Bonaire
Bondi Tram
Peter Colquhoun and Sandra Colquhoun
Sat 12 Mar 2011 11:21
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From Grenada we sailed west to Bonaire, arriving at midnight and picking up
a mooring. All the water
around Bonaire is a Marine Park, so there is no anchoring. The main
tourist attraction in Bonair is
diving, and most people come for what is reputably the best dive sites in
the Caribbean. Bonair also get
a lot of cruise ships which only stay for a day...there are two in the
background below.
 We enjoyed the calm anchorage and the short dinghy ride to town. In
fact, Bonaire was a very restful
and laid back place.
 There is the dinghy dock below, with bar and restaurant on the pier.
 The old Dutch fort. Bonaire was originally settled by the Spanish,
who abandoned the island in
1600 something and the Dutch West Indies Company took over. The
British occuped the island for
short periods in the early 1800s.
 Venezuelan boats come across the short distance, about 50 km, to sell fruit
and vegetables and fish.
This is their market.
 There are two industries on Bonaire, one is the salt pans. The
other is transhipment of Venezuelan
oil. Small tankers bring oil to the storage tanks on Bonaire, and it
is then loaded on large tankers to
take it to Europe.
 The salt is taken be conveyor belt to the shipping wharf.
 Our transport round the island.
 Dutch style house near the salt pans....
 ....with associated slave quarters. These dog kennels were the slave
quarters when the salt pan
labour was supplied by slaves.
 Lots of flotsam and jetsam on the windward coast, with little sculptures
made from driftwood. Most
of the rubbish appeared to be footwear!
 Hard to see in this photo, but in front of and to the left of the windmills
are large numbers of pink
flamingos.
 Beachside restaurant and windsurfing school.
  Little sugar eaters were very bold....
 .....and would eat the sugar out of your hand.
 Closest we got to a pink flamingo.
 Church in the village of Rinkon in the interior...reputedly the oldest
village in the Dutch Antilles.
 Waiting for the Carnival parade to start.
 Carnival costumers being finished off in a front yard.
 First off the rank, the butterflies....
 This man was able to flap his wings.
  This float was driven by a gentleman with face mask and snorkel!
   Elevated view point to watch the parade.
  There were some very colorful costumes....this was probably the best.
    Iguana man. Lost of iguanas on Bonaire....they are a local delicacy
and known as "Bonaire chicken".
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