Bonaire Bounty

Our new flock of guests Jim and Renee have arrived to visit us on the Dutch island of Bonaire and Don and I are so glad to have them. What a wonderful feeling to make contact again with friends from the long ago past, sharing memories and enjoying new adventures.  Jim, a restaurateur from Berkeley and owner of the famous Mexican restaurant Picante delighted us with fine cuisine, delicious wine, and introduced us to the pleasures of good balsamic vinegar and Don Julio tequila. Thank you Jim, we never knew what we were missing!

Renee is an old friend of mine from nursing school and I am so excited to have reconnected. She discovered the fun of scuba diving and we very much enjoyed blowing bubbles together, reminiscing about the hell that was nursing school, and enjoying Jim's fabulous cooking. She also brought chocolate, our favorite kind of guest!

Bonaire is not all crystal clear water and pristine coral reefs. There is plenty of stark desert beauty as well and a road trip allowed us to explore all of the bounty this tiny island has to offer. Cactus trees, century plants, and agave plants are the main flora and Bonaire has produced a cactus liqueur called Caduchy meaning sweet cactus. Cactus has long been harvested by the local population and used in soups, teas and breads and has now made its way onto the tourist market. An enterprising couple from Holland, now making their home on Bonaire, are attempting to create a market for this unique liqueur and they have branched out with flavors based on the different Dutch Islands. Cactus lime (green) for Bonaire, Spices of Saba (amber), Calbas of Curacao (purple) and many others. There is even an orange liqueur for the Royal House of Orange, the ruling house of Holland. Jim and I did some experimenting and came up with a new favorite ship's sundowner. One part Cactus Lime Cadushy liqueur, two parts Grey Goose vodka, the juice of two limes, and LOTS of ice for blending. Add one martini glass and you have a wonderful concoction now forever known as a Lime Popcicle. I definitely think we will be adding it to the onboard guest menu!  Checkout their website www.cadushy.com.

Cactus fences keep out the local fauna of wild donkeys and goats brought to the island by the Dutch and Spanish sailing ships of the past. Driving can be hazardous and we had to be constantly on the lookout for rogue trespassers. 


An off road led us to the huge coral formations that are found on the moonscape of the eastern coast. Looking like they had dropped from the sky or placed by a giant hand in random sequence, ancient Indians used the position of the formations to keep track of star constellations.

Passing the huge pyramids of salt that provide the industrial mainstay for the island I was excited to see the pinks of the salt beds that mark one of the many types of salt found here. 
Returning to our floating home and another incredible sunset that this island has continuously gifted us with, Don and I are so glad to have finally made it to this incredibly diverse spot. Bonaire, an interesting study in contrasting ecosystems existing side by side, both above and below the water.