Our last port was Curaçao. This island felt more like a city to me.  The buildings were beautiful down by the port, but there was a huge area that was filled with plazas, stores, and stoplights.  We rented a car again and decided not to try to go in the water, but just explore the island.  It’s a good thing we made that decision because at the car rental agency they told us that we would be fined if we sat on the seats with wet bathing suits or towels.  We were also told that we should not leave anything in the car when we got out.  It would have been a pain to carry two bags around.  

In any case, we walked about ten minutes to the car rental place.  It was in the shopping area, right next to a Starbucks and Pyscho Bunny store.  We picked up the car in the garage next door.  There was quite a bit of traffic, but the roads on Curaçao were almost always two lanes, so we didn’t have to worry about playing chicken with an oncoming car.  We saw a lot of goats on this island, but no donkeys.  

My husband really wanted some johnny cake and found a store in one of the plazas.  He said it was the best he ever had. (Johnny cakes are fried dough with cheese inside.) Then we drove to an aloe farm. This one produced products that you can ingest as well as a number of skin care products.  We looked in the store, but we didn’t take a tour because we already had one on Aruba and this one cost $10. 

Around the corner is the workshop/factory for the Chichis. They are seen all over the island painted with different decorative dresses.  Chichi means big sister.  It was developed by a German sculptor who lives on the island.  It’s a pretty impressive story.  The molds of the Chichis are made here and then the artists take them home to paint them.  I was lucky to see a couple of artists at work right there.  Every Chichi is unique and hand painted.  They are pretty expensive though even for a small one.  I opted to buy a magnet. ($10)  I really liked it because it had a flamingo on its dress.  

The ostrich farm is right next door, so we drove over to check it out.  There are signs everywhere telling you to park at your own risk because the peacocks will attack reflective surfaces.  I have seen that happen in Florida and it’s no joke.  The farm has a store and a restaurant as well as some animals to view without the tour (pigs, ducks, geese, goats, turtles, and birds).  The tour leaves every hour and I think it cost $15.  We go there right after a tour left, so we didn’t not stay for a tour. 

We drove to the north side of the island.  My husband tried to get us to see a blow hole, but we couldn’t figure out how to get there (there was no trail or anything).  Instead we stopped at this beach/restaurant. They had a spot where you could jump off the cliff into the water.  We waited to watch a woman do it.  It was about 20-25 feet into the beautiful clear water. 

There was a lovely scenic view of some cliffs down a trail lined with coral.  I love how the coral on the islands is used as we use rocks or as southern areas use seashells.  

We stopped at another beach area because there was a sign boasting tropical smoothies with fresh fruit.  We bought a strawberry and a mango.  Neither of them had fresh fruit.  It was pure sugar.  It was not a good purchase.  However, my husband found a bakery in this luxury development.  You have to stop at the gate and show them your ID before you are allowed inside.  They make fresh bread and pastries and also have pizza.  I got a Brie sandwich on ciabatta with arugula, walnuts, and honey.  It was delicious.  I also had an iced latte.  My husband tried a croissant and milk bread and got a fresh orange juice (it was so tart). 

We returned to Willemstad and drove through the historic district.  We realized that we could walk over to the area easily from where we had to drop off the car.  So we brought the car back.  We walked through the old fort walls in which they have a bunch of restaurants and stores.  It’s the only way to get over to the floating bridge.  It’s like going on a ride at an amusement park and then walking through the gift shop.  The T-shirts that are basic are $12-$15. I thought they were boring so I kept walking. 

Crossing the floating bridge was bumpy with the windy weather. The buildings are so beautiful.  There are all kinds of shops and restaurants at the bottom of those buildings.  I found a small shop with a $10 T-shirt sale.  The woman working there was very nice and she painted the cats and dogs that were sold in the store.  

We returned to the ship after we realized that we couldn’t enter the other fort.  It was about a 15 minute walk because our ship was at the end of the dock. 

I was not as impressed with Curaçao as I was Bonaire.  It was fun to explore the island and we did miss seeing the touristy beach areas, so maybe those would be fun.  There are also supposed to be a lot of areas to snorkel, so it would be good to check that out.  The water is unreal.