Learn from Yesterday, Live for Today, Hope for Tomorrow

 I don't believe we have been on a smaller passenger flight than we took to Curacao. It was a deHavilland DHC-6, that were originally built in the 1960's. There were only 18 seats (3 across) and everyone had to duck to get to their seat (open seating) due to the low roof. There was no door to the cockpit so we were able to look out the front window and see the same controls that the two pilots did. No other staff and no toilet on board. Fortunately it was only a 35 minute island hop.

On our first full day we drove one hour to the north end of the island to explore Shete Boka NP (7 inlets) along the NE rugged coast. Four of the seven inlets were easily accessible and it was amazing to watch the waves crashing against the limestone walls in numerous places, creating a spray that was well over 10 metres high, similar to a blowhole. We followed that up with a late lunch in the village of Westpunt on the NE side at a clifftop restaurant, Playa Forti, where we were entertained by a couple of tourists who decided to make the 15-20 metre dive into the calmer east side waters. Another day was spent at the popular Mambo Beach, filled with beach chairs, bars and restaurants. On our final full day, we drove into the capital city of Willemstad for a walkabout, selecting that day because it was the only day without large cruise ships in the harbour. The downtown area is split into two districts, Otrobanda (more trendy) and Punda (historic), separated by a container ship wide waterway, keeping that business away from the oceanfront. The Queen Emma floating bridge was built for pedestrians to cross over to the other side. While taking a rest with drinks beside the inland waterway, we were able to watch the bridge slowly slide open (two diesel engines), a hinge allowing it slide parallel to the shore, to let a container ship exit back into the Caribbean. Meanwhile a small ferry boat moved people back and forth to the other side while the bridge was not usable. It was a good way to keep the pedestrian traffic moving.

The following day we caught a flight further north to the unique two nation island of Sint Maarten (Dutch) and St-Martin (French). My Chief Accommodations Officer found us a beautiful apartment above a home on a hillside with a panoramic view of the southwestern coastline. The views were spectacular, both during the day and at night. We started off our time there with a drive around the island, checking out the French capitol (Marigot), some popular beaches for a later return, and checking out the sights. The following day we returned to the Grand Case beach on the French side, a 1.5 km long sandy paradise, where we relaxed on our loungers with periodic Caribbean visits to refresh our bodies on another 26/26 day (no temperature change all day long!). 

Another day we took a 45 minute ferry to the billionaires island of Saint-Barthelemy (St. Barts). The superyachts, expansive homes and upscale shopping stores gave meaning to the island's reputation. We had an outstanding lunch there at the mere cost of $350, helping to enrich even the people who work here. After a further walkabout, we stopped into a bar to catch some of the Winter Olympics highlights before returning to Sint Maarten on the ferry, while wondering where all our money went. We decided to save some money the next day visiting the two different beaches. The first was the energy-filled Maho beach, close to the main airport, where planes arriving seem like they are prepared to land on the beach, but miss us and find the airstrip which starts 30 metres beyond the beach. As planes arrive, everyone stands up, waves to the passengers, yell and of course take pictures. With regular air traffic it wasn't the place to stay for long so we moved further up the west coast to Bamboo beach, a very quite spot with a beach bar to keep us nourished. We picked a 'no cruise ship day' to head into Philipsburg, the capitol of Sint Maarten. Without the crowds we walked down the shop-filled Front St., the 1793 built Courthouse, and then over to the Great Bay beach boardwalk, stopping for drinks along the way to watch the beach scene. On our final day we relaxed at our apartment, watching the final day of the Winter Olympics, including the Closing Ceremonies from Verona, Italy.

Our 2 plus month adventure has quickly come to an end, with 9 countries in the rear view mirror. That means it is time to start dreaming about where my backpack will head next time. Thanks for following.

This was our plane for our flight from Aruba to Curacao, a De Havilland DHC-6 with only 18 passenger seats and low head room. It was tight quarters inside, so thankfully it was only a 35 minute trip over the Caribbean. With no door to the cockpit I had my eye on the pilot and he never seemed nervous so I was relaxed.

A regular view of the waves crashing into the limestone walls at Shete Boka NP on the west side of the Curacao island. One tourist tried to get up really close for a picture and came away totally drenched.

Our beach spot for the day on Mambo Beach, by the capitol city of Wilhemstad. We found loungers under the shade of one of the trees, so an umbrella was not necessary.

On our last day, with no cruise ships in sight, we ventured into the centre of Wilhemstad. This picture was taken from the pedestrian only floating bridge which slid open at times to let boat traffic through. We stopped for drinks later at one of the waterway bars shown here on the Punda side, so that we could watch the bridge open and close, often with people still on the bridge.

A view of the bridge sliding closed after a big cargo ship had passed through. Two diesel engines were all it took for the bridge master (in the yellow booth) to keep pedestrian and boat traffic moving.

The day after touring the two nation island of Sint Maarten (where we stayed) and St-Martin we decided to return to Grand Case Beach on the French side (a 25 minute drive with no border control). With plenty of beach loungers on a 1.5 km wide sandy beach and bars and restaurants behind, it was easy to spend a full day there.

While walking around the main city of Gustavia on the island of St. Bart's, there was no shortage of superyachts in the harbour, reinforcing the billionaires playground reputation.

The view of Great Bay Beach in Philipsburg on a day with no cruise ships in the port allowing for easier access to beach loungers and umbrellas. There was a well kept boardwalk behind the beach so we also made use of it to explore the old town near there.

'Life is What Happens to You when You are Making Other Plans' (John Lennon)

 We didn't make it to Curitiba, Brazil, unfortunately. Our e-visa's did not arrive in time, 6 days after they were requested (with a note explaining our time constraint), so they wouldn't let us on the flight from Johannesburg to Brazil. They don't allow visas on arrival, thus the cancellation of our flight ticket. Most countries promise e-visa within 3-5 days, and we have become accustomed to that. Rather than hang around Joburg for a few more days waiting for our e-visa to arrive, we decided to abort our trip to Brazil and move on to Aruba earlier than planned. Aruba offers a 1 hour turnaround for their ED card (Embarcation / Disembarcation) and they were true to their word, receiving one in 45 minutes while we were still in the Joburg airport.

Since we arrived in the Aruban capital, Oranjestand, a week earlier than planned, we decided it was an opportune time to slow life down a little. After a long flight and a busy 18 day, 4 country, G Adventures tour to end our 6 weeks in Africa, we deserved some lazy time. Besides, a week from now we will be joined by my bride's brother and wife, with a plan to explore all the island offers, so we didn't want to impinge on that part of our island visit. We rented an apartment for the week, attached to a private home, one block away from the oceanfront and on the edge of the busy tourist city. The daily temperature was close to 30C with lows of 25C, so we subscribed to morning walks and grocery store visits. We found a wonderful place to have dinners (West Deck), 150 metres from our rental unit, right beside the ocean and a perfect spot for sunset views. The city has a free trolley system, with a terminal close to our quiet end of town, so we used that one day to do some city exploring but it mostly took us by shopping malls and ended up at the cruise ship terminal, for whom it as likely designed. We didn't venture back into the city after that, preferring our quiet end. Our end did get a bit more action though when the Caravan Children's parade came through on our 2nd last day. Two hours of colorful costumes, dancing and local music were on display with everyone out to watch, making for a happy celebration.

At the end of our first week we were picked up by Scott and Andree in our rental vehicle, to head a bit further north to the neighbourhood of Noord where we rented a lovely 2 bedroom home, with a backyard pool, for the week. The pool got used every day because our daily trips on this 32 x 10 km tiny island country (110K pop.) never took up a full day. Eagle Beach was a much quieter sunbathing spot one afternoon, over the more busy Palm Beach where we just settled for a lunch one day. Around the island we visited the Butterfly Farm (35 species), Aloe Factory (tour and purchases), Casibari Rock Formations (climb to top), the Bushiribana Gold Mine ruins and the California Lighthouse at the northern tip of the island. We also drove to the south end of the island to the town of San Nicolas for a wander around, enjoying their marvellous wall murals and a visit to the renowned Charlie's Bar (wild guest souvenirs from around the world inside). We followed that with a late lunch break in Saventa, a fishing village, with freshly caught seafood on the menu. A snorkel trip to Tres Trapi beach to observe sea turtles occurred on another day. Once the ladies had traversed the rock steps to enter the water, I had a quick chat with a man leaving the sea, who told me he had only seen one turtle and pointed to a spot more than 100 metres away, at which point I returned to my beach chair to keep an eye on the ladies! There were also plenty of Bridge games played, whenever we had some spare hours, a card game we enjoy but don't get to play often.

  Sadly, our time together came to an end much too quickly and they returned home, while we moved on to our next island stop in nearby Curacao.

The Oranjestad, Aruba harbour, viewed from the south side on a morning walk towards the downtown. We deliberately chose a rental apartment several km's from the cruise ship terminal to avoid the daily passenger traffic in our area.

The West Deck restaurant close to our residence and near the shoreline. We always booked a table near the back end of this picture for great sunset views. Excellent food and prices made this place a common retreat.

The free trolley that went from our quiet end of the city, through the downtown area, and finishing at a terminal near the cruise ship dock. While it doesn't look very full at this point, that is only because there was a 15 minute stop at each end, so many of the cruise ship passengers had gotten off to stretch their legs but returned before the trolley left again.

The annual Carnival festival included a Children's Parade on one of the days we were there. The costumes were colourful and the parents / guardians did a good job of keeping the kids hydrated and fed in the 30C heat.

A picture taken while we were at the Butterfly Farm where overripe fruit was used to feed the tropical butterflies. The Owl Butterfly has an eye shape on it's wings to help fend off predators, making it seem larger then it really is.

The Casibari Rock Formations, where there were plenty of large boulders scattered around. Visitors were able to ascend some of them, this one being the easiest.

San Nicolas, at the southern tip of Aruba was a treat to walk around due to the colourful wall murals that frequented the town. Even the Police Station (not this picture) had a cool mural.

This business - home had a mural that resembled a 3D picture.

This mural was on a wall outside the cult Charlie's Bar. The license plates on the window shutters were a hint on what was to come on the inside.

The inside of Charlie's Bar. People from around the world brought items from home to leave in the bar. For others who hadn't planned ahead, there was a collection of currency bills (left of the guitar) that included $5 and $10 dollar bills from the great white north.

One of our last meals together before we both went our separate ways. It was a good visit together and another one will happen before long in their neck of the woods.

With both of us having afternoon flights on our final day, we drove back to the southern tip to spend a few hours at Baby Beach, which we missed on a previous drive. It was a popular site with a shallow sandy bottom, and supported by Big Mama's Beach Bar which we also supported.