Curacao

A long-planned family trip to the Caribbean is unfolding this week. About a year ago, we talked about taking a family trip, and settled on the ten day period around Thanksgiving, when everyone would be able to travel. Months passed. A location was identified, the Baoase Resort in Curacao, one of the so-called ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), just off the coast of Venezuela. Today Curacao is an independent country and part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. I’m not exactly sure what that means, and the currency is still the ANG, Antillean Guilder (US 1 = 1.8 ANG).

L: Leaving Eureka (Trinidad Head in the distance), 4 pm; R: Leaving Los Angeles, 11 pm

It’s a long way to travel, but the region rarely gets hurricanes or heavy rain during the end of November. Finally, the day came. We left Eureka at 3:40 pm, changed planes in Los Angeles, where we met part of the family. The flight from LAX to Miami was an “overnight” flight of six hours, plus 3 hours of time change, bringing us to Miami at 7:30 am with three hours until the final leg to Curacao. By the time we were in the air we were all very tired, and no one was very certain what time it was. Fortunately, all our flights were on time and we picked up our rental cars without any difficulty. We dropped the first group at the hotel and checked in, then returned to the airport to pick up Lily and Neil, who arrived on the next flight from Miami. By 5 pm we had all arrived, many hours after we left home. A brief nap, a tour of the resort with a young Dutch staff member, and we were all set.

There are eight of us including the baby, so we have a villa with its own pool. Lovely, quite private, and comfortable. Dipping in the pool was the first order of business. We’re provided with a floating mat, perfect for staring up into the palm fronds. Some of our group are sensitive to the sun, and our pool is shaded most of the day. Everyone has a place to sit comfortably, in the sun or in the shade. We spent our first days here lounging in different spots–our pool, the lagoon, the bar/restaurant area.

There are pretty tropical fish in the lagoon and just outside along the rocks and coral. The sea has been quite calm most of the time, making snorkeling effortless. We’ve floated past schools of dark blue Tang fish, so bright they appear neon. We’ve seen hundreds of small fish and tiny minnows busily combing the coral or the sandy bottom for food. There’s an occasional boxfish, puffer fish, trumpet fish, and even a small barracuda. The parrotfish are the most colorful, blue, pink, multicolor, even checkerboard.

Some tropical fish in Curacao (by Matthew Trader)

It’s not just the fish that makes snorkeling enjoyable here. I float on the surface, breathing easily through the snorkel, moving slowly with just a wave of my toes in swim fins. The scene is constantly changing and relaxing. There hasn’t been rough surf, wind, or strong currents, each of which requires greater attention. Easy vacation snorkeling!

When we’re not in the water, there are loungers by the lagoon. Amanda and Jim hustle out in the morning and set up in a cabana that provides at least a bit of shade so that Aurora won’t get too much sun. So far no sun rash, and she’s a natural in the water like her parents. She may not know how to swim, but she knows that she wants to go in the water. They found the perfect floating seat for her and their family swim in the lagoon is very sweet.

Meals are a very big deal here. There are fruity cocktails, an “Arrivée” tray of focaccia, fried polenta sticks, and savory seed-filled crackers. Drinks are served, the menu arrives, and then, very slowly, lunch arrives. In the afternoon there is time for another swim, snorkeling, a nap, reading, beachcombing, or a field trip (more about that in my next post).

Watching the sunset is another great pleasure. We’re in the tropics, where sunset is around the same time all year long. Curacao is close to the Equator (12° N), and in November, the sun sets around 6 pm. That’s also the hour when most cruise ships depart, and sail into the sunset, literally. We watched the vast Symphony of the Seas (5-6,000 passengers), and the sail-assisted cruise ship Club Med 2, leave the harbor yesterday at sunset.

By the time the sunset is over and we’ve finished chatting, it is dark and about time for dinner. We’re on the all-inclusive plan, and there are some festive cocktails with fruit juice and rum, or with Blue Curacao, the signature alcoholic beverage of the island.

We go to dinner around 7 pm, sometimes finishing at 9:30 pm. The food is delicious and creative, but we’re going to try and speed up the process a bit, so there is time for some conversation or a game after dinner. So far, after dinner most of us take a short stroll or go straight to bed.

(Clockwise from top left): Quinoa salad bite w/pea shoots; Tuna tartare w/radish leaves; Hamachi ceviche; chocolate dessert with caramelized popcorn, gold-spangled sugar spiral, and apple bites topped with caramel Buddha heads; raspberry dessert including dragon fruit topped with a raspberry mouse Buddha head [The butter also comes in Buddha head shapes.]

The rooms are all air-conditioned and we’ve slept well. The bathrooms are indoor and the showers are all open-air, which is fun. An orange cheeked parakeet sometimes sits on the wire outside the upstairs shower, watching with great curiosity.

It would be easy to spend our entire visit inside the resort moving from beach to pool to dining room and back again. We’ve played gin, and Yahtzee, and listened to a bit of music, but floating in the water and lounging in the warm atmosphere has been our principal activity. In my next post, I’ll show you what we’ve seen outside the resort. I may add a couple more photos to this post, too. Please come back and have another look.