Curacao doesn’t look like Aruba which makes us happy since we had enough of American tourists and high prices. It’s more a island for living than for tourism. And it’s much much more Dutch. While on Aruba it’s pretty interesting to see Taco Bell, and other all-american stores next to the Bruna and Blokker on Curacao there is even an Albert Heijn ( which we didn’t visit, mind you! ).
It’s also a bit bigger which makes hitchhiking more complicated and the traffic is also less friendly. Which means you can’t cross big roads while anticipating everybody will stop – and pick you up when you wave at them – but people stop well under 10 minutes to bring you somewhere. The worst we had was about 15 minutes and we didn’t get dropped of right in the dead part of the harbour we were staying at back then! Poor us! Grin.
When we arrive Willemstad bay is full of oil so we make an 180 degrees turn and heard for the Spanish waters near the spanish bay. A nice area but polluted water since the ‘big downpour’ everybody is talking about. A few weeks ago more rain fell in 6 hours than normally in a whole year flooding a big part of the island, killing two.
Which also hits another theme. While still part of the kingdom of the Netherlands pretty much everybody complains about the lack of interest overseas. Only when there is something ( rightfully according to many ) to bitch about money. I think they are right, when do you hear news on the former Dutch Antilles? Only when somebody feels the need to complain. Even so, most people have a connection to Nederland. Lot’s of people studies there, have family over or lived for a short or long time. I meet more people from The Hague here than any other country I’ve travelled.
It’s very handy to be on a boat, especially in Spanish waters where 100-some boats a lying around. In the mornings there is a ‘net-broadcast’ on VHF, a radio system for boats which reaches some miles. In the morning cruisers can do requests from who’s having wrenches, is in need of equipments to who’s going to Colombia. We hang a note and pretty soon via the gossip circuit we know which boats are heading soon. Subsequently we ask those people and we find a German guy going there.