Seems a song has been running through Jon's head a lot lately; not so much for the Facebook posts regarding clowns and jokers, but for the situation. Yes, Jon is stuck in the middle, with me and Opti.
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| We are the blue dot. The island group we are 'stuck in the middle' of are the ABC's. From Grenada, the order of approach is Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba. We are berthed at Curacao Marine, a little south of the center of Curacao. At first we were waiting for my ankle to get a little stronger. Now we are waiting for a new aft sail and a weather window. But in the meantime, we are making the best of it. |
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| One of the reasons we are where we are is the proximity to Willemstad, the capital city and a UNESCO World Heritage site.. Along the waterfront, Venezuelan fishing boats bring fish, fruit and veggies to the floating marketplace. |
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| We rented a car for a week to tour the island and check out other anchorages. This is the view of Spanish Waters, the most popular spot for cruising sailboats. Although beautiful, it is not very convenient to town, groceries or boating supplies. So, looks like we will stay where we are for a while. |
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| Our marina is close to the main port and oil refinery on the island. In the distance you may be able to see the masts of the marina. The view here is from Fort Nassau, and 18th century fort at the harbor's entrance. |
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| The fort also houses a great restaurant where we had a wonderful 3 course meal with 360 degree city views of day turning into night! |
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| We were lucky enough to be here for Carnival. Like Carnival in Grenada, the sights and sounds will overwhelm you. My friend, Jill, and and I headed out to the Children's Parade in Otrobanda, across the river from Punda. These two areas make up Willemstad proper. |
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Like almost any capital city, there is graffiti (or public art). This one caught my attention, not just for the beauty but for the thought:
"Once you break the walls that's been holding you captive, your journey to explore the world can finally begin". |
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| Curacao is not a very mountainous island and the church in the distance can be seen for quite a ways on the north end of the island. Behind me are the wading flamingoes at the Flamingo Sanctuary. |
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| Lots of great beaches, hidden coves and great snorkeling can be found on the northwest coast of the island. |
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| This cove reminds of somewhere else, although I don't know where. The landscape was greener, the water darker, and the terrain rougher than other parts of the island. Unfortunately, the entrance to this place looked a little iffy for Toi et Moi. |
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| We do enjoy hanging downtown, watching the ships in the distance. It was amazing to see this huge container ship heading through the small Queen Emma pedestrian bridge that joins Punda and Otrobanda. |
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| One thing we have always enjoyed stateside is biking. We hauled our bikes on board for two years, and hardly ever used them. They took up a lot of valuable space and wouldn't fit down below. Salt water took its toll and Jon and I decided to just leave them in Grenada. Of course, little did we know, Curacao was a much flatter island and getting around by bike could be done...carefully. We decided on our next trip to the states we would invest in two folding bikes. We mentioned this to our boat neighbors, Jo and Jack, and they just happened to have 2 full size folders they never used. We gladly took them off their hands and have enjoyed our Sunday bike tours. |
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| One of our favorite routes is the beach road. We stop at one of the beach bars, have a drink and take a dip. One Sunday, we spotted a bunch of swimmers in the water and the roads were a bit more crowded. Turns out it was the annual Ride/Walk/Swim for the Roses. This year over 10,000 people walked, rode or swam a prescribed distance to raise cancer awareness and funds to fight the disease. Good thing I didn't know about it in advance. I wouldn't have known which event to choose! |
