Rum

Rum is the Caribbean's drink of choice.  Rick and I have been tasting rums for years.  Since we moved to Bonaire our tasting has become epic in our search for our favorite Rum.

Rum Week has allowed us to sample Rums from all over the world. However, Rum originated in the West Indies and is first mentioned in records from Barbados in about 1650.

"Big Black Dick" Rum is featured  at the Foxy Flamingo Bar and Restaurant in downtown Kralendijk. Great name but not our favorite. 

Generally, we drink our rum as a mixed drink, so we try not to spend an arm and a leg.  We have decided that we prefer spiced Rums.  Not the vanilla flavored caramel colored sweet spiced Rums (like Captain Morgan's and Sailor Jerry's) but the dark and golden Rums with flavors of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, aniseed, nutmeg or pepper. 

Cubaney was one of the first spiced Rums that we really liked. Distilled in the Dominican Republic. A golden spiced Rum that is about 68 proof.

Then we found Barcelo Imperial Onyx dark Rum from the Dominican Republic. This Rum is 76 proof and is made with cane sugar.  This has become our Rum of choice.  

Every Friday night we mix Rum and Cokes (we use Pepsi Max) for cocktail time.  We limit ourselves to only two drinks... otherwise we would turn into Captain Jack Sparrow and start swigging it directly out of the bottle.

 

Beach Cleanup

Bonaire has a trash problem.  The beaches, the Mundi (open space that is undeveloped)  and road sides are littered with plastic, paper, styrofoam, bottles, rope, fishing line and trash. 

Rick and I decided it was time to volunteer and do some clean-up.  Actually, I decided and made Rick go with me. Every Saturday morning from 9:00-10:00 a.m., volunteers gather to pick-up trash on the island. So we put on our sneakers, hats and sunglasses and headed out.

A different location is selected each Saturday.  This Saturday we were on the East shore.  We dove to the designated spot and were surprised at the number of cars and people (dozens) that were there for the cleanup. We were handed a trash bag and off we went to pick up trash on the beach.

We picked up bottlecaps, rope, wrappers, trash bags, plastic spoons, pieces of tires, and the usual trash. No matter how much we picked up, there was more to be done. We were sad that there is so much trash on our beaches.  

Our backs hurt after one hour but it was worth it.  We will continue to show up Saturday mornings for cleanup.
 
 

New Tree

When we were downsizing our things in Colorado, we culled the Christmas decorations down to one box and brought our "beachy" ornaments to Bonaire.  We already had a good collection of Christmas decorations but we now have more....which meant we had to get a Christmas tree.

We purchased a 4 foot tree which is a big downsize from our 6 foot and 12 foot trees we had in Colorado.  The Bonaire tree is perfect. We found a perfect place for it and the 50 feet of lights we strung.  Yes, that is not an exaggeration...50 feet of LED lights on a 4 foot tree. It's brilliant.

Storage is a much sought after commodity at our house and in most houses on Bonaire.  Our new tree came in a small box which will fit nicely in our storage hall.

The tree goes up in minutes and it only take 15 minutes of fluffing...compared to a full week of erecting the trees, fluffing and decorating that we did in Colorado.  Life is simpler now which is a good thing.

 

Home

We closed on our house in Colorado this week.  It took only took two months from the time we listed to the time we closed. Looking back it seemed like a short time.  Our anxiety level was high because the real estate market was unstable.  

It was a bitter-sweet experience.  We had lived in that house for 24 years and made many wonderful memories with family and friends.  However, the house became just an asset after three years away. The Colorado mountains and our family will be missed but the snow will not. 

Our home in Bonaire has become our sanctuary.  We have made many great friends and live an active lifestyle in a house that has indoor- outdoor living. The weather is great.  Island life is great.

We are home...again.

 

Workmen

One of the local cable companies was stringing cable on the power lines this last week.  Notice three guys on ladders at each pole stringing the cable.  This would never happen in the US for safety reasons.  However, on Bonaire its a regular occurrence. 

They yelled at each other to give instructions on stretching the cable between the poles.  They moved their ladders from pole to pole all the way down the street. They did have hard hats. 

Servicing air conditioners is an interesting process.  The workman "bags" the interior unit.  The "bag" has a gravity driven drain pipe.  The bag keeps the walls clean and the liquid contained.

They spray disinfectant, mold killing liquid into the unit and scrub and brush the interior.  Ours was full of mold and (Sahara) dust.

The construction labors often are covered from head to toe when working.  They wear black masks that cover their head and face like a ski mask, long- sleeved shirts and pants, usually with work boots. It is hot to be doing construction and I just can't get over how much they wear to protect them from the sun and heat.

This guy was waiting for lumber to be passed up to him.

Most work trucks on the island have short beds so lumber is packed on top of the trucks.  This guy is wearing a hoodie sweat shirt. It was 89 degrees and it felt like 101 degrees...and he is wearing a sweatshirt. He is passing lumber to they workman on the balcony. 

Building is a very slow business on Bonaire.  I think every paycheck they buy a few cinder blocks that they can afford which lengthens the construction period by months and years. 

 

Snorkeling

Snorkeling in Bonaire this season has been full of surprises. The water has been super warm.  So warm that it's uncomfortable at times.  Even the fish think its too hot as we have seen very few in the shallows.

 

Everyone that visits, we take snorkeling or diving depending on their skill level.  Our 6-year old grandson was super excited to see turtles up close.  Once he got the hang of snorkeling, we couldn't get him out of the water.  We have had friends in their late 70's snorkel with us. They were excited to see squid, coral farms, and flounder fish.  Our regular snorkel companions spotted an eagle ray the other day.  I never did see it although they tell me it crossed right in front of me.

We used to scuba dive.  We dove throughout the Caribbean.  Now it is so much easier to grab our snorkel and mask and just go to the ocean. We can just enter from shore which is what makes Bonaire the shore dive capital.  No need for boats as the snorkeling is usually pretty good from shore.

We thought our grandson would get a charge out of seeing us in snorkels on his birthday face-time call. He was not impressed or interested to say the least.  I will share our selfie with you even though it's taken for a 6-year-old.