I haven't been to Bonaire for 5+ years (6 visits) due to some health issues which ended my diving hobby and I still don't have true clearence from my doctors for flying. If I pushed it they may fold on the flying but I'm not going to force the issue.

I have always enjoyed telling folks about my love of the island and it's people.

My brother and his wife were Bonaire "pod people" on February 18 (you can flame away). They were enjoying a southern Caribbean cruise. He snorkels but she doesn't. He wanted to know about the island and where to snorkel. I got him in contact with Renee.

Renee couldn't have been more accomodating to him and another couple (from Massachusetts) on the ship that joined him. She picked them up right at the ship. It was the first time snorkeling for the couple. In fact, they didn't even have booties!! They roughed it and never complained, much to my brother's surprise. They did panic in the beginning with the whole breathing thing but Renee calmed them down quickly.

He enjoyed it very much. He's a little more into the reef and pretty things. Renee is more into the fish and other marine life. He saw scorpion fish, squid, and other nice finds that he admitted that he would have never seen if Renee didn't point them out. He was proud of himself that he spotted a flounder that Renee had missed and pointed it out to her.

My brother was worried about his wife and what she would do while he was in the water. I told him that town would be crowded (they aren't much into crowds) so she decided to hang out onboard. In talking with Renee about what to do, she mention her good friend Janice Huckaby and said maybe she would like to see some of her artwork in town.

When he got back to the ship, he mentioned it and they walked over to her studio. Long story short, my SIL ended up buying a few prints! She loves them.

All in all, they agreed that Bonaire was their favorite stop closely followed by Aruba.

Not much of a trip report but I just felt like posting about a "newbies" (albeit pod people) experience.

TOM!!! Welcome back to BT!!!!
I think of you when I go to Ft. Desoto Park. It was such a delight meeting you, your wife and son.
Is he still at Eckert?

Ah Linda, I think of you often too. That day at FT Desoto was great! I lurk all the time but I'm not much of a poster. Just one of my things - I have a cell phone only for emergencies, no myspace or facebook pages, etc... We were down last May to pick up our son but it was a quick 1 night stay. In August, he met up with a friend in NC and went from there. I don't know if we will be going in May - I'll certainly let you know.

Yes, he's in his Sophmore year and is loving it - and doing fairly well. He said it was a little cold a week or so ago but nothing like the 75+ inches of snow and cold we have had this season here.

He changed his dicipline from Marine Biology to Marine Geophysics - finding more interest in that. He's going to look into a summer internship with NOAA but they tend to wait until their summer between Junior and Senior to bring them in.

Thanks for posting Tom, dare I say I have family members who are "Pod People" too? Glad your family enjoyed the island, and Renee is pretty awesome isn't she?

Yes, RA, he was very please with her. He was skeptical but was pleasently surprised. She was great for him, being that he was only there for 7-8 hours total. I will recommend her to anyone interested.

Side note - 2008 was our 25th wedding anniversary. We were planning to go to Bonaire with said brother and spouse and stay at The Black Durgon (one of our favorites along with Ultimo Cas - Cheri is a sweetheart!!) but my head injury in 2007 put and end to that trip. I'm glad they got to see it but only for one day. I'll work on getting them there for a longer stay!!

Tom sorry to breakin but as a long time black durgon visitor always wondered about Ultimo Cas. assuming that's the place right down the street.
what is it like? haven't seen much mention of it, i'll have to search an see what i see.
thanks for any info.

Hey Tom, yes it has been a tad bit colder and for longer stretches of time down here this winter. It's just the tail ends of what you all get up north.
Interesting change in your sons direction at school. I worked at a company that did AM FM geographical information system mapping and other interesting mapping for SWFWMD like seagrass counts from arial photography or geographic and hydrologic information. It was very interesting work.

Bob,

Yes, Ultimo Cas is the one right down the street. It is a 2 bedroom 1 bath which can sleep up to 5 (atleast the last time we were there there was an extra bed in one of the bedrooms). Both bedrooms have air conditioning. The kitchen is sparse but good enough for making breakfast and lunch. Dinner can be done if you're not feeding many. There is a grill that works just fine. I won't go into security measures here (never know who is reading these posts) - if you want info on that PM me. There is a dining/living area that is spacious. The best thing - NO TV OR PHONES!!! There is a well stocked bookshelf and a radio that picks up some good music. And as you know, the sunsets can't be beat!

Being a Black Durgon visitor, you're very familiar with the diving and snorkeling. Very nice for both. There is an easy entrance into the water.

Cheryl, the owner, lives on the premises in a seperate building. She is one of the sweetest, kindest most loveable people I have met - not unusual for folks on Bonaire. She will take good care of you. If you contact her, tell her the Erhard's send their love!!! And if you stay there, she will always accept her favorite cereal - Cheerios. She can't get them on island.

Let me know if you want any other info.

Linda - yes he's really enjoying the geophysics more than the biology. He struggled a little at the beginning of the first semester with Geology, but got it figured out in a few weeks.

(Message edited by tome on March 1, 2010)