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Bonaire – Diving, Donkeys and Goats

Robbie 12 Comments
Natural reef around Klein Bonaire.

We flew to Bonaire from Curacao on March 16th for a short 10 day visit on this tranquil island.  Bonaire is part of the Dutch Antilles islands and is a diving paradise.  It’s a very laid back, slow moving pace of living experience.

Divi Divi Airlines uses a Twin Otter to transport people between Curacao and Bonaire.
Bonaire’s Flamingo Airport.

The beaches on the main island are rugged with a lot of coral but a paradise for divers who can enter directly from the shore.

Blue water at Thousand Steps beach
Stairs leading down to Thousand Steps beach.
Looking at fish from the beach.
Sorobon Beach is a windsurfing mecca.
To swim at Sorobon Beach you have to compete with the windsurfers.
Sea salt piled for shipping on cargo ships.

Bonaire has a rich history in salt mining which started in the 1600s.  In the era before refrigeration, salt was a precious commodity.  Slaves were brought from Africa to work the salt mines and donkeys were used to do the heavy transport.

Slave huts near beach.
Slave huts near salt mines were used for housing slaves.

Flamingos live in the salty water. They are born white and turn pink as a result of the salt.
Flamingo.
Entrance to donkey sanctuary.

The donkey sanctuary was started 29 years ago by a Dutch couple who have a passion for the animals.  The currently have over 700 donkeys in their care on their large property.  Despite this, there are still over 1100 donkeys living in the wild on the island.

Donkeys at the car window as we drive through the sanctuary.
Ken experiencing the placid nature of the donkeys.
Many wild goats roam the island. They are actually all owned by a person but roam freely.
Goats on the trail ahead on our morning walk.
The mesmerizing beauty of Lake Goto.
Cruise ships were frequently in port. We could walk very close to them.
Arriving in Klein Bonaire by water taxi.
Serene environment on Klein Bonaire with beautiful sand and coral reefs.
Iguanas here are curious and get very close. This one joined us for lunch. He enjoys quesadilla!
Scenes from the walk into Kralendjik – the main town..
Beautiful sunset at dinner.
Last dinner on the island with John and Jan.
Vibrant artwork is everywhere!

We are now in Curacao and John and Jan have returned to Canada.  We will send one more blog before we leave here for Miami and our TransAtlantic cruise later this month.

 

12 Comments

    • Sharyn and Ted
      Reply

      Wow!
      Love it💕 Water colour beautiful, donkeys particularly cute, goats ok too. However I wouldn’t be sharing anything with the iguana lol. Thanks for sharing, looks like y’all enjoying!

  5. Rhonda mackay
    Reply

    These are amazing. I’ve never heard of this place – the water and sand looks incredible. Thank you for sharing with us. Til next time!!!!

  6. Shirley McDougall
    Reply

    We were there on a cruise ship for 1 day in 2019. Love your photos and descriptions. Enjoy living the dream!

  9. Nicole Kocela
    Reply

    A trip of a lifetime! It looks so amazing, beautiful and breathtaking! Love to see all your pics, you 2 look so healthy and happy 😃. Keep sending your beautiful pics, take care miss you 😘

  10. Laurie Myres
    Reply

    Fantastic photos Robbie! So very interesting about the salt production and all those donkeys!! Yes, salt was once extremely important! People were paid in salt (hence our word “salary”). Beautiful scenes – thank you very much for taking us along on your trip of a lifetime!!

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