Travel On You Bear!: Bonaire lately, with pictures!

Well, here I am on my first off day in a while and it is very much needed. There's been quite a lot going on so strap yourselves in for a marathon blogpost, with pictures of course.

I'm now two weeks done with the Divemaster Internship program with Dive Friends Bonaire. This included completing all tests (relating to dive physics, physiology, how to teach, decompression theory, etc) as well as assisting around the shop. Speaking of the shop...

I've also still been doing quite a bit of work on the beach. And by work, I really mean taking people around snorkeling. Some days are better than others, but it's always nice to be out in the sun, and it's definitely busy. A group will come in and stay for two hours in which you have to constantly monitor them to not step on the coral, not swim too far, etc. etc. There is also a lot of schmoozing, because we work for tip. By far the best tippers are Americans/Canadia, followed by the Brits, Europeans (mostly Dutch/German/and a few French), and Latin Americans. Most days we don't get any tip from the Latin American ship, Enchantment of the Seas (which, oddly enough the Cheever family was on Thanksgiving 2004). But, occasionally we do pull off a coup and manage a little extra cash (I am sure there is a direct relationship between my schmoozing/flirting and tips... hey, American guy who can try and speak Spanish? Ok, maybe we'll give). Enchantment days are a bit tough as I am the only Spanish speaker on the beach and my vocab doesn't always translate to snorkel stuff, but something I need to work on. We've had a bit of staff turnover lately (more on this later) and I'm the only Spanish speaker left. Opportunity for a job? Maybe... But, enough typing, you want some more pictures. So, here it is, the beach (sans equipment)

Hmmm... more about work... I really do like the people I am working with and am getting closer with many of them with each passing week. For the most part everyone works hard (with a few exceptions) and is always willing to answer my questions here and there. Work could be more organized however as it sometimes takes a while to find forms or parts for equipment but it's not really my place to overhaul that and with time I'll learn where everything is. We recently had a bit of a shakeup. Our highest ranking instructor left for another resort (where her husband works) which is too bad. She was American and definitely went out of her way to help me at times which I am quite thankful for. Not to say that the rest of the instructors are helpful, they are, but I think Carolyn could empathize with me and my situation as she had been down that road somewhat. We also lost our general manager recently which is the subject of much speculation but really an understanding that while really good for business he had some drawbacks which I won't discuss. Gerrie was kind to me however and I think it is nearly unanimous that our business will suffer without him. He ran a tight ship, which kept everyone busy at all times and on their feet to keep doing better. How will things be without him? I don't quite know but will let you all know when we get there.

Let's change routes for a bit and talk about Bonaire. Two days ago, there were elections which I think drastically shaped Bonaire's future. Currently, Bonaire is an independent part of the Netherlands and as such receives quite a few benefits, namely in the way of aid in healthcare, education, economic trading laws, etc. A March referendum is in place to see if this will continue or whether Bonaire will become freely associated with the Netherlands. Now, the time leading up to these elections were quite the event. Nearly every night, fireworks would be the norm, and every time one boomed in the distance it would set off the Bonairian version of the "London bark". Within the past week, cars, all adorned with flags of the different parties would caravan around the island, honking and generally creating a scene (in addition to setting off the Bonairian bark, which can also be activated by walking in the road late at night, ah, island dogs). At any rate, here's the election in a few sentences: The Green Party (Christian party by name?) is in favor of Integration with the Netherlands, which keeps the status quo. The opposition was led by the Red Party which favors Free Association, or a much more independent state loosely affiliated like Australia/New Zealand/Canada are with England only the Netherlands more or less said kiss our ass goodbye if you go this route. The UN stepped in saying that more time was needed to have fair elections and gather information as well as make the ballot less confusing but this was largely ignored. And then there was the Blue party which more or less wanted to kick every foreigner off the island. End result? Green in a close one (over red), which is best for just about everyone here on the island in the long run via money from the Netherlands for education, healthcare, economic support, etc. So now that the Green party has won, looks like the March referendum may be canceled but who really knows, Bonaire is a third-world island nation and as such has third-world island politics.

Time for more pictures... here is Bonairian currency, the guilder, or expressed as Naf.

The food situation is very much the same here on the island... somewhat limited. But I suppose I got very jaded living in California and in Berkeley in particular. I've found tortillas here on the island which is a staple of mine. They are, after all, the best food delivery vehicle ever. Lots of sandwiches as well. I would kill for some good tomatoes. KILL! But no, they are all quite bland. I got quite excited to find avocado the other day (not the Californian kind) but it needs ripening so I've got to give it some time. If I do end up staying on Bonaire, I will start my own garden. It's a must.

I am making more and more friends here on the island which is definitely a good thing. It's nice to have a bit of a social group and get together outside work.

Other than that, the same stuff as always. I will leave you with some photos of the Hilma Hooker, a wreck here on Bonaire (it's story can be found here, quite a good one)

Some tarpon...