- 2019 Southern Caribbean ABC Cruise – Fort Lauderdale, FL
- 2019 Southern Caribbean ABC Cruise – George Town, Grand Cayman
- 2019 Southern Caribbean ABC Cruise – Oranjestad, Aruba
- 2019 Southern Caribbean ABC Cruise – Wilemstad, Curacao
- 2019 Southern Caribbean ABC Cruise – Kralendijk, Bonaire
They have a saying in Bonaire: “We make two things here: babies and salt”. Our tour included leaning about the salt farms and unfortunately the desperate lives that the slaves who harvested the salt were forced to live. But, we also learned about the wonderful people who now inhabit the island. Most of them work in the tourism industry either hosting land tours, serving in hospitality at the restaurants, hotels and shops, or working for the snorkeling and diving companies that take guests to the many incredible dive and snorkel sites. Most folks work at least two jobs to make ends meet.
We also learned that they have a unique approach to drunk driving that I can imagine would only work on a small island. Apparently, if someone has had too much to drink, they drive very, very slow on the right side of the road. If they get pulled over by the police, the police simply have them park their car on the side of the road and then give them a lift the rest of the way home.
Not only did we get to see the salt fields, but we visited several of the scenic beaches and even got to see a couple of the local iguanas, which our Dutch tour guide told us are commonly eaten on the island and tastes like chicken.
We also got to see several wild flamingos in the wildlife preservation area. Our tour did include the option of a stop at the beach before another bus would come by to take us back to the pier. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of the beach as I was in the water with my snorkel gear most of the time. The beach is a rocky coral beach, so if you go there be sure to wear some sort of water shoes to fully enjoy the experience. If you are an experienced scuba diver, Bonaire is a great place to visit because of the steep drop-off caused by the geological uplift that formed theses islands. Experienced divers walk off the beach to do their dives.
Suzanne Klasen is the Owner / Travel Advisor of CruiseOne Suzanne Klasen. We have combined our love of cruising with computer skills to bring you a very informative and entertaining site that follows my cruising travels and thoughts. I hope that you will let me help plan your next vacation.
