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Ah….waking up in another port, Willemstad, Curaçao (pronounced: Kara-sew)
Curaçao was formerly part of the Curaçao and Dependencies colony from 1815 to 1954 and later the Netherlands Antilles from 1954 to 2010, as Island Territory of Curaçao.
Having never been here before, I was excited. I was up early, grabbed breakfast and headed to the theater for our excursion call.
This tour led us through the country side. Our guide, who was going to college to study tourism, gave us some history, both from her perspective, history she was taught and history she was told (verbal history is still prevalent in this area).
Our guide brought us out to some old salt flats. These shallow flats span acres and acres. Salt was one of Curacao’s largest export in the colonial days. They used slave labor to mine/harvest it.
When the industry shifted, the flats were abandoned. Now they are home to Pink Flamingos. Flamingos are actually born white, but as they age and eat more on the shrimp in the slats, they get their pink color.
After passing a few flats, we headed to the Hato Caves while our guide told us about the foods most common to the area.
Hato Caves are show caves, publicly accessible since 1991 and a popular tourist attraction on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. The caves consist of marine coral limestone, which accumulated over millions of years and after sea levels had dropped were exposed to atmospheric corrosion and karstic processes. (Source: Wikipedia)
Before we left the bus, the guide told us that we needed to pay heed to not touch a certain tree (Manchineel) or its seeds/fruit. The fruits and especially the seeds are poisonous and can cause temporary blindness, and the spa exuded causes rash and irritation. If we did touch them, we to just make sure to wash throughly with soap.
Our groups, as were others, was too large to go in all at once, they they split us into two and assigned each group their own guide. It was a hike up to the entrance of the cave. Our guide took us inside the cave and explained how the cave formed and when. He showed us examples of Stalactites, which hang (tight) from the ceiling and are formed when water drips from the ceiling leaving deposits of minerals behind. Not always, but beneath Stalagmites, which are formed from water deposits what minerals are left in it. And, when the two meet, they for a Column.
The cave system had many chambers. Those closest to the exterior we home to several (dozens) bats. These were fruit bats, tiny little things that ate fruit and pollenated plants. What fruit? Well, that poisonous fruit of course. Seems they are immune
Some of the rock formations also appeared represent figures and shapes, though I won’t spoil them as some people saw them and others did not until they were told (ad a few could not see them at all). I won’t ruin the discovery for you.
Now our bus takes up to the Curaçao Liqueur Distillery. I cannot say I’ve had a lot of drinks with Curaçao Liqueur or Triple-sec, but I enjoy history and discovery and this had both. The history of how it came about is captivating. Seems the soil was not conducive to producing sweet oranges and they were small. One day, someone was walking through the orchard and stepped on a fruit that had fallen and dried. The aroma that was released was exhilarating and he tried to figure out a way to capture it. Eventually, they figured out how to distill it in a copper still. It is amazing that they still use the same copper still that has been used since 1896 and they take you right up to it.
The ingredients are simple, but the quantities are a trade secret of course. Once through the tour, there were tastings and I partook. They had the original flavor (and the colors make no difference, they are just that, colors) and a couple of flavors. They have a coffee flavor, a rum raisin flavor, a tamarind flavor, and the best… chocolate.
Okay, I might be biased, loving chocolate, but I had a tour mate take the samples and hand them to me blind. With my eyes closed and my back to the table, I tried each and the two that stood out well were the tamarind and the chocolate. I bought a bottle of the latter to take home.
After our tour here, we headed to the Museum.
This museum held artifacts and history, as well as new “modern art”. Our guide took us through the rooms, explaining each room and its use, dining hall, living room, bedroom, and kitchen. The kitchen walls were all painted red with white polka dots. Our guide asked if anyone knew why and not one of us did. She explained that the combinations of red with white dots not only confused, but repelled the mosquitoes. She also showed us examples of wall cancer (which looks like the paint bubbling off) and how the walls need to be repaired every few years.
As for the modern are, I am not sure I got it, but that is the thing about modern art… it is not for everyone.
Our tour was ending and instead of talking us to the port, bus took us into Wilemstad for those of us who wanted to get off.
The historic centre of the city consists of four quarters: the Punda and Otrobanda, which are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbour called the Schottegat, as well as the Scharloo and Pietermaai Smal quarters, which are across from each other on the smaller Waaigat harbour. (Source: Wikipedia)
Punda and Otrobanda are separated by a “floating” bridge called Queen Emma Bridge. It is built on pontoons that can and is moved to make way for boats and ships to travel into the natural harbor. They have two flags when they do this, depending on the time the bridge needs to be closed. Blue was a short time, under 10 or 20 minutes. However, orange was any time longer than 20 minutes. But, not to worry because if it was an orange flag, ferries were there to make crossings painless (and free).
The town is distinctively Dutch in style and is very walkable. After crossing the bridge into Punda, I stopped at “Caribbean Breeze Italian Ice”. They had posted in our facebook group and though I did not make note of where they were (no wifi coverage that I trusted in town), I glad I found them.
I asked one of the proprietors to surprise when I ask me what flavor I wanted. He then proceeded to put three flavors in my cone and they were delicious. “Who knew a Philly Eagles fan had taste?”, I teased them on Facebook. If you are ever there, look for them… they’ll treat you right.
I walked along the streets (seems like a song should be there….) and stopped in several shops. I was not looking for anything in particular, just browsing. One shop though had some really nice shirts. They were Bamboo and they were in my size. The issue is, bamboo shirts are generally expensive. They are nice, but at $150 a pop, I cannot justify that. Still, the owner kept showing me them and having me try them on. I have to admit, they were light and comfy. But I just wanted a nice Hawaiian style shirt. He took the two bamboo shirts I liked up to the counter and said he’d sell me both for $50 each. I looked the shirts over, making sure they were not seconds/defects. I found nothing wrong with them. Still hesitant, he threw in the Hawaiian shirt for only $20. I think I came out ahead.
I wandered some more, stopping in several shops but nothing catching my eye, or finding the prices higher than I was willing to spend. One shop had some really nice watches, but I wear an Apple Watch and that does me just fine. Looking at my watch, it should head back. I don’t want to be a ship chaser running down at the last minute.
So, I make my way back to the ship. There, I find two lines to board and they are a decent size. I had that bottle of liquor in my day pack and I know others bought some too, so I suspected that was the cause. Both lines were moving about the same pace, so I picked one and made it onboard.
I went straight to my cabin and puts things away, then freshened up a bit before my dinner reservation with Tim and his family. It was still early, maybe I could get a chapter or two and grab a drink. I decide against reading…I’d hate to get lost in my book or have to stop in the middle of something interesting because I had to leave. So, I settle for a drink and head to the railing. I look out and the lines to get back on has joined at one point and was nearly to the check point. At least they are not ALL waiting to the last minute.
I had made plans for dinner. Tim and his wife, Marialena, had expressed that they would love to share a meal with me since I was solo and they were three (with their daughter), so they always had an open seat. So this night, I had accepted.
We met at the entrance to the Venetian and proceeded to the table for a nice dinner. Stacey, their daughter, was just starting college and focusing on computer science (which is something I know about). She had not nailed down what part she wanted to focus on yet, and parts of the conversation were showing her options. We also talked about trips they had taken, places my wife and I had been to and what we still wanted to see.
I was glad to have met them and glad we exchanged emails. After dinner, we headed to the Stardust for the “Bennie and the Rest” show, the Elton John Tribute by Jason Ostrowski.
Jason said in his last show, a Billy Joel Tribute, that this show was all about Sir Elton John and he did not disappoint. He was flamboyant on stage with a chemistry and command of his supporting musicians. He told us more history of his career and of a narrow miss of actually meeting Elton John and how fate may still intervene.
I felt moved by his music again and could not help singing the songs I knew so well. Now, I know I cannot carry a tune… I even avoid karaoke if I can, but I could not help myself. At one time, I looked around at the audience and most of them were also singing along. After the show, Tim and his family went their way and I went mine.
Side note: After the cruise, I sent Jason an email through his website. I told him I had hoped to bump into him on the ship, but did not. I thanked for a wonderful show and shared my “meeting” story with him. I also shared the link to the first “review” or post I made here. I was not expecting a response, but got one within a few hours. Glad to see that he connects with fans.
The night was still young and tomorrow was a Sea day. I went up to the pool deck, grabbed a drink and watched the people for a few hours before I finally retired for the night.