Windsurfing Lesson...

After an Easter brunch at a Dutch oceanfront cafe at Lac Bay and a visit to the Donkey Sanctuary, we returned to Lac Bay so Ashlynn and Jimmy could take a windsurfing lesson. Jimmy had windsurfed years ago in Florida, but this was Ashlynn’s first time. The sheltered bay with knee deep water and gentle winds, make Lac Bay one of the best places in the world to learn this sport. It also made it a difficult place to snorkel. Veronica and I had been told it was a long walk out to the coral dam which separates the bay from the ocean, but hadn’t expected it to take nearly 30 minutes. The snorkeling wasn’t very good as it was still very shallow at the dam, but we had the excitement of seeing a lionfish, porcupinefish and a giant parrotfish.

Driving through the Donkey Sanctuary...

We really had no idea what to expect when we drove through the Donkey Sanctuary, but we were completely surprised when the truck was surrounded by hungry donkeys trying to get a bite. Us girls sat in the back of the truck and couldn’t give the food away fast enough. Jimmy had a difficult time driving as there was often a donkey’s head in one of his windows. Definitely a wacky way to spend an hour and a place we’d recommend for all visitors to Bonaire.

Donkeys on Bonaire...

Donkeys were first introduced to Bonaire in the 17th century when Spaniards brought them over to provide the only means of transportation between the interior of the island and the salt flats. Wild donkeys can still be spotted around the island, but often suffer from dehydration.
Today, over 400 donkeys are cared for at the Donkey Sanctuary, which provides food, water and medical care. They castrate the male donkeys, but still have babies to care as they adopt wild orphans.

Unusual Local Art...

I’d read about Yenny’s “Museum” on Frommer’s website, but even if I hadn’t, we would have stopped to check out the site with its unusual decorations from the outside. Once you step into the yard, you’re greeted by life-size rag dolls in various island dress.
We were especially impressed with the flamingoes, who were rescued as orphans and walked around freely. We opted not to buy any of the art, but dropped a few dollars in the donation can as we definitely enjoyed this short diversion from reality.

Our Favorite Spot in Bonaire...

We chose to pay for a larger apartment at Belmar to ensure that we’d have a 2nd storey balcony. After seeing the view, we knew we’d made the right decision. Not only did we eat all of our meals on the balcony, but we spent a lot of time out there reading, talking and admiring the view.
We also enjoyed watching the sun set, which was usually around 6:40 pm. Never did see the green flash, but enjoyed the light show nonetheless.

Beauty of Shore Diving...

Most dive sites around the world have to be reached by boat, which means living by someone else’s schedule. The simplicity of diving in Bonaire is that there are over 50 shore dive sites, easily identifiable by yellow stones alongside the road with an excellent ranking system for ease of entry, depth and current. Jimmy loved the convenience of parking the truck, grabbing the gear and walking into the ocean whenever the mood struck. This photo clearly shows where the reef starts as the water turns from light to dark blue. Many sites also had a buoy to use as a guideline.

After hanging at the resort for a few days hoping that my ears would clear, I donned a snorkel vest (an adult version of swim armbands) and snorkeled along the shore while the family dove. Remarkably, I was able to see many of the same kinds of fish, just not the same volume or the diversity of corals (at this particularly rocky site, I saw an eel in just a foot of water).

Underwater Creatures...

We were lucky that a colleague of Jimmy’s loaned us an underwater camera. Unfortunately, the quality’s not great, but I’ll post the best shots to show some of the variety of creatures we saw. This fish was Jimmy’s favorite: spotted trunkfish.

The coolest thing I saw on my one dive was a sea turtle. Ashlynn and I both missed seeing Veronica’s thrilling swim with a sea turtle on the day that Ashlynn forgot her booties and was stuck snorkeling with me. Unfortunately, Ashlynn had the camera, so there’s no photographic proof. This was one of the strangest fish we saw: trumpetfish.