Retina Repair

I had a retinal detachment in my left eye. No pain just had floaters and flashes.  Since I had a detachment in my right eye many years ago, I recognized the symptoms.

Off to my GP for a referral to the ophthalmologist. Because of the urgency of the issue, they got me in to see the specialist immediately. Usually it takes months to get an appointment. There is only one ophthalmologist on the island.  When she is on vacation they bring one in from Aruba.  Through the repair procedure, I got to see both.

I was very impressed with the level of treatment and at no cost.  The Doctor identified a small tear and was able to use a Laser treatment for the repair.  The procedure was done in the office and took only 15 minutes.  No pain from the procedure just bright lights that make you want to slam your eye shut but you can't because it's dilated and forced open by clamps.

I have periodic check ups over the next month.  I can't lift anything or bend over too much or do anything that puts pressure on my eye.  In 30 days it should be all better and I can get back to my life.  In the meantime, I will just float in the pool and let Ricky-Bob bring me cocktails.

Fly Overs

Twice a day we have been on the travel route for parrots crossing the island.  Rick took this photo of 8 of the 30 some parrots that were resting on the power lines. 

The fly overs occur in the morning and evening and are accompanied by high pitched loud squawking from all of them. 

It was such an amazing sight that neighbors were calling to alert us to the event that they were seeing.

The Flamboyant tree in our garden, blooms with red flowers year around.  It attracts humming birds and parrots.  The parrots eat the seed pods on the tree by hanging on the limbs upside-down. Part of the fly overs include feeding on the the seed pods since there are no ripe mangos on the tree.

Even though we have had Mango Wars with the parrots, it is always an amazing site to see them in the wild.  They are very vocal birds and always travel with their mates. We always hear them coming before we see them.

 
 

Reconfigured bedroom

We converted the small bedroom to a TV lounge. I really missed our recliners and a place to watch TV in the main house.  It is now my favorite room in the house.

We found a couch that has two recliners which is a perfect for us and oh so comfy! 
 

At the other end of the room we moved our printer and wine cooler and placed the TV on the chest of draws.  We kept the small, orange Dutch chair, foot stool and African art in orange. These our our accent colors along with storage for a case of Bright (beer) and Coke Zero.

We put our printer and office supplies in the reconfigured armoire.  We found a little Ikea case that fits nicely next to the armoire that holds our little wine cooler. Rick is a master at putting these things together and finding 110 outlets for all the equipment. 

If we ever need to convert the room back to a bedroom or need an extra bed we got it covered.  The twin bed went in the storage closet in the apartment. 

After a year of living here, we a finally making things comfortable for us.

International Drivers license

A friend of ours who has traveled internationally for 20 years, suggested we get an international drivers permit for our upcoming trip to Europe.  Seems like an easy task when you are in the US but not so easy if you are in Bonaire.

Once again we set off to the drivers license office.  We asked to speak with Lionel, the head dude. He said they could issue the license.  

He sent us out for another scavenger hunt to get all the things we needed: passport picture and a receipt for the fee.  Sounds simple.  We went to the photo shop to get photos and the power went off in the store.  They asked us to return when the power came back on.  We went to the government office that issues licenses and idenfication cards to pay the fee.   They would not let us in the office without a appointment that has to be made on line.  We return home empty handed.

We made an appointment to pay the fee.  The first available time slot was August 2...two months from now! This office is the slowest, most under staffed office on the island.  Yet everything you need has to go through this office.  As a result it takes weeks and months to get anything completed from the government. 

We called the photo shop and the power was back on so we head back to get our photos taken. Paid our money and got 2 passport type photos.

Monday, we go back to see Lionel to get our international drivers license. Since we haven't been able to pay the fee we hope to talk them into giving us the license and trust us to pay later.  Doubt that will work.   

 

Land Sailing

We went land sailing today.  Well actually, Rick and our friends went land sailing.  I was grounded because of recent eye surgery. I cheered them on from the side of the track.

A couple from New Zealand, who are competitive land sailing professionals, opened up a track on Bonaire several years ago.  Since the wind always blows in Bonaire it was perfect spot for them to open a recreational land sailing site. The track is on the northeast side of the island.  The location has spectacular views of the ocean with waves crashing onto the rocky shore.

The carts (called blokarts) have no motor just three wheels and a sail.  It is all powered by wind.  A rope is used to control speed with a steering bar for maneuvering the corners. They give you a briefing, helmet and gloves and you are off to enjoy the track and sailing.

You can go a fast or slow as you wish. The track runs clockwise which is the New Zealand way ( Americans only have clockwise tracks for racing).

Its a nice long track with two turns, a pit stop area, and shortcuts. After the first couple of laps you are an experienced land sailor. 

The owners say any age person can do this because it is relatively easy and safe. They also give discounts to residents of the island.  For $20 you can have a great time.

Next time, and there will be a next time, I will join the group in lapping the track.

 

Containers

Shipping containers are everywhere on Bonaire.  Everything that comes on this island comes in a shipping container. Many people own a container that they keep in their yard. Containers are used for storage, tiny houses, office buildings, workshops, garages and  extra bedrooms. 

A used shipping container costs about $3500. They are delivered and set in the yard with a crane.  Some people paint them to match their house. Some are rebuilt for a new purpose.

There are few garages and commercial storage places so this is a perfect selection for the least beautiful way to store stuff. 

Our window supplier said there was a shortage of shipping containers worldwide after Covid.  He could not get timely orders for steel, glass, and aluminum. It seems to me that shipping containers don't just disappear.  The shortage must indicate that the containers are just not where they need to be in order to efficiently move goods around the world.

We have also heard that shipping companies are hording containers to affect prices.  What ever the cause, I think I have a solution.

Come to Bonaire and pick up the thousands of containers that litter the island and let get things moving again!

Night Sky

Rick has a fascination with the stars and night skies.  We  watch the constellations move in the night sky  and try to identify them using an app on his phone. The constellations and stars we see in Bonaire are different than the ones in Colorado. 

Most recently we stayed up late to watch the lunar eclipse. It was so cool to see the orange moon and the shadow pass over it. We had a very clear night which is a rarity recently because of cloud cover and dust storms.

Bonaire also has areas with no city lights.  When it is dark it is really dark.  This enables us to see not only a bright orange moon but also the Milky Way.

One of our fascinations is seeing the southern Cross which lies at the southern end of the Milky Way band. We only see it this time of year as it is usually below the horizon. It appears in the southern sky low on the horizon.

The cross serves as a convenient pointer to the south celestial pole, making it useful in navigation. The constellation has been used as an insignia on the flags and stamps of many southern hemisphere nations, including Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Papua New Guinea and regions of Chile and Argentina.

Every time I see the Southern Cross in the sky I recall the lyrics of the song by Crosby, Nash and Young:

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time

You understand now why you came this way

 
 

Botanic Gardens

Bonaire has a Botanic garden...sort of. A naturalist couple have put together a garden of native plants that have medicinal qualities.  They have trees, bushes, orchids, aloe vera's, cactus and plants that are not marked or identified.  There are no maps of the trails and no tour guides. We were lucky we found our way out of the place.

I think the handmade art and displays were the most interesting part of the garden.  This was a wood piece that is made from roots and branches. One of the displays is a table of bones.  We think they were animal bones. Creepy nevertheless.

 

A wishing well lined with rusted sewing machines was an interesting find. The trails lead you around the grounds that are overgrown but make the spot very cozy and lush. The water features were very interesting.

Since it's an organic garden, they use animal manure for fertilizer.  They also compost.  They had rabbits, ducks, geese, sheep, goats and lambs.  These were two of the new additions to the lamb population.

A bed was one of the displays.  Since they do homeopathic "medicine" at the garden, I suppose this is one of the areas they use for treatment? or maybe its just a day spa kind-a thing? or maybe just some odd bed placed in the trail to confuse visitors?

This sculpture of dolphins and sea shells was at the entrance of the gardens. And, what Caribbean garden would be complete without a  5-foot tall totem pole.

Window Saga #3

When the windows were being installed, they found one window that was too small.  The installers left with one window remaining to be set in place.  The workmen, in their broken English, said we would need to speak to the office for an answer.  We  also tried to get them to caulk the outside of the windows.  To which the workman said:  "we only do what the office tells us".

We call the office.  The manager tells us he thinks he has enough material to rebuild a new window that fits and we should have it in one week.

In one week, the installers return and replace the new window. Again, they caulk the inside and leave the outside without caulk. We notice, while washing the window (they only install and do not wash or clean up) that the tint on the new window does not match the other windows. We call the manager.

A nice young Dutch man, who recently bought the window company, comes to our house to inspect the windows.  Sure enough, he sees the tint is not correct.  He will send someone out to replace the window glass. He informs us that they don't like using the local available caulk for the outside of the windows as it does not perform well.  He is waiting for a shipment of good caulk.

In the meantime, I posted the old windows on market place for free if someone wants to pick them up.  Understand that the old windows had no handles, only a few screens, they didn't close and most couldn't open. Some got bent in the replacement process. Nevertheless, I had 20 people respond that they would take the old windows.  A young woman who is building a house came and got the windows.  She has been saving for 10 years to buy land and build. The locals are very poor and the housing prices have skyrocketed here making it impossible for them to find and afford housing.  Free windows enabled her to enclose her house. 

 

Dia di Rincon

At the end of Simadan (harvest) it is time for Dia di Rincon, a cultural event in the old city of Rincon.  It is a 30 year tradition that happens annually on April 30.  It hasn't happen in 2 years due to the pandemic so they pulled out all the crazy for this celebration.

Rincon is a town in the interior of the island.  Historically, it was a town where the slaves lived.  This weekend it was turned into a street celebration with parades, local music concerts, and local food booths. 

Everyone on the island was in Rincon on Saturday and it was a party. They closed off the center of town and partied all day and night. There were food booths that serve local food known as  "krioyo” and includes dishes such as fresh fish, funchi (think polenta fries), rice, and different types of stews. The stews are usually goat or iguana (neither are to our liking).  Everyone was grilling chicken, ribs, chorizo, and fish in their yards, drive ways and patios. Everyone was selling beers too.

The parade was a spectacular, colorful display of Caribbean costumes.  The women's costumes were complete with hats, fans, purses and matching shoes.  The men wore matching suits to the women's outfits which included pink, turquois, orange and brown. They danced through the streets in huge groups to music blaring from the local bands playing island music from flatbed trucks carrying big sound systems. Everyone carried drinks, danced, sang and put on a fabulous show. 

 

Three stages were set up around the town where local bands played concerts.  It was music we have never heard but all the locals were singing along so we figured they played popular tunes.  There are several radio stations on the island that play local music.  We should probably listen to them once in a while to get our steel band/Caribbean vibe fix.

More fun pictures of the parade...