Our time on the Windward Islands came to an end and we left for the ABC Islands: Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. They belong to the Netherlands Antilles and are located only 30 miles north of Venezuela. After three days of sailing we reached Bonaire, a top destination for diving and snorkeling. There the coral reefs are protected and anchoring is forbidden, but there are about a dozen moorings. Unfortunately, all of them were taken when we arrived, so we had to go to the marina. Of course there was no harbour master on Sunday, but we got a warm welcome from someone else: a few big iguanas were sitting on the pontoon. They guarded our Bajka when we went to the small town custom clearance.
The next day we visited the island with a small rental car. In the shallow lakes there are many flamingos. The kids asked us: “Why are flamingos pink?”. Apparently it comes from the special algae and crabs, which contain carotenoids. Otherwise, the flamingos would be white.
There are also wild donkeys, but they are very shy. Sometimes they let you take a picture and then continue their own path.
On the windward side of the island, protected by a coral reef, one finds a paradise surfing spot. The 30 degrees warm water is turquoise blue, the wind blows with 20 knots and there are no waves.
With the boys we played “catch me” on this white beach. When they were tired we went on to the salt pans, where salt is produced by evaporation. The salt is stacked with conveyor belts to mountains, which can be seen from far. Some of them are pink.
Our next leg to Panama is known for its rough conditions and so we were waiting in Bonaire and Curacao for a good weather window. Only 3 weeks later the forecast showed winds below 20 knots. Our friends from New Zealand, who had left earlier, told us later that they had gusts up to 50kn and huge breaking waves …
So we had enough time to snorkel in different places. The most beautiful was on the small uninhabited island in the Bay of Bonaire. Despite the strong wind we spontaneously decided to go there with our dinghy. There were so many different kinds of fish like: Trompetfish, Parrotfish, Sergeant Major, and many more. The best way is to watch our video.
During this time Ilian snorkeled for the first time in his life. He likes to hang with his floaties on the surface of the water and watch the fish.
