American World Traveler Fall 2017 Issue

34
Bonaire
Beyond Diving
Article & Photography by Susan Campbell
Tourism Corporation Bonaire
Any serious scuba fan has heard of
Bonaire, it’s a tiny outpost off the
coast of Venezuela and the “B” of
the Dutch Caribbean ABC Islands. But you
need not be a diver to enjoy a visit there.
Long touted as having the best shore diving
in the world, Bonaire’s waters are teeming
with an abundance of marine life and
healthy coral due to its long-standing protection
of the entire reef system. But though
it’s also one of the best places to learn to
dive you need not be PADI certified to really
enjoy a visit there. There is a lot to do for
non-divers as well. In fact, you need not
even get wet to spot colorful big parrotfish!
They are easily visible from land when you
simply walk along the downtown boardwalk
flanking the charming little
capital.The fish are that plentiful and the
waters that clear!
Cool & Quirly Kralendijk
It’s been about six years since I have been
to “Playa” as locals call the tiny downtown
region, ( Kralendijk means “coral dike” in
Dutch), and it’s not changed much since
my last visit save for a brand new block
sized building in the middle of town called
Terremar. It hosts a a modern new museum,
and a high end luxury apartment
rentals with some new shops and a fabulous
modern café below.
We opted to stay there the first half of our
trip; the sea view 3rd floor penthouse was
the ideal location to easily explore every
end of downtown on foot. (But to be clear,
you can explore every inch of downtown on
foot in half a day it’s that small!) There is a
huge grocery store nearby- quite a surprise
for such a small population- where you can
shop for all you need should you intend to
have some meals in. The penthouse is fully
equipped with state-of-the art appliances
and everything you need to cook in house.