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.