What They Don't Tell You About Paradise

We love living on Bonaire. However Paradise is not always perfect. When you move to a Caribbean island there are things left unsaid.  If we knew the downside to Paradise would we still have moved? Well, Yes.  But we would still have liked to know.

Weather

The weather is not always perfect. August, September and October are hot. Really hot and muggy. It's the time we like to travel and get off the island for cooler surroundings. Rainy season comes next.  This makes every dirt road a muddy, washboard.  It also makes it difficult to live the outdoor lifestyle. Then the Trade Winds stop.  This means that there is no breeze to cool the island and keep the bugs away.

Clothing

All those t-shirts and shorts that we brought were too hot for tropical, hot weather.  We had to trade everything out for flimsy, thin shirts, light cotton everything, and swimsuits. Hats and sunglasses are standard daily wear. We also invested in sun shirts to protect us from the sun when in the water.

Deterioration

We love the sun and salt sea air.  However, it damages everything. Wood furniture bleaches and warps and looks weathered all the time.  Metal fixtures rust.  Car paint oxidizes and peals off the vehicle. Clothes hung outside to dry wear out faster and fade because of the sun damage to the material. Skin cancer and cataracts are prevalent on the island because of the sun exposure. House paint only lasts a few years.  Light colors for roofs and house walls are recommended to help keep things cool.  Hopefully, we will not deteriorate in these ways.

Food

Bonaire has many good restaurants that serve fresh food and well prepared meals.  The restaurants get the best food coming to the island.  The rest of us get food that is shipped from Curacao (an island 50 miles away) and points much more distant. It is not always fresh and the supply is limited.  Bonaire produces nothing but salt. We are at the mercy of the local groceries that typically cater to a Dutch population. 

No Mail

There is no mail on Bonaire.  There are no Amazon deliveries. FedEx and UPS take weeks to delivery.  Everything we want has to be shipped onto the island and is subject to import taxes and expensive shipping fees. This is why we use Mules (visitors who bring things to us when they visit). We also schedule shopping trips to the US.

Electrical Power

No matter what anyone says, you can not use 110v appliances in Bonaire as it is not the same as 110v in the US.  220v is the standard electricity on the island.  I have burned out  lamps and appliances trying to use converters and the 110v outlets. Power is not a sure thing on the island. 

We may not have been told about some of the downsides to living in Bonaire, but part of the fun is the learning about and experiencing life in Paradise.

Photo credit:  Paul Vogel