Amazon & Carnival Explorer Cruise - Day 7: Kralendijk, Bonaire

Sunday, February 10

Today we are in the town of Kratendijk on the island of Bonaire. Bonaire is the second of the three ABC islands we are visiting and is the smallest.  It covers 114 square miles and has a population of only 20,000.  It has a beautiful reef-lined coast that is protected by the Bonaire National Marine Park and is one of the best snorkeling and diving sites in the Caribbean.

Bonaire is the eastern most island of the ABC islands.

 

We booked a ship excursion called Catamaran Sail and Bonaire Marine Park Snorkel so it looks like we will finally get our snorkeling in.  The tour didn’t start until 11:30 so we had a leisurely morning until it was time to head down to the pier to meet our group.  After meeting the rest of our group, we were taken by water taxi to where the catamaran was docked.  Before getting on the catamaran we were told no shoes on the catamaran so everyone put their shoes in a bag which was stored on the boat.

There were only twelve in our group so we had plenty of area to move around on the boat.  The catamaran had a young man as captain and two young women as crew and they all were personable and friendly, they obviously enjoyed their job and who wouldn’t in this beautiful area.  After motoring away from the dock area, the sails were raised and we started on our hour long cruise to the marine park.  It was a beautiful day, warm with a nice breeze blowing off the water; very pleasant.

We sailed along the island enjoying the sights and listening to the captain (can’t remember his name) point out different landmarks and talking about life on the island.  We were soon at the marine park and ready to snorkel.  Val and I had brought our own snorkeling gear so we got ready and were soon in the water.  The water seemed a little cool at first, but once in, it felt just right.  We spent about 45 minutes exploring the coral reef and watching the various fish.  We both had underwater cameras so I took movies with my GoPro while Val shot still pictures with her new Olympus TG-5. 

The reef formations were very beautiful with many of them resembling moose antlers.  There were also lots of fish of various sizes, but not too many of the bright colored types we had experienced in the South Pacific and Hawaii.  Someone in our group spotted a sea turtle, but none of the rest of us saw it, which was disappointing; we just weren’t in the right place at the right time.

After about 45 minutes, Val and I both decided we’d had enough.  It seems like you aren’t exerting much energy, but you are constantly swimming and staying afloat and it hits you all of the sudden that you are getting tired.  When we returned to the boat most everyone was aboard and within a few minutes everyone was.  Drinks were served with some opting for the rum and coke while the rest of us chose soft drinks or water.

After getting dried off and exchanging sightings with one another, it was time to head back to the dock.  We had another leisurely sail back and were dropped off back at the dock where we started.  It had been a wonderful cruise and snorkel and everyone seemed to enjoy it, I know we certainly did.  We got our shoes back, and instead of taking the water taxi back to the ship we decided to walk along the harbor through the town as it wasn’t very far.

It was mid afternoon and we hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast so Val suggested we stop and eat.  I wasn’t as enthusiastic about stopping to eat because I was hauling our bag full of snorkeling gear and just wanted to get back to the ship and drop it off.  Luckily, Val prevailed and we had a great lunch sitting outside looking out at the harbor and watching the world go by.

A great lunch and a relaxing view.

We did have one scare as we asked the waitress what time it was and she said almost 4:00.  We hadn’t even gotten our food yet and we had to be back on the ship by 4:30 so we were worried.  I couldn’t believe it was that late so we asked someone else and they said it was just before 3:00, thank goodness.  I don’t know whether we misunderstood the waitress or she was confused, but it gave us a bit of anxiety about getting on the ship.

After our relaxing lunch, we walked the rest of the way back to the ship and to our room.  The first order of business was showers and then rinsing the salt out of our swimming suits and quick drying clothes we were wearing.  I also washed the salt off our cameras and then it was time for a little relaxing.  We both were tired and didn’t realize how much we wore ourselves out snorkeling, I guess we’re a little out of shape.  I did go out on deck for the sail away and took some pictures of Bonaire as we left.

The night went as usual with trivia, dinner and the casino.  The dinners continue to be good with many appetizing dishes to choose from.  I was lucky again in the casino and won right off, but got a little carried away and put it right back in and ended up even for the night.  Val had a fair night, but ended up losing her nightly allotment.

We were both looking forward to bed tonight as we are both tired, but it was a great day and we really enjoyed it.  Tomorrow we will be in Aruba, the last of the ABC islands.