R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 55

Southern Caribbean Cruising — ABC Islands; Curaçao Vendors, Veggies, and Views

For a rather unique take on an outdoor produce market, head north along Willemstad’s waterfront and hang a left at Sha Caprileskade. This takes you to the “Floating Market,” most of which doesn’t really float. These vendors sail in from Venezuela, hawking everything from arts and crafts to fresh produce and spices. Want a piece of fresh fruit? I mean really fresh? Here’s where you want to go:

Fresh fruit at Willemstad’s “Floating Market”

A look back toward Sint Anna Bay will get you a v...

Fun Photo Friday — Southern Caribbean; ABC Islands — Curaçao 1

Remember that green wall covered with street art I mentioned on Wednesday? That image above is a small portion of that wall. Below is the rest of today’s Curaçao favorites. Part 2 will follow next Friday.

Southern Caribbean Cruising — ABC Islands; Curaçao Green Spaces and Street Art

Dushi has many meanings in Curaçao, but when you see it alone, such as in the signage above, it means nice. And nice is indeed a fitting description for the visitor to this wonderfully charming World Heritage Site in Curaçao. Willemstad, the capital city of Curaçao, is a marvelous blend of charming architecture and bright colors that will delight the photographer or casual observer at every turn.

Italian colors for an Italian treat

Street art is everywhere here, and by that I am not ref...

Southern Caribbean Cruising — ABC Islands; Curaçao

When you step off the ship in Curaçao and head out on foot to the capital city Willemstad, one of the first places you’ll encounter on the “C” of the ABC Islands is Rif Fort, which is part of the Renaissance Mall. That might sound dull, but it’s rather neat to see this modernization of a 19th century fort constructed to curb attacks by pirates.

Rif Fort/Renaissance Mall — Protecting Willemstad from Jack Sparrow

Alas, our favorite stop at Rif Fort no longer exists. It was a little restau...

Fun Photo Friday — Southern Caribbean; ABC Islands — Bonaire 2

Upright Cannon

Today we leave “B” and starting next week we hit the “C” of the ABC Islands. Until then, enjoy:

Bonaire Flowers Coral in Blue Caribbean Blue Framed by Slave Huts Dodge Green More Bonaire Color

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Southern Caribbean Cruising — ABC Islands; Bonaire, Back in Kralendijk

Fort Oranje (Fort Orange)

I‘m glad we were let off south of the cruise port, as it afforded us some sightseeing we’d missed during our earlier morning foot tour. That building above may appear rather pedestrian until you notice the cannon to the left. It is the south view of Fort Oranje (Fort Orange), which was built by the Dutch West India Company in 1639. Although I’m pretty sure the air conditioning came a bit later, as did the fresnal lens perched atop the structure to the left. Speaking ...

Southern Caribbean Cruising — ABC Islands; Bonaire, Sorobon Beach

We reached the southern tip of Bonaire, then looped around headed north along the eastern shore. Next stop: Sorobon Beach located on the shallow, protected waters of Lac Bay. From all the people here, this is obviously the place to go for beaching, snorkeling, wind surfing, and bird watching.

Sorobon Beach on Lac Bay, Bonaire

There are several wind surfing schools here, and wind surfers zipped to-and-fro among the many swimmers.

Wind Surfers and Beachgoers Sharing the Space

Yes, th...

Fun Photo Friday — Southern Caribbean; ABC Islands — Bonaire 1

This is the first of two Fun Photo Friday of Bonaire favorites. And here is today’s photo gallery/slide show:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Southern Caribbean Cruising — ABC Islands; Bonaire, Touring South

After our foot patrol of Kralendijk Ursula and I struck up a conversation with a local, who recommended the young lady you see pictured above for a tour of the southern portion of Bonaire. According to the local, the south is much more interesting than the north. So we met up with our tour guide and shared her minibus with a New York family who had recently immigrated from Haiti. Our first stop, just north of these interesting rentals at the Courtyard by Marriott Bonaire Dive Resort:

Rent...

Southern Caribbean Cruising — ABC Islands; Bonaire

The “B” in the ABC Islands stands for Bonaire, and we’re going to look at this destination over the next two weeks. That’s because, unlike “A” (Aruba) we did a lot more than just shopping. We went on a brief foot tour of the capital city Kralendijk, followed by a minibus tour that would take us to the southern end of this Caribbean Netherlands island in the Leeward Antilles.

Historical Kralendijk Walking Tour map conveniently located at the port

Upon arrival Ursula and I picked up a pap...