Sharon and I have collected a number of "Cute Bonaire Stories" over the past 6 years of travel to Bonaire. Most of these stories result from cultural and language differences. Some are just due to the wonderful people of Bonaire.

Here are a few of them...

Sharon was shopping at Bonaire Superstore (replaced 7 - 7 store). She is a champion shopper and had completely covered the store. She knew what items were stocked and what were not available. She was walking out the door when a couple of tourists entered and asked a store employee if they sold soft sided-coolers. He said "yes, of course." Sharon knew they (at that time) sold no coolers of any kind. So, intrigued, she decided to follow the clerk and the tourist couple. He wove his way through the store and finally arrived at what he considered to be "soft sided coolers." He pointed out several very nice leather purses! I suppose they would work, but not quite what the couple had in mind.

About a year ago a friend was buying groceries at Cultimara. One of the bag boys asked if he needed help carrying his box to his car. He said no and proceeded to cross the street and place the box into his trunk. Just then, he heard a shout from a young boy, looked up and saw the bag boy running toward him. He didn't understand what the boy was saying, but when the boy got close everything became quite clear. He had dropped a $50 bill on the floor when he was paying. The boy found it and returned it promptly. He got a HUGE tip!

A friend who moved to Bonaire about a year ago recently walked into her home from her pool area. As she walked down her bedroom hall, she heard a scratching noise behind her. She turned and saw the largest male iguana she has ever seen moving quickly toward her. Although she knows it would not harm her, she had (in her words) "a really girly moment", rushed into her office and slammed shut the door. Next, she opened the office window, climbed out and ran to her neighbor. He is an elderly but very healthy and sharp-minded man born on Bonaire. Her screams were enough to wake him from his siesta. He dressed quickly and ran to her home. Of course the iguana was gone. He said it came into the house by accident and it wants to be in the sun, so it must have left. My friend was not so sure. She got her dog and released him into the house. The dog made a beeline for her bedroom and disappeared under her bed. After some barks and squeals, the dog retreated to the hallway. Then "my Bonairian grandpa" as she calls her neighbor, told her to go outside and wait. He charged into the bedroom, crawled under the bed and wrestled with the beast. My friend was waiting on the porch, and when he emerged he had a huge iguana in one hand, and the tail of the iguana in his other hand (iguanas lose their tail as a defensive move). His wisdom to my friend was this. "This iguana will grow a new tail. This tail will not grow a new iguana." Since it was siesta time, and he was tired, he told my friend they would release the iguana in the empty lot behind the house. He said it was lucky for the iguana that he was too tired to cook it! The next day...iguana deja vu. My friend was by the pool, when she heard her maid screaming from the upper level. She saw her run down the stairs and heard "iguana, iguana, iguana." Siesta was interrupted again, and the female was released to the wild, tail intact. Two days later, she went out to relax by the pool and found an iguana swimming in her pool...and relieving itself...seems to think the pool is a 30' long toilet. Her comment was "I moved to Bonaire because it is pure and natural...and we learn to live with it...not against it".

Anyone else care to share a "Cute Bonaire Story"?

Bud...I bet you have a bunch of them!

Scott

Nice stories, Scott. We're ready for more if you have any to share! Thanks. Carole

I have one.
Years ago before the palm trees at Pink Beach, We went out to watch the shooting stars one evening!
The next day the next day I realize I was missing my perscription sun glasses. I returned to Pink beach and found my glasses stitting on a bunch of coral someone had stacked as to help me find my lost glasses and keep them from getting stepped on or swept into the ocean. One of my first "Bonaireian" moments as Jim and I say.

Joe and I ended up with a flat tire coming out of the Park last year (what a surprise). He stopped the car on the very small shoulder of the fairly busy road near the outskirts of town to change the tire when all of a sudden a man by himself in a truck towing a trailer with a forklift on it pulled behind our stopped vehicle...of course I was "concerned" being from a metro area here in the States not knowing if we were about to become "victims" or what........well, to our pleasant surprise (we really should NOT have been surprised, however), this nice man then unloaded his forklift, placed the forks under our vehicle very carefully, lifted the car up and then proceeded to work with Joe on changing the tire! We were so grateful and asked this nice man if there was something we could do for him in return and he said "no, thank you" and smiled and loaded up his forklift and pulled away. You would NEVER see that happen in the metro are where we live here in NJ. I still smile every time I think of that afternoon. Oh...our cell phone battery had died and the sun was setting very quickly when we realized we were "stuck". This is very typical of the lovely folks living on Bonaire...always ready to help their neighbors, be they residents or or tourists. This is just one of many wonderful stories involving the wonderful, giving people of Bonaire. Can't wait to return in two months!! Ayo. Carole

Just heard another cute story.

I called a friend on mine on Bonaire today. He is from Holland, has lived on Bonaire for several years and is an avid diver. He was biking near Karel's yesterday and saw a HUGE fish surface about 20 feet off the pier. He got pretty excited, pedaled out to the end of the pier and shouted out to a few local fishermen who were hand line fishing close to where the fish surfaced. He shouted out "Did you see that fish? What was it?" The fisherman answered quite casually and with no emotion "Oh that was just a Whale Shark." Of course my friend was so excited he told everyone he saw about it...including sending me an email right when he got home. But for that local fisherman...it was no big deal, just another day fishing on Bonaire!

Scott

Ok another cute and funny story...

Ed and I had recently purchased our townhouse and we were doing a lot of work on it on a visit to Bonaire. We had previously only stayed at resorts on the island. Most of the labor intensive work we did at night after the sun went down.

Earlier in the day we met our next door neighbor Stefania and she told us it was important to keep the gate closed to our yard to keep "critters" out from eating the newly landscaped plants.

The second night we were working on the house about 10pm, Ed decided to call it a night, as we were both exhausted. He walked out to the front yard to throw some trash in the our garbage can. As I am in the house washing dishes, and at the same time, I heard a loud "male" squeal and another loud ungoshly noise. I ran to the door, thinking Ed might have been mugged or something, in the dark.
What actually happened was that we left the front gate ajar. Ed turned the corner of the house to put the trash away and came face to face (and I MEAN face to face) with a large donkey attempting to tip the can...They scared the living daylights out of each other, both screamed and ran in opposite directions!

Needless to say we now have a sensor light at the front door and we ALWAYS are sure that both the front and back gates are secure!

I love all the stories!! I have one that isn't really cute but very nice.

When we were in Bonaire a couple of weeks ago we were looking at real estate. The very helpful girl at Harbor Town realty gave us some information on a house that had just come on the market. We decided to go and take a look at it. After getting some very basic directions, followed by "If you can't find it just ask at a house and they will direct you", we set off. How hard can it be to find this house, we know it is in Republiek, we know what it looks like. We drove around a vey nice neighborhood, up and down all the streets but no house. At the end of one street there was a lady in front of her house talking with a couple of workmen. After she was done talking to them we asked her if she knew where this house may be. She looked at the picture and the area information, but it wasn't familliar to her. Looking very apologetic she said "I don't know where this is, but if you don't mind waiting I will call Harbor Town and get directions." Do we mind waiting? We were surprised and pleased that she would call, sure we will wait. She went into her house made the phone call, came back out and told us we wouldn't find it, so she would take us to it. Almost before we had a chance to say thank you, she jumped in her car and was off. After going out of the neighborhood and around a few corners, she pulled over, gave us some short perfect directions and jumped back in her car with a "have a nice day!". Again with us barely having a chance to say thank you. What a great person!!
We smiled the rest of the day thinking about her. One more reason to love Bonaire and make us more sure we want to call it home eventually.
Mary Lou