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Below the sea Bonaire is truly a "diver's paradise"
with a fringing reef populated by dense coral communities
and colorful fish. Above sea level, it is an arid island of
cactus and salt pans, inhabited by donkeys, goats, and iguanas.
Tourism here is almost entirely focused on scuba diving, but
the island is still worth a land tour.
After traveling through the eastern Caribbean and Venezuela,
we found Bonaire to be refreshingly clean and civilized. Instead
of the trash and mangy stray dogs that have been the norm
elsewhere, here we found clean streets, brightly painted buildings,
and donation cans for the local animal shelter (explaining
the lack of pitiful strays). Preservation of the environment
also has a higher priority in Bonaire than we've seen anywhere
else.
After the anxiety we felt in Venezuela due to thefts and
armed robberies, here in Bonaire we finally relaxed and felt
safe. Although Dutch and Papiamentu are the local languages,
most shopkeepers speak English. No more struggles to communicate
in Tarzan Spanish! I was also thrilled to find grocery items
that were either unavailable or hard to find in Venezuela,
for example: cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, sour cream,
applesauce, Tostitos, cranberry sauce, pickle relish, cooking
spray, Ranch dressing, and dried pinto beans. Even so, Bonaire
is an island and the grocery selection varies from week to
week depending on what the latest ship brought in. So, if
you see something you need, buy several of them.
Sticker shock greets anyone arriving in Bonaire from Venezuela.
Two 5-gallon jerry cans of gasoline cost us $68, compared
to $4 for the same quantity in Venezuela. Gasoline is $6.43
a gallon; diesel, $4.54. To protect the reef, anchoring is
not allowed here. Yachts must either pay $10 a day for a mooring
or go into a marina. We support the no anchoring policy, but
it does add to the expense of being here. The mooring field
is pleasant, except when the south swell rolls the boats or
when the music blares from Karel's bar at 2:00 A.M.
Rain is an infrequent occurrence in Bonaire. Dirt blowing
off the island will turn your boat brown in a day's time.
After our first month here with hardly a splatter of rain,
we started considering growing vegetables on our hard top.
When it does rain, screen your hatches because here come the
mosquitoes and they're almost impossible to swat.
All that said, the scuba diving has more than offset these
few inconveniences and the higher costs. Bonaire has been
a highlight of our cruise, and we highly recommend it to divers
arriving by boat or airplane.
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Sunset in Bonaire
Blow hole on the treacherous windward side of the island.
Sailors, don't get caught on this lee shore!
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