Tuesday 19th. Kralendijk, Bonaire

Bonaire is a small island on the Leeward Antilles. Along with Curaçao and Aruba, it forms the 'ABC' island group. Krakendijk is the capital city and the main port of the island.

We didn't book a tour from the ship but took up one on offer in the town. It was classed as an Island Tour to last 2 1/2 hrs at a reasonable rate. We were told to come back at 10.30, when it would leave however many people they had managed to book. We boarded a very comfortable coach and headed to the Salt pans. Huge mounds of crystals can be seen, each pyramid roughly 50 ft high. The pink lakes are quite a sight.

The rustic landscape is dominated by huge Candelabra cacti, and other varieties have been used to construct cacti fences. At the North of the island we stopped at a beach, which was accessed by 100 steps down. Most of us stood at the top admiring two adult iguanas.

A natural brackish water lake called Goto, is home to a large flock of flamingoes and we saw a baby one, which was still grey. As the area is protected, we were not allowed to get off the coach. The tour travelled through a little village of Rincon and continued to impress us with the diverse nature of the landscapes, including coral cliffs with caves housing the local bat community. Apparently the bats come out at night to eat the mosquitos.

An island I would definitely like to revisit. Bought a momento - a lovely pair of handmade blue earrings!!

Sea day tomorrow, then Road Town Tortola.