Bonaire: A Hidden Paradise of Nature and Sport

Here you can follow, day by day, our trip to BONAIRE from 19 April to 6 May!

Thursday 19 April

We leave at 10.30 from Fiumicino. We arrive in BONAIRE at 18.05 local time, so +6 from our time zone, 24.05 Italian time the journey. Once on the plane we headed for the seats indicated on the boarding pass: occupied by two children! it was only the beginning. There are tons of children on the plane and they're all screaming. right in front of us there's a family that has 3 of them: one loose and two twins stuffed into a pink sleeping bag with straps! about halfway through the flight, after seeing dozens of them pop up, we wonder whether at the back of the plane there's a machine that duplicates them: not only are there many, a lot of them are also twins! the rest of the population is made up of myriads of blonde girls and pot-bellied men. we hope they all (children, blondes and pot-bellies) are going to Aruba, the final destination after the stop in Bonaire.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday 20 April

everyone off to collect the car, which still isn't ready. so, in full respect of the island customs, change of plan: Cappuccino Bar for a coffee.

first photos of the fish and observation of the only fisherman, who then slowly paddles away.

then the bank: 1) there's an enormous painful fish stuck to the wall, 2) the television, 3) the external drive-in style ATM.

Once we've got the car, a blue Mitsubishi Pickup, we start from the SOUTH.

a few stops for photos, the salt mountains and finally a nice dip on the beach of Atlantis. Marco..... he likes it!

We continue towards the lagoon with the pink flamingos: how we'd love a telephoto lens!

And then...a moment of silence and attention... we reach LAC BAY: the immense pool for the speed windsurfing addicts. Marco...his eyes are glistening!

see you tomorrow.... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 21 April

Coffee with a study of the map of Bonaire which, as Marco notes, isn't actually as small as it looks on google earth!

The 2nd instalment of the exploration towards the NORTH begins, today that the weather is a bit warm we decide to go into the mountains: Seru Largu h=132m

but first Kaminda Lagun as far as Lagun.

We go up to Rincon for lunch at the bar Rose Inn (local mood and música ao vivo)

We reach the Gotomeer lagoon: plenty of bird-watching, the flamingoes, almost fuchsia-pink flamingos, run along with their heads down and tumbling to catch fish on the fly!

Close encounter with a family of donkeys. We tried to photograph the little one, but he didn't understand and got too close: so a close-up.

Buying fish (piscado) at the fisherman's house: in 3 years the "dorado" has gone from 2 to 7 dollars.

We need to find another fisherman.

First night out until 1:00 in the morning, CRAZY!

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Sunday 22 April

3rd instalment of the exploration: destination Lac Cai (the other tip).

We buy fruit for lunch: we need to lose weight. Today she drives and he navigates!

We arrive in the heat, sun straight overhead, a little dip, an apple, at the kiosk to listen to live music.

The group of over-seventies is called TRIO LOS PRINSIPES, and they put on a show from 13:00 to 15:00 (EVRY SUNDAY - TUR DIADOMINGO).

We flee the sun towards Sorobon. We stop in the shade, we read. Then a moment to study the fishing activity: 2 black frigatebirds many laughing gulls (gulls that laugh) splendid emerald-green poop from one of points 1 or 2 on Marco's white t-shirt After the attack of the rottweiler Spike, again against Marco, we feel satisfied with this

WILDLIFE and we head home to read the books about the local birds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday 23 April

New week. Acclimatisation carried out to perfection. Sun and a fresh little breeze:

finally the perfect condition!

Lots of agencies, lots of houses, nothing interesting. Confused and happy, a little dip with mask and snorkel at DONKEY BEACH. Experiment with a mini-boat made from a plastic bottle failed!

Evening BBQ at Robbie's house. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday 24 April

Lots of agencies, lots of houses, nothing interesting... apart from a house we visited without agencies.... who knows.

A magnificent swim among the white corals at the newly baptised WHITE LIGHTHOUSE BEACH.

A big lunch of rigatoni with vegetables. Afternoon dip at HILMA HOOKER. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday 25 April

Happy birthday to grandma and to Villanacci!

For the thousandth time in just 6 days we go shopping again.

Another little dip at donkey beach.

Lots of snorkelling, result: the whole "back" sunburnt!

A visit to the thousandth house that we like and can't put a hold on right now.

Big preparation for the 1st dive with Robbie at Angel City: very

beautiful but it only lasts 20 min because of an unusual concentration of Jellyfish (serpent-like jellyfish). A hurried dinner to go to the cinema on the beach.

Nice idea, but we got the day wrong: it was tomorrow!!

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Thursday 26 April

First thing: tonight there's the cinema on the beach at the Plaza.

Early wake-up today too. At 7.00 I'm up, he's still asleep: he has a

headache, poor thing!

Everyone off to kitesurf! OR RATHER. To watch the others kitesurfing with the small wings (too much wind!!!)

On the plus side, 4 dolphins came very close to the beach: what an emotion.

We went to the cinema, cold as hell!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday 27 April

At the national park. We choose the longest route, with a grand finale at the legendary and world-famous beach

WAYAKA II. World-famous because it's the one that forms the backdrop to our Bonaire video

(special thanks to Michele Fraschetti video editing).

We swim with two apple cores. All the fish rush to nibble from our hands: I get scared when they steal my core! He sees me and, to laugh, DRINKS! The bastard!

(there, that'll teach him).

See you tomorrow! To write these few lines the mosquitoes ate my knees (M)!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday 28 April

ATTENTION ATTENTION

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: last night Marco took me out and we danced a good TWO MERENGUES, despite the difficulty of moving in flip-flops!

After checking on the internet that the wind forecast for the next 10 days is 20 knots, Marco decides to temporarily suspend the new dangerous sports (KITE) and to dedicate himself to those of when he was young and athletic (WINDSURF).

So we go back to the beach of SOROBON that had already made his eyes glisten the first time.

As you can see from the photo that follows: after 4 consecutive hours of extreme windsurfing.... the OLD LION STILL ROARS!!!!!!!!!!!!

evening: live concert by the Venezuelan group AF at the city cafe'. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday 29 April

Finally we've found the fish: 3 KG of dorado cortado which will last us until the day we leave! A little dip and a swim at donkey beach. Lunch at home, fish and salad of course. A short read and an afternoon nap. A photo mission at sunset while at ATLANTIS BEACH they're still having fun with the KITE (lucky them who have the small wings and are good at it!) On the way back a stop at Karel's for a beer in the company of