Hi!

First and foremost, this discussion group is a fantastic resource -- many, many thanks to everyone to maintains it and participates.

Second, my girlfriend and I will be visiting Bonaire May 29-June 5 to complete an Open Water Referral Course, get our c-cards and enjoy the Divers' Paradise. In preparation for the trip, I've scoured BonaireInfo, Bonaire Talk and the various other resources out there, but there are a few questions I have not seen answers to... If they are out there and I missed them, please accept my apologies. I'm also still getting a handle on Bonaire geography, which leads to some of these questions as well. I would be very grateful for any responses to the following:

#1) We will be staying in a studio with kitchen at the Divi Flamingo, and I love to cook. The resort indicates they have a small grocery on-site. Is there a larger grocery store within walking distance of the Divi Flamingo? If not, how far away (and in what direction) is the closest large grocery store?

#2) We are both lovers of live music in bar venues. Does anyone (particularly residents!)have recommendations for particular venues, artists, days of the week? Until I get a good map, some indication of distance and direction from the Divi Flamingo would be greatly appreciated.

#3) What is the correct way to say in Papiamentu, "Please forgive me, I do not speak Papiamentu."? (It's silly, but I have to know how to apologize for not speaking any language I don't speak.)

#4) We are both avid (amatuer) photographers. We're going to go easy on the underwater photograpy until we have our buoyancy skills honed (we want to photograph the coral, not kill it!) but would love to know some of the more interesting out-of-water photography spots on the island. Any recommendations?

#5) Finally, I have seen a great deal of discussion about the quantity and quality of folk art native to Bonaire -- is there any *one* specific artistic item, craft or style which is "uniquely Bonaire"? I don't mean "anything with a flamingo on it", rather, a type of pottery unique to Bonaire for the style or materials, a style or type of painting not seen widely outside Bonaire, etc.?

Many, many thanks in advance for any replies. If I have managed to ask something that already has been answered elsewhere, please accept my sincere apologies.

All the best,

Matt Podowitz

Matt, welcome to BT and congratulations on your upcoming certification! You will be doing your dives in paradise. Concerning groceries and walking distance ... people have different ideas about what is an acceptable walking distance but if you do not mind walking ten to fifteen minutes you can certainly get to Cultimara, the Warehouse and the fruit market from the Divi. If you rent a truck there are other shopping options available. For above ground photography you should certainly drive around the island. Great shots can be taken of the salt mounds, the slave huts and the salt pans in the south as well as the coast in the north and the lovely buildings in town. In the "country" you can find wonderful cactus, donkeys and birds and at Lac Bay gorgeous colors of windsurfers. Can't help you on the Papiementu but don't worry -- English is widely spoken. Try Chat and Browse just north of the circle for art work done by folks living on the island. Enjoy!

Susan answered ur grocery walking question.

Didn't make it out much for live music but we did see an awesome (I think from Curacao) blues band at City Cafe. Also local type music at Lac Cai on Sunday afternoon. Lac Cai sunday is a purely local party from like 3 pm until your vision blurs every sunday. Also ya might want to look for Moogie...he plays around Bonaire most of the time.

As to local art, ya gotta find Yennies....I'd try to describe how to get there, but I'd fail. A most excellent collection of whimsical items mostly made from "found items". You'll know you've found her gallery when you see kinda brightly colored motorcycles and mannequins on the side of the road between downtown and the airport. Definitely worth a stop.

Outta facts for now

cheesit

#1. The shop at Divi's pretty limited. Cultimara's good but it's a bit of a walk from the Divi. A rental car is you're best option - give's you lot's more freedom for exploring the island, etc. Not far from the Divi is Joke's. It is MUCH smaller than Cultimara but has the essentials at reasonable prices (Including cold Amstels, Jonge Kaase (mild cheese) by the pound, pastechis and more). I like to patronize small, local stores at home too (as long as they're reasonable), but you may need to go to a bigger store during the week depending on availability of supplies.

#2 Sorry. I can't help you here. I'm usually sound asleep by 10PM when I'm on Bonaire.

#3 Bonaire's use of Papiamento is a little different from Aruba, but I would say "Dispensa mi, pero mi no to papia Papiamento". And there are lot's of other ways to say it. I took French in high school (useless except to conjugate verbs in 20+ tenses). It seems that people who have taken Spanish can cope with Papiamento. There's a lot of Dutch words in Papiamento too as well as English. At one point, during a baseball game I attended in Aruba, the stadium announcer proclaimed "Dos home runs! Back-to-Back!" Gives you an idea of the "flexibility" of Papiamento.

#4 Out-of-water photography possibilities are endless. Just browse thru some of the other photos posted here. Many years ago I rented a Nikonos for one day. It was amazing how well the photos turned out. However, I was an experienced diver at the time but still had a difficult time maintaining proper bouyancy while framing a shot.

#5 "Uniquely Bonaire" crafts or artistic items - I'm not sure. We've collected some artwork over the year (including some of Dara's and Jan Huckaby's). You'll find items that will suit your taste and provide fond memories of Bonaire (until your next trip!). (Michael G, on Aruba, a lot of the ex-pats had coffee tables made of "kwi-hi" tree trunks. (I don't know how to spell it). Highly polished, unusual shaped tables. Are they also on Bonaire? I'm sure Diana will know what I'm talking about.)

#1. The shop at Divi's pretty limited. Cultimara's good but it's a bit of a walk from the Divi. A rental car is you're best option - give's you lot's more freedom for exploring the island, etc. Not far from the Divi is Joke's. It is MUCH smaller than Cultimara but has the essentials at reasonable prices (Including cold Amstels, Jonge Kaase (mild cheese) by the pound, pastechis and more). I like to patronize small, local stores at home too (as long as they're reasonable), but you may need to go to a bigger store during the week depending on availability of supplies.

#2 Sorry. I can't help you here. I'm usually sound asleep by 10PM when I'm on Bonaire.

#3 Bonaire's use of Papiamento is a little different from Aruba, but I would say "Dispensa mi, pero mi no ta papia Papiamento". And there are lot's of other ways to say it. I took French in high school (useless except to conjugate verbs in 20+ tenses). It seems that people who have taken Spanish can cope with Papiamento. There's a lot of Dutch words in Papiamento too as well as English. At one point, during a baseball game I attended in Aruba, the stadium announcer proclaimed "Dos home runs! Back-to-Back!" Gives you an idea of the "flexibility" of Papiamento.

#4 Out-of-water photography possibilities are endless. Just browse thru some of the other photos posted here. Many years ago I rented a Nikonos for one day. It was amazing how well the photos turned out. However, I was an experienced diver at the time but still had a difficult time maintaining proper bouyancy while framing a shot.

#5 "Uniquely Bonaire" crafts or artistic items - I'm not sure. We've collected some artwork over the year (including some of Dara's and Jan Huckaby's). You'll find items that will suit your taste and provide fond memories of Bonaire (until your next trip!). (Michael G, on Aruba, a lot of the ex-pats had coffee tables made of "kwi-hi" tree trunks. (I don't know how to spell it). Highly polished, unusual shaped tables. Are they also on Bonaire? I'm sure Diana will know what I'm talking about.)

Hey Matt,

Welcome to the board. I'll through a few answers your way.

In regard to cool photo spot one of my favorites is a little hard to find, but really worth it. When you come out of the Karpata dive site and take the right heading to Rincon you will start to go up a hill, as you approach the crest there is a dirt road with no markings on your right take that road and proceed to the end. You will need to walk the remaining 100 to 200 yards to the top, but then you have the view overlooking the town of Rincon with the ocean behind it and then you can pan all the way across the island to the ocean on the other side. Great spot, great for panarama.


Jan Huckaby was mentioned and we really love her art. She paints in all mediums from water to oil. You will find flyers for her at all the info areas under the name JanArt. Her studio is in her home, and on our last visit my wife and I probably spent over an hour looking at her paintings, from underwater scenes to local buildings. We ended up buying five signed prints of various size, but she also has originals for sale at resonable prices.

Culimare and Warehouse are the two grocery stores you need to see, probably both on the same day as when one is low on stock the other seems to be in better condition and they alternate days......island time!!!!!

Good luck.....take me with you(PBD is vicious)
Big Ed

good luck

Seems like the group pretty well sum things up, cann't think of much to add. Bon Bini(welcome) to the board. I strongly suggest you view this web site http//www.faith productions.com/bonaire.html or go to Bonaire Talk, trip reports, Bonaire... A Place of Dreams. It's a wonderful photo presentation from someone on the board! Brings you there. We'll see you at Divi, we'll be there then too.

Matt - Not a lot to add to what's been said above save for encouraging you to rent a vehicle for at least a day or two...Bonaire is very easy to get around and it would add so much to your appreciation of everything the island has to offer...including limitless photo ops both underwater and topside. One other thing that should not go unmentioned is that among other talented local/resident artists you will see the work of Linda Richter who (if the truth be known, Jake?) is at least partially responsible for this website. I know some of her works are at Michael Gaynor's "Chat and Browse" and several other locations on island.

Welcome to the board, enjoy Bonaire...we're looking forward to being on island about the same time.

dsao

oh, yes...another not to be missed event is the fairly regular Tuesday night dinner at Gibi's (Divi can direct you...it's about a 2-3km drive)
attended by varying numbers of "BT'ers"

Hi Tony,

Linda is definitely quite a bit responsible for this Web site :-)

Her art, however, is no longer at Chat N' Browse. It can be found on exhibition in the great hall of Pasa Bon Pizza, and also within a few weeks at a new gallery several of us are starting (http://www.cinnamonartgallery.com). See http://www.LindaRichter.com for her art portfolio as well.

Jake

Ed,

I just read back and saw you mentioned Jan's works. Hers are shown at http://www.janartbonaire.com.

Jake

music and dancing can usually be found at Karl's bar and City Cafe....both walking distance from Divi on the waterfront

to get to the Warehouse for food, exit the Divi timeshare parking lot (at the casino) and go straight across...continue past Lisa Gas...Warehouse is on the right about 1/4 mi past Lisa. If you want to go to Giby's and China Nobo, continue past the Warehouse to the stop sign. Go straight thru the intersection,,,China Nobo is on the right, Gibi's is on the left

Jake - Congratulations to you and the exhibiting artists on the upcoming grand opening...sounds like a great undertaking and an opportunity for Bonairian resident artists to gain some exposure. We'll miss the opening, but will be around the end of May and will look forward to a visit.

I get the banks mixed up, but it sounds like the location is in the "mini mall" where Donna and Barry's sandwich shop was?

Regards,

Tony

Nope - Banco di Caribe is downtown, just a block north of the Post Office, right as Kaya Grandi becomes one way heading north.

Jake

Jan's work can also be seen at chat n browse and once we install our new computer desks, I hope to have Linda's work back and if I can convince Jake, some of his as well!

Michael, might be nice to see if you can use Linda or Jake's or Jan's art for a screen saver or wallpaper!!! that would be in theme for" Chat and Browse" and would give the artists a little advertising... {with their permission of course!!!}

(Message edited by scubahb on April 4, 2004)

Given the interest in photography, I'd recommend getting a rental vehicle for at least part of your trip. There are great photo opportunities all over the island.

Good move on holding off on the underwater photography. Get some diving under your belt first. Though my wife and I do a lot of underwater photography, we do some dives on every trip without cameras. There are days when it's nice to just completely relax and enjoy the sights. Remember, it's vacation...

Dan, I know what you mean....the times I enter the water without a camera in my hands I hold them both up out of the water and show my husband "see....my hands are free"!!! It is good to just be in the water to relax but you KNOW that is always the time one of the great captures of a lifetime pops up! LOL. I feel naked without a camera in my hands at all times while on Bonaire, but it also feels great to be able to sit back and "relax" a bit, too!

Have a great time, Matt, and definitely get around the island to see all that she has to offer beyond her spectacular waters. Carole

Before we took the underwater photo course, I thought I was doing pretty well with my buoyancy control.

Once I took the underwater photo course, I learned just how AWFUL I was doing with my buoyancy control!

As Dan said, get a bit of unencumbered diving under your belt before you start doing photography. Wait until you have the basics down reasonably well. Guaranteed you'll never get a picture of a christmas tree worm if you're constantly flapping your arms or banging into things! Get comfortable in the water. -Then- do photography.

Not trying to talk you out of the photography, mind you! I find it wonderful to be able to show my non-diving friends and relatives all these cool critters & scenes. Makes for good wall decoration, too! But if you're not comfortable in the water without a camera in hand, you're going to be doubly miserable with one...

Faith

Thanks for thinking of us Michael, but we're going to see how this gallery thing works out for us. Our gallery is going to be high-end oriented, only originals and limited edition, signed, and certified prints, sold directly by the artists (the gallery is non-profit, operated by the newly establish Bonaire Artists Foundation NGO, and won't be selling anything itself). We also plan on inviting other Bonaire-based artists to unveil and exhibit their works at the gallery on a rotating basis over the course of the year.

Freddie - no screen savers planned at the moment, although it is something Linda and I have discussed before. Thanks for suggesting it, however!

Jake (in San Juan)

Many thanks to everyone who responded to my questions. The quantity and value of the information you have so kindly provided is tremendous, and your recommendations will be taken to heart.

I hope to have the opportunity to thank some of you in person at Gibi's on the Tuesday evening we will be on Bonaire.

All the best,

Matt Podowitz