Adventures Abroad: Catch up from Curaçao

So it seems that it's been quite a few days since I've posted on here, so I'm going to spend some time updating you all on what has been going in as I sit on the proxy of Dolphin Suites in Curaçao staring off into a beautiful night.

Let's begin with Thursday. I had Thursday completely off from class, so I was hoping to go with some people to go to the SE part of the island to learn how to windsurf at Lac Bay during that time. I guess that didn't work out, because I spent the majority of the day doing homework... I did, however, get to do some snorkeling in the morning though. One of the magical things about Bonaire (and being at Hamlet) is that it's so close to the water; you can go swimming whenever you want, for however long you want, for as many times as you want. It's always there, and the reefs around Hamlet are pretty amazing I'm starting to realize. Each time I go out there, I see something new and fascinating. It's a whole world of life down under the surface of the water and there's so much more to see deeper in the ocean. It makes me somewhat jealous that I am not getting a dive certification while I'm here, but at least there's that opportunity to snorkel in some pretty pristine waters. Although the visibility has been getting pretty poor the last week due to upwelling, there's still a lot to see. Besides homework and snorkeling, I really don't think I did much else that day it if the ordinary... It definitely was a catch up day in terms of work and introvert time.

On Friday, we decided to work on a group project before class so I hauled myself out of bed to catch the 8:15 ride to the research station. We got some good work done before class at 11:30, but we didn't end up finishing the entire assignment which involved re-zoning Bonaire's marine protected areas to optimize sustainability and eco-friendliness for future years. Class wasn't too bad either--it was a discussion about a scientific paper we read, about ocean acidification and climate change. A very relevant topic indeed, and one that we covered briefly in Palma. After class and lunch, we had a meeting about details concerning our Intercultural Experience trip to Curaçao, which glossed over small details we needed to know about the trip. It's weird because administration tells us information, but I feel they never give us the whole story--it leaves all of us in the dark and it's kind of frustrating, but it works out in the end with is the most important thing I guess. After the meeting finished, I completed some more homework before heading home and going to dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant that just re-opened after the owner's vacation time. It was probably one of the fancier restaurants I've eaten at: the decor was very modern, the dishes were very high quality, and the food and atmosphere were quite upscale, especially for a Bonairean restaurant. It was a nice change of pace from the meals we have been getting though. We then went back to Hamlet, and spent some time out near the water chatting before going to bed.

(The outside of the fancy italian restaurant)

(Inside the outside dining area)

(Artsy photo)

(Artsy food photo--pasta cabonara, which was delicious!)

(A little pricey, but would definitely recommend if any of you come to Bonaire)

(Another view of the outside)

Saturday ended up being another homework and snorkel day. Literally I woke up, got around to doing homework, snorkeled for a bit, worked on the group project with my group, went to dinner at Run Runners (for the second time!), went back home, did more homework, packed, and went to bed. It was a pretty uneventful day. We have quite a bit of work to complete here... I guess part of it is because I am going to be in Curaçao Sunday-Tuesday on this Intercultural Experience weekend so I'll have less time to complete it. Regardless, it's a lot of homework to handle...

(Brought my phone to snorkel with me)

(The sign outside the Hamlet dive shop)

(Yellow rocks denote entrance sites; yellow sub is the site next to the research station)

(Dive site where we are staying! Certainly an oasis)

(Steps down to the dive site)

(A beautiful sunset!)

Today, I woke up at 4:30 to finish packing and to ready to leave for the airport at 5:30. It was still dark when we left, and pretty bleak. But we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, whipped through customs and security (one line for each at Bonaire's tiny airport!), and were quickly on our way to Curaçao on Insel Air's Fokker 50, a small turboprop plane. It certainly did the job for our 20 minute flight, one of the shortest I have ever been on, but it was quite the bumpy and cramped journey. Oh well, I'm sure the tickets were cheap. We got to Curaçao at 7:30, taxied over to Dolphin Suites where we are staying, and then quickly shambled over to the beach to rest out into the sun. Two things I noticed about Curaçao right away--one, the island is much more developed. Designated as the international hub for all goods coming into the Caribbean, this island sees a lot of ships. A lot. There's even an oil refinery, which products will eventually be shipped off to other islands to supply fuel. The resort that we are staying at is quite nice though. It's a suite style living so we have a common area, two bedrooms, and a nice patio as well. It's super close to the water and the aquarium, but very isolated from the town, the airport, everything else. It's as if people come here and to forget their worries from home but also forget about the local culture as well because these results are mini-paradises in themselves. I will say that Curaçao is certainly a nice island but I am a not sure that people would go there just for adventures. After laying out on the beach and having a little orientation, we were directed towards some dinner places, where we found a decent Mediterranean place to eat. I ended up getting a chicken shwarma plate which was quite good! We wandered around the resort after dinner before stumbling upon a party of sorts at the end of the resort. We went in to check it out--definitely a crowded and hopping place. I didn't stay for very long though, before heading back to the suite.