TRAVIS TRAVEL TIPS
by Marie Delgado Travis
"Captivating Caribbean" Part II
One might think that the islands of the Caribbean are all similar. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each island possesses its own special charm. And depending on whether it was colonized by the Spanish, French, Dutch or British--or any combination thereof--has a unique flavor.
Geography and geology also plays a special role, i.e., proximity of the island to the equator, whether it is mountainous or flat, has abundant water or desalinates its water, is a windward (favorable trade winds) or leeward island, lies in the hurricane belt, etc.
There is also an interconnection between the islands. The British Virgin Island of Monserrat, for example, was devastated by a series of volcanic eruptions about a decade ago. Most of the island's population was evacuated and the capital city, Plymouth, was destroyed. A new capital is currently being built at Little Bay, a part of the island that was spared. See www.visitmontserrat.com/
We owned an apartment in Puerto Rico at the time of the volcanic activity. Although Monserrat was 300 miles away, I returned one day to find volcanic ash covering our terrace. It also seeped inside, dusting everything with the finest black powder.
Indeed, meteorologists in Puerto Rico sometimes announce that the weather in Puerto Rico is hazy due to a seasonal drift of sand from the African continent (Sahara dust). That, too, sometimes made its way to our terrace and accounted for beautiful sunsets--a truly remarkable and exciting occurrence.
With these differences and interconnection in mind, over the next few articles, I'll highlight some of my favorite islands in the Caribbean and very briefly mention those with which I am less familiar. In past articles, available in Long Story Short's archive, I discussed Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
QUAINT CURACAO
Access to Curacao in the Netherlands (Dutch) Antilles has historically been favored by the trade winds, which made ship travel from the European and African continents relatively easier than other routes. It is also outside of the hurricane belt, so rarely affected. This has contributed to the island's long and rich history of foreign visitors--from pirates to traders of all nationalities and religions.
To this day, Curacao remains one of the busiest ports in the world in terms of commerce. It isn't unusual for the natives to speak Dutch, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Papamiento, a unique blend of European languages, with African and Arawak Indian words thrown in for good measure.
On a recent trip, we did a walking tour of its capital Willemstad, which is colorful, breezy and quaint. Great care is taken to preserve their Dutch architecture. So much so, that along with Puerto Rico, Cuba, St. Lucia, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and St. Kitts/Nevis, Curacao has the distinction of being one of the few islands in the Caribbean to have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Sites. See http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/819
Our walk from the charming Old Town (Punda District) to the more modern shopping district (Otrabanda) took us over a floating or pontoon bridge. Unlike a drawbridge which opens to let big ships through, the Queen Emma Bridge is actually moved out of a ship's way. We could have gotten across by ferry, but it was much more exciting to time our crossings on "The Swinging Old Lady," as the beautiful wooden bridge is nicknamed, to avoid getting stranded on it while a ship passed.
Our cruise ship docked near Waterfort on the eastern end of the island. The fort has been converted to a pretty shopping mall, with trendy shops and restaurants. There are frequent performance by street entertainers, as well. Nearby Fort Amsterdam has seashells and a cannonball purportedly fired by Captain Bligh's ship embedded in its walls. It offers panoramic views of Santa Anna Harbor.
In the historic center of Curacao, rows of 17th Century Dutch townhouses are reminiscent of Amsterdam, except for the lovely pastel colors of the buildings' facades. The colorful paint is actually required by law, as white was deemed to reflect the sun's rays too strongly. The Governor's Mansion--and indeed, all of the Old Town--is extremely attractive. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the island's Maritime Museum.
A 350 year old Synagogue / Museum is the oldest still active in the New World. Its floor is dusted with sand. See www.curacao-travelguide.com/museums/ for information on these and other museums on the island.
Attractions also include a visit to the Curacao Liqueur Distillery, on the premises of a country estate: http://curacaoliqueur.com/pages/tours.htm. Curacao is a pretty blue liqueur made from orange peel. Besides the hospitality (hotel and casino) industry, other industries on the island include oil refining (of petroleum from nearby Venezuela), mining of phosphates and aloe production.
At Curacao's Seaquarium, you can feed the sharks, if you dare: www.curacao-sea-aquarium.com/. While beaches tend to be a bit rocky on Curacao, they are still quite popular.
Returning briefly to Curacao, it is also important to mention that it is the government seat of what are referred to as the Netherlands Antilles, which include the small islands of Saba and Saint Eustasius (Sint Eustatius) and the Dutch side of Saint Martin (Sint Maarten).
Curacao is also the largest of what are referred to as the ABC islands--the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. See www.abc-travelguide.com/. While I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Bonaire, I understand that it is popular among snorkel and scuba enthusiasts.
One of my friends considers Aruba the most beautiful of all of the Caribbean islands. I don't necessarily share her view, although I must admit that it is blessed with an impressively wild seascape. Its capital Oranjestad is known for its beaches, surfing, casinos and nightlife.
The local guides kept emphasizing how "safe" the island was. I couldn't help but think of Natalee Holloway, the missing American student, especially when I saw some of the sites mentioned during the extensive coverage of her disappearance: the windmill, Charlie and Carlos Restaurant, hotels near the beach, etc. It's customary for people to place small rocks upon the bigger rocks along the coast to ask for good luck. Harking back to what I said earlier about interconnection, my wish was for Natalee and her Mom.
For more information on Curacao, see
MARIE DELGADO TRAVIS is an award-winning writer. She writes poetry and prose in English and Spanish. The opinions expressed are her own. Visit her beautiful new web site at www.mariedelgadotravis.com
