Wow! It's Curacao!

Our cruise ship arrives in Willemstad at 7 a.m.   We will be docked here until 11 p.m. so the day is ours to do as we please. 

I am already feeling the heat and humidity.  We board our open-air, pink-colored trolley train and begin our tour of Willemstad.  Leaving the Punda district, our trolley moves slowly down the streets in the Scharloo district passing decorative and colorful houses that were once the homes of Jewish merchants.  Over the years, these houses were abandoned.   Fortunately, Curacao officials had the foresight to know their value and began restoration projects.  Some of the restored buildings are now offices (government owned and maintained). 

Beautifully restored houses in the Scharloo District of Willemstad 

The most photographed building in Scharloo is the "Wedding Cake" house (built in 1916).  It got this nickname because the front of the building looks like it’s covered in white frosting.   This green & white building now serves as the National Archive. 

The “Wedding Cake” House

We leave the Scharloo district and return to the Punda district where we see monuments and parks.  The large letters that spell “CURACAO’ and “DUSHI” (means sweet or used as a term of endearment) are often photographed.

I love the history and architecture of churches.  I don’t know how many churches there are in Punda but I saw three today - the yellow-colored "Temple", Pietermaai Cathedral (aka Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church), and Fort Amsterdam’s Dutch Church (1769).

The “Temple”

 Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church

Fort  Church

Our tour ends at Fort Amsterdam (dating from 1635).  It houses the Governor’s palace, the Fort Church and government offices.   It is strategically positioned in the front corner of Punda and became the most valuable fort on the island.

Fort Amsterdam 

Curacao was established as a trading post by the Dutch West India Company in the early 17th century.   Fort Rif (Otrobanda district) was built in 1828 to protect the other half of the city.  Like Fort Amsterdam, the fort now houses restaurants, bars and boutiques. 

 Fort Rif – Water View

 Fort Rif Entrance

View of Punda from Fort Rif

Shortly after 7:00 p.m. we leave the ship.  The early evening air is breezy but still humid.  It takes us about 10-15 minutes to walk (via Fort Rif) to the Queen Emma Swinging Bridge.  Upon our arrival, the bells sound and the bridge slowly swings open to allow several boats to pass through the channel.  The night lights on the bridge and buildings are reflecting in the water.  This is classic Curacao. 

 Curacao At Night

 Queen Emma Swinging Bridge

Punda’s Colorful Buildings

For more information on visiting Curacao, please click on the following link:
Curacao Travel Guide

Bonaire Island Tour

In the morning, our cruise ship arrives at the town of Kralendijk.  This gives us the whole day to see the best of Bonaire. 

The first stop on our bus tour is the slave houses (small white limestone buildings built in the 1850's). By 1837, Bonaire was a thriving center of salt production and the slaves that labored in the salt flats lived in these small huts built along the shore.  Slavery was abolished in 1862.  Today, the huts have been restored and serve as a reminder of Bonaire’s dark past.   

White Slave Huts

 

Because the salt ponds are calm today, the piles of white crystallized salt are reflecting in the water.  On a sunny day, the water takes on a pinkish color. 

 

Our tour bus crosses the island toward the hilly north side -  a desert landscape with lots of cactus plants.  We see the "Bridge of Joy" where legend says when a couple gets married and stands under the bridge, they will stay together forever. 

Bridge of Joy

 

Near the “Bridge of Joy” is the “1000 Steps”.  Actually, it is 64 stone steps from the road down to one of Bonaire’s beautiful beaches … it just feels like 1,000 steps coming back up!  This is one of the locations where divers can access a dive site directly from the shore.



1000 Steps



Our next stop overlooks Lake Goto(meer) which is located on the northwest part of Bonaire.  This is where the pink flamingos gather.  It's the flamingo's diet - plant matter rich in beta-carotene - that gives the flamingos their famous pink color. 

 

 

 

 

 Lake Gotomeer Overlook

Pink Flamingos

 

Just outside of the small town of Rincon is a large white building -  the Mangazina di Rei (translates as the King's Warehouse).  It is the second-oldest stone building (400 years old) on the island.  In the past, it was used to store provisions for slaves.  Today, it has been restored and transformed into a small museum that preserves Bonaire’s early history. 

 



Mangazina di Rei (King’s Warehouse)

 

Grounds Behind Warehouse

 

In the town of Rincon (Bonaire’s oldest town) are two churches - the Protestant Church (dates from 1934) and San Ludovico Beltran Roman Catholic Church.   In 1837, a new but simple structure church was built in Rincon.  In 1907, a hurricane destroyed the original stone church.  While the existing Catholic Church is not in its original form, it is considered a historical attraction.

Protestant Church in Rincon

San Ludovico Beltran Roman Catholic Church in Rincon



The last stop of our bus tour is to Seru Largu (translates to Large Hill).  This monument to the Virgin Mary was built in 2000.  At 404 feet above sea level, it offers outstanding views of the south and east side of Bonaire.  Engraved on the monument are the words "Kristu Ayera Awe Semper" which translated from the Papiamentu language means "Christ, Yesterday, Today and Forever". 

Seru Largu

For more information on visiting Bonaire, click on the following link:
Tourism Bonaire 

 

 

Visiting the Dominican Republic

Just before 10 a.m., the ship anchors in Samana Bay near Samana.

Today, I am taking the Cultural Highlights tour.  Our bus stops in front of the historic Dominican Evangelical Church (aka La Churcha).  The church came across the ocean from England in a hundred pieces and was reassembled here in 1824.  It is the oldest original building left in Samaná.  In 1946 a city-wide fire wiped out most of Samaná's wooden buildings.  Miraculously this church was spared. 

 La Churcha

Our first stop is at the Whaling Museum.  This is a small museum but it serves an important role in educating the public on whales.  Fortunately, we have an English speaking guide because the signs are written in Spanish. 

It is a 35 minute drive to the town of Sanchez.  Here, we take a short walking tour (a couple of blocks).  The government is restoring 18 of the old "Victorian" houses.  The "Victorian" house we toured was a single-story cottage (now being used as a school classroom) with a two-sided porch.

Restoring Buildings to their Former Glory

 

Side Porch

Included in the restoration project is a couple of churches.

 Restored Our Lady of the Lourdes Church – exterior & interior

Our last stop (about a 5 minute drive from the town of Samana) is at Puerto Bahia.  It looks like a nice seaside resort.  At the cafe, we are given a couple slices of pizza and a diet Coke.   I could see myself enjoying the view on one of those comfy seating areas.  Back in town, we pass colorful buildings.  

Puerto Bahia Resort 

Colorful buildings in Samana

My time here on the Dominican Republic is done.  I must return to the ship before it leaves.  From the tender boat, I can see the Bridge to Nowhere.  Maybe next time I am here, I will take the time to walk across the bridge to the small island. 

Bridge to Nowhere

 For more information on visiting the Dominican Republic, click on the following link:

Dominican Republic Tourist Info

or 

Go Dominican Republic