Well, after 2 short weeks, we're back to the grind. My new wife and I spent 8 days on Bonaire and 6 in Aruba, and before I go any further here's our photos:

http://photos.yahoo.com/kellyandserena

We stayed at the Divi. I would definetly go back. The dive operation is first class. We walked down to the Plaza one evening and it looked like a pain to dive off their reef (difficult entry through the beach rather than just jumping off a pier). But the resort looked very nice.

The food at the Chibi Chibi was excellent. Richards was really good too. It Rains Fishes was pretty poor. We decided just to stick with the Chibi most of the time. The warm goat cheese salad kicks butt!

We logged about 25 dives in 8 days, it was wonderful, and we're already planning our return trip.

ADVICE: Take the sunset cruise w/ the Sea Witch. It was well worth it. It was us and only another couple and it was quiet and romantic.

Our trip to Aruba was good, but we were longing for Bonaire about 10 minutes after the plane landed.

Our diving in Aruba only lasted 2 tanks. After the crowd of about 75 divers circled the Antilla we said that's enough (not to mention the 25 snorklers on top.) The second site was a wreck that looked more like a pile of garbage they threw out in about 25 feet of water. Red Sail Sports was horrible. We cancelled the rest of the diving and decided that we'll just camp under a palapa for the rest of the week and make fun of the fat guys in speedo's that walk on the beach. (Fat guys should really wear shorts except on a dive boat where it is convenient with a wetsuit).

Aruba is great if you like beautiful beaches and swarms of people. If you don't mind being offered pot on the beach and constantly feeling like you're getting ripped off from the taxi's...

Next time, it's only Bonaire.. more on the trip later.. I'm tired from being at work all day .

Kelly

"Difficult entry through the beach" at the Plaza, Kelly?
I don't think that I need to check out your profile to guess your nationality!

Kelly,

Glad to hear you enjoyed Bonaire. Isn't the staff at the dive shop at the Divi just great!
I really enjoy diving there. I guess the PBD is already setting in for both of you. Welcome to the addiction of Bonaire.

The entry at the Plaza is very easy. They also have a pier by the Tipsy Seagull that has tanks and a rinse tank also. This was easy in/out also. Andy probably didn't notice the pier at the Plaza because he was busy video the topless ladies on the beach!

That should be videoing!

Kelly:
Glad to hear of your good trip...and have to agree with you about Aruba---a wonderful place not to visit. Enjoyed seeing your photos, too.
And I will agree with you about not wanting to have to work too hard to get into the water, although we will defer to those who like the Plaza.
We will have to give the Sea Witch a try this year...actually, we have been thinking of doing their trip over to Las Aves. (Have any BT regulars done this? Opinions?)
Looking forward to the rest of your report, as we anticipate our own arrival at the Divi.

Robert..did the Sea Witch to Las Aves a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Robert and Jeanette were excellent hosts and the islands are beautiful. We brought our dive gear along as Robert had a small compressor on board to fill tanks for us. Can't say enough good things about the trip. The Sea Witch was very comfortable for all of us and I'd have no problem recommending this trip to anyone who likes sailing.

Tony..I appreciate the response. What about visas, etc. for entering Venezuelan waters...was that needed? There is some mention of it on the Sea Witch website, but it is not made clear.
Thanks for any help!

Jeanette took care of everything for us..We did need a visa and had to go to the Venezuelan consulate on Bonaire to complete the paperwork but it was no problem. I seem to remember that we had to surrender our passports which made me alittle uneasy but all turned out well. Robert bbq'd on the boat the first night and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner under the stars with plenty to eat and drink. The ancorage around the islands is beautiful and if you don't mind taking a few days away from your time on Bonaire the trip will be a very memorable experience.

The rest of the story...

I guess I didn't see the dock at the Plaza, all I saw was a group of divers lugging gear through the sand. And compared to what we did at the divi I call that work.

I don't quite know how to take that comment about what nationality I am.

The bottom line is that we'll definitley return to Bonaire.

Kelly....I questioned the comment myself. Glad both of you had a great trip! :-)

Kelly,
Don't be alarmed with Andy's tounge in cheek commentary. Atleast I think it's a tounge. He's generally not sober long enough to remember if he had intended malice or not. Just a wonderful twit is all, for sure.

Oh Peter...that hurt! But fair comment, I guess.
I prefer to think of myself as being generally mischievous rather than malicious.
The nationality barb was based upon my assumption that you were American, Kelly....hence you'd expect "full service" treatment in all your recreational activities.
OK, I've really stuck my neck out here haven't I?
I expect that you're going to tell me you're French?
Hopefully the above comment might stir a few of you into a response, as it's become a trifle tedious on these pages lately.

Anyway, what the hell's a "tounge", Peter?
Assuming you mean the razor sharp edged appendage flapping about in my mouth...the "u" comes after the "g".
I'm seriously considering having a word with Her Majesty & suggesting that she withdraws the rights of you "foreigners" to use our English language so that you have to invent one of your own!

Come on.....Surely one of you must take the bait?

Andy,

The Bonaire Reporter is looking for authors to write deceiving and amusing stories about Bonaire for the April Fools edition. They even promise nice prices for the authors.

Here is your chance to get a broader audience for your overflowing imagination and talent to write.

Reporter@bonairenews.com

Although, again you will be the one who entertains. I see you are looking for entertainment yourself. Talent can be a burden sometimes.

Well...that's sure put a dampener on things Marion. It seems that you've frighened 'em all off & no-one's being allowed out to play with me at all today, now!?

Andy, it seems to me that most of us on this side of the pond have, unfortunately, already adopted our own language. While English is a "live" language, I must agree that my compatriots seem to be trying diligently to kill it, post haste.

If I hear "seen" used in place of "saw" just one more time, I may lose control. It's quite embarrassing.

Steve

I'm starting to lose control at the general poor use of the language. Seeing the incorrect use of "it's" or an apostrophe before the s in a plural use makes me apoplectic (and, of course, I'm not sure that's the correct spelling!) I thought it was only in the US, but I saw the same errors in England (even in printed materials, ads and newspapers, for heaven's sake!)

I was hoping for a scrap, but I find myself sitting here nodding in agreement with the comments of both of you.
I've no room to criticise, as I know I take liberties (mostly in ignorance) with it too.
However,I feel that the following case shows the slippery slope that we're sliding down over here.
The word "Deliah" has been included in the latest edition on the Oxford dictionary!
It is the first name of a celebrity chef, here in England. Ironically, she is the major shareholder of my local football team, Norwich City.
Sure, she's an excellent cook who's been an inspiration to many. Likewise she's known by virtually everyone here, but how can that possibly justify the inclusion of her name into our language?
I must buy a copy of the afore mentioned book to see in what context we're supposed to utter her name.
Could it be.... "Ah that feels much better. I've just had a good Deliah!" Or possibly..."Where the Deliah have you been? Your dinner was ready hours ago!"
Of course, the possibilities are endless. I'll let you all know the correct use once I've been able to fathom it myself.

Oh Dear....Marcia has just pointed out to me that my spelling of our new word is incorrect! There should be no "h" at the end.
I reckon that this elementary blunder could make me appear to be a real Delia head!

Andy, this is a tragic event in the history of the English language.
One presumes that the context will be along the lines of "I'll be Mum", so as you scrape your boots at the entrance to the west wing you can hail M. with "who'll be Delia tonight?"
By the way is it with a capital D or a small d

Could well be Steve.
I guess it could also be a handy solution for you, with all those five lettered crossword answers that you invariably struggle with?
As soon as I can get my hands on a copy of the blasphemous Oxford rag I'll post the Delia, or delia entry.

"What the Dickens!", "No Titch!".. "doing a Delia".. whatever next?

For heaven's sake!!! If you have a "Delia", we should have a "Julia" with the same meaning. Julia's been around a LOT longer than Delia.

Andy, I'm just showing off my knowledge of English popular culture. Even my 80 year old daddy has a Delia book. To astound you even further, I even know who Charlie is (garden-wise). Aren't you proud of me?

Josie, I am..S

Kelly, I haven't been on the board for a few days and just checked out your photos....wonderfully done! So beautiful. Thanks for the link.

We haven't been back to Aruba since 1998....we "discovered" Bonaire and that was the end of Aruba for us forever....I can imagine how much more crowded and developed it is now since we were last there. We love the tranquility and beauty of Bonaire and her people....the "tourists" can keep Aruba now! Where did you stay in Aruba? We have a place at Divi Village, but use the week in Bonaire now along with the week we bought at the Divi in Bonaire. Just love the Divi Flamingo. Glad to see you had a great time, there, too. Thanks again for the link to the pix. I have passed it along to friends of mine in Arizona and California who keep being told by their divemasters out there that Bonaire suffered too much damage after Lenny and they keep arranging group trips to other locations (Belize and other Central America/Mexican/Pacific locations) I keep telling them to get their buns down to Bonaire and just enjoy the heck out of themselves. Lenny's damage seems to be at the shallows and not the deeper levels. Someday they will listen...actually, they are probably reading this note right now as I passed them this page as a link, too! LOL...Carole

Josie...You should be ashamed of yourself!
No-one watches Charlie Dimmocks gardening show unless it's to marvel at her pendulous unfettled bosom!
Which reminds me...I must check the TV listings to see when she's on again.

Andy, you know, I never noticed them!

It does amaze me that gardeners are TV personalities in the UK. If we had them here, I might have to hook the TV up to the outside world, instead of just using it to play videos. As it is, I do miss the English comedies, and Star Trek shows... If gardening was on, I might submit.

Josie,

Both Star Trek (two incarnations?: Kirk and Picard) and English comedy shows (Judy Dench and Geoffrey, for one) appear on cable TV here in the southwestern CT/NYC market; the comedy on Public TV stations. Also some gardening shows. Can Rochester be far behind???

Glen, they are available. We actually do not have our TV connected, and only use it for videos. When our TV broke about 7 years ago, we decided not to replace it (no children in the house to complain!!) as it was such a time-waster and neither Alan nor I had the discipline to actually turn it off after we'd watched something we wanted to, so we watched a load of garbage (Alan gets besotted when a screen has movement on it!!). Finally, last year, I decided I needed to get exercise videos, so we got a TV. But it's not "plugged in". Sometimes I'm sorry, most times I'm not. We have accepted we can't be "responsible viewers"!

Kelly, on the original subject at hand (and being from San Diego, grew up in PB, went to Mission Bay High School)...anyhooo...nice pics, and congratulations on your recent nuptuals (sp? don't want Andy lashing out at me now do we )...where do you dive locally? We have been to the Yukon a couple of times since they sank her. Thanks for the Aruba update, my husband keeps wanting to stop there on our next trip out to bonaire for a couple of days, i keep telling him that it would be a waste of time...still more convincing to do. Don't take fancypants (aka Andy, fancyhat...and more) seriously. He just likes goating us "'mericans" into getting all riled up (in case you missed one of his last threads...got quite heated you know).

Andy I REALLY think you need to submit a story to the reporter...consider it a compliment. and my favorite UK show is "Absolutely Fabulous"...glad they are making new ones now. Yes, the UK shows do have a wit that is often more charming and funny...Ok, now i have said it!

Josie,

I should have your discipline!!!!!

lol Glen, yes Josie, me too. Ours broke in the living room a while back, so we decided exactly how long we could go. We lasted a whopping three weeks (all talked out by then I guess)! Besides comedy central and animal planet, we watch the history and discovery channels a lot...

we love the BBC shows especially Trading Places
about decorating another persons room in 2 days and under $1,000
no tv for us on Bonaire..refreshing to just dive and read..why can't we do that at home ? gotta watch Jeporady...

I miss Jeopardy too...

Debbi, wanna play Trivial Pursuit on Bon? I love trivia games! A lot of our "resting" time on Bonaire is spent with crossword puzzles.

I have to confess that when we're on vacation, we do watch TV -- it's such a treat. Even the few cable channels we have in our little bungalow on BON are exciting for us!

I know we're down to the wire, but if someone coming down soon could tape Boston Public and Ally McBeal tonight for us we'd really appreciate it - our DirectTV card just expired and we can't get FOX tonight. Hope to get it replaced tomorrow...

Jake

I don't know Jake, Ally has gone downhill this year. So you haven't missed much, last year every show, every minute, this year I'm can barely watch a few minutes at a time before I want to switch it. To bad I really enjoyed that show.

HA! Now I have heard it ALL. Jake, come on, you watch Ally?? LOL..first the bagels and the schear and now this..Oh the aberrations of this group astound me..

Now for important info, how has the wind been? Speed? Direction?




Annie
Cape Cod
(who has no aberrations)..

I do a lot of consulting work with lawyers, so that adds a bit of context (or removes some, depending on your perspective) to Ally McBeal :-)

Wind's been blowing. Not sure if it's been good enough for your windsurfing needs, Annie.

No aberrations? Hah. You enjoy the fresh air blowing behind you and in your face and you actually smoke? That's not an aberration? [grin]

Jake

I will have you know I have not had a ciggy in over 17 years..and none of the other funny stuff..



Annie
Cape Cod

"Ab Fab's" a good choice Cynde. I've always felt that I could detect an definite similarity to Edinas style in your posts, dahling.
All this talk of BBC TV & still no mention of The Blue Planet. It simply is a "must see" series. Better still go out & buy it (even if it means buying a TV & Player as well, for some of you!) You won't be disappointed. It's now out on both VHS tape & DVD.
So.....Sounds like your folks made you kick the habit when you were still in nappies, (dypers, you call them, maybe?) Annie?

Patsy

Andy, we will be able to see The Blue Planet soon! It will be on the Discovery Channel, January 27th at 9pm ET. Yeah!!

The Blue Planet

Ellen, thanks for the link. Andy, I can relate to Edina much more than Patsy!

Poor Kelly, had a great trip report, and now it has turned into the Best BBC TV Shows....Kelly, please come back and answer my questions

Back to the subject at hand...

Cynde, my wife and I live on Emerald St between Bayard and Cass in PB (1 block from the beach). We usually don't do much shore diving, but we did do the Yukon (not impressed), but we do enjoy San Clemente Island. We try to go twice a year at least on the Horizon or Ocean Odyssey. We were going on 1/19, but my wife is feeling sick. There's another boat in Feb. that we're planning on. Feel free to email me if you're interested.

Tell your husband to not waste his time in Aruba. Don't get me wrong, the beaches were pretty, but for west coasters, I would rather go to Hawaii (Kauai) where they speak english and you don't feel like you're getting ripped off from everyone. For example, in many restaurants the tip is included in the bill, which is fine, but when the waiter has to explain that that "service charge" is not really a tip, well sorry, that's your fault (that happend multiple times). Or why taxi cabs charge $2 extra on certain days (or even hours).

It was a completely different pace, nothing we wanted to experience at the time. There were plenty of people that we met at our hotel that had been coming to Aruba for years (one came back for 19 years in a row) and when we explained that we were in Bonaire for a week prior to coming the common response was, "Where's Bonaire?"

After about the second or third person I just said nevermind, because the next time I return I don't want to see him, or anyone resembling that person.

Be thankful that Bonaire is as special as it is, I am certainly hooked.

Wish we were back..

Excellent news Ellen!

Kelly, i agree with the crowds etc on ocean vacations. living in so ca, it is soooo crowded that when we go on vacation we like to go to the beaches and places that are sparce in the human department! that is why we loved bonaire so much, and why it will be one of our anual dive vacation destinations from now on! we dove the yukon right after she sank, and it was just a fun experience. we went back a few months later and the new growth is interesting to see. do you ever dive the cove?

oh, can't do the dive next month, our equiment is being serviced (plus mike blew a hole in his bc last time we scraped the bottom of our boat!) all is being fixed for the moment,plus the water is a little cold for me right now, i like to wait until it is at least 62 degrees!