We had breakfast at the apartment this morning, then loaded up for the day and headed out at 10:30 AM. Our plan was to make our way up the west coast, stopping somewhere along the way to snorkel, and then heading over to the Washington Slagbaai National Park mid-afternoon, The park closes at 5, and the website recommended 2 hours to see the park. It also suggested they only allow entrance until 2:30 PM.
Traffic in town was hectic, and there were buses, trollies, and taxis buzzing around the cruise dock area. As expected, there were two ships looming over the town, so we passed through as quickly as possible.
We stopped to scout out Andreas I and II, possibly for a future visit, then continued to our chosen snorkel site for today: 1000 Steps.
The small parking area was fairly crowded, but we found a spot to beach the truck in the bushes and made our way down the (~60 or 70) steps. It apparently feels like 1000 steps on the walk back up after scuba diving, while carrying all the gear.
The view from the top was lovely, and we could already see parrotfish in the shallows by the beach.
Christie and Shannon went first, walking very gracefully in their fins, into the recommended entry/exit area.
The parrotfish were determined to get onto the slimy rocks, even coming partially out of the water as the waves receded.
It was quite windy, and the water was a bit rougher than it had been yesterday, but the clarity was just as good here.
Sabrina decided to try her hand at underwater iPhone photography today, with a mix of hilarious and respectable results.
This little porcupine fish wasn't as shy as the one I was stalking yesterday, and I think all of us got to see it.
There's a very shy eel in this photo somewhere. See if you can spot it. I think this brain coral is showing signs of stony coral tissue loss disease, but I'm no marine biologist.
This was an unusual coral that I don't think I'd seen before. Google results suggest it might be "bushy black coral" of some sort?
There's a spotted eel in these next three shots. When I dove down to get the third one, a wave pushed me toward the bright yellow fire coral and I got a painful sting on two knuckles. It sort of felt like a bee sting, but faded after an hour or so.
Here's another shot of a different, shy eel.
There were several large fields of staghorn coral, which seem to be excellent hiding spots for small fish.
This French angelfish had been tagging along with a larger fish, but the larger one bolted when I got closer for a photo.
The staghorn coral looks like it would be very unpleasant to run into.
Shannon caught this view of me and Sabrina on our way back in, after almost an hour in the water.
There wasn't really anywhere to enjoy our packed lunches at 1000 Steps, so we continued up the narrow road, past a few more dive sites, to Karpata.
There, we found a table in the shade and sat down to enjoy our lunch around 1 PM.
It wasn't long until the local residents came over, begging for food; this little guy sat expectantly and patiently for a solid 10 minutes.
A few minutes later, this large iguana came crashing out of the tree behind Shannon and Christie, then walked over to beg next to his smaller neighbor.
Perhaps feeling the threat of competition, the little iguana then climbed onto the empty seat at our table.
They both eventually lost interest when we didn't feed them, or perhaps were just scared off as we tried to get closer for photos.
After lunch, we walked down to the water to take in the view. Sabrina saw a crab, but was too slow to get a photo.
The cruise ships are visible in the distance, back in Kralendijk.
As we were leaving, the iguanas had moved on to beg from another table. The large one was clearly used to humans, and didn't shy away until I got extremely close.
We left Karpata just after 1:30 PM, heading inland toward Rincón (the only other town on Bonaire). Along the way, we encountered two donkeys walking along the road.
We stopped to say hello, and this one came right up to the car. Presumably because we didn't offer any food, it quickly lost interest and continued its walk, before turning to watch us leave.
The second one was even friendlier, but also shuffled away after not being fed.
Nor much farther down the road, there was a mother with a colt; they showed no interest in us.
On our way through Rincón, we were persuaded (by the multiple signs) to stop at the Cadushy Distillery.
It's apparently named after the cadushi cactus, which is the tall cactus we've been seeing all over the island.
While it was really a convenient bathroom stop, we also got the five-minute tour and sampled a few of their products.
One of the colorful liqueurs is made with calbas fruit, like the ones on this tree in the courtyard at the distillery. We had eaten lunch under one of these not even an hour prior, but had no idea what it was. (They sort of looked like limes, but larger.)
After our 15-minute distillery stop, we left Rincón and headed up the desolate road to the national park entrance.
We got to the park around 2:20 PM, but were turned away as it was "too late" to enter (despite the sign at the entrance clearly reading "park entry possible till 14.30"). Essentially, they'd had a slow afternoon and decided to close early; they'd already sent the staff car to go through the park and chase everyone out, so we weren't allowed in.
Not easily deterred by a proverbial curveball, we rearranged the loose plans and tabled the park visit for another day.
Instead, we decided to head back to town with a stop at Seru Largu (literally "large hill", apparently).
Along the route, we stopped to admire the mild insanity at Bonaire Landsailing Adventures. It was an odd sight, what with the (what appeared to be) windsurfers flying around in the distance, nowhere near the water.
Other than the dusty conditions being severe enough to merit face coverings (in ~90F heat), it looked like fun.
Up at the top of Seru Largu, we were rewarded with a panoramic view of almost the entire island.
Near the top, we found the millennium monument.
It was very windy, and also slightly cooler, up there, so we admired the view for a few minutes before driving down the other side of the hill, back towards downtown.
One of the cruise ships left at 2 PM (we could see it in the distance, from the top of Seru Largu), and the other was scheduled to leave at 5 PM, so we figured it should be safe to return to town.
Back in town, we did a loop to find a parking spot and then retreated to the shaded patio outside of the the local brewery for a snack and cold beverage (or two).
The downtown area was still winding down from the bustle of cruise passengers and related commerce, but we enjoyed a leisurely saunter through a plaza or two, before heading back to the hotel. Along the way, we tried to stop and inquire about reservations at a restaurant, but they were closed from 4 to 6 PM.
Back at the suite, we cleaned up and enjoyed another snack while deciding what to do for the evening. Christie figured out how to operate the combined microwave/convection oven and warmed up some food. She didn't even need the manual, which is helpfully provided for all of the appliances (in English, Dutch, and Spanish). There are no words on any of the controls... you just have to decipher the often-confusing pictographs.
Having gotten a taste of the local beer, Christie needed to try the only other brewery on the island. Thankfully, it was right down the road, near the lagoon where the flamingoes hang out, by the airport.
But first, we had to actually eat some dinner. After surveying our options, we concluded that we were not going to be able to eat anywhere decent on a Friday night (without a reservation) in the crowded downtown area. Instead, we walked down the street to a nearby resort to grab a quick dinner, poolside.
After dinner, we returned to the resort, hopped in the truck, and went out again to find the other brewery.
It wasn't hard to find, but we almost got sidetracked by a huge party at the nearby Kia dealership. I don't know how else to describe it, and we still have no idea what was really going on there.
Sugar Thief brewery (named after the chibi chibi bird, AKA bananaquit, AKA sugar thief) was about the size of a two-car garage, with seating for maybe 10 people total.
Christie and I enjoyed a few of their beers and a rousing game of mini Jenga, while skeptics Sabrina and Shannon rooted for gravity.
On the way out, we stopped briefly to try to figure out what was happening at the car dealership. The party seemed to be ending, as the (extremely loud) music had stopped, and people were leaving.
I've just now looked it up, and according to their Facebook page... it's their 15-year anniversary. This was cause for a "car show" that looked more like a tailgate.
MCB huntu ku BSURE Bonaire presente awe, manera un bolo na e Car Show di Cicilia Motors Bonaire enkonekshon ku selebrashon di nan 15 aniversario. Pasa libramente pa apliká pa e auto ku bo saku por aford na un interes speshal i alabes selebrá e bunita logro aki.
Mystery solved!
I think we're going to try the national park again tomorrow, at a much earlier time.
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