A Hike Around Patrick

Between the town of Barber and the eastern coast of Curaçao lies a swath of land known as Patrick, after a plantation house which used to sit roughly in its center. Rugged, isolated and mostly flat, this is a popular area for ATV tours, but you can also hike, and easily reach the coast to see a couple of impressive inlets.

The hike begins on a path through the woods. Two minutes in, we encountered a young man holding a machete, walking towards us. “Keep cool,” I told myself. “There’s got to b...