After visiting Florida and Korea for six weeks, I am back to the boat. Meeting friends and families was sweet but saying ‘Good Byes’ to them was bitterly hard, especially to my mom. While I was away, John took care of all the boat problems (for now). Also, our friend Charlie visited John for kite-boarding for a week. My cat “Sesame’s Wound” is completely healed.
Divers at ‘1000 Steps’ Dive Site in Bonaire
Snorkeling site at Wayaka where fish came to me for food.
Kite Boarding Beach
Kiteschool on Bonaire (kiteboardingbonaire.com)! For lessons, talk to Freek Hoving or Roan Jaspars.
Some asked me where Bonaire is. It is just north of Venezuela and east of Colombia in South America. Bonaire is a Mecca for SCUBA diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, and kite-boarding. Just from the beach, I fed fish by holding a piece of bread in a hand. They came to me for food. The tropical fish in Bonaire seemed to have no fear. There are other places to visit in Bonaire such as salt plantation, flamingo bird ponds, and the only ‘Donkey Sanctuary’ in the world.
Donkeys in Santuary
Flamingo Bird in Salt Pond
Salt Ponds
Ocean Water Intake for Salt Plantation
Slave huts where slaves lived while working at the salt plantation.
In order to visit the national park ‘Washington Slagbaai’, we rented a TRUCK. The name ‘Slagbaai’ means ‘slaughter’ in English because it used to be a place to slaughter the goats. Unlike the name, the hiking and swimming in the park is an amazing experience. Like most places in Bonaire, you can just walk from the shore for SCUBA diving. If you visit here, stay here for at least a week.
Geographical Interest in National Park
Ruins in National Park
A part of hiking trail
Colorful Lizard
A Place Called ‘Boca Kokolishi’ at the Park
While we were hiking in the national park we found a young goat trapped in a water hole. It had evidently been there awhile and had given up trying to get out. John walked along the edge of the hole and grabbed it by the back of the neck and pulled it free of the mud. The goat never made a sound and did not struggle at all, it was that exhausted. He brought it back to shore and put it on the ground where it just sort of sat down. It tried to stand up, but was not capable of even that small effort. We left it a couple of pieces of apple and an apple core to snack on. Here’s hoping that the young goat gets healthy and doesn’t fall in the water again.
A goat trapped in a water hole. It had been there awhile and had given up trying to get out.
John rescued the goat.
John put the rescued goat on the ground.
PS: Today is the one year anniversary of my early retirement. Do I miss work? Yes and no. Back then, I was a computer programmer but I was tired and wanted to be away. Now, I am a cruiser liking people and value friendship and love more.
Beach in Bonaire for swimming, snorkeling, diving, and picnic
Dinghy Dock at Karel’s Restaurant and Bar
Best Grocery Store in Bonaire! Fresh Croissant, Juice, Espresso, and FREE WiFi!
