Bonaire

I love Bonaire. It is billed as a diver’s paradise, and indeed most of the tourist trade is geared towards divers. I left the ship fully intending to dive, but the legistics were a problem. I couldn’t find a dive shop that could put me on a scheduled dive although I was told I could dive from their pier, as there was a beautiful reef right there, but I didn’t have a partner and didn’t want to dive alone. So I rented a moped instead and had a really wonderful day. There are paved roads that run the parimeter of this 112 sq mile Dutch (Netherlands) Antilles island right of the coast of Venezuela. The road is very narrow and there is very little traffic. It runs right by the sea, and the view is always beautiful. Sometimes the road is fully engulfed by vegatation and it appears like a tunnel. Other times you are surrounded on both sides with water. There are a lot of cacti and dessert vegetation and yet it is still plenty green. The air is dry and there were very few clouds in the sky. I passed through a flamingo sanctuary and saw a couple score of pink flamingos.

There are dive sites that surround the island and most are accessible directly from the shore. The dive sites are marked by painted-red rocks on the side of the road, and there is always a little space to park. Most tourists rent a car or truck for the week, and they drive themselves to the dozens of dive sites. They don’t need a dive boat and they are free to dive whenever the mood strikes. I really want to come back here for a week with another friend who is a certified diver and spend the week diving and riding mopeds around this georgous island. Anyone interested?