A Very Curaçao Thanksgiving

One more from the islands!!

There was a lot to be thankful for today! Please enjoy pictures and a high text to footnote ratio to get you through the holiday.*

 The morning and early afternoon were spent on the beach.** AT enjoyed watching the ships come in and I enjoyed the sunshine. 

The afternoon was spent strolling around the town and a ferry ride when the bridge was unavailable.***

   

  

We took some obligatory Curaçao photos but mostly were in awe of other people taking photos and their fantastic posing game. We tried to recreate it but ultimately went with the classic family pose. 

 

 

We had a crazy delicious dinner and, even though we were not in America, we lived up to all the American thanksgiving stereotypes.**** No food is pictured because we ate it all. 

 

Finally, on the walk home we saw a Santa***** parade and fireworks****** and a street party and everything!! This was Thanksgiving to us but just a Thursday to Curaçao.

It's a bit much to live every day like Thanksgiving, but if you live even half your Thursdays with the enthusiasm of Curaçao, you'll be doing alright!

-KT

*For you, Kyle!!

**You guys!! This beach is a sham!! You can't even tell! We are on the second floor of the hotel here at a salt water with sand infinity pool that overlooks the harbor. It was trippy and the perfect solution to a no-beach problem. 

***The bridge floats and moves out of the way sometimes to let ships through! IS THIS WHOLE TOWN A FACADE????

****We ate way too much at the main meal but all still ordered dessert and ate all that too. We complained about how full we were the whole way home but also talked about the things we would eat again. America. 

*****Looking dapper in blue and balloons!

******I broke one of my strongest beliefs today and took a picture of fireworks. That's right, I think firework photos look stupid and I judge you pretty harshly when you post them on NYE or July 4th. I think, "Put the camera down. Watch the fireworks. Your pictures look lame and don't do it justice." And you know what? This picture looks lame and it doesn't do it justice but I took a picture to show that they existed. And with Scarlett O'Hara as my witness, I will never take a picture of a firework again. 

No Turkeys Here!

Okay, we look photoshopped into this photo. I promise you, we were in Anguilla. And yes, that's Anguilla courtesy of St. Maarten via Curaçao where we daytripped to Bonaire after arriving from Miami. The things this family does for points are ridiculous and we all openly admit it. 

We arrived in Curaçao in time for dinner and scenic street views. The island was settled by the Dutch and has the feel of the Caribbean with the brightly colored houses of the Netherlands. 

They, like us, have bypassed Thanksgiving entirely and are ready for Christmas. Dad is pumped!

The next day we went to Bonaire and had a tour of the island. Bonaire is much smaller than Curaçao and is known for its snorkeling and diving. The entire island is surrounded by a coral reef accessible straight from the shore. We toured the southern half of the island where we saw the salt ponds that harvest sea salt. It's not snow that you're seeing, but mountains of salt waiting for transport. 

The ponds surrounding the salt flats are ideal for flamingos. The flamingos feast on shrimp in the briny waters and that's what turns their feathers pink. They're shy birds so we couldn't get too close!

   

We also saw the huts where slaves lived when they were brought to the island in the 1800's. The houses are maintained today as a memorial to the slaves that built the island. 

We ended our tour of the island with some beach time before flying back to Curaçao!

The next day we headed to Sint Maarten, the Dutch, which shares land with Saint Martin, the French. The island is divided in half and has two of everything. If you mail a letter to the US from the Dutch side, it goes direct. If you mail from the French side, it detours to Europe before hitting America. We ate dinner on the French side and it went straight to our mouths with no international detours. 

 

Today we took a ferry to Anguilla, owned by the British. The ferry was a tad rocky and gives you this fantastic shot:

Upon arrival we had beach time and lunch time (our two favorite times) before returning to St. Maarten. For thanksgiving proper we will be back in Curaçao with no turkey or traditional trimmings. We wish you the best with your family and are thankful to be traveling together (minus UK who is prepping a turkey for AT's return!).

Enjoy your turkey, all!

-KT