This may be a stupid question but sometimes I feel no matter where one lives daily problems arise to ruin the feelings........ Isn't that the same in Bonaire? Does the newest wear off after the "honeymoon period" is over with? When the bills and troubles begin to come to light? When diving freedom becomes a "job" instead of a freedom........

take care, jiminiŽ

I have lived here for 20 + years and still wake up sometimes in a cold sweat after dreaming that I still lived in Conn. It take a special type of person to live here. Sure, it is the same as anywher when it comes to the hum drum..but the magic is the people and the fact you don't have to wear shoes!

Maybe so, Jim. That's why many folks who live there (and a few who don't) advise you to stay for an extended length of time before making the move. You should ideally do this several times, maybe making your stay longer each time.

I personally don't let daily problems "ruin" anything for me. That's just life. Life is much slower on Bonaire. Bonaire is like any other place in that of course they have problems, politically and otherwise. Go for a few months and see what happens. Try to rent a small apartment and see how you fare. Make friends with locals, talk to people in the supermarket, ask for advice. Try to blend in with the local culture.

Ask yourself what it would take to make you happy?? Of course only you can answer that.

That being said, even when "reality" would set in, it would set in in BONAIRE... right?? Better than reality sometimes in other locales. ;)

Everything is a trade off. Have you read Don't Stop the Carnival? Great reading for anyone wanting to sell it all and move to the Caribbean. I highly recommend.

I agree with Michael and Kelly.
People who allow problems to ruin life for them will be miserable anywhere.
Living on Bonaire (nearly three years) has proven even better than my high expectations for it. You couldn't drag me away from here.
The people really are extraordinary. That's something you need to live here to fully appreciate.
You're kidding about getting bored with diving here, right???!!!
Tish

Ok it was a loaded question but I wanted to see if anyone would respond negatively... I for one can't stand Illinois anymore and waiting for the day to part ways with the "Land of Lincoln". Retirement is nearing closer each day.. I want the oceans or at least the rivers. I'm a wannta be live aboard person - for years I wanted to live on the water. Maybe finally that dream will true........ Any live aboards in Bonaire?

jiminiŽ

Nope. Not if you mean dive live-aboard boats.
Since you can shore dive so many dive sites here, why would you need a live-aboard?
And the joys of paradise here include a lot you'd need the actual island for: the people, the restaurants, the varied types of scenery, the land birds, the flowers.
This is not an island you would want to avoid in order to focus on fish.
I notice you've made 200 posts. You have been to Bonaire, haven't you? Just curious.
Or do you mean you want to live on your own boat? Sure, I know a family that does that. Kind of cramped quarters, but they seem to like it.
But I also know a couple who lived on their boat for a while, tired of that, sold it, and bought a house. You might want to try living on a boat for a few weeks before investing everything in one. Or have you already given it a try?
Tish

Tish didn't mean dive live aboards but "home" live aboards. As far as shore diving I would rather use diveboats. I'm not crazy about walking in the water with divegear anymore, I'm much too lazy and would rather take one giant step for mankind :>) I have been trying to get to Bonaire for quite some time but something always seems to get in the way. Other family affairs; health issues; lack of money or time, something gets in the way. I now have a very special friend that opened her house to guests that I could stay but I don't have enough vacation time left this year to spend in Bonaire :>(

I have been around boats all my life since I was 12, love the water-any water not just the ocean. Live aboards are not for everyone, they may not be right for me. But how does one know if one doesn't try; I would rather try and decide they are not right for me than not try at all... My main concern now in buying a live aboard boat is that if I wanted to a different boat, large boats are quite hard to sell once they are purchased and trade-ins are not always an option. I am slowly considering a trawler type craft for long range cruising. But there is a 50' Gibson flybridge houseboat now with twin screws with speeds of 30+mph that is very reasonable priced that would make a great live aboard - unfortunately they don't make great blue water cruisers - they have one flaw - they have a tendency to sink in rough seas :>))

jiminiŽ

Well, then, hey, you need to visit Bonaire!! Come on down!!
Love your philosophy about trying!
Maybe if you decide Bonaire is for you, somebody here can build you a houseboat.
Tish

Jim, while recently visiting Bonaire, I met a very nice couple from New York. They sold everything and bought a sailboat, and have lived on it for over five years. I met her in the outdoor shower at Wannadive.. lol.. She said she has never regretted it for a moment. They thought about it a lot before doing it, and just took the plunge, so to speak.

Remember, it is YOUR dream. If it's what you want, go for it.

i agree with kelly. we bought our condo a little over two years ago with the idea of spending 2 or 3 months at a time there. before we bought we rented a place for about six weeks to see if we'd like being on an island for an extended time. i found that it's even better than vacation. sure there are problems that you have to adjust to but once you get your body on island time like everyone else it's great.

Has anyone now living on Bonaire tried Curacao? Or Aruba? Any comments?

Different strokes for different folks.
I'm sure the other two islands have their pluses, including the availability of more stores and products for sale in them.
Those of us who choose Bonaire put nature first. Here you get better and more reefs to dive, varieties of birds in your garden, and a larger land mass than Aruba with way fewer people (around 12,000 here; around 150,000 there plus way, way more tourists).
Curacao has interesting things to see, but it also (let me try to be tactful here) has a much bigger crime problem and other urban difficulties such as pollution.
This is a simpler, quieter island with great emphasis on preserving nature above and below the surface of the sea.
We have people living here from 56 different countries who live together in a harmony I have not experienced elsewhere. The sense of community, of folks really caring about each other and willing to go the extra mile for each other, could provide a useful model for the rest of the world.
People who love crowds but not nature would prefer the other two islands.
Let me give one very specific example: Aruba has a bird sanctuary. You climb up a tower and get a nice view of maybe four species of birds. You don't encounter a lot of bird varieties in a good deal of the rest of Aruba.
On Bonaire, we don't need a small bird sanctuary because the whole island serves that function.
I have a rare bird (the saffron finch) in my garden, plus loras (our local parrot), two kinds of humming birds, trupials, bananaquits, yellow warblers, and many other varieties less colorful but no less interesting. On the coast and in the marshes, we have many varieties of sea birds. And we are the principal breeding ground in this region for the Caribbean Flamingo, with a resident population larger than our human population. In contrast, you will find about 350 on Curacao.
Most of my neighbors are Antillean, and many of them chose to move here from Aruba and Curacao so they could enjoy the peaceful life and raise their children here.
Clearly I adore Bonaire, but others might prefer one of the other two islands.
Tish

Thanks, Tish, for your comments. I think you pretty much summarized the reasons those here on BT continue to return as visitors.

Tish -- All I can say is "Wow." What a testimonial for Bonaire. I have been there once and to Curacao once. The lady in my life loves Bonaire above everywhere else on earth, but I am wondering about other places for us to buy a vacation/second home. Bonaire is expensive compared to Curacao, and Curacao has other more cosmopolitan attractions for me (in addition, I know to more urban problems!) But everything you say about Bonaire appeals to me very much. Thanks for your post.

Jim,

You have got to get to Bonaire. I understand Mick is running a group to the island in November 2006. And I am heading that way (hopefully) in February with a load of friends.

You are welcome to go with us, if you want.

By the way, since the last time we talked, I have moved from Earlville to Spring Valley.

How's the busy town of Praire Center???

Take Care,

Dave Goodwin.

Dave~

Moved from Prairie Center back to Ottawa about two years ago... sold our house than divorced - her idea not mine - 39 years down the tubes - anyway I now have a friend that lives on Bonaire that has asked me to visit her many times, either I don't have vacation time or don't have the money... Something gets in the way. Thanks for the invite may take you up on it. My girlfriend became certified in Sept 04 and we dove Coz but nothing since... Too much going one ALL the time.

jiminiŽ

Jim,

If they were good years, then they weren't down the tubes. I've been through what you're talking about...... and it's not easy.

Take up your friend's offer. GET TO BONIARE! You won't regret it.

After all your years of hard work, slow down and smell the pizza. I have taken my own advice and found that there is a lot more to life :-)

Let me know if you want to go with us. If nothing else, you can reach me at the Midas in Peru.

Dave.

Dave~

Some good some bad - that's life. We're still on speaking terms. It started out being an honorable divorce until the attorneys took over

Anyway I don't farm anymore and its nice just to have one job - I farmed for twenty years and work full time at a factory 30 miles away. Now I can't understand how I worked all those hours! Long days, now my health isn't all that great but I'm still very much into diving.

I will certainly let you know on that dive trip.

Take Care, jiminiŽ

Hi everyone! I'm new to this discussion group, but I just got back from a wonderful trip to Bonaire, and my husband and I are now thinking of buying a house there. I have a question about residency: does anyone know what the rules are for people who want to retire on the island? I read somewhere (I think it was Tish who mentioned) something about a pensionado status? Is that a reference to pensioners, and do they have a special residency classification? My husband and I were thinking of visiting Bonaire for 3 months every year until we retire, but then permanently moving to the island. We both have European citizenship (he's Dutch and I'm German), but we live and work in San Francisco.

I also have one other question: is there any chance that, when the Dutch Antilles cease to exist in 2007, they will join the EU?

Anke, welcome to BT!
You have raised many different issues.
The "pensionado status" which I mentioned applies to retired US citizens who move here and buy a very expensive house. They can apply for a lower NA income tax rate. This did not apply to me.
But, remember, the country will cease to exist in July 2007. So all the rules about residency and taxation might change.
The rules for Americans differ from the rules for Dutch citizens. I know little about the latter, but perhaps Harrie will jump in and give you information.
It seems much easier to move here if you are Dutch, and I gather Dutch citizens do not pay double income taxes the way that I do.
Go to the web site for Sunbelt Realty and read the information posted there about obtaining residency, taxation, etc.
Not sure which "they" you mean in your last sentence. Holland belongs to the EU, and since we are being in some way absorbed into Holland, I assume Bonaire will have some type of EU status. I also imagine we will use the Euro. But the details have yet to be announced.
There is a lot of information about the topics you raise in previous BT posts. I suggest you check out all threads under both "Moving to Bonaire" and "Local." You will learn a lot!
Good luck making your dreams come true!!!

tish, i figured that they'd be going to the euro. in a way, that's too bad. i like the currency on bonaire. first they changed the great flamingo passport stamp, now they'll get rid of the birds on the paper currency. i guess change is the only constant.

also, you said something about american retirees who buy expensive homes there...i guess our place at lighthouse beach wouldn't qualify, would it? it's nice but not luxurious. i'd move in a heartbeat if i wasn't taking care of my parents and if my wife would agree.

Pat,
Nobody knows for sure about the currency. I am speculating.
The tax rates for the Netherlands Antilles are extremely high by US standards, so the pensionado arrangement has helped some very well off retired US citizens to live here but avoid that problem.
To learn the details, I suggest you check the Sunbelt Realty web site.
You have to spend a particular amount of money or more on your home. I think it might be around $260,000, but I don't recall exactly since this did not apply to me; I spent much less on my house.
The rules include how long after the purchase or how long after you get your residency permit (forget which it is) you have to apply for this status. The rules are strict. Anybody moving here should learn them in detail ahead of time so as to avoid making a mistake. Since I don't know the rules, I should now stop writing about them!

Pat, I remember when I bought my place and looked at the tax rates through SunBelt and Remax. Unless I was buying a mansion, I didn't qualify for it, so I am in the same boat as you, things could change, like Tish says, let's hope so for the better and I really don't want the Euro to take over on Bonaire, but time will tell I guess.

Hi,
We have friends living in Bonaire and we're planning to move over, but for us it's a bit difficult to find some information to get a job.
My wife is an dentist's assistant an I'm a general manager of a logistic company. Can someone give me some info where I can start searching for a job?
regards
Patrick

Unless you are Dutch, I don't think you can work on Bonaire. You can start your own business, if you can get a business licence. Or if you have a skill that is not available on the island you might get permission to work (I'm thinking of your wife)There is lots of info on working on the island, try a keyword search.

Hi Seb,

Thank you for the information. By the way I'm from Belgium.
On which websites can I use to look for jobs?

regards,
Patrick