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...

 

 

 

 

Kings Day

 

It's the season of holidays in Bonaire.  Spring break happens the entire month of April which brings families to Bonaire. Easter and Good Friday are perfect for a four day weekend which results in beach camping and much revery because it signifies the end of Lent.   Labor day follows which gives the population another day off. 

 Kings Day is April 27.  It is the celebration of the Dutch King Willem-Alexander's birthday.  Everyone wears orange to signify the Dutch royal house of orange. King's Day has not been celebrated in three years due to Covid lock downs so this was a big year to celebrate.

The traditional food for the holiday is a classic Dutch delicacy called orange tompucen.  Tompucen is a puff pastry with sweet custard cream in between the top and bottom layers.  It is spread with orange frosting to commemorate King's Day.  Bakeries work days ahead to prepare enough of this tasty treat for the masses.

In Holland, garage sales are not legal except on Kings Day.  Apparently the crown can not collect taxes on items sold at garage sales so they outlawed them except for this one day.  In Bonaire, everyone was having porch sales (because we don't have garages) selling everything from housewares to cars and clothing.  Liquor stores, some grocery stores, and of course government offices were closed on King's Day.

I would liken King's Day to America's President's Day.  Everyone gets a day off and an excuse to party and celebrate.

New Windows

New windows are going in today!

It's been a long wait with lots of bumps in the road to get here.  We ordered windows in September, after the unfortunate break-in, for security reasons.  Also the old broken windows and lack of screens forced us toward improvements.

Then the global supply chain problem hit.  The manufacturer was having problems getting the raw materials to fabricate the windows.  Shipments were not coming. So we waited.

In February, Frits, the Dutch owner of the window company who was going to retire in July, had a heart attack and was sent to Aruba for treatment.  He had a crew of Antilleans who were kept in the dark about the business.  The workers tried to pick up the slack and cover all the orders in his absence.  It took a month for them to identify the order and get it manufactured.  We had paid three-quarters of the cost and still had no windows.

Next, the custom glass cutter got COVID and that sent him home in isolation for several weeks for recovery.

Finally, we get a call to schedule installation.  A second call changed the installation date. To our surprise, the installation crew (a man and a woman) showed up at 8:30 am with all our windows.  In one day, they took out all the old windows and replaced with new custom windows with screens and handles that actually work!

House improvements are never stand alone projects.  They always lead to more projects.  The old windows were mounted flush to the outside of the building.  When removed, the old window outline shows and the window sill needs plastering to repair the chunks of concrete removed for the new windows.  We had a painter/plaster look at the project and it seems that now we need to paint the entire house.  Not only do the window sills need plaster but our paint is chalky, fading and can't be matched. Here we go on another project....

 

BC Donation

It amazes me how few local kids dive.  Its probably because the equipment and training is expensive.  They seldom have an opportunity to be PADI trained.  There are also few programs that teach environmental protection issues to school age children.

STINAPA (national park organization that protects the coral sea around the island) has a program called Bonaire Junior Rangers.  It is an educational youth group that is designed to create opportunities to learn about the natural world and help the environment. Their nature education activities, allow teenagers to come in contact with nature, so they can learn about conservation programs on Bonaire. They have a program to teach youngsters how to dive, become rescue divers and certified dive masters.

I brought one of the BC's (an abbreviation for buoyance control for those of you who are not divers) that I had with me to Bonaire with the hope of selling or giving it away.  It's a size small which in no way will fit me at this stage of my life. I donated it through VIP Dive Shop as they sponsor the Junior Rangers.

Hopefully, it will go to a local teenager who will love it and use it as I have.

 

Dogs

The tourists are always upset about the dogs laying in front of the grocery store.  They are convinced that the dogs are strays and must be fed and watered. 

The truth is the dogs all have owners that love and feed them.  The dogs have learned that they can get treats from the people leaving the store.  There is always a water bucket for them. They look sad because it's hot laying on the pavers waiting for treats.

Bonaire is battling a dog problem.  They have lots of stray dogs that have become aggressive causing the authorities to put them down.  The dogs that are kept at houses bark constantly and are causing problems for neighbors as the dog owners will not control the barking.  The over population of dogs is caused by the owners whom are not willing to spay or neuter their dogs.  The government has started an education program to tell dog owners to be responsible for their dogs.  It seems that irresponsible dog owners are a problem the world around.

Local Phone

We decided it was time to get a local phone.  Doctors and some suppliers will not call us, even on WhatsApp, to set appointments.  As you know, there is no instant gratification on this island and nothing is easy to get done.

We had visited one of the local providers, Digicel, to get instructions about what was needed to get  services.  We had a used smart phone that we brought with us to Bonaire and wanted to put a SIM card into the phone with local service.

And so it starts.....

Rick and I show up at Digicel and see a line of 8 people and one person behind the counter.  Nothing is moving.  We decide to leave and come back when it's less busy.

We show up again a few days later and we are the only ones in the store. We were told we needed to provide a bank statement and a utility bill to get phone service.  How those are related we don't know.

Come to find out, we need two bank statements, proof of income, and a bank card with our account number on it. None of which we had in hand.

Off Rick goes to our bank to get a bank card with our account number and another bank statement.  Rick is denied entry into the bank because he doesn't have a face mask.  The bank and the hospital are the only place on the island still requiring a face mask.  Rick returns to the car to get his mask and heads back to the bank. After a 30 minute wait in the bank, Rick gets to a customer service representative.  They print a paper card with our bank number and provide a second bank statement.  He heads back to Digicel.

He is armed with the bank card, the two bank statements, utility bills and a used phone all in order to get phone service.  A contract was signed. Monthly deduction to our bank account was completed and yet we have no SIM card. The manager, who is not present in the Digicel office,  has to approve our phone service. We are told that it takes one to three hours for the approval and we could come back at 5:00 pm. Rick convinces them to call us when the approval is complete.

Two hours after we left the Digicel office, we get a call that we were approved for phone service.  Rick returns to have the SIM card put in the phone. Voila! We have a local phone number and service.  Plus Rick's Google phone synced with the local phone with no effort or action from us.  Now all his contact information is on the local phone.

Google decided to take away our roaming service because we don't reside in the US.  We will now take the Bonaire phone with us when we are out and about on the island so we can receive and make WhatsApp calls and use the map feature. Our only problem: the phones look exactly alike.  Duct tape and a "B" for Bonaire solved the problem. Duct tape fixes everything.

Fat Dog BBQ

The tiniest food truck in the world is serving up BBQ.  We smelled the smoking meat blocks away and followed our noses to find this delightful little place. It is tucked into a back patio of a big restaurant in the center of Kralendijk with the smoker on the side.

It's called Fat Dog.  Serving up brisket, pork, and chorizo in tacos, on buns or in a quesadilla. One guy in the truck is making each order fresh. Wow, I think we died and went to smoked meat heaven.

The brisket tacos are fabulous.  The taco is hand pressed masa dough tortilla and is soft and tasty. It topped with sauce, pickles, pickled onions and is super yummy. The dirty fries are mixed with smoked meat and topped with melted cheese.

We love discovering these new places on the island.  Fat Dog was a real find for us.

 

Taxes

 

Our taxes are a little different this year.  We are residents of Bonaire and US citizens so we get to file taxes in both countries.

We hired a tax attorney because we certainly don't understand the tax codes in foreign countries nor the US rules regarding those living abroad. He lives on the island and is originally from Seattle. He does returns for many of the expats.  

The tax attorney gave us an extensive list of all the documents he needed to complete the tax filings for both Bonaire/Holland and the US. Rick and  I spent a month gathering all the information required. We submitted everything electronically and hoped for the best.

When our taxes for the US were done, we were surprised by the outcome.  Apparently, when you pay taxes in a foreign country, the US refunds/credits you for those taxes.  We got a HUGE refund from the US and Colorado.

Dutch taxes are not due until May 15. Once the forms are submitted the Dutch decide if the tax forms are correct and will be accepted.  Once accepted, which happens sometime in November, you have two years to pay taxes.  Since Rick is still working, the Dutch do tax us but at a minimal amount.  It is well worth paying the foreign tax and getting a credit/refund from the US. We do get free health care here so we were happy to pay the tax. There is no tax on food and goods on the island.  They do tax gas, utilities and real estate. The Dutch often subsidize gas and utilities during price spikes and pandemics.

The Bonaire government recently put a head tax of $75 for each visitor to the island.  They will no longer have a room tax of $5.50 per night for hotels and housing rentals.  They also have lifted the tax on rental vehicles which amounts to $4.00 per day savings for renters.  The government will realize $6 million from this head tax that every non-resident coming onto the island will have to pay.

Easter

The Easter tradition on Bonaire is to close everything and go camping.

The locals build wood pallet encampments complete with water tanks, stacked speakers and cooking pits. The campsites look like homeless encampments. Tents line the beach, smells of BBQ's are everywhere and music is blaring. 
 

The festivities begin the day before good Friday and go through the Monday after Easter Sunday.

Everything shuts down for the four-day holiday weekend.  There have been no cruise ships in port for four days. The government is closed, grocery stores are closed, many restaurants are closed and even the Chinese markets close.  I don't think the Chinese celebrate Christian holidays because they were open at Christmas.  I guess Easter is a bigger event.

Everything shuts down for Good Friday.  Since 60 percent of the people on the island are Catholic it makes sense...for someone. Everything  re-opens on Saturday. The grocery stores parking lots were packed.  They were double and triple parked. The main grocery store street was gridlocked. Everything closes again on Easter Sunday.  It's Armageddon, Dutch style.

To top things off, the Dutch government observe the Easter Sunday holiday on Monday.  This extends the Dutch Armageddon. 

 

Odd Things

The local news site, Bonaire News, recently published an article about condom vending machines.  The government has placed these vending machines around the island and many are on the beaches.  Not in bathrooms at bars, but on the beaches of Bonaire.  Apparently, all the sex in Bonaire happens on the beaches.  Good to know.

Telbo is our internet provider.  Outside their office is a row of phone booths.  Each phone booth has a phone but the guts of the change boxes are gone. It is interesting to me that these antiques sit outside the building that is supposed to run high speed internet on the island. Yet our internet is not always reliable and seldom very fast. I wonder if pay phones are coming back?  Probably a backup for when the internet fails. Third world problems.

Out in the mundi, sits a house that looks like a medieval castle.  Nothing on the island looks like this.  The island architecture is predominately Dutch Caribbean.  It is one of the things that draw people to the island.  Yet here we have a castle. Seems odd to me.

Here is a fishing house that is built of pallets.  It is built on one of the only long, white sand beaches on the island.  It sits on expensive beach front property yet the structure is made of reclaimed wood pallets.  It must be grandfathered in or else it would have sold for millions and been renovated by now and turned into a VRBO.

 

Sweeti's

 

A new bakery opened in Kralendijk.  We have been looking for a place to buy pastries, donuts, cookies and cakes.  

Two Dutch girls opened Sweeti's in this darling little building that is hidden away in an alley and parking lot.  They are only open 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Definitely not capitalists.  This past weekend we gave it a try.

The Real Dutch Bakery produces  mostly breads. At New Years they make millions of "oliebollen" which is a greasy ball of dough covered in powdered sugar.  They call it a beignet or donut.  A donut shop is supposed to opening soon which will be a nice addition for our sweet tooth.

Sweeti's is the real deal.  The owners bake all week for the weekend supply of cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and sweet croissants.

Look at all these goodies!  Rick and I took home several samples.  They are beautifully decorated and are luscious to eat. Sweeti's is fulfilling our sugar fix one goodie at a time.

Meds

Our meds are provided free of charge since we are residents.  We simply call in to the doctor's office and tell them what we need refilled. The next day we pick them up at the Botica (pharmacy).  

The meds are packaged in punch packs. The ninety day supply comes in nine or ten packs.

We punch all the pills out at one time and put them in our old King Soopers pharmacy bottles and store them away.  We wonder if the pills are provided this way because of the humidity on the island or is this just the way pills are packaged and provided in Holland.

It's also interesting to us that the pills are different shapes and colors than what are provided in the States for

the same medicine.  I was used to the shape and color of my meds.  Now I have to pay extra attention when sorting them to put in my weekly pill boxes. They seem to work the same just look different.

Trash to Art

Where do discarded shoes, flip flops and boots end up on Bonaire? 

While out exploring, I found this amazing artwork at Lagun. It is thousands of used flips flops, boots and shoes that are laid out on the ground to spell out: "i 💓 Bonaire".

This display was all children's shoes surrounded by toilet seats.  It is the dot at the the top of the "i" in "i 💓 Bonaire".

 

The flips flops, shoes and boots are sorted by color and laid out on the ground. These flip flops are arranged to represent the planet.  Blue shoes make up the water, brown shoes are the land and its outlined with black colored shoes. 
The heart is outlined with gold colored shoes.

Boots and sneakers are arranged in a heart shape.  The shoes are arranged on the ground  without being tied down. Amazing that they stay in place with the vicious wind from the sea. 

This display is not far from the landfill on Bonaire.  I suppose this is where they get the discarded shoes as trash and turn it into art. 

Sargassum

Bonaire has a Sargassum problem.  It piles up in the lagoons and  prevents turtles from laying eggs and reaching the ocean.  Plus it stinks and can cause headaches and nausea.

Sargassum is a brown algae (seaweed) that lives in tropical oceans and inhabits shallow water and coral reefs. It is free floating which causes it to gather and clog water ways, beaches and lagoons.

Volunteers and Stinapa (the environmental conservation group that maintains the national park surrounding Bonaire) are constantly collecting it and dragging it on shore to dry out and open the water ways.  It is  nasty smelling whether on shore or in the water.

The seaweed invasion is most likely caused by Saharan dust clouds, warming water temperatures and a growing nitrogen content in the sea. These events cause the Sargassum to bloom and be swept onto land by the winds and current.

The Saharan dust has been pretty bad in recent weeks.  I have a layer of dirt on everything inside and outside the house.  And with the rising temperatures, Sargassum is certainly going to continue to be an issue on Bonaire for the summer.