A GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END
Our last week in Bonaire was very busy with four consecutive nights out to dinner saying goodbye to our cruising friends. We also went diving nearly every day and we sadly realized that we may never experience such easy and delightful diving on a daily basis ever again. So as you can guess it was with some regret that we left Bonaire on Tuesday 14th October and headed west forty miles to Curacao. We anchored on the island of Kline Curacao (some 10 miles out from our destination) for lunch and enjoyed a few hours swimming in sparkling clear aqua water alongside a stunning white sandy beach.
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| Crystal Casino and the Ralph Lauren annex |
A PIT STOP
The purpose for stopping again at Curacao was to refill our cooking gas bottles, however this turned out to be tricky. The gas station said to be unreliable with both supply and opening hours could only be accessed by hiring a car. Some cruisers reported phoning before driving there only to find them shut upon arrival. We only stayed for three days, the first day to check in, the last day to check out and one in the middle to catch up with cruising friends and enjoy happy hour at the bar.
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| Shopping arcade |
THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN
So we sailed 75 miles to Aruba which is the most western island of the ABC chain. We had heard that Aruba was very industrial and not much of a stop. This is true of one end of the island where the petro-chemical industry is present, but the other end of the island is upmarket and frequented by many cruise ships. There are numerous expensive jewelry and brand name shops, beautiful beaches and first class holiday accommodation. Customs and immigration came down to the wharf when we arrived and the check in process took about one hour. We dropped off our gas bottles at the ships chandlery and they took them away to be refilled at no cost to us - things were looking up.
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| Cruise ship at the dock |
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| Early 1920s house restored |
We have been catching the very efficient local busses to shop and also have a look around this beautiful island. We went out to Budget Marine and amongst other things purchased a new fishing rod. When sailing to Aruba we caught a big Mahi Mahi but unfortunately he snapped the line and got away. We have lost a few fish recently and so we have now upgraded our gear - look out fish. We also went to a bulk supermarket Price Smart similar to Cosco in the USA. It is usually members only shopping but a one day pass is available for visitors. I was very glad of the opportunity to stock up on nuts and dried fruit and few other hard to find items.
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| Walkway and cycle path beside the runway |
FRIENDS AT HAND
We are anchored next to English friends Mark and Sue on Macushla. They are heading for the Panama and the Pacific early 2015. We had drinks on their boat a few nights ago and it is our turn to host drinks tonight on Eye Candy. We first met Mark and Sue in the Canary Islands as we exited the Med. After being on the water for nine years I suppose it is small wonder that we run into people we know.
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| Beach-side hotels |
SO WHAT'S NEXT
Well this is the million dollar question.
We are debating whether to come through the Panama in 2015 or spend another year here. We would like to visit South America and maybe Costa Rica and Nicaragua. So we are asking ourselves, what's the rush?
Anyhow regardless of the outcome of this debate, we will continue on to Colombia as soon as a weather window is available. At this stage it looks like it could be as soon as this weekend.
Love Candy cc
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