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Trip Reports: Bama Goes To Bonaire - Part 3
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2005: Archives - 2001-05-19 to 2001-11-29: Bama Goes To Bonaire - Part 3
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Gnann on Tuesday, June 26, 2001 - 9:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Diving makes you hungry and Bonaire has a delightful variety of solutions to that problem. We had a party of 6, so I usually called for reservations the same day. However, about the only two restaurants where we couldn?t have just waked in were It Rains Fishes and Zeezicht. We tended to go fairly early (7:00-7:30 pm); things got more crowded after 8:00pm. The first night we ate at Swiss Chalet, where Suzy, the friendly hostess, talked us into ordering rosti (sort of like Swiss hash-browns. Delicious!) and cheerfully chastised my sons for ordering French fries in a Swiss restaurant. Suzy asked how heard about her restaurant and I told her that I had read about it on the internet. She allowed that she didn?t know much about the internet, but she said, "Jake Richter, he knows a lot about the internet and he eats here pretty often, too!" Bob's ribs at De Tuin were very good. We had a very good meal at Den Laman (especially the key lime pie), but we were nearly the only people there (a Doberman with a Marine Park tag around his neck kept us company). It was also the most expensive place we ate. Donna & Georgio's served excellent Italian fare at a reasonable price and Donna (who grew up on Bonaire) was fun to talk to. The Lion's Den and Lion Dive is a beautiful setting overlooking Klein Bonaire and Kirk the manager provided excellent food and service. Probably the best single dish I had all week was the dorado in mustard sauce at It Rains Fishes. We tried to eat breakfast one day at Cozzoli's in the Harborside Shopping Mall, but it was closed. We had good omelets at The Great Escape (across the street from BelMar) in their outdoor thatched-roof restaurant. Prices were not at all unreasonable. We probably averaged about US$ 30.00/person for dinner. As others have noted, when you are ready for your bill, let your waiter know (otherwise you might sit there all night) and he/she will bring it out in some sort of clever box. Since many of the computations are done by hand, it pays to review the bill. Also note that many of the restaurants will have added a 10% service charge which you need to take into account when calculating the tip. Although some were better than others, we never had a bad meal in Bonaire.

We weren't the victims of any sort of crime during our stay and didn't hear of any one else who was. Indeed, the only criminal activity we witnessed was a gang of American desperados (us) barreling the wrong way along the one-way street in front of the movie theatre. Note to American: take a minute to review the street sign sheet provided by you car rental company; it may keep you out of trouble. We followed the advice to leave the truck open at the dive sites and we never had any problems. However, I did notice 2 fresh piles of automotive glass in the parking area at Karpata - obviously there are still some problems. I never saw any patrol cars, except the Marine Park ranger who checked our tags at the Hilma Hooker. Our Hilux had a theft alarm that went off 5 seconds after the door was opened unless the key was inserted into the ignition. I don't know that it deterred any criminals, but it aggravated us, as we managed to set it off at least twice a day. We left empty mesh gear bags, dirty T-shirts, old sandals, etc. in the truck, but never watches, cameras, dive gear, etc. Leaving SCUBA tanks is not a problem; they are hard to carry and even harder to fence. Anecdote: While fueling the truck at Lisa Gas, I tried to set the pump to deliver a fixed amount of gas but got confused by the gallons/liters and Naf/dollars conversions I was trying to do in my head. Anyway, when the pump stopped, I assumed that I had gotten the fuel I paid for and we pulled back out onto to road. As we were driving away, I noticed the station attendant sprinting toward us and waving his arms. Assuming that I had somehow underpaid, we return to the station where the attendant told me that we were due 8 L more gas which he cheerfully pumped for me. Not likely to happen in the States (besides, we don't even have service station attendants!).

We are certainly looking forward to another trip to Bonaire. In fact, my wife has announced that she has been irreversibly spoiled and may refuse to dive anywhere else.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Huff on Tuesday, June 26, 2001 - 10:18 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

John...this is one of the best trip reports I have ever read...I could picture everything, feel the water and taste the food as I read your report. We will be experiencing the same on Saturday afternoon...CAN'T WAIT!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Niki Harris on Tuesday, June 26, 2001 - 11:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Nice report, John. Very complete and enthusiastic.

(I'm trying to catch up on trip reports... because I owe this group a new one. Finding that it's harder to write about the fourth trip!)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hazel Scharosch on Tuesday, June 26, 2001 - 11:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, John. I was touched by your report, and now my heart aches for another glimpse of Bonaire. Our school district is in dispute with the teacher's union, and there is talk of strike. Perhaps taking some time off wouldn't be such a bad idea...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ginny Stokes on Tuesday, June 26, 2001 - 11:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

All 3 chapters made a great trip report, John! Your account of your night dive at the Town Pier was a duplicate of my experience there in 1998...overcrowded, too many big dive lights, we also lost track of our dive "guide." I usually keep a fairly good dive log with notes about fish seen, etc., but my notes from that dive are brief. "too many divers, too crowded, nothing out of the ordinary to see." So this year on a return trip we didn't bother. Others have posted to go quite a bit later in the evening, but it sounds like that idea is now ineffective too.

That's the only "bad" dive I have ever had in Bonaire. all the rest is worth going back over and over!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mary pequinot on Wednesday, June 27, 2001 - 7:49 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

What a great report. As a newly certified diver (doing my open water in Bonaire-a little better than a quarry in Ohio, don't you think?), I was reluctant to try a night dive at Town Pier, because of what I'd read about it on the board. We did one at Bari, and that was pretty disorientating for the first time (also, the viz was only about 30 feet). But having read your report, I'm really glad I didn't try Town Pier. It might have turned me off to night diving permanently. Thanks for the entertaining read!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker on Wednesday, June 27, 2001 - 7:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Felt as tho I were back on the Island....for a fleeting moment, I was....Thanks. Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker on Wednesday, June 27, 2001 - 7:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

John: I just read the quote on your Profile....that's pretty scary...that has been my theme song for all of my "adult" life....at least since the song was released all too many years ago...small world! Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By nance on Thursday, June 28, 2001 - 11:26 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

John,
Another enthusiastic reader of your trip report here -- thanks for your thoroughness! And the story about the station attendant at Lisa Gas running after you to make sure you got your full money's worth was a perfect finale, because it is so good to be reminded of human-kindness. As tourists, I hope we return such decency to Bonaire's inhabitants in every way possible.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rosemary Beck on Thursday, June 28, 2001 - 9:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Here is yet another thankful reader of your trip report. We leave tomorrow!!!, start in Tucson (know all about those cacti) are flying AJ from LAX, staying at Bel Mar and diving with Toucan Diving. Hope our trip is as good as yours.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linnea Wimberly on Thursday, June 28, 2001 - 9:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I just got back home at the beginning of June and Bonairetalk makes me wish I could go back RIGHT NOW. But I have to wait two years. Next year So. Pacific, probably Yap. With only two weeks vacation a year, I have to do Bonaire only every other year so I can go other places too. Oh well, when I retire (big sigh). If I ever win the lottery - Bonaire, here I come for months at a time.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Robert Deal on Monday, July 2, 2001 - 2:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Absolutely superb report...marvelously thorough and complete. Makes us ready to be there now! and we have months to wait.

 


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