Waking up to Paradise

Day 1

I have arrived! It was so lovely having a direct flight into Bonaire.  Entering the country was a breeze as usual.  

The car rental was not as ideal but still ok (I reserved via Expedia through Avis and hence stood in the Avis line patiently waiting while they took care of 3 other customers only to find out they overbooked Avis and therefore was transferring me to another company - fortunately, the other company processed me quickly.)  

It's been about 4 years (since my last trip to Bonaire) since I've driven stick shift.  I was a bit nervous as first but it's like riding a bike!

So I mentioned earlier that there was a snafu with my reservation.  I had purchased a combo flight and hotel package through Expedia - direct flight on United (no issues) and 7 night stay with Sand Dollar (where I stayed last year - problem problem!).  When I emailed to request a particular unit for my stay, I was informed that they overbooked the resort and had to offer me either a downgrade from a 1-bedroom to a studio or a studio or 1-bedroom in the neighboring Den Laman which is a more boutique hotel (but still with condo units).  I opted for the 1-bedroom at Den Laman which they told me would be oceanfront and on the 3rd floor.  I also negotiated a nice deal with access to all Sand Dollar amenities plus a $50 voucher at the restaurant onsite at Den Laman.  

Well, I was hopeful that Den Laman would be nice but was sad I didn't get to stay at Sand Dollar which I already knew).  I was SO impressed when I arrived.  The apartment is HUGE! But most importantly, the balcony is amazing with the most amazing view.  Truly oceanfront! (see below)

View from apartment onto my balcony (yes I need a panorama just to capture it)

Sunset (see private pier on the right) - view from my balcony

I am in love with this place!! And since the dive shop that was once on this property has gone out of business the pier with its private tank areas and rinse tanks and showers have been purchased by Dive Friends and will be available for my use.  It's fantastic!!

We used our voucher for dinner at Breeze 'n Bites.  It's just below our room and overlooks the waterfront.  I got the whole red snapper with garlic sauce.  It was delicious!!

Red snapper

It's been a great start to what will surely be a great week.

I will be starting out with 2 boat dives tomorrow.

Tsa precheck - score!

I don't know how they give away the TSA pre checks but I'm not complaining. Maybe it's through some "externe vetting".

I can't remember the last time I flew through EWR - it's horrendous!  The bag check in was an entire process on its own. There were multiple steps! Crazy.

Bonaire, here I come!

It's that time again - for Bonaire!!

It's been 4 years since my last trip to Bonaire - the haven of shore diving.  This will be my 5th trip to the island.  I'm going to be staying at Den Laman which is adjacent to the Sand Dollar (where I stayed last time). I had tried to book at the Sand Dollar again but they overbooked and gave us an upgrade to Den Laman instead.  I've never been to Den Laman but I do remember seeing their private pier next to Sand Dollar's property with its "Private Property - No trespassing" signs.  It's supposed to be a nicer more boutique type of place.  We'll see!  Because of the overbooking I made sure that we're still allowed to use the Sand Dollar facilities.

United has a direct flight from Newark.  Hopefully, it's just as nice as the direct flight on Continental was.  Of course, with stupid airline baggage regulations, I have to pay for a check-in bag, :( It's unfair that Caribbean destinations don't have a free bag when Latin America destinations do.

I've been cataloging my previous trips to Bonaire to determine which sites were most frequented (which clearly means I liked them best since I plan all the dives and therefore must have chosen them from previous good experiences).  My top 3 dive sites were: outside Belmar (since I stay there for 3 trips), Bari's Reef (which is off Sand Dollar but I've been there even when not staying there), and Something Special (which lives up to its name) - each with at least 4 dives.  The next 2 were Angel City and Karpata each with 3 dives.

In reading my blog posts and my dive log, it's clear that the marine life has been decreasing over the course of my trips :(  It's a combination of pollution and erosion.  It's sad that I've notice a difference even over the less than a decade of diving these sites.