Kralendijk, Bonaire

Monday, 8 Jan 2018 – Since our excursion was scheduled for 11:00 AM, we slept until 9:00 and then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before proceeding ashore.  There, we met up with our tour guide.  This activity was to ride in a “Tuk Tuk.”  Although we rode in a two-passenger, gasoline-powered Tuk Tuk in Thailand in 2013, in Kralendijk this vehicle is a six-passenger electric-powered vehicle that looks similar to an oversized golf cart.  We joined another couple, Susan and Dale, from San Francisco, CA.  Our tour guide, Helen, had moved to Bonaire from the Netherlands with her partner and started this Tuk Tuk tour company. 

As we were driven through the streets, Helen narrated the sights in excellent English and stopped frequently to point out the more interesting details.  The sights included Fort Orange, which was built in 1639.  Heavily fortified, it was never attacked, and over time it was used for alternate purposes, including a government center, fire station and prison.  The fort’s cannons are from the early 1800s, a time when the British controlled the Dutch West Indies.

Continuing on, we stopped at the statue of Gilberto Betico Croes, a political activist who was instrumental in helping neighboring Aruba gain its independence from the Netherland Antilles. Bonaire is considered a municipality of the Netherlands, and the Dutch influence is obvious in the capital’s architecture.  In Dutch, Kralendijk (“Crawl-en-dike”) means “coral reef,” a reference to the many reefs surrounding Bonaire, and Bonaire means “flat land,” not the obvious Spanish translation, “good air.”

At the Port Entrance

Flamingoes often gather here in the shallow salt-water flats to dine on brine shrimp, a diet that endows them with a beautiful rosy hue.  We didn’t see any flamingoes, but Helen did point out an iguana, which was within arm’s reach from where we were standing.

After our tour, we ate lunch onboard with Susan and Dale.  Since Sally had liked Helen’s clothes, she had asked her if a nearby store might sell pants like hers.  After lunch, the two of us left the ship and walked back into Kralendijk, only 2 to 3 blocks away, returning to our cabin within an hour, mission accomplished.

We still had energy left for swimming, which was good because the pool happened to be empty at first.  After some others entered the pool; we talked with some of them while treading water.

Although we dressed for dancing, when we arrived at the Horizons bar, the orchestra wasn’t there.  After checking the schedule, Jesse realized they didn’t play at all today.

Tonight we ate in the Grand Dining Room, joining a couple in their 70’s (Jim and JoNell) and their daughter (Marty).