A Week Gone By
Vacation minutes have a length of their own. They are not like work minutes of even the minutes that happen when you’re waiting for food in a restaurant and you are really hungry. They are long and yet fleeting. In the languid pace of the days I experienced a rebirth of my desire to dive and the wonder. I advanced my skills with the help of a local mermaid and I did many of the things that my minutes at home do not allow. To read and sing, to nap and to watch many movies on my little DVD player. I think that the slow pace of life on Bonaire helped in all of these things. It is a land of friendly natives and ex-pats that combined to bring a culture that lays over you like a comfortable blanket. The radio I listened to everyday in the truck was the touchstone for my feelings about the island. In any one hour you could hear American, Dutch, or Spanish songs sung in any or all of the languages, with the rhythms of each added as dressing. I never felt like an outsider, I felt that if I made the effort, I too could live here and blend into the palette adding my own color to the mix. I truly enjoyed myself on Bonaire and it was the people not so much the place that made it so for me. From the girl with the hopelessly high platform shoes at the internet café, to beautiful women that seemed to flow from every corner, the smiling attitude of the clerks in the shops, to the way that people would wave to each other as they passed on foot and in car. The small things made a difference too. The phones work, there are ATM’s, the water tastes good and there was always a hot shower for me. No lack of good food and variety. As harsh as the landscape can appear to new eyes, it belies the gentle spirit of the island and its people. I travel the world to find new things, to see new things and to find special people. I found them all here. I ended the trip as I always do when I dive by thanking the sea for holding me safe within its arms and wish her peace until we are together again. I hope to be in Bonaire again, it is a place that gives more than it takes. At least it was so for me.

hi david,

nice report...glad YOU wrote it ;-)

place ain't much to look at first glance...but there actually is quite a bit of beauty - that does extend beyond the frequently sighted mermaids;-)

whatever,

are you now part of the "one" ?

good luck!

All trip reports should be this good, not always this artistic, but this good

Yes, thanks for the trip report! Someone else who likes and mentions De Tuin Restaurant! Thanks David!

Great trip report, and I concur - Bonaire doesn't immediately hit you with "Wow, what a beautiful place!", but it is quite beautiful in its own way. And the tranquility you can find there makes it one of the loveliest places on earth.

You asked so many thoughtful questions, and travelled so far,I'm glad you found what you came for.

David, excellent report very eloquent and concise. We should all find such a place.

David, just took a 10 minute break to read your report. It was wonderful, thank you

Great report David. Really enjoyed reading it.

Ditto, David. Glad you are back. We need more men-folk who write with such passion. :-)

David, you are so beautifully eloquent and expressive, that I am quite envious. This last part of your report actually brought tears to my eyes, and a longing to return to this rare and wonderful place. Ahhhhhhhhh, til November...........

Elequent, David. Thank you.

Thank you all for the kind words. I feel that I am so lucky to be able to travel to such a place as Bonaire. There are so many that cannot. It is true blessing to be able to go as I please.

A +++++ report, David! Wow! Thank you so much for
lovely report. I should have used this as a great example of a personal narrative with my 6th graders. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. I wish I could transport myself there right this minute.

David,
To be able to travel freely to a unique and blessed place such as Bonaire is, in itself, a rare gift. And then, on top of that, to have time to return over and over to Bonaire Talk, where I can participate in a great online community, and have the pleasure of reading the finely considered and expressed trip report of a truly gifted writer such as yourself -- this is among the better dreams that this world has to offer. Thank you for your genuine, humorous, wise and detailed piece! What craft and care!

When you point to how the people of Bonaire create much of what is so special about the place, my heart and mind concur completely. It was their friendliness and gentleness that my memory kept as repeated reference points when I was travelling in Prague in May; they became poignant reminders that while I love to travel and explore many places in the world, it's the people of a place that give it its true richness, along with the natural beauty. Bonaire has both in abundance, and not every place is so remarkably blessed.

David, the praise keeps coming. Add me to the crowd of admirers of this treasure of a trip report, and likely, of the soul from whom it came.