Curacao - March 14-21, 2014

 Curacao
March 14-21, 2014

We flew home from Southeast Asia in early March.  We managed mostly sunny skies while home.  I had a great cross country ski with friends, and even managed a picnic in the park.  We had one snowy day where we shovelled a small snowdrift from in front of our side door at home.  Just enough to say we shovelled:), not enough to impress anyone who had been shovelling all winter.  

Our next stop was the small island of Curacao, located in the Caribbean Sea, just north of Venezuela. 

 Sunny skies, turquoise seas 

and plenty of iguanas awaited our arrival.

Our Curacao adventure included 11 friends from Owen Sound.  It began with a delicious dinner at the Blue Bird Cafe in Orangeville, prior to an overnight stay in Toronto.

Before we knew it we were landing in Curacao and being spirited away to our home for a few days. 

 Jim and I decided to split our time between two ends of the island. Our first stop was just outside of the capital city Willemstad. Our first apartment offered us bright colours, the sunrise,

and the full moon, amidst a desert-like landscape.

Just across the road was the sea, and the rest of our friends.

After so many months of being away, it was great fun to spend time with so many great people from home. 

Willemstad is the capital city of Curacao.  The city centre, with its unique and colourful architecture 

has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The historic quarters of Punda and Otrabanda, are connected by the Queen Emma Bridge. 

It is a floating, swing bridge that opens on demand to allow boat traffic in and out of the harbour.  

The harbour is the largest oil handling port in the Caribbean.

This is due to the natural depth of the harbour, as well as its proximity to the Venezuelan oilfields.  The refinery at Willemstad, was once the largest in the world.  

I often found it tough to know where to look…up to the magnificent sky...

or out to the ever-changing water...

or to the brilliant colours of the buildings...

...or the endless antics of our travel companions.

Creativity was not difficult to find…

there was music on the streets...

art on the walls...

and local food eateries.

Goats roamed freely…here they are maintaining the soccer field.

The Queen Julianna Bridge is the highest bridge in the Caribbean.  

Curacao's primary business during the 17th and 18th centuries was the trans-Atlantic slave trade.  Captured slaves arrived often from Africa.  I have read that over 500 000 enslaved African people were bought and sold on the docks in Willemstad before continuing to their ultimate destination.  The Kura Hulanda museum shared some of the atrocities carried out during this time, and illustrated how the forced relocation of these African people has influenced today's Caribbean cultures.  

We visit these horrific times in history so that those who suffered are remembered, and so that we can hopefully be instruments of change.  

Although in no way were we as committed as our friends, we did join them for a run while we were on the island.  Early morning, before the sun came up was the only way to tackle the intense heat.

Midway through the week, Jim and I packed up and drove to the northwest end of the island.       Sonia, was our host 

at our apartment on the sea.  Glenn and Jeff tackled the steep stairs for a cooling dip.

It was a gorgeous spot, 

and the sun set right in front of us onto the sea. 

Beautiful little bays were minutes away along the west coast.

Yet another personality awaited on the other coast.  The wild and angry side of the ocean was more than evident in the power of its waves.

The arid, desert-like climate created an interesting contrast to the blues of the sea.

Cactus 

and iguana continued to dot the landscape...

as well as crazy Canadians doing their best "Vogue".

  

Memories are the treasures from the pleasures we have known.  

Our treasure chest continues to overflow.