Yesterday in Willemstad, Curacao, when faced with a $10 cab fare to town, we opted to take the pleasant 10 minute walk to town across the floating swing bridge (Good decision).
Although originally home to peaceful natives, this island was conquered by the Caribs, the Spanish, and finally the Dutch. The tall brightly painted buildings reminded us of a picture of Amsterdam with the color saturation turned way up.
If you're looking for Carbon-Neutral, this is not the spot. Unrest and political instability in Venezuela made this stable off-shore island an ideal place for refineries, which are still in operation.
A good side to this is visiting a thriving community whose economy isn't dominated by tourism.
After crossing the swing bridge, we had a delightful time browsing through the city as natives busily went about their chores. We especially loved the floating market, where boats from nearby Venezuela dock with a kaleidoscope of fruits, vegetables and fish. Nearby, we saw the oldest Synagogue in the new world.
Crossing the harbor on another bridge, we visited the growing maritime museum before being treated to a demo of the swing bridge in operation on the way back to the ship. The entire 500 foot bridge is hinged at one end, and the last pontoon is actually a powered boat which moves completely out of the way and returns it to position in about a minute.
Locals climbed the fence, and were jumping on to the moving bridge before it was even in position. We crossed behind them, and sipped cocktails on the balcony of our suite as we watched latecomers rush to catch the ship. We could see the officers maneuvering the ship directly from our balcony. They waved and went back to their job of safely sailing us off into a dramatic sunset.
Arriving in Aruba this morning, we were faced with a half day in port, so the ship could get an early start on the long trip to Colombia.
Patti and I had such a good time yesterday in town, that we decided to do it again. We visited a Museum in a historic fort near the yacht harbor. While the stories told were interesting, we considered our $6 per person to be a donation to build a better collection.
Most of Oranjestad's downtown section is predominantly touristic, and reminiscent of Ketchikan or Saint Thomas.
Barbara and Bud Took a 4x4 Jeep tour through the countryside, including and Ostrich Farm, Gold Mine, Lighthouse, and other sights.
While we often reccommend a walking tour of new places. this isn't the place. I noticed that cab drivers were offering 2 hour island tours for $10 per person, so you may still have a less expensive alternative to cruise line excursions.
If I don't have time to post pictures tomorrow from Colombia, I'll be sure to add them to these postings when we get back to the office.
Ciao, Dick
Although originally home to peaceful natives, this island was conquered by the Caribs, the Spanish, and finally the Dutch. The tall brightly painted buildings reminded us of a picture of Amsterdam with the color saturation turned way up.
If you're looking for Carbon-Neutral, this is not the spot. Unrest and political instability in Venezuela made this stable off-shore island an ideal place for refineries, which are still in operation.
A good side to this is visiting a thriving community whose economy isn't dominated by tourism.
After crossing the swing bridge, we had a delightful time browsing through the city as natives busily went about their chores. We especially loved the floating market, where boats from nearby Venezuela dock with a kaleidoscope of fruits, vegetables and fish. Nearby, we saw the oldest Synagogue in the new world.
Crossing the harbor on another bridge, we visited the growing maritime museum before being treated to a demo of the swing bridge in operation on the way back to the ship. The entire 500 foot bridge is hinged at one end, and the last pontoon is actually a powered boat which moves completely out of the way and returns it to position in about a minute.
Locals climbed the fence, and were jumping on to the moving bridge before it was even in position. We crossed behind them, and sipped cocktails on the balcony of our suite as we watched latecomers rush to catch the ship. We could see the officers maneuvering the ship directly from our balcony. They waved and went back to their job of safely sailing us off into a dramatic sunset.
Arriving in Aruba this morning, we were faced with a half day in port, so the ship could get an early start on the long trip to Colombia.
Patti and I had such a good time yesterday in town, that we decided to do it again. We visited a Museum in a historic fort near the yacht harbor. While the stories told were interesting, we considered our $6 per person to be a donation to build a better collection.
Most of Oranjestad's downtown section is predominantly touristic, and reminiscent of Ketchikan or Saint Thomas.
Barbara and Bud Took a 4x4 Jeep tour through the countryside, including and Ostrich Farm, Gold Mine, Lighthouse, and other sights.
While we often reccommend a walking tour of new places. this isn't the place. I noticed that cab drivers were offering 2 hour island tours for $10 per person, so you may still have a less expensive alternative to cruise line excursions.
If I don't have time to post pictures tomorrow from Colombia, I'll be sure to add them to these postings when we get back to the office.
Ciao, Dick
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