Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Monday, December 11, 2017 – Kralendijk, Bonaire, Netherland Antilles – Mostly Cloudy – 87C

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Approaching Bonaire

This is our first time in Bonaire so we have now completed our ABC Island tour.  Bonaire looks to be a pretty flat island.  All of the ABC islands are mountain challenged.

We ordered room service this morning because we have an early tour. The food was great – buckwheat pancakes with bananas and walnuts and fried eggs and a side of oatmeal.

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Breakfast and Ocean Air

We are on “Private Sailboat Tour” (hence, the hope for no rain)– at 9:00 AM we left from the Stardust Lounge and exited the ship for our bus. The bus was very interesting – all painted up with no windows and holes in the floor.

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On the Way to the Dock

The ride to the dock took us through some scrub filled neighborhoods.  The streets are not in great shape and there are no sidewalks.  There were also condos near the dock – these condos needed some sprucing up.  Bonaire is mostly a diving destination so perhaps these condos are acceptable.

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Condos Near Docks

About five minutes away, we boarded our sailboat. There were three boats going out today with about 8-10 passengers per boat. My boat was captained by Norman and manned by Anna and Marianne.

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Norman Adjusting the Sails

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Our Boat Heading Out

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Ellen’s Boat (Maybe)

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Shots from Ellen’s Boat

It was my first time on a working sailboat and it was neat to watch the crew mess with the sails. We sailed about 30 away to a shallow spot where about four of the passengers joined Anna in the water for snorkeling. They were in the water about an hour and then we headed back. While on board, drinks were served (I had mango rum punch) and then sandwiches (raisin bread and brie / tuna salad – the tuna was especially good so I had two sandwiches).

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Heading Back – Serenity Docked Along with Mein Schiff 

We motored back and arrived at the ship about 1:20 PM.

The Lido was closed so we ate at Taste – Cesar Salad (very good) and Margherita Pizza and tuna salad.

We tried to walk around the town after lunch but it was too hot and there was not much to see.

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Main Street – Kralendijk

Back on the ship on our balcony (with my beer of course), I was able to get some excellent shots of Kralendijk.

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For dinner tonight, Ellen had a terrific kosher chicken and I had polish sausages (very good).

Showtime tonight was a concert by Christine Andreas, Broadway Star. It was a wonderful show – one of the best we have seen during our cruise career. She was immediately likable and while she may not have the voice of some of the other Broadway luminaries, her singing was excellent. Her stage presence was spot on. It was a great evening.

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Christine Andreas

We forgot to order special meals for tomorrow – we will have to take our chances with the menu.

An interesting and dry day in Bonaire.

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