Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Flappiness

Since I have visited most of the major tourist sights on the island on previous trips, there are not a lot of new things for me to see. In the 8 years since I last visited a few things have changed, but for the most part its the same stuff I've taken photos of already. Despite that, I usually carry my camera when we go out to do errands and miscellany as there are sometimes fun random things around. I took the first two photos while looking for pokestops with my father last Saturday. 

Some of the native Bonarians are unhappy with the Dutch government. While the island has been a Dutch protectorate for some time, the government on the island has gone back and forth. The efficiency of Dutch Culture chafes against the laid-back Caribbean attitudes. It is a study in contrasts, and I love the juxtaposition of the Coca-Cola sponsored bar across the street from this protest sign. 

Here is a close up on the sign:

Errands on another day brought us to Bruce's Dive Shop where my mother was picking up some T-shirts to wear during her volunteering at the animal shelter thrift shop. (I would like to point out that despite my requests she NEVER brought me home an animal from any of this so-called volunteering.) I like the Louisiana feel of the surrounding inn. 

One of the cruise ships had just set free a cargo of kayakers that paddled past us. 

Early on in this visit, I was asked by several people, "Have you seen Black Liberty yet??" I was able to gather that this was a new island attraction and was associated with a mini-golf course that had opened recently. Having lived in Paris, I have seen pretty much every variation on Lady Liberty. The French celebrate the statue because it was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, just before his eponymous tower, and because it represents a time when France was in a position to give extravagant gifts to randos across the Atlantic.

If you have followed my previous adventures, you know that historically my golf course visits here have been fraught with peril at best. Feel free to visit them by clicking here. Needless to say, between having seen my fill of both liberty and golf courses, I wasn't terribly enthused to visit more. Nevertheless, my mother persisted, and we found ourselves at the mini-golf course. 

A large sign said the course was closed. "Oh darn. It's closed. I'll just take a picture through the fence and we can go..."

"The door is open though. We can go in. Those 'no trespassing' signs are in Dutch, so they don't count," declared my mother.

"I see someone in there, I'm going to go ask how much golf is. You can take pictures while I distract him!" agreed my father. 

A large dog barked in warning, and I had no choice but to go photograph what must be the St. Andrews of the island. 

No clown faces or castles to hit balls into here. Instead, the course seems to celebrate Bonaire's cultural influences. Players are greeted by donkeys and flamingos. A giant clog, windmill, and tulips preside over this section of the court as a veritable UN of flags I don't recognise waves silently in the wind.

I found a security guard sunning itself on a rock. It was clearly disturbed that I was trespassing, and immediately fled to another rock. 

Past donkeys and Dutchthings lies the (presumably) African savannah, where a lion will stare menacingly at you as you hit your balls, as long as you're in front of him. 

If lions are too intimidating, you can also choose the Dutch blue cow hole. 

The true centerpiece of the course celebrates what I can only assume are Bonaire's piratical legacy. The Mistress looks like it is headed for the road, and I suspect she is less than seaworthy. 

These extremely realistical verisions of (what I assume are) Anne Bonney and Captain Jack Sparrow have a lot to teach us about the (again assumed) cultural history of Bonaire. 

The Mistress floats on what appears to be a water trap filled with dolphins, though since this is Bonaire, they may just be very large mosquito larvae. 

A historically accurate re-creation of the time President and First Lady Mouse visited Paris.

And here she is, the star of the show... Black Liberty. She's looking a little ominous today as it is threatening to rain. Or maybe it is just some sort of political metaphor for the dystopian state of American affairs. 

As we made our way back to the car, I noticed there are some severed heads sitting next to the Eiffel Tower. My father thinks they are Einstein, Washington, and Ben Franklin, but I know enough French history to identify that none of those guys were beheaded in Paris. 

There were flamingos in a temporary pond caused by the recent rainfall near the airport, so we stopped on the side of the busiest road in Bonaire to grab some pictures. This is NOT part of the golf course, so it has nothing to teach us about the island. 

Turning one's head to the left of the flamingos, shows the air traffic control tower of Flamingo Airport (Yes, its really called that. Yes the tower is pink) as more rain starts to fall.  Sadly,  no Flamingos took wing while we were there, as I really wanted to get a shot of one of them flying past the tower. 

Peanut Cheese and Sprinkles

After my visit to Seru Largu, my right arm was suffering a sunburn and Lupus rash from hanging it out the car window, so I didn't feel up to doing much. Seemed like a good time to visit the grocery stores!

The island is a mish-mash of influences: Dutch, South American, Asian, and Caribbean, and that is reflected in the stores. My parents primarily shop in the Dutch stores, one of which is frequented by natives (Warehouse Bonaire), and the other popular with ex-pats (Van den Tweel). They are, respectively, the island equivalent of  Wal-mart and Metropolitan Market in terms of both pricing and item selection. If you want some cheap frosted flakes knock offs from Lenny the Lion, go to Warehouse. 

If a large selection of sprinkles is more your thing, then Van den Tweel's is your place. Both stores are on the same block, so we often visited both depending on what my parents were shopping for. 

Yes, that's Pindakaas (Peanut Cheese) next to the sprinkles. Cheese is an important part of the Dutch diet in all its forms. 

Because I enjoy eating like a five-year-old, I picked up some of these candy drinks to have during happy hours, but then promptly forgot them in the fridge. I suspect they may be there in a decade if I return. 

And sometimes the untranslated names make me giggle because, again, I am a child. 

I also got some hagelslag of my own, which I used the next day to make a traditional Dutch breakfast (for children). 

I am not allowed to eat it indoors, because my mother keeps thinking errant sprinkles are rat poop, so it is best enjoyed by the pool.

Valentine's Sunset

For Valentine's day, a food truck came to visit and the local community had a small dance party in the area in front of the beach next door. It was a chance for the homeowners to get to know each other socially, and not of a lot of interest to me. Again, I suspect I was the youngest person there, so I spent my time hiding behind my camera and taking pictures of the beach and sea. 

The party started about an hour before sunset, so I took a lot of photos while we waited for food. Prior to sunset, I mostly took photos of palm trees and birds. 

Next door, there is an abandoned hotel that was never finished. I've written about it before here and here on previous visits and should be visiting it in the next few days for more photos. 

A group of flamingos (which my mother assures me is called a "flamboyance") flew over the party, but were a little too far away for the lens I was using. I assure you, those tiny black dots are pink. 

I tracked a few egrets fishing on the beach while everyone was watching flamingos. 

We returned to our yard to eat the food from the food truck that visited. As we were finishing up, and the sun finished setting we spotted some wild donkeys. My mother ran out to feed them lettuce in the pitch dark. Naturally the donkeys then began chasing us. If you've made it this far in the blog, please enjoy the Night of the Living Donkeys.