Bonaire, Bonaire, Caribbean NetherlandsSleep in day today as the cruise ship does not dock in
Bonaire Port till 12 noon and we are only here for half a day till 6.30pm when
we sail.
Bonaire is a small island 24 miles long and between 3 and 7
miles wide. The southern part of the island is arid, dry and flat, while the
northern part is lush, green and hilly. Both have cacti and low shrubs. The
west side of Bonaire is world-renown for its pristine coral reefs, diving and
snorkelling in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Down on Deck 7 I called in on Matthew (Future Cruise
Consultant) to see how he was progressing with finding us a cruise to fill the
gap between 29 March and 10 April. No luck only 5-6 day cruises and with only
internet access at the islands it makes it difficult to check on an alternative
stay (hotel or self-contained holiday unit with rental car). Weighing up the
cost we decide to do the Eastern Caribbean 10 day cruise again meaning we spend
30 days on the Royal Princess. Matthew managed to secure Balcony Suite on Deck
9 Port side for us. We are locked in, payment confirmed and now no stress only
need to re-arrange and rebook hotel suite at Embassy Suites when we arrive at
Fort Lauderdale on Thursday 19 March.
Before disembarking the Gangway to go on shore we caught up
with Vicky, Jim, Sue and Mike (two couples we met first at the Embassy Suites
in Fort Lauderdale). The main street at the Port in Kralendjik (capital of
Bonaire) is abuzz with local Tour Guides. I spoke to a lovely lady who would
take us on a private tour for US$40 if we could persuade another couple to
join us, but Richard grabbed me and we hurried climbed into a van which was a
big mistake. It was cramped with ten other people and the Driver (AB Taxi and
Tours) was in a big hurry to go plus he didn’t like to stop for photos. After a
quick tour of the main capital and Airport he drove to the northern part of the
island along the coast pointing to the roads you go down to the
diving/snorkelling sites. No use taking photos only can see cacti and scrub
like being in the desert.Richard rebelled when we were going down the hill top to
Goto Meer the Flamingo Sanctuary and asked the Driver if and when we were
stopping for photos, seeing we came a long way from Australia and weren’t
coming back this way again. Everyone cheered Richard and from there he did stop
a couple of times. A waste of time here as there were a few flamingos in the
distance.I was the one taking photos of the arid countryside from the
van door where I sat for everyone then you past your camera to someone on the
other side for photos. Would have loved to stop at Rincon the oldest village
first settled by the Spanish and Dos Pos (Two Wells) once home to the slaves.
Only got a quick glim’s of a slaves hut and the Driver took a distant photo of
Rincon.As a peace offering the Driver took us to the south part of
the island to stop to photograph the white hills of salt from the salt pans (pink
lakes). That was a wasted US$40 and we were all disappointed wish we took the
private tour.Found an Internet Café at the Port entrance Café Di Mari so
for the price of a coffee I caught up with emails to Linda and Bob (ten days of
not knowing where to go), Mandy (to phone Mike at Bicton Travel re on-board
credits progress), John (bills to pay) and accounts to pay.Back on board we caught up with the two American couples
from the Embassy Suites and they had a great day with a Mother and daughter who
showed them all over Bonaire including a mass of flamingos. Seeing we had such
a bad time Vicky gave us their suite number to phone tomorrow when the ship
berthed at Aruba, as they knew of sites to see seeing they have stayed on the
island.Getting used to late evening meals and going to the Atrium
to listen to the music and walking round the different Decks.
2025-05-23