By jenny (BonaireTalker - Post #91) on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 10:31 am: |
Hi everyone,
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By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #526) on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 3:31 pm: |
There were a few really cold days last year. It got down to 74! You'll need some cold weather clothing if you plan to travel to colder climates from Bonaire.
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By Jim and Jane Madden (BonaireTalker - Post #40) on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 10:17 pm: |
If you are bringing electronic items (i.e. blenders,toaster ovens, refrigerators, etc.) be prepared to buy transformers for many if not all of the items. Electricity here on Bonaire is on average 137 volts, 50hz (U.S. electric is 120/110 volts 60 hz)...this will fry your electronics without a transfomer and unless you have a frequency converter (50 hz to 60 hz) anything that has a timer in it (i.e. microwave, clock radio) will not keep proper time. Do some homework on this if you don't want to be constantly replacing your electronics.
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By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #529) on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 11:10 pm: |
Jim & Jane are right--we have a huge transformer for our entire house (built that way), but you can buy smaller ones, knock the voltage on them down to 100, and plug surge protectors into them. Bring an old-fashioned wind-up oven timer for timing issues, clocks that run on batteries, etc, because the voltage/hz differences will make built in timers (like on a microwave) inaccurate.
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By jenny (BonaireTalker - Post #94) on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 3:13 pm: |
Thanks for the advice so far...
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By Jim and Jane Madden (BonaireTalker - Post #41) on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 8:37 pm: |
All houses here are set up for 220 and 110 volt, but it is at 50 hz not 60hz...U.S. is 220 or 110 60 hz. Also, the 110 rarely comes in at 110, usually between 125 and 137...sometimes lower and sometimes higher spikes. It is definitely NOT what you are used to in the States. The appliances sold here are very similar if not the same as some of those in the States (but about 1/10th of the selection you will find there).You can also find some European appliances which are 220 volt/50 hz. You will definitely need transformers for your major appliances and any small appliances you use regularly. Just as Ruth does, we also have a transformer for our entire house which converts the electricity to a steady 110 but it still is 50 hz. As for selection in Kooyman and other stores...don't expect anything, be surprised if they have what you want. Been reading your posts and suggest you might want to do some more homework about Bonaire and possibly come down for a quick trip before you move to check out the stores and numerous other things. They're have been some good airfares from Miami to Curacao lately on American. Remember that old Boy Scout motto...Be prepared!
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By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #534) on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 11:02 pm: |
And there's no sales tax on clothing & shoes in NJ--knock yourself out, if you're lucky, all the summer stuff will be out (Memorial Day Sales!).
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By jenny (BonaireTalker - Post #95) on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 - 9:21 am: |
A scouting trip is a good idea. I guess when we were there in March, buying the house, we should have checked out the stores a bit more. Instead we went diving in our spare time - I guess we just couldn't help ourselves Unfortunately I don't have time to make it to Bonaire before our move. I'm on a pretty strict schedule until July... Finish classes, pass my finals, drive up north & see mom & grandmoms, go shopping, drive back to Florida, move out of our rental house, drive stuff to Amcar in Miami, fly to Bonaire July 3rd.
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By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #538) on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 - 9:39 am: |
Assuming that you can buy a mattress here is a bad one. If you can't ship your bed, then at least bring/ship foam mattress toppers (several) to layer on top of what they call a mattress here. Vehicles are very expensive compared to what they are in the US, and finding a good used truck, very difficult. Toyota's are great trucks, parts & maintenance readily available. The heat & salt take its toll very quickly, physical depreciation is rapid, but price depreciation is slow (used trucks can still be pricy-like US$10-15k). I think the truck you mention starts in the fls 50k+ range (US$25-$30k+).
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By jenny (BonaireTalker - Post #96) on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 - 12:49 pm: |
Ruth,
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By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #541) on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 - 8:48 pm: |
Down the shore, near Asbury Park.
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By jenny (BonaireTalker - Post #97) on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 - 9:14 pm: |
I worked in a dive shop in Avon-by-the-Sea for a little while. Jersey divers are a crazy bunch!
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By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #129) on Thursday, May 4, 2006 - 12:49 am: |
If you are going to ship a lot of anything, container shipping will save you a bundle. If you are going to buy a ton of new furniture, ship it to Amcar and have them load it into a container. It should still come under your one container exclusion.
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By Teresa Hemphill (BonaireTalker - Post #13) on Thursday, May 4, 2006 - 3:25 am: |
Jenny-
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By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #542) on Thursday, May 4, 2006 - 9:40 am: |
Rocargo, Amcar's agent here, or your real estate agent here are the ones who can better answer your questions. Shipping here is very expensive (to me), and there are few choices (not that I'd consider any but Amcar). If you have something sent to Amcar by 4pm on a Monday, it can sail that same week on Thursday, reaching Bonaire the following Friday (8 days). They sail every week. Rocargo's tel: 011-599-717-8922, ext 4 is Patricia--she'll know island info re: customs, etc, that Amcar doesn't know. Rocargo will do your import papers, and deliver to your door, but you must pay extra for that. Every item imported must have customs paperwork done, and there is a base charge (that Kevin mentioned) for gov't taxes, bill of lading, etc, for every shipment, whether it's one item or one container. If you do your "homework" now, you'll potentially save yourself a lot of money, time, and aggravation, etc.
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By jenny (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #112) on Monday, May 8, 2006 - 8:35 am: |
I received the following information from Amcar, thought I'd post it here to inform others who may be in a situation similar to my own....
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By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #555) on Monday, May 8, 2006 - 10:18 am: |
Sometimes the wording is confusing--you can actually order your own container from Amcar, if you have that much stuff (besides just shipping some stuff in one of their combined ones). There are different fees, such as for loading it, etc. which you don't pay if you're shipping in the combined weekly container. You don't actually "buy" the container-you rent it. However, there are places where you can buy a container, if you want to have a container on Bonaire, say for storage. Or you can try to resell it here. You'll see them around the island being used for storage; there's even one that's been turned into a house.
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By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #135) on Monday, May 8, 2006 - 11:13 am: |
The wording can be very confusing. When I came here, the container was from Hamburg Sud, who swears that they don't ship to Bonaire. If I understand how it actually worked, Rocargo rented the container from Hamburg Sud and contracted with Amcar to have it delivered from San Jose to Bonaire. I may still have it wrong, though. All I had to do was call Amcar and they fixed everything up.
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By Rona of Black Durgon Inn & Scuba Center (BonaireTalker - Post #70) on Monday, May 8, 2006 - 2:02 pm: |
And as we all know, sometimes 3 or 4 days turns into 3 or 4 weeks because of special circumstances, delays, vacations, etc. Received my "promised" 5 day Fed-Ex in 16 days. No biggie for me, I am on island time, right...
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By Alex Brown (BonaireTalker - Post #97) on Monday, May 8, 2006 - 3:12 pm: |
Rona,
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By jenny (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #115) on Monday, May 8, 2006 - 4:50 pm: |
Ruth,
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By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #557) on Monday, May 8, 2006 - 9:22 pm: |
Yes Jenny, you can buy those products here. Don't know about your other questions.
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By jenny (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #117) on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 8:48 am: |
yuck - slimy truffles
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By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #136) on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 9:39 am: |
I don't know how to say "kralendjik". The way to say "Kralendijk" is roughly crawl-un-dike, with the accent on the "crawl". "Ij" makes a sound somewhere in between the "i" in "bike", "trike", "like", etc. and a long 'a' sound like "race", "face", "trace". If you just use an American long "i" everyone will understand you.
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By Grasshopper (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #18025) on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 10:02 am: |
Maybe Martini can insert a sound clip heh heh
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By Mickey McCarthy (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #294) on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 6:31 pm: |
Hmmmm.
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By jenny (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #124) on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 6:46 pm: |
So I was reading in other threads that it is somewhat difficult to find kitty litter? is this something i should ship, or can you find it easily enough by scouting all of the grocery stores during the week?
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By Becky Hauser (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #408) on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 3:05 pm: |
jenny,
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By jenny (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #127) on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 4:15 pm: |
Thanks Becky!
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By Becky Hauser (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #410) on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 5:30 pm: |
Not too sure I can help there, my cats still hate me for the collie clown. Just make sure there is a "dog proof" zone for the cat to retreat to. If you do start with a pup at least the cat can "whup him good" from the get go and let him know who's boss. lol!
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By Mare (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1390) on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 11:48 am: |
I love the shape of the Bonairian Corgi! There are many short-legged doggies in Bonaire and I think that they are adorable.
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By Mare (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1391) on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 11:51 am: |
OOPS! I forgot to post what I had originally thought of.
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By Mare (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1392) on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 11:57 am: |
Oh! and about the ill-fitting sheets.
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By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #139) on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 12:04 pm: |
European mattresses and European sheets are slightly smaller than American mattresses and American sheets (or maybe it's the other way around). If you mix them up, you either get sheets so loose they fall off or sheets so tight they pop off.
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By jenny (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #136) on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 12:05 pm: |
lol Mare
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By Freddie (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #7350) on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 12:39 pm: |
RE the sheets try shopping at IKEA for European sheets...
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By jenny (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #141) on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 4:13 pm: |
So the mattresses on Bonaire are definitely of the European sizes?
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By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #140) on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 4:19 pm: |
Nothing on Bonaire is definitely anything. I see both kinds at different places.
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By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3363) on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 10:51 am: |
Hi Jenny, I got a reg. US style mattress on Bonaire and my US sheets fit it just fine. Now, that was hard to find to say the least. I did get the boxspring at City Shop and I already had a head board. I bring all my linens from the states as the quality is not so good on island IMHO. Same for curtains too, very limited selection there for that. Domestications will ship to Bonaire relatively cheap for some of the items you may find in their catalog, but you must pay duty when they arrive. Good to know, though if you cannot get back to the states and get what you want. Not all catalogs deliver to Bonaire.
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By jenny (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #155) on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 8:47 am: |
When you go to a local store on the island & buy furniture, if you can't fit it in the back of your truck, how long does it take to get it delivered?
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By Marilyn Mc Clain Friedrich (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Monday, May 29, 2006 - 5:02 pm: |
What about VCR/DVD players and TV's, computer and printer? I'm an electronic idiot, so don't have a clue. I do get the part that you need transformers for anything electronic, but do the above items survive with the transformer(s)? I have taped a lot of my old favorites (British shows) and have many tapes and DVD's. I know they don't work on the European products. I'm not moving down in the next few months, but will be moving in the next year or so and would like to start organizing things. You guys are really terrific with your tips and advice!! My brother moved to Aruba with his family 15 years ago but things are a bit different there. Can't wait.
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By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #147) on Monday, May 29, 2006 - 5:41 pm: |
All of my DVD players (three different brands and two different regions) work without modification. Four different VCRs work without modification. Two models of TV work without modification. All of my computers work without modification.
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By Marilyn Mc Clain Friedrich (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Monday, May 29, 2006 - 6:43 pm: |
Bless you my child!! Was concerned that nothing would work well there!
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By sean gorman (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 4:23 am: |
hi. What is the duty on bringing a jeep or truck to Bonaire?
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By Bruce Zavon (BonaireTalker - Post #16) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 9:35 am: |
So Jenny, you started this thread on May 1 with
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By sean gorman (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #6) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 2:41 pm: |
wow, good info, thanks Bruce!
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By Susan - www.bsdme.info (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #431) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 4:15 pm: |
We have many trucks and Jeeps already on island. Might be better to buy one here.
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By sean gorman (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Sunday, July 8, 2007 - 4:20 pm: |
Hi Susan....My impression wa that the cost of vehicles on the island was quite high. If that is the case, and residency would enable me to bring one in duty free, wouldn't it be better to bring one I already own, especially since I know what I got(no problems mechanically)?
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By Teresa Watson Floyd (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 5:36 pm: |
I just read the saga of Jenny, like Bruce, I am anxiously awaiting to hear how life is going...
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By Barton B (BonaireTalker - Post #60) on Thursday, November 1, 2007 - 1:10 am: |
Sean, regarding your comments about the cost of vehicles on Bonaire being high... I believe there is a 35% duty placed on imported vehicles as well as the 5% sales tax for a total of 40% uplift in cost. This might be why you thought they were expensive . The present rules (don't know what happens after December 15, 2008) are that if you have your permanent residency permit you can bring ONE car to Bonaire as part of the shipment of household goods. You must have owned the car for ONE year (Customs will check insurance papers, title, and licensing documents to verify the length of ownership).
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