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Bon Bini! Welcome to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, affectionately known as the ABCs. Bonaire and Curacao are part of the Netherland Antilles; Aruba separated from the group in 1986 and became an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. As a visitor to the islands, you will find very little difference in the day to day life, since Dutch is the official language, Papiamentu is the indigenous language, English is the language of commerce and Spanish is thrown into the mixture since South America is so close. Yes, the ABCs are independent, but rather like a college student is independent - right up until they run out of money; then the college student phones home, and so do the ABCs!

The weather is nothing short of perfect for the guests visiting the islands. Flat and arid, they have no high mountains to catch the rain clouds, so the days are bright and sunny. The cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean surround them, keeping the average temperature between 78 and 82 degrees. The wind blows. Hard. The local fishermen go to sea in small boats, which is not for the faint of heart. Better to travel between islands on a nice, comfortable charter yacht!

The stunning beauty of the region is the direct result of the ancient natural history, so letís peek back in time, say about 90 million years ago. This was a time when volcanoes were erupting on a massive scale in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Plate tectonics shifted the earthís crust around and moved the Caribbean plate to the east. It rode up over the edge of the Atlantic plate, eventually reaching its current position in the Caribbean. Fast forward 70 million years to about 20 million years ago: As the Caribbean plate moved slowly eastward, the edge struck the South American continent and the ABCs got stuck on the side, only 45 miles from Venezuela. Eventually, coral reefs formed around the islands, growing around and on top of the existing rocks. Further plate movement lifted some of the reefs into the air where they formed the flat limestone terraces that fringe the island today. In fact, if you travel along the north side of Aruba (rent a 4-wheel drive, youíll need it), you can see the old coastline evidenced in the terrace cliffs.

Archeological findings suggest that the first inhabitants to the islands rowed over from the South American mainland around 2500 BC. The Caiquitios, an Arawak speaking group arrived about 500 BC, apparently chased from Venezuela by the violent Carib tribe. The Caiquitios, a gentle people who lived by fishing and farming, lived for almost 2000 years in peace, until the arrival of the Spanish in 1500 AD. Almost immediately, the Spanish wiped out the natives, deporting them to Hispaniola as slaves for the mines. Having disposed of the local population, the Spanish established only a small colony as they were disappointed at the lack of gold and silver, and dubbed Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao ìLas Islas Inutilesî, ìthe useless islandsî. Typical of greedy people, they were only looking for easy, quick riches and never figured out that there was indeed gold on Aurba. Over 3 million pounds of gold ore were excavated there during the Aruban goldrush of the 19th Century. The ruins of the Bushiribana gold smelter are still standing and waiting for you to explore.

In 1633, the Dutch, having lost the island of St. Maarten to the Spanish, retaliated by capturing Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. What followed was a truly dark part of the ABCs history, rivaling the deportation of the natives. In the 17th century, the Dutch became leader in the international slave trade. The Dutch West India Company purchased enslaved Africans and transported them to Brazil and Curacao. Curacao was one of the largest slave depots in the Caribbean, though relatively few slaves remained on the island itself. Bonaire became a plantation of the WIC, where the slaves were put to work harvesting solar salt around Blue Pan. Slave quarters, rising no higher than about 4 feet, still stand on Bonaire. After the abolition of slavery in 1863, many of the former slaves stayed on as sharecroppers.

ìModernî history really started in the beginning of the 20th century with the discovery of oil in Lago Maracaibo, a short distance away in Venezuela. Oil concerns looked for suitable deepwater harbors close by and, for economical and political reasons, they searched for refineries outside the country. Aruba and Curacao were perfect choices due to their deepwater harbors (oil tankers can be as deep as 90 feet below the waterline of the ship) and the fact that they were also en route to the Panama Canal. Bonaire does not have refineries, and allows only bunkering. The late 1950ís saw the beginning of the tourism industry, which continues yet today.

Now that you have an appreciation of the history of the area, letís explore this paradise! The logical starting place is Aruba. With non-stop flights from Miami, getting there couldnít be easier. Not to mention that on the way back to the U.S., you clear customs and immigrations in Aruba, which is much easier than waiting until Miami or Puerto Rico or any other airport one can think of.

Perfect white sand beaches, great snorkeling and diving, stunning sunsets, dirt tracks on the North side of the island for the adventurous to explore, exciting nightlife, terrific food and lots of shopping - what more could one want? The shopping on Aruba is the most extensive of the three islands. After Hurricane Hugo hit St. Thomas, many of the upscale stores re-located to Aruba to wait for stores to be rebuilt on St. Thomas. So, many of the same stores that grace St. Thomas are also found in Oranjestad, only in a more manageable venue. Oranjestad is small enough to be comfortable, but large enough to be home to all of the tony shops you expect in a shopping mecca: Cartier, Gucci, Little Switzerland, with a McDonaldís close by to make you feel at home. However, go local for a snack with a pastechi (pass te she), a deep-fried pastry-roll stuffed with cheese or ham or both or whatever the cook happens to have on hand. Yum.

The beaches are simply stunning. Whether you choose to take a taxi over from your charter yacht, or have your captain anchor offshore and take you in via the tender, donít miss the beach. There are lots of little docks jutting out into the water with pubs on them, a perfect place to kick back and relax and watch the action, or the sun as it sets behind your charter yacht! (A word about the taxis: they donít have meters and it is best to ask the price before the ride. It should be about $10 for two people to go from the airport to the marina in Oranjestad.)

For people who canít sit still, for heavenís sake, rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle and drive the ìroadî on the northern coast. Starting at the California Lighthouse, you will see faint tracks on the flat area by the water crashing on the rocks. Yes, that is the road! Rough, dirty and lots of fun, this dirt road will lead you to some of the best sites on the island: the Chapel of Alto Vista, the ruins of the gold smelter, the natural bridges (you have to look for some of them, they arenít all marked), the natural pool and the Fontein Caves and Ancient Indian Markings. Some of the sights are marked, some not at all, and some have little hand painted signs pointing the way. There is an area near the beginning where people have built thousands of little ìspirit hutsî by piling stones on top of each other. Take time to make your own, and when you have finished with your creation, make a wish! (Hint: For this excursion, take water. This is a natural area, and, except by the largest natural bridge, there are no refreshment stations anywhere!)

As much as you would like to stay on Aruba, tear yourself away and have your captain head on over to Curacao, located approximately 100 miles from Aruba. The capital of Curacao is Willemstad, which is great fun, though your captain will probably anchor in one of the magnificent bays, or perhaps dock at Caracas Bay. Willemstad is a very busy commercial port and hence, not so great for pleasure craft. That being said, by all means, take a taxi into Willemstad and enjoy it! There are a couple of things to know that will make your explorations more fun. The buildings are all painted a virtual rainbow of bright colors. Legend has it that an 18th century Governor suffered from migraine headaches. He decided that it was because of the blinding light of the sun as it bounced off the buildings, all whitewashed to reflect its rays. He issued a royal decree ordering everyone to paint their houses. Of course, legend goes on to say that he also held stock in the paint factory, too! Whether or not it is correct, it is a fun story, and the buildings are definitely colorful!

The second thing to know about Willemstad is that it is separated into two sides: Punda and Otrobanda. Punda (ëthe pointî) and Otrobanda (ìthe other sideî) are separated by water, but connected via a beautiful floating bridge.

The bridge is opened and closed to allow the ships in and out, but if the bridge is open and you want to get across the water, never fear. There are two ferry boats, run by the Port Authority that cross back and forth constantly, and they are free.

Punda is the side that bustles with the activity. Plenty of shopping, with a few of the upscale stores in evidence, such as Little Switzerland, but mainly bargain stores that are great fun to poke around in. Prices will be in Netherland Antilles Guilder (a.k.a. Florin), exchange rate is $1 U.S. = 1.78 Naf. American dollars are accepted everywhere, though you will most likely receive your change in guilders. Credit cards are also readily accepted. This currency information is the same for all three islands.

Be sure to visit the floating market place, which actually isnít floating. A fruit and vegetable market, the items are brought up from Venezuela in the workboats that dock behind the stalls of the marketplace. So the boats are floating - the food items are not! The whole area is very colorful and the people are very friendly. Depending on how proficient your Spanish/Dutch/sign language is, you can learn what most of the unusual foodstuffs are. You surely wonít find piles of dried salt fish at your local supermarket like you do here!

When you get tired of shopping, there is a lot more to do around the island. The surrounding waters will excite even the most jaded divers. Christoffel Park, in the interior of Curacao is 4,500 acres of protected land, home to deer, donkeys, iguanas and tropical birds. There is a dolphin sanctuary where you can swim with the dolphins. There are old forts to explore. And when you are done with everything and have really worked up a thirst, go visit the Amstel Brewery, they give tours - and samples! All of the money collected from the admission to the brewery ($1 US/person) is donated to a local charity. So you can have fun and feel like you have done some good, too.

The most intimate of the three ABCs is Bonaire. So lovely that upon discovering its incredible perfection, one wants to hide the knowledge away, jealous of letting too many people know about it, that they might come and spoil it. But Bonaire, long aware of its unsurpassed natural beauty, has established its entire coastline as a Marine Park to ensure that generations of people would be able to enjoy it. The diving and snorkeling in Bonaire is simply superb. Visibility is almost always at least 100 feet. The amount of marine life is staggering, be it tropical fish, corals, squadrons of squid, or forests of Christmas Tree worms in every color imaginable. If you are not a diver, no problem, you can always learn while you are there, or just snorkel!

There are massive salt production pans on the southwest side of the islands. Interesting to note that as the salt water evaporates the color becomes pink as the water condenses. The shrimp that thrive in the water are eaten by the flamingos (and there are flocks of them everywhere), which results in extremely pink flamingos. The northwest side of the island is the Washington Slagbaai National Park. Be warned: the park closes at 5 PM, and you will not be allowed in after 2:45. It is recommended that you have at least half a tank of gas, and it is further suggested that you enter only with a vehicle with high ground clearance. This is not a park for wimps.

With all of the adventures available, make sure you take time to enjoy the capital of Bonaire, Kralendijk. One of the ways to remember how to pronounce this gem of a village is to remember how to pronounce this gem of a village is to remember the little Dutch boy who stuck his finger in the dike. . Only here he would “crawl in dike”, rather than “finger in dike”. And that is pretty much how to pronounce Kralendijk! The town is extremely clean, very friendly and has wonderful food. The pub that is on the wharf that sticks out into the harbor is great fun. Be prepared to hear Karaoke in 3 languages.