flamboyant, with their cute little three-year-old daughter Dara). Judith suggested this trail to us, as she has wanted to do it and I guess her on-island friends are not hikers. We met up with them in town and drove to Dos Pos, the original water supply well for Bonaire, up north.
Cesar proved to be extremely knowledgable about the birds and plant life of Bonaire, and the geology of the island. We learned a lot. For those who want to see Bonaire's endemic flora and fauna, this walk is a must-do.
Sandy & I also spent a day in the Park; it's always an adventure! Gotta love those roads! Admission is free if you purchased a scuba or snorkel tag (shame on you if you don't), otherwise it's $10 each I think. Took the long route again this year, maybe we'll do the short route next time and climb Branderis again.
SNORKELING/FREEDIVING-
We did the Lac Bay reef twice in the daytime. Saw a lot of parrotfish; Rainbow, Stoplight, Queen, and Princess- also a couple of nice juvie French Angels as well as many intermediates and adults. Lots of Black Durgon out at the surf line over the fire coral. A Spotted Eagle Ray or two, not close enough for pictures. Many damselfish, wrasses, gobies, Harlequin Bass and all the other little guys.
Our last night on Bonaire we did another night snorkel at the reef. Rising tide, nearly full moon, and a good ESE wind combined to make a strong current. Found a sleeping Redband Parrotfish, Greater Soapfish, Foureye and Banded Butterflyfish, and a lot of Smooth Trunkfish. There were a few Porcupinefish swimming out in the open, and they would make a slow dash for the coral whenever our lights illuminated them.
As we were heading back to the raft in the bay, where we had attached a strobe so we could find it easily at night, we encountered a good sized Green Moray along the edge of an Elkhorn Coral. As he (she?) was on the side of the coral facing the current, it was hard to get a decent picture- the current kept driving me toward the thing's mouth. I like to get close, but I want to be in control of exactly how close, I can't kick backwards. Oh well, I've gotten pictures of these guys in the past, and maybe I got lucky.....guess we'll know when the pics come back.
Red Beryl is another site we do often; lots of vase and barrel sponges along the reef wall and even inshore from there.
One trip we did with Renee was a three site trip- Invisibles, Salt Pier, and just north of Windsock. Discovered a baitball- a large school of Bigeye Scad- at Invisibles. Salt Pier was way cool with sponges and coral growth along the entire length of the pilings. May have surprised a couple of divers at the bottom wen I dropped in. We have done Windsock before Hurricane Lenny's waves hit in November 1999 and had not returned, figuring there wasn't much left there. We were wrong- there was a surprising amount of life among the battered coral. There were Spotted Drums, Goldentailed Morays, Blue Tang & Surgeonfish, Rock Beauties, blennies,gobies, damselfish, and many other types there.
We did a sunset snorkel later in our vacation, and it was interesting to see the change from day creatures to night ones. The parrotfish were winding down, Blue Tang were just starting to develop night stripes, eels were emerging, and trunkfish became more numerous. There was a nice green flash at sunset as well, an added bonus.
Renee again took us to the town pier this year for a night snorkel, it was as good as it ever was. Many lobsters, drums, morays, banded shrimp, crabs, and two scorpionfish. Love the orange tube coral blooming at night, even got a picture of a little Scrawled Filefish hiding in the tube coral (I hope).
We did two trips on the Woodwind. The first was the Monday afternoon "we don' need no stinkin' swimsuit" snorkel to Andrea II. As Dee is nursing her little one, the guide Ulf now has is Anouk, a very pregnant lady originally from Holland. As there were snorkelers of varying abilities on this trip, Anouk took charge of the newbies to the sport while we explored the reef crest and dropoff again. Lots of interesting sponges, coral, and gorgonians down along the slope.
The next day we were heading out for a five hour, two site trip to Klein and Andrea I on the Woodwind, and Dee came down with her little baby Nicole to say hello. Sandy had given Ulf a picture she took of the family last year- Ulf, Dee, and the two boys. We did a drift snorkel/freedive to No Name. It was nice to see the turtle refuge people out checking up on their clients. Most of the others missed the many turtles that were down deeper, but I'm sure they saw their share too. After reboarding, and answering the usual questions (how deep, how long, etc.), we sailed/motored over to Andrea I. Very nice plate coral and sponge growth deeper and Bar Jacks, Barracuda, and Blue & Brown Chromis in the blue water.
The day we went to Washington Slagbaai we did Playa Funchi and Wayaka. Coral is coming back but it will never be what it was during my lifetime. Playa Funchi used to be the best site Bonaire had to offer, at least to us.
We also did some sites up north on the west side- drift/swim Karpata-La Diana's and back, same at Ol' Blue-Country Garden and Ol' Blue-Bloodlet. Up north even the shallows are beautiful with soft coral. Many sea fans, gorgonians and angelfish- such as Queens, Frenchies, and Rock Beauties. Between Karpata and La Diana's I went down the slope to photograph an interesting tube sponge formation and never took the shot. When I got down, there was a large Spotted Moray that I hadn't seen from the surface, sitting out in the open. I got three shots, then had to surface.
We like to freedive Blue Hole. We were going to do a shore entry at Sorobon, but called it off due to less than ideal conditions when we got to the point. We then drove to the conch shell piles at Lac Cai and made an entry from there. We crossed the channel, then snorkeled/freedived down the outside of the reef past Cai and on to Blue Hole and back. We were in the water over three hours, swells topping off around three feet. There were literally dozens of turtles out there as well as eagle rays, a large Nassau Grouper, morays in the coral, coneys, jacks, and French Angels. Blue Hole contained about 20 Tarpon, three eagle rays, a couple of morays at the bottom in the wall, and a large Permit that was too shy for cameras. (Advice to those who want to try this- don't, if you have never done the east side, are not absolutely sure in your abilities, or even have a shadow of doubt. The east side is not for amateur snorkelers- it can, and does- get dangerous out there. If you get into trouble, there is no help. Conditions can change quickly. The surface current is stronger than you think, usually driving you towards the reef. Learn how to scuba and go with a guide, it's safer. Respect the sea because it is more powerful than you realize.)
Well, the 14 nights flew by and it was time to return to reality. On the first leg homeward, I just looked out the window of the plane and thought about our trips to Bonaire. Over the last ten years we have been privileged to get to know some very nice people who have chosen to call Bonaire their home. They come from all over- Holland, South Africa, Surinam, Trinidad, Norway,and Colombia, just to name a few. We have gotten to know people who were born there. They are warm, friendly people, all of them.
We have seen many changes come to Bonaire, both good and bad. We've seen more development. We've seen what global warming is doing to some of the coral. We have seen the landscape change permanently because of development. We've seen airport expansion,fuel storage facilities built, an increase in cruise ship traffic, storm damage,and undercapitalized development stop when the funding ran out.
Development can be good for Bonaire; it can create sources of income for the residents, it can bring in tourist dollars. Development though, without a master plan in place, can cause irreparable harm to the very things that make Bonaire such a welcome place to visit. Residents, regular people, are thinking about Bonaire's future and what it may bring. We hope that the powers that be have the vision and foresight to do the right thing. We love going there, and will continue for as long as we are able.
Well, a little rambling at times, but that's what we did, experienced, and learned this trip. We both have PBD big time, and are planning for the cure, albeit temporary, next year. Next high is checking the pictures; I'll post anything decent if there are any. |
By Donald E. Niles, Sr. (BonaireTalker - Post #21) on Saturday, November 11, 2006 - 9:37 pm: 
Seriously, I am sorry to have missed the both of you this trip. It was a pleasure to meet the both of you and I hope that our paths meet up again on Bonaire. Your report was awesome and it really reflects your love for Bonaire's friendships and her beauty!