Bonaire is a little Dutch island, near Aruba and Curaçao in the southern Caribbean. Only 150 miles from Venezuela, there were plenty of Venezuelan immigrants here, due to their political unrest. On this trip, we explored more of the island, including the dark days of historical slavery.
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- With multiple daily cruise ships, Bonaire is doing it’s best to fight plastic waste.
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- Most people speak English, but this reminds you that you’re in a Dutch country.
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- And the Dutch do love their CHEESE!
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- Mike by the flip flop tree, a waterfront landmark.
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- Local school kids taking their swimming lessons in the Caribbean Sea instead of a pool.
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- A little day sail to see the sights.
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- Bonaire’s colorful salt ponds.
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- These huts were built in 1850, and were used for housing slaves working in the ponds to harvest salt, Bonaire’s most important export.
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- Can you imagine six slaves in this tiny hut?
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- Each of the slaves worked as a team. The red obelisk denotes the red team area.
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- The old lighthouse, guiding ships that were filled with salt.
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- First time we ever rode horses in our swimsuits! At Rancho Washikemba.
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- Once near the lagoon, we ditched the saddles and slowly led our horses into the water bareback. Ouch!
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- Mike demonstrating the proper technique for swimming with the horse.
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- My horse was a little reluctant, but we swam just the same.
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- We rode a scooter for two days, criss-crossing the whole island.
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- Petting one of the donkeys at the sanctuary.
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- Free produce brings out the crowd for a donkey chow down.
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- Originally for sick, injured or orphaned donkeys, there are now many healthy ones.
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- The weather is perfect here for these beautiful wild iguanas.
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- The full red blood wolf moon, as seen from our warm lounge chairs on the beach.
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- We spent an afternoon at Lac Bay watching hundreds of wind surfers.
