Catching up on Curacao

I really wish we had had more time to spend on fun in Curacao. Mainly because I’m not sure if I like it there…but I think I could…at least in some areas…I’m not sure that Spaanse Water is one of them…but…Spaanse (pronounced Spanish) Waters is where a majority of the cruisers are anchored. It consists.... of a narrow passage in and then five or so finger bays…with marinas…a fuel dock…sailing schools with the little kids (reminded me of Annapolis)…sail boarding lessons (this and kite boarding seem to be the newest “rage” - in Bonaire as well) and the fishermen’s dock where cruisers are allowed to use the dingy dock. The water is…well…bay quality…not clear (like other recent islands). Their local boats are unusual looking…some can actually be good looking…others not so much so! One of the “exercises” of checking in is that after immigration you are to go see the Port Authority and tell them where you are anchored to get an anchor permit. IF you want to go to another bay…you have to go back to the Port Authority and get a different anchor permit. This explains why most cruisers drop anchor here…and then stay here…less hassle! Everything is a bus ride away from Spaanse Waters…everything. The Supermarkets are very accommodating and provide free daily van type transportation for one hour of shopping to their locations…and the pay buses are cheap enough - $1.60 Guilder…but it just takes so much time to do anything…
Dutch is spoken as one of the main languages…Papiamento is spoken here too (80 - 90% Spanish base according to some)…English is prevalent…the currency is the Netherlands Antillean Guilder and the exchange rate is around $2.75 G to $1 usd (this is all the same as in Bonaire)! Downtown Willamsted is very cute…when we went in to check in…we had carried the gun (in its case)…we were being proactive (based on Customs in Bonaire)…they looked at it and we were told to take it back to the boat…THEY would PICK it up FROM the boat. So we had to carry it around downtown the first day and take it back on the bus!! Yes, we did get some “looks”!! And, then THEY never did come get it! We had heard great things about how if you need it for a boat…you can get it at Curacao…and, well for us…turns out Curacao is not as well stocked as we had heard…no parts for the windlass…no windlass repairs! We were able to get the sail repaired…get a pop rivet gun to get the downwind pole repaired and get some fresh foods. So except for a part that Paul had ordered (while we were in Bonaire) and had shipped DHL…we were ready to move on…we had a date to meet Matt in Roatan!! We were told that to get anything out of the Curacao Antillean shipping “stall” (that could take months)…going to the office would be a good start…not a guarantee of action but a good start. So Wednesday afternoon (since Thursday was a holiday) we took the bus into downtown, checked out of Customs (for Friday or Saturday) and went to the local DHL office. There we were told that we would need to call a gentleman on Friday morning…and should be no problem…we should get the package on Friday. I took the ferry over to immigration to check out…well, at least I got to the security gate…where the security guy refused to let me into the fenced area! There was still 15 minutes before closing…but he refused…he had someone call (they called the wrong number – which we found out 10 minutes later)…anyway…to make a long story shorter…I got, as Paul calls it “pissy”! (And, then I ask Paul…now WHY do I usually get “pissy”!! And, he will answer you…when I am not treated nicely!!!) This guy was awful AND not very nice!! Sooooo…20 minutes later after immigration HAD closed…I asked for his name to report him…nooooo…he wouldn’t give me his name…closed his little screens and tried to scare me with using his little walkie talkie…like he was calling security on me or something (I WAS ready to talk to a police officer if it was necessary to let someone know how this guy had behaved!) Now both times we had been to Customs they had been so wonderful and had expressed that if there was anything we needed and were in the area to stop in…SOOOOOOO…even though I couldn’t check us out of Curacao immigration…I DID file a formal written complaint on this guy!! The Customs guys were so very nice and helpful and I felt a little better after “venting”! Thursday everything was closed so we worked on little things on the boat to be ready for leaving Saturday. Friday morning arrived and Paul called DHL (thank you Frank and Pat). FIRST…phone call to DHL…got no where. Second…bus for last provisioning…back to the boat put things away…then once again…the bus into town to the DHL office. Now while Paul was busy with DHL…I had a point to prove (Paul had already decided that we were not going to check out of immigration – nobody usually checks for stamps anyway – and if they do – usually a shoulder shrug tells the story). Same approximate time…same place…DIFFERENT security guard…a nice one…I got us VERY pleasantly checked out of immigration! I also got to walk across the floating bridge…which every other time I had been downtown had been stuck open so I had to take the ferry…so of course some pictures…Paul’s package on the other hand…well, even after the in-person visits…and MORE phone calls late on Friday…it is still somewhere in Curacao…or maybe on its way to Matt…we just don’t know exactly!!! We do know that Paul’s blood pressure went up for a little while on Friday afternoon and DHL will be getting a letter! And a note…the cruisers here we talked to (and in Bonaire) LOVE it here (not just Curacao…this includes Bonaire, the Aves, Los Roques, and some of the safer parts of Venezuela)…there is another whole different breed of cruiser this far west and south…tired of the eastern Caribbean. Perhaps more on that another day… AND…FINALLY…on to the NEW WINDLASS (at least for the short term)!!! Armstrong and Ingenuity…yes, my strong arms and Paul’s ingenuity…got the anchor up…and will continue to get the anchor up…God willing and the creek don’t rise!!!