Michael Powell's Blog, page 55
January 23, 2016
Landhuis Dokterstuin and the Kas di Pal’i Maishi
For the perfect contrast between how the different social classes of colonial-era Curaçao lived, visit first the humble, thatch-roofed Kas di Pal’i Maishi, and then head over to the nearby Landhuis Dokterstein. A popular restaurant called Komedor Krioyo is based in the plantation house, and you are going to sit down for a meal there. That’s not a suggestion: once you see the restaurant and smell what’s cooking, you won’t be able to resist.
The Kas di Pal’i Maishi is a beautifully-preserved l...
Turtle Spotting at Ascencion
After parking our car at Landhuis Ascencion, we embarked on a hike which would bring us through some wildly diverse nature, including forests, cactus fields, and towering granite outcrops. But the highlight came at Boka Ascencion, where we stood atop a small cliff and watched turtles swimming in the sea below us.
Our five-kilometer trail got started to the north of the Landhuis, taking us into a dense field of cacti. As we approached the island’s east coast, the prickly plants began to thin...
January 22, 2016
St. Joris Bay
After having visited the Curaçao Ostrich Farm, we left our car in the parking lot and walked over to nearby St. Joris Bay. With its calm waters and steady breeze, St. Joris is a popular spot to practice wind-surfing and kite-surfing.
On weekends, you’ll be able to locate St. Joris Bay by the kites in the sky, before seeing the water itself. Curaçao is almost always windy, and since the natural inlet of St. Joris Bay is protected from the raging waves of the east coast, kite surfers flock her...
January 21, 2016
The Curaçao Ostrich Farm
Established in 1995, the Curaçao Ostrich Farm offers guests the opportunity to both meet and eat the world’s largest birds. We joined a tour of the farm, which taught us a lot about the ungainly beasts, and allowed us to get close to them. Perhaps a little too close.
Before we get started, let’s all agree on something: ostriches are freakishly ugly. They’re alien birds, which just get stranger the longer you look at them. Their dumb, staring eyes are scary enough, but when you consider their...
A Tour of the Schottegat Harbor
Curaçao’s fortunes have long been tied to the Schottegat, the remarkable natural harbor around which Willemstad was built. It’s the largest harbor in the Caribbean and second-largest in the Kingdom of the Netherlands behind Rotterdam, and allowed the island to become a great center of trade. Since 1915, it’s been home to Curaçao’s Isla Oil Refinery. We took the ferry tour of the Schottegat offered by the Maritime Museum.
After our boat set sail from Saint Anna Bay and entered into the harbor...
January 20, 2016
Otrobanda – Willemstad’s Other Side
In the early 19th century, the neighborhood of Punda was becoming more and more crowded, and the city was forced to expand. Many residents looked to the other side of the Saint Anna bay, in a district which became known as Otrobanda: literally the “other side.” Today, Otrobanda has remained the most vibrant residential area in Willemstad, and considered by many to be the cultural heart of Curaçao.
We think Otrobanda is the best place to live in Willemstad — but we might be biased, considerin...
The Kura Hulanda Museum
Found in the heart of Otrobanda, the Kura Hulanda is both a resort and an anthropological museum. Fifteen buildings house hundreds of cultural artifacts, with a focus on Africa and the Atlantic slave trade. It’s an impressive collection… especially when you learn that it’s privately owned by a single man.
The museum takes visitors on a journey from the earliest days of man, with exhibits on evolution and the lands of Abraham, through the horrors of slavery, and into the present day and moder...
January 18, 2016
The Mansions of Scharloo
Found across the small Waaigat Bay from Punda, Scharloo is the newest of Willemstad’s four historic districts and, as evidenced by its abundance of stately mansions, was home to Curaçao’s richest citizens. Today, the wealthy have moved on to other neighborhoods, but Scharloo’s mansions have remained.
Because it laid outside of the city walls, Scharloo had been considered an undesirable place to live for much of Willemstad’s early history. It wasn’t until the 1870s that the neighborhood came...
After One Month in Curaçao
At the end of our first month in a new location, we like to take stock of our first impressions with a short self-interview. A third of our time on Curaçao has already passed; what do we think about life on the island, so far?
Most Memorable
Mike: Pulling into the parking lot which overlooks the Grote Knip Beach. This was our first sighting of the Caribbean Sea, and the beach simply couldn’t have been more lovely. If I wasn’t quite in love with Curaçao yet, this view sealed the deal.
Jürgen:...
January 17, 2016
The Badlands of Curaçao
The inland region between Vaersenbaai and Grote Berg is known as Malpais, which can be translated as “The Badlands.” Despite the rather uninviting name, we decided to embark on a hike through this undeveloped, uninhabited terrain, following the Biná and Jamanika trails, and ending with a swim at the secluded Boka Unico.
Lago Dispersa
Our adventure in the Badlands started easily enough, with a leisurely stroll through a forest populated by twisting trees, following a trail that leads to Lago D...
