Exploring Curacao

Admiring the sea--which we do a lot...

If ever we needed a hurricane hole, Spanish Waters in Curacao would be it. The large bay is entered through a narrow channel, and once inside there are heaps of nooks and crannies. Compared to Grenada (which was chock-a-block), the place is half empty—and honestly, as a hurricane season destination, we can’t figure out why.

Pretty Punda--a more colourful Amsterdam

So far we rather like the place. It’s very arid—almost Arizona or Baja like: so evenings are cool (ish) and days are only mostly stinking hot. But it’s a dry heat. The anchorage may be the most comfortable we’ve been in, ever. Really. I’m trying to recall a calmer anchorage with a more regular breeze… The only downside is the ride to the dinghy dock is a bit far and if the trades are up, it can be wet.

At anchor entertainment consists of watching all sorts of small sailboats and windsurfers out for lessons and races—with nary a jet ski in sight (or within hearing). There’s good public transit, as well as a free shopping bus plus THREE big marine stores, a half dozen huge well-stocked grocery stores (many which offer shuttle service back to the dinghy dock), a great veggie market and, our latest find, The Wine Factory.

the floating bridge swings open for boat traffic

Even though we were after some of the most affordable wines Wine Factory manager Martin Jansen offered us tastes of everything, plus a great bonus—for every twelve bottles we bought he gave us one free. All the freebees were really special wines that he thought we’d enjoy. On top of the lovely service they also offer free delivery.

definitely NOT the jungle

So with our boat stocked back up for Latin America we were free to explore. New friends gave us a couple of tips while Evan was away in Baltimore (to reassure those who asked—he was working for a Vancouver company in Baltimore—we’re not looking at a return to the East Coast). The first tip was to save an hour or more on his airport entry he should fill out an online ED card before flying back here: http://www.curacao.com/en/directory/plan/getting-curacao/online-ed-card/

The second tip was taxis are bloody expensive and it’s actually cheaper to rent a car in advance then to take a cab from the airport back to the boat. So we had a car.

cactus

and caves

The island has a lot to offer: There are a few national parks, lots of museums, some great beaches and even a mall. We chose one park rather randomly—we had a picnic, we were hungry and Shete Boka National Park was next up along the road.

The stunning landscape was enough to keep us happy—though the heat took its toll. We look forward to more exploring before we set off again.

blowholes

and beaches