Bon Bini na Curacao

Bon Bini  means "welcome" in Papiamentu - the local language in Curacao, which combines elements of Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese French and English. More on that later, but first, a bit about our "bon bini" to Curacao :).

June 30, 2012 - It was pitch black outside when our flight touched down at 8:30 PM at the Curacao International Airport . One of the unfortunate downfalls to visiting the southern Caribbean in the summertime is that the days are actually shorter than they are in North Carolina. Being located so close to the equator means that days are equal length throughout the year, with a standard 12 hours of daylight year round.

Despite our on-time arrival, there was quite a bit of trouble getting the jet bridge out to our aircraft. Apparently the jet bridges were a recent additional to this small Caribbean outpost and the staff was not well initiated with the operation of these new gadgets. After a 30 minute effort to get the jet bridges to operate properly, it was decided that we would deplane the old-fashioned way. And I can't say I was disappointed; there is something timeless about deplaning by stairs. Yes, it can be a bit of a hassle, but it's hard not to feel just a tiny bit important; like someone might snap your photo at anytime. Heck, that's how all the celebrities seems to exit an airplane! A pleasant tropical breeze greeted us as we stepped off the plane into the humid night air. The temperature was a comfortable 80 degrees, and as we walked down the stairs and along the tarmac, it began to sink in that we had arrived in paradise. 

We passed through immigration and customs without much fuss, quickly collected our bags, and were immediately plopped back outside into the fresh air. I was surprised by the low-key group of taxi drivers that greeted us at the curb. In Mexico (along with every Latin American country I've been to), the taxi drivers bombard you with offers for their services and the whole procedure can feel quite overwhelming. This was certainly not the case here; we actually had to look around a bit to locate the taxi stand.  Once we made our intentions know, we quickly secured a driver who quoted us a fair price for the 20 minute ride into town and we were headed off into the night along the quiet road leading away from the airport.

Our route into Willemstad (the capital and only real "city" on the island) took us along narrow paved roads through both industrial and residential areas. We drove along a simple two-lane road that was periodically lit by dim street lights, passed a few roadside eateries here and there, and eventually came upon the Royal Dutch Shell oil refinery perched along the shores of the prominent Sint Anna Bay. The street lights became more frequent, and the buildings taller as we entered into the commercial zone and city center, which was alive with folks out and about enjoying their Saturday evening.

 View of the  Otrobanda neighborhood across Sint Anna Bay in Willemstad, Curacao.

The Journey [to Curacao] is The Destination

June 30, 2012 - Boarding the airplane in Miami, we got our first glimpse of the diversity we would see in Curacao. It was impossible to generalize about our fellow travelers; we were already hearing several different languages being spoken, and skin complexions ranged from pale white northern European to dark African tones. There were a few Americans here and there, but none stood out as novice travelers. In any case, it was a very different group than I had traveled with on my last flight to Cancun :).

Several folks I've chatted with about our trip to Curacao were surprised to learn how easy it is to get there. Indeed, this was a key reason for selecting it among other destinations in the Caribbean.  American Airlines offers twice daily flights seven days a week, and it is a relatively quick three hour plane ride from Miami. Despite the ease of arriving in Curacao, part of its allure (to me at least) was its obscurity in the American psyche; very few Americans have any real perception of where Curacao is, let alone what type of culture exists there. This may change in the coming years as the Curacao turism board looks to grow the tourism business (their efforts were on display in a recent episode of The Bachelorette that was set in Curacao - Youtube "sneak peak" is here if you can't stand a full episode), but for now it remains a unique little island off the coast of Venezuela with a diverse mix of cultural influences and a limited number of American tourist.

Go before everyone finds out about it!

Vacation! But First, A Derecho!

Well, I'm happy to report that our vacation to Curacao was a great success! It was a whirlwind week of fun-in-the-sun in the Caribbean, and I've finally found some time to share a few anecdotes from the trip. There are so many aspects of the the experience that I'd like to blog about, but I'll start with sharing a little excitement from Day 1.

June 29, 2012 - The trip started out with an eventful drive up to D.C. on Friday night due to an unexpected line of summer thunderstorms with hurricane force winds that quickly swept across the midwest and slammed the east coast mid-way through my 4-hour drive. After learning that the storms were approaching, I exited the main highway (I-95), and started up US 1 in hopes of avoiding the worst of the storm traffic. Soon thereafter, the wind picked up and leaves and other small debris started to fly across the road. It began the rain heavily, and the frequency and size of debris increased as well. The placement of the debris was difficult to anticipate and the conditions made for highly unpredictable driving. I decided to pull over, but even that choice brought potential danger as I saw the large pine trees teetering overhead. I eventually opted for a spot with minimal tree cover, tuned the radio to a "calming" classical station and put it on full blast to block out the crazy storm sounds whirling all around my lightweight vehicle. The worst of the storm passed about 10 minutes later, but the effects of the storm continued to be felt along the remainder of my route as downed trees blocked portions of the highway and slowed traffic considerably. Finally, I made it to my destination safely (albeit 2 hours later than I had anticipated), and we were able to catch our 1pm flight the next day without any issue. We later learned that the line of thunderstorms was actually a derecho, and that millions of D.C.-area residents were without power for several days afterwards (in 100-degree heat!). Our escape to 85-degree weather couldn't have been better timed :).