This trip report is way to late, but hopefully late is better than never! I realized I had not yet submitted a report and we will be on Bonaire the end of February...did not want to have to write two reports!

We were on Bonaire from Nov. 21 to Dec. 8th and loved every minute of it.

Flights:
We flew AA from Minneapolis to Chicago to San Juan to Bonaire...no problems or delays. Just a REALLY long day since we left for the airport at 4 am and hit Bonaire about 8:45.

Food:
We had a very nice meal at Garden Cafe with the Bonaire Talk gang (Karl covered this dinner very well in his report). Thanks to Mike Gaynor for recommending it. We will be back for sure.

Ate at Capriccios a couple of times and had wonderful food and service as usual. Lola had some special pasta with truffles...the best food I've EVER eaten. I think a visitor from Italy made it...was not on the menu and probably not available 'till they come back to visit Bonaire again.

Lunch at City Cafe was great. I love the view and the bread they use in the croissants...melts in your mouth.

About halfway through the trip I got really hungry for a huge hamburger...(had enough Wahoo and Dorado)...so stopped in for lunch at Dock Of The Bay at Buddy Dive Resort. Great table right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean and the dive shop...really relaxing.

Ate at Rendez Vous a couple of times. Yes, Marcel and Hilda are good friends, and we really enjoy talking to them...but even if they weren't, I'd still eat at Rendez Vous each trip. I really like the colors of the restaurant...very relaxing, and being in the air-conditioning is a nice break. We've always had outstanding food there, and it was no different this time. One of our dinners was with Karl Hoffman who spent many hours helping edit some of the "life lessons" for kids (using ocean creature analogies) on our Web site. We had never met Karl before this trip to Bonaire, so dinner with him was a special treat!

Croccantio was fantastic. We ate there twice. Elizabeth does such a great job and has wonderful food. I really don't know how she juggles the restaurant and the many hours she spends on Special Olympics...a very special person.

Kon Tiki is one of our favorite places for lunch. It is so quiet there and the views of Lac Bay are unreal. The food is great and it provides a way to leave the "busy" West Coast for a few hours.

Rose Inn in Rincon...ate there 3 times this trip. We are never disappointed with the great local food and service at this outdoor place in Rincon. Next time we are going to order Tutu in advance...I've heard it is a special treat.

Mango's...RUTH you made me gain 50 pounds. We met Jake and Linda for a sushi dinner. The sushi was very fresh and ranks among the best sushi meals I've had. The only problem is that RUTH WENT CRAZY...we had enough food for 8 people. But did that stop us? NO...We ate it all. Definitely needed extra weights the next day diving.

Thanksgiving...we had a great meal with a mix of friends from the US and a two Dutch couples. The three couples from the US cooked the meal. One of the Dutch couples runs an Inn in Holland and does all the cooking. He had never eaten a "Thanksgiving dinner" before...he went back for 3 helpings! Looks like an annual tradition has been formed!

Groceries: Shopped at Cultimara, Warehouse, Tropical Flamingo. No problems finding just about everything we wanted...seems the grocery shopping keeps getting better on Bonaire. We used Antillean Wine Company for wine and Champaign orders for Thanksgiving...great prices and they deliver. Super service.

Jazz: We were lucky to be on Bonaire the first Sunday of the month and therefore were able to attend the jazz concert at Kon Tiki. They always have great music and it’s a nice way to meet new people. Highly recommend it if you enjoy jazz music.

Diving: This is the BAD part of our trip. We just didn't get time to do as many dives as normal. I dove about 25 times, and Sharon dove about 15 times. The water was WARM...about 85 degrees and the vis was pretty good (varied by day and by dive site). We dove our usual favorites (Andrea I, Rappel, LaDania's Leap, Karpata, Thousand Steps, Jeff Davis Memorial, Country Garden, Bonaventure, Nearest Point, South Bay, Captain Don's Reef, Rock Pile, Forest, Angel City, and Margate Bay).

We saw more Moray eels this trip than we did last summer. We saw a couple of southern stingrays and three eagle rays, some frogfish and a couple of seahorses (I've yet to find any on my own). We saw two coronet fish and a really large ocean trigger at Angel City.

I've completed over 500 dives now on Bonaire and am still amazed each time by the abundance and variety of marine life Bonaire offers. I never grow bored with Bonaire diving...a new surprise or experience each time.

Scott (Snorkel Guy)...this one is for you...I spent 45 minutes in 8' of water with about 20 squid at Andrea I. Their behavior and ability to change their coloration and positioning so quickly and frequently fascinate me. You would have loved it.

Busy Stuff: Our house in the US is for sale (showing on Wednesday) and we will move to Bonaire no later than next September (house sold or not this is the LAST time I expose my body to a Minnesota winter). The move brings about the need to get ready for our life on Bonaire...thus the "busy stuff" which cut into our diving.

We are building a home, so we had many meetings with the construction supervisor...all of them very good, but TONS of details. Also made a quick one-day trip to Curacao to check out potential appliances and furniture. We flew Divi Divi...small, but quick and reliable. I'm sure there are many nice places in Curacao, but I sure didn't see any! Really makes Bonaire look all that much better.

We are also starting a program on Bonaire for teens, so we spent plenty of time at the ocean camp facility, which is under construction http://www.oceanadventures.org/facilities.html. Good progress is being made, but it sure takes time and lots of decisions.

We had a great board meeting for Support Bonaire, Inc. (www.supportbonaire.org). Jake and Linda did a wonderful thing when they launched this organization to help facilitate giving by US citizens. We expect great things to happen with SBI in 2003 as we get the word out to more people.

We also spent time with the immigrations people on Bonaire trying to nail down exactly what paperwork we need (and timing) to apply for residency. We found everyone very helpful, even giving us examples of how to word certain documents (medical clearance, police reports, etc).

Next trip we celebrate Sharon's birthday and have several friends with us...so that will force us to relax a bit more and do more diving. Can't wait...its 5 degrees right now!

Scott

Scott, glad you got around to the report. Really got me excited about leaving at the crack of dawn a week from tomorrow --- leaving Rochester, NY with all its snow behind.

I'm excited about your move, and hope we'll see you at the BT dinner at Gibi's Terrace while you're there next trip (Tuesday nights at 7pm --- come and meet whoever else comes). I'll be there until March 12 (almost-retirement is just wonderful at this time of year!!)

If you go to the Feb/March 2003 thread, you can let Chet Wood know to add you two to the "on-island" group.

Scott and Sharon...it was great to meet you both and good luck on your Bonaire teen's project...I'm sure it will be a hit! When are you both going back to Bonaire? We are hoping to be back in May....if our house is finished..if not we may have to move it up to July....

Hey, wait a minute--3x at Rose Inn, 2x at Croccantino, a few times at Capriccio's, Rendez-Vous, etc........and I'm getting blamed for 50lbs???!!! I'm not taking the fall for that one, but our ramp did come in handy when we had to roll you all away, didn't it? Did you notice that the sushi platter we served to you guys is the one that is now pictured on our website? I think Linda edited everyone's bellies (and other extremities) out of the way! Look forward to seeing you guys soon!
Ruth

Scott & Sharon, enjoyed your trip report so much. On our next trip maybe we can sit closer together at a BT dinner. You would be a very interesting person to talk too. We were at the other table at Garden Cafe. Gary & Kathy Long

Great trip report and I wish you great happiness as you begin your new adventures on Bonaire.

Great report, I love hearing reviews of the various restaurants, etc. We are making our first trip to Bonaire in two weeks. Have dinner reservations at Croccatinos for Valentines, at least I hope so, I made then on-line. Have rented a truck from AB Car Rental for shore diving, there are two divers and two non-divers in our group. There seems to be a lot of return visitors heading back to Bonaire. Our group has done the Sandals vacations for 14 years and are looking for a change, sounds like we will love Bonaire. Please keep the reports coming...

Scott, your report reminds me.. I should do mine soon!

Hope to see you both again later in the year..

Sarah

Scott and Sharon,

I am happy to hear that you have made a firm decision with regard to your move to Bonaire. No point in delaying further.

Yes, our meeting (finally!) and dinner at Rendezvous was special for me as well. Thanks for your warm hospitality.

With the many others I met on my first visit to this magical island, you have helped create a permanent place for Bonaire in my heart...

Karl

Best wishes in your new life adventure!

Josie...we will definitely see you at Gibi's...such great local food and tons of BT talkers...can't beat the combo!

Meryl...very nice to meet you and Steve also. Hope all goes well with your house build. We are back on Bonaire 2/28 to 3/16...then again when we move. 2 house showings Sunday...so we are hopeful it will sell...then we just wait for residency approval. Sure hope we can move by June!

Ruth...okay, you are only accountable for 20 lbs...what a great way to gain weight!

Gary...when are you next on Bonaire? We'll have to dine again...this time hopefully we won't be relgated to the "kids table"

Darlene and Karl...thanks for the good wishes. It will be good to see you on Bonaire.

Cindy...Bonaire may be a life-changing break from Sandals. I hope you love your trip. Bonaire has lots of facinating little "nooks and crannies" so be sure to explore!

Sarah, thanks for the link to your pictures...sure looking forward to your trip report. Keep me posted on your coral research!

Scott

Scott, we hope to be back either May or June, 2003. Gary & Kathy

Great stuff Scott! Glad you had a good encounter. I picked up the book you recommend, but haven’t had much time to read it yet. Hope to see you again on sunny Bonaire! (Snowing here in DC today)