CURAÇAO: Another Dutch Treat

Because of its history, the island’s population comes from a number of ethnic backgrounds. While the majority of Curaçaoans are of Black African descent, there are sizeable minorities of Dutch, Latin American, French, South Asian, East Asian, Portuguese and Levantine people.

My pit stop here in Curaçao is taking a different turn than previously planned. Given the need for a car and the expense of local diving, I have decided to forgo the usual intensive explorations in lieu of personal development and the enhancement of my writing skills. I have a couple of online writing courses that have been requiring my attention which I plan to utilize over the last ten days of my stay.

The extent of my Curaçao adventure will be comprised of my education, the consumption of goat products and getting prepared for the rest of my travels. I have some expensive destinations (Australia, Fiji, Japan, and the Maldives) this year so saving a few dollars at this juncture would be more than prudent.

They didn’t get around to taking down their Christmas decorations here in downtown Willemstad until January 17th. I think that the Xmas holiday has pretty much run its course by December 26th, especially on an island with temperatures in the eighties and 90% humidity. As you can see the absurdity is palpable. Thank goodness my room has great air conditioning where I can pursue my indoor activities in comfort.

The waterfront architecture evokes a multi colored Caribbean Amsterdam overrun with Cruise Ship Tourists.

Although taking a lot out of Holland’s playbook here on Curacao, there seem to be far more Dutch on the island of Bonaire. At least that is my impression thus far.

 

OPEN AIR FOOD STALLS

GOAT STEW – An island favorite traditionally served with beans and rice. The local fare is good and a plate of goat stew with all the fixings will run you nine or ten dollars. The portions are usually larger but I got the last serving.

The waterfront is particularly delightful after dark.

 

Thursday night offers a weekly fireworks display.

This enormous pontoon bridge pivots to let boats of all sizes to pass though.

 

My neighborhood was pretty ugly, but this lawyer’s office was nice.

Because of the isolation involved with being sequestered in a secluded area, my enjoyment of the island was limited, and most of my time was spent walking to and fro to obtain sustenance. I would recommend my lodging to a couple or group who could split the price of the vehicle and make the best of it.

Instead, I am saving my rental car money for a road trip in France later this year. Sometimes you have to prioritize. I even pulled the plug on a scuba trip because it was going to be too much of a hassle, and I ended up saving another $120. As they say, a penny saved is a penny earned.

RASTA STREET ART

MORE STREET ART

My travels hit a bit of a doldrums here in Curaçao. Thankfully the monotony was broken by an encounter with a supervillain and pop culture critic intent on taking over the world with the assistance of his robot army which he is assembling in his base at the Earth’s core.

Dicktor Van Doomcock is his name and savaging mediocre TV and cinematic dreck is his game. It has been enjoyable having someone else going off on a rant for a change since there is so much opportunity as I go about my travels. My last serious gust of fury occurred in Morocco last year if I’m not mistaken.

Lately, my mood had been deflated by the most recent incarnation of Star Trek. “Star Trek Discovery” was enough to set any self-respecting fan off balance especially a purist such as me. I accept change. As a world traveler, flexibility is a paramount attribute to possess, but this “thing” they dumped on us possessed none of the heart, soul, values, look, feel or character development of the other series.

They also chose to make the series all about the most repellent character since Jar-Jar Binks. “Mikey Spock” aka Michael Burnham is an arrogant nag with all the personality and affect of a piece of plywood (Doomcock’s reference). Star Trek has always been about a team, not just one person. They have spent the first whole season on her and left many on the bridge there as so much window dressing.

But I digress, my time on Curaçao has been a lonely business so encountering Dicktor Van Doomcock and his Rogues, Villains, and Legionnaires was just the lift my spirits needed. So if you don’t like it when your childhood memories are desecrated, check out one of his YouTube videos.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2NGcu9Nfto

DICKTOR VAN DOOMCOCK – Supervillain and Pop Culture Critic

In my travels around the world, I meet all sorts of interesting people. Sometimes the world wide web sorts me out. So if you feel like the world is coming apart at the seams you might want to head over to Doomcock’s Lair and indulge in some nerdtastic, cleansing rants to flush current events out of your system.