Getting there and back

After putting ourselves in chilin' vacation mode we flew Delta from Columbus, OH to Atlanta and Air Jamaica from Atlanta to Montego Bay to Bonaire and the reverse. You can tell that the airports are still working the kinks out. I do not mind being hand searched but I didn't particularly like the airport employee in Columbus screaming "Hand search!!!" as if she'd found Osama himself. A discreet, "Sir would you step over there" would have seemed much more professional. Our carry-ons were searched twice at the gate in Montego Bay going to Bonaire but coming back our carry-ons were never opened once in any airport which was a little disappointing considering I was carrying a large camera case. Air Jamaica missed a vegetarian meal we had ordered months in advance but it was not a big deal. I understand that we are all in a changing world and I can't complain about the flights to and back. We did meet people who had been delayed to the point of having to stay overnight in Montego Bay. They were not happy.

Vehicle Rental

We rented a pickup from ABCarrental. I hesitate to trash them because we all have bad days but I will not use them again. The truck was fine but when I went to turn it in I was shocked to see a $511 bill. We had the truck for 11 days but I knew it shouldn't have been that high for what I got. I asked the lady about a $10/day charge and she apologized because I had declined the CDW or whatever the initials are. While she was changing the charges, I noticed that she had also charged me for an air-conditioned vehicle which I didn't have. I had been overcharged about $150.00. I also had to ask for my credit card back. Competition being as it is I won't use them again but I would imagine they are normally a fine company.

Accomodations

We stayed at the Caribbean Court. The rooms are HUGE and clean with a nice kitchen. They changed the towels everyday and cleaned every two days. We liked it very much and would stay there again. The only negative is it is not on the ocean. But we spent most of our time in the ocean so it was fine.

Diving

We used Photo Tours, the dive shop connected to Caribbean Court. We did no boat diving but used their unlimited shore diving package. They were fine. The fills were good and they even fixed my leaking octopus free of charge. They have a slight logistical problem in that even though we stayed 11 days we only dived 8 days. But they assumed we had used them every day. They asked if we had logged our dives and when my wife started to go back to the room to get her log book they said they trusted us. This was an awkward moment that should not have happened. They hadn't asked us to log dives or tell them when we were diving so they should have either asked us upfront to show our logs at the end or just trusted us. Still, I was satisfied with them and would use them again. Afterall, part of the charm of the islands is they don't do things exactly like we do.

This was our third time in Bonaire and the first time since '96. Bonaire is special to us because it is the place we were certified. Previously we had stayed at the Carib Inn with those wonderful folks and done only boat dives with the occasional night dive off the Carib Inn. We were only returning to Bonaire because my brother is a fairly new diver and wanted to go to Bonaire. After the 11th, he chickened out but we had already made our reservations. Don't get me wrong. We have always loved Bonaire but there are so many places in the world to visit. Since '96 we have been to Yap, Palau, Little Cayman, Cozemel, the Red Sea etc.. I must tell you, we have never enjoyed ourselves anymore than we did this trip. It was like the perfect vacation.

My wife was a little leary of shore-diving but she's an adventurer. The first couple of dives we took a bit of a beating on entries and exits but we watched others and by the third dive it was heaven. Is there anything more free than cruising by "Karpata mountain" at your own pace with just you and your buddy and the beauty of the ocean? You might be surprised to know that our favorite dives were at Tori's Reef. Just north of the entry at between 25-40 feet, the fish action is incredible! We hung out for about 20 minutes in one spot and just watched the action, shaking our heads in amazement. The only more memorable dive I've been on is Blue Corner in Palau. Are there more fish in Bonaire post-Lenny? I don't remember seeing so many fish. Perhaps it is because we now photograph our dives and the focus is different.

Anyway, I can see why people return every year to Bonaire. We had never rented a vehicle before and missed on all the other parts of the island. It is even more special than we remembered.

Dining

We're vegans and we took alot of prepared food and supplemented it with fruits and vegetables from Cultimari. We only ate out once at the Garden Cafe and it was very good.

Windsurfing

We went windsurfing one day and had a blast. It was our first time trying the sport and it is very difficult, especially for a 45 year old man. I wish I had read about the theory of sailing before I tried it as I learn better knowing why I'm doing something. I can't comment on the instruction as I just don't learn the same way alot of people do. In college, I learned much more from books than instructors and a book or pamphlet would have been nice. later, I met a guy who said the same thing. He had tried windsurfing then read about it and the next time he tried it, everything clicked. Anyway, I will definitely try it again and maybe next time I'll do it for a few days. Very little of my time was actually spent on the board.

We had nothing stolen while there and never saw anyone at the dive sites other than divers. We left nothing in the truck but we saw other vehicles with shoes, shirts etc. left by diving divers. I assumed the theft problem was over. That divers were leaving such slim pickings that it wasn't worthy of thieving. Apparently I was wrong. I suppose that is the only negative I can think of about Bonaire.

Can't wait to get our photos and can't wait to return to Bonaire. We'll probably make Bonaire our every other dive trip. One final thing. Above water, I can get lost going from home to work. My sense of direction is unbelievably bad and I'm the source of many jokes, especially from my wife. Underwater, I'm the man. Somehow, I can instinctively know where I am. I think it's because it deals more with time and distance than direction. My wife, on the other hand, is lost underwater.

Carlyle

Caryle,
Good trip report. I leave in two weeks and am realy looking foward to it. On this trip I think I'll stick to diving, and leave the wind surfing for the North East.
mike

More vegan divers! Just curious what you got at the Garden Cafe. We love the place -- the only spot we've found on the island where you can just walk in and order a vegan dinner. Other places are quite willing to accommodate if you call ahead (and we've had some spectacular meals that way, especially at Rendezvous), but Garden Cafe doesn't need the phone call, and the food is great...

Faith

Faith, we had some sort of a Lebanese sampler with about 7 or eight small portions. Daniel had posted some restaurants you guys have used but we had forgotten to bring the printed copy and could only remember the Garden Cafe.

We tried that same sampler the first night we were there this past time. Wonderful! Gave us all kinds of good ideas for the next trip or two we made to the place... I fell in love with the stuffed cabbage, though next time I might just try the pumpkin kibbe again... The mujadera (sp? lentils & rice, anyways) was also delicious...

Faith

Carlyle, what a wonderful trip! Sorry to hear about AB...we have used them in the past and never had any problems. I hope it was just an error on their part.

I understand the fish life has exploded since Lenny passed by in 1999. We had not been to Bonaire prior to that, but everyone has told us they lost the coral but gained the fish population. It is simply amazing to see their numbers and different species. We, too, just become mesmirized (sp?) by the fish and sealife and float and stare and gaze in amazement and awe. I could do that forever.......Carole

Can you review the vegetarian restaurant options and advice? What food did you bring with you?
Half our family is vegetarian so this would really help. We're going in January.
Thanks.
Shifra

Mike, I'm sure you'll have a great time. If you haven't already, you might want to give Lac Bay a try.

Faith, the stuffed cabbage was delicious as were the other two you mentioned. We bought a cabbage yesterday and my wife is going to try to recreate the stuffed cabbage.

Shifra, we were vegetarians the previous two times we were on Bonaire and every restaurant we went to had at least one very good vegetarian meal. It was no problem at all. If any are vegans you might want to do a search in this website on "vegan" and see a post by Daniel Senie about restaurants and calling ahead so they can accomodate you. Presently, it is the #3 hit on a vegan search I think. The prepared food we took were primarily vegan patties and loafs made with chopped veggies, brown rice, cashews or tofu etc.. We froze them and packed them in a box with those frozen ice container thingies and they did quite well. We also made some vegan cheeses and sauces so we could have macaroni and "cheese" etc.. We also do not eat refined sugar so our diets are somewhat restricted. I've gotten use to it and I feel better than I ever have.

Carol, I thought there were more fish, especially in the southern dive sites. But we didn't see any turtles, squid or octopus this time. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to go back to find them.

The Garden Cafe (Lebanese/Middle Eastern food) has quite a few vegetarian choices. What we had there (with and without meat) were excellent.