Michelle & Leif’s May ’05 Bonaire Trip – Part TOO
1 May: THE TRIP OUT
Our trip began in chaos and angst, as the debate over whether to pack four, six, two or none of each item (pants, shirts, socks, …at least we didn’t debate on packing the dive gear) dragged on from Saturday afternoon until the early twilight of Sunday morning. Fortunately, all debates were eventually abandoned in favor of packing exactly twice as much as Leif thought we needed and half as much as Michelle thought we should take. Still, we managed to depart on time with a meager (compared to a C-130’s cargo bay) 125 pounds of combined luggage in six dufflebags. For more detail, and corroboration, refer to this thread:
http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/23830/223588.html
From DFW airport we followed the following sequence: Board plane, sleep, deplane, sleep, board plane, sleep, deplane, sleep. The AA flights went on time and without trouble, although the flight crew on the DFW to MIA leg was quite ridiculous. They practically yelled at all of us passengers, to wit: “We’re serious people, you all need to sit down, or someone might get hurt (and we don’t CARE if you really gotta go!),” with warnings of “extreme turbulence” that turned out to be nothing more than a little hot air.
2 May: A LITTLE PAPERWORK….
Thanks to BT, we knew that the Dive Park passes had increased to $25. Our dive shop guy was surprised. He said it was the first time someone had already known about the cost and came prepared to pay it. Thanks all!
Note to all: since the higher pass fee also includes admission to Washington-Slagbaai Park, you no longer have an excuse not to go North. Just be sure to hold onto your receipts for the park pass and take a picture ID (a C-card will do). The ranger will verify your name on each receipt and your photo ID and will wave you through. They won’t accept the plastic tags because those could be passed too easily to another person.
We dropped in on Linda R. at the Cinnamon Art Gallery – very nICE. Anyone suffering from the heat should remember to shop for some lovely artwork at the gallery.
Our hosts at the Coco Palm Garden have now employed a cook for dinners two nights a week, which makes for an affordable al-fresco meal in Coco Palm’s well-tended courtyard garden.
3 May: PFLF INVADES GIBI’S TERRACE
Renée (a/k/a Snorkelqueen), the KLM flight crew, the Psychiatrist & her Husband were conscripted by the secretive Pink Flamingo Liberation Front (PFLF) to stamp out Donkey hooliganism. In the photos above we see their bizarre initiation rites. Note that leaders of the PFLF who were present are exceedingly hard to capture on film.
4 May: AHHHHHH…. RELAXATION FINALLY DISCOVERED
Why were Michelle and Leif actually late for their AOW peak buoyancy class?
5 May: ZUSTER MARIA HÖPPNER FOUNDATION RENDEZ-VOUZ
Our mission on Thursday was to link up with the MH caretakers and present an overstuffed dufflebag full of shoes, kites, Frisbees and bakeware that we were bringing for Marlene, Berta, Meredith, & the kids. We set up the exchange at the beach near Sorobon. Little did we know that the boys are most fascinated with kites.
6 May: DID I FORGET TO CHECK E-MAIL YESTERDAY?
Perhaps this entry would be better titled “It’s really hard to check in at the office when you were having so much fun that you didn’t realize you skipped a whole day there…”
But if you really must stay connected, just forget about the ‘Net shops in town. The best way to get a quick e-mail fix on Bonaire is to head up to the roundabout and connect with Mike at the Chat ‘N Browse.
7 May:
“YOU’LL KNOW THEM WHEN YOU SEE THEM.”
We stopped in a Captain Don’s mid-afternoon on Friday, since we knew that Geoffrey and Susan were staying there. Webster’s dictionary, 2005 edition, will define “Synchronicity” as “The phenomenon of two different couples who hope to meet each other both happening to arrive at the same hotel lobby at the same time without any idea that the other pair was about to arrive, but isn’t that a great coincidence.” They are very colorful and lovely people! And yes, you’ll know exactly what that means when you see them.
THE PFLF STRIKES BACK!
From Lt. Swedlow’s Scubalog… “The boys in engineering came up with dog chew toys in the shape of animals, made from Neoprene and wearing snorkels and fins. What a perfect cover for our secret identities! When we had to pass by that underwater webcam, the kitty gave the go-ahead for the operation – announcing the normally “purrrfect” diving conditions. The pig held the sign revealing the secret meeting place – saying that Pigging Out at Gibi’s was his favorite thing to do. And finally, the secret password… can you say “Greta’s Dive-Buddy Bunny” five times fast? Me neither – Hee hee!”
Unfortunately, our arch nemesisssiss, Cynde, nevertheless figured out the entire plot. We’re still scratching our heads wondering how she knew that Leif’s thong was red?!
Afterwards, everyone in Bongo’s beach bar got Lei’d. (Only Pink Leis for the PFLF, of course!!)
HELLO AGAIN, SANTA!
Sure, Bonaire has plenty of great restaurants. But since our beloved Café de Tuin is no longer operating (at least under that name), we find ourselves down to just one favorite place to come back to every trip… Raja’s Garden Café, where the fulfillment you get from a plate full of lively Mediterranean delights is only topped by the delightful meditations on life from Raja, himself. And, oh yes, he is Santa Claus in his spare time… didn’t you know?
8 May:
BAS NEEDS A DIGITAL CAMERA
The Cai dive was great stuff (see Part I) and we stayed up late watching slideshows at Bas’ place. His ocean trigger pics with a borrowed camera were very cool. We also watched our raw pics from the Cai dive and tried, in vain, to count just how many spotted eagle rays we had captured on film. After that, we realized we really needed to eat…
TAPAS, EVERMORE
Once upon a Sunday evening, while we pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious tale of culinary lore,
Our tummies grumbled, nearly snapping, and suddenly there came a tapping,
With several dishes tapas, tapas at our table near the floor.
"'Tis some scallops," I muttered, "tasty tapas here at Kaya Bonaire 4;
Not just this, but several more."
Ah, distinctly I remember; it was in the beanbag’s supple camber,
As each separate scampied shrimp’s shell fell upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished for more; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my stomach room for more, O, room for just one more,
Of the rare and radiant dishes whom the diners’ beg galore,
La Guernica, forevermore.
9 May: GUTES TAUCHEN
We met Juergen and Heike, Germans, on Dive Inn’s boat earlier in the week and arranged to team up for a day of diving in the W-S Park. After a quick peek at the blowhole and a few rounds of deciding whether the surf looked too high at the northernmost sites, we eventually made it to Boca Slagbaai for a long lunch between dives. Naturally, we owe them a disc full of pictures.
Germans are not nearly the stomping shouting type that some people think they are. They can be quite charming and even, dare we say, cute. See for yourself here… http://www.rathergood.com/laibach/
I think that might be Juergen’s motorcycle in the background.
10 May:
CARROTS ON SALE
Well, it finally came time for the PFLF to go see the infamous donkey gang. And wouldn’t ya’ know, carrots were on sale at the Warehouse grocery.
SWEET DREAMS, INDEED
For our final few missions on this trip, we went to the Hoppner home/headquarters and delivered the rest of our donations. The boys don’t have much. They benefit from donations of anything from basic clothes and bedding to articles that allow entertainment and teaching -- games, school and craft supplies, books and hobbies. We perceived that the boys and staff were “making do” with what they had. The boys at the Maria Hoppner home do not have stable home lives, but they possess a contagious energy. We hope more BT’ers are willing to maintain the momentum started by the bicycles from the Gianccoli’s.
We returned to Gibi’s for our final dinner and brought (dragged?) Mark & Leslie Degan into the PFLF silliness in the process. We also added some flags to the collection.
Mark – I’ll save you the trouble of explaining why we have a picture of you wearing a bra made of shells and a googly-eyed crab hat by not posting that certain picture that I won’t describe here – LS.)
P.S. Oops, sorry, I just described it, didn’t I? Then I guess you won’t mind…
GOING HOME
Since we avoided shopping and a fair amount of our luggage had been gifts, favors and donations, we actually managed to cram everything we had, including semi-damp scuba gear, into just two big dufflebags and two carry-along bags. This allowed us the good fortune of catching an earlier direct flight from San Juan directly to DFW instead of having to wait hours longer only to connect via Miami. Despite our gripe about how AA always seems to increase the minimum miles needed for an award ticket just when we reach the prior threshold, and never ever seems to actually make award seats available when we would be interested in flying, we cannot say that we have had a bad experience using AA to go to Bonaire.
When we did finally arrive home, the cat (Loki) was quite upset about our extended absence. He started chewing us out before we even got through the door…
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By Leif S (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #268) on Friday, July 8, 2005 - 12:25 am: 
Thanks for taking the time to post. Be safe. Debbie