By Bob
Heading west to Columbia on the way to Panama meant a stop at the middle island in the ABC group of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. As usual something necessary had stopped working on the boat. Actually 2 things were on the fritz. The watermaker doesn't desalinate quite enough, and our depth and speed instruments have gone incognito. So we came here hoping for solutions from a couple of trained technicians who turned out to be the same guy, and who in the end couldn't help us with either problem, but that's another story...
Our travels have recently taken us to Bonaire and Curaçao, and interestingly both have smaller islands nearby, named after them, Klein Bonaire and Klein Curaçao, klein means small in Dutch. Both of the smaller islands have no permanent residents (Klein Bonaire doesn't even have any buildings on it) and both are ringed by beautiful clear water and colorful reefs. Klein Bonaire is only a half mile off of Bonaire at its closest point making it very accessible for quick trips over for diving and snorkeling. Klein Curaçao is further away from Curacao so the trip there is not as easy, it is about a three hour sail, or 1 1/2 - 2 hour trip for the tour boats from Curaçao.
You can't go home again.
No matter how much you love a place, if you return to it, it will be different. Last year we spent almost four months in Bonaire and had a wonderful time. The friends we made there, the diving, snorkeling and swimming, the land trips, the cultural events. All wonderful.
Returning this year was different, not better or worse, just different.