SOME OBSERVATIONS

WEATHER - Hot, very humid and sticky. We loved it! Sunny in the 90s every day. Showers Wed night and the brief downpour Sun while snorkeling. Mornings and evenings were beautiful at the villa!

INSECTS - Not a problem, and Wendy usually gets eaten alive! We couldn't believe it, having read so much bug buzz beforehand! In fact, we never used repellant, and suffered only a couple bites the whole time.

RESTAURANTS - We were surprised at the speed of service when eating out, again, having heard so much about it taking hours to have dinner. For us, that just wasn't the case. We never even waited for a table (and we made a 8:00 pm reservation for Donna & Girogio's at 7:45!), despite it being regatta week for the first half of our stay. However we didn't get to try as many different places as we had hoped, and there are a lot of them. In the weeks prior to our trip Jourdan had assured us she was going to "try new things", but she ended up staying in the chicken, pizza, burgers area whenever she could! Plans to visit Croccantino's, Kon Tiki, and the Garden fell by the wayside as the days flew by. About half of the establishments we did make it to added the service charge automatically to the bill. Check your receipts!

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

PEOPLE - Obviously, as with any place you go, there are some bad people, but by and large the people of Bonaire were very friendly and helpful.
The day our gas was stolen we drove into town, asked a man who had just sat down on a bench for directions to the gas station,and he smiled, jumped into his car, made a U-turn on the spot, and motioning us to follow, led us there. We thought he would expect a tip, but to our surprise he just waved and drove off! Another day out near Rincon we saw this colorful roadside sculpture. The make-shift sign said "Relax and Enjoy" so we stopped and I got out for a minute. Sensing someone watching, I glanced across the road, and this fellow (I assume the artist) through up his hand and waved, with the biggest smile on his face! We never spoke but I think the fact that we had just taken the time to stop made his day! Or the man in a Kralendijk store who offered to loan us his cooler for our trip to the park. He didn't know us from Adam! And the few moments we spent on the sun deck of Woodwind, having drinks, and talking to fellow travelers about the places we'd all been and the roads that had brought us to Bonaire were some of the most interesting of the trip. It's all about people, folks! Just a few examples.

BONAIRE PARTNERS - Can't sat enough about BP. They shopped for groceries before we arrived, changed our dates on short notice, and had the pool cleaned twice a week!

CRIME AND SECURITY - We heard about the terrible crimes in Sabedeco soon as we got home. We hope the victims make a full and speedy recovery, our thoughts are with them. We anxiously await news that arrests have been made and the crime situation has improved. During our stay we felt secure (even after the gas theft) at the villa, it had a security system, and the physical layout was such that an intruder could approach only the front door. Additionally, BP provided a portable motion sensor alarm during our stay. Don't know that any of that would make me feel safer now.

THE PARKS - The Bonaire Marine Park is a true wonderland. And an excellent example of what can be achieved through preservation. The Marine Park was the main reason we picked Bonaire. I never could understand the people fishing from the shoreline though, I thought it was not allowed.

The Washington/Slagbaai Nat'l Park was exceptional. The entrance fee was $25.00 for the 3 of us and this was without a doubt the best 25 bucks we spent anywhere! It was a blast negotiating that always changing and sometimes very rough "tour road" while Wendy read aloud from the guidebook. I love that stuff! So many fantastic views. So many beautiful places to pause by the sea, or drive through the "outback"!
Thanks to the ranger at the entrance station who convinced me to do the long route with more "nice things to see". Every bumpy mile was worth it!

THANKS

Thanks to all you BTers for the inspiration and the information, and for taking the time to read my report.

And thank you to everybody on Bonaire that helped us have a great time!

And thanks Wendy and Jourdan! You two make it all worthwhile.

Its 47 degrees in Forest Hill, Maryland tonight and I'm in my own cozy home in my own familiar neighborhood. But I'm dreaming of climbing Branderis Hill and snorkeling Karpata and driving down past the salt hills. Ah, for one more sunset from the Red Slave huts!

Scott Huffman

Your trip report was great...sounds like you suffer from post bonaire depression.....something we all have in common on this board.

Scott, your reports were interesting and great fun to read. The information provided was excellent. I don't know your profession but you should consider writing for a travel magazine or newsletter. Although I have been a long time visitor to Bonaire your reports made me think I had missed a lot. We are really looking forward to January.

Thanks for the great reports Scott. We head to Bonaire in two weeks for our first trip and will be using MANY of your suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to post.
John

Wonderful report, I have enjoyed it .