Vilamendhoo 2014

September 26th - AIP

Ready for our next holiday adventure. Kuredu tasted like more, so we were eager to return to the Maldives. Finding a good and affordable option how ever wasn't an easy task. Final we found it: 1) Flying with Tyrolian Air, from Düsseldorf and via Vienna. 2) Vilamendhoo FB via Travelbag. So flights booked in Austria and hotel in The UK (long live internet!) provided the cheapest option. Downside (the catch) was the long stop-over in Vienna: 6 hours.

On arrival the airport was dull and dark. Route indication was bad. No trolleys. We decided to head for our gate. Long empty corridors with one X-Ray machine at the end (and a funny looking guy). And then ... a normal looking airport with the expected facilities (so strange).

The flight was quite empty. I could lay down! Not that I slept a lot, but okay. The arrival in Male was smooth and quick. Luggage all present. On our check in at the VIP Lounge the form stated AIP (All Inclusive Plus)?! Only 30 minutes later we are on our water plane. On arrival at Vilamendhoo we are still noted as AIP (?!). If that isn't corrected than our deal turns from good to super.

Time for a walk around and lunch. Sashimi, grilled fish, curry, etc ... very good. Also in the restaurant we are recognized as AIP. Later in the afternoon, at the bar: "are you AIP?". As I didn't want to lie I replied: "that's how they checked us in at reception this morning". "Let me check", "Yes, AIP".

On our walking tour around the island we were surprised. The ugly spots from a few years ago, were now looking nice. Last time's good spots now had ugly sand bags. Seems the sands moves around quite a bit (depending on the season?). So nice to see all the baby Black Tip Reef Sharks in the lagoon. And a bigger one ... no that's a baby Nurse Shark. What a joy.

Less joyful is that the only Dutch we see are our neighbors (attached). Luckily they return home tomorrow :-) The thing that isn't leaving are the clouds. Hopefully we will have sunshine to enjoy the coming two weeks.

And yes, a fruit basket, a bottle of red wine, and - ring ring - the roomboy with a (half size) bottle of champagne. How long will this AIP continue?

Getting ready for dinner: Maldivian night tonight. Yummy, curries! Tomorrow time to check in at the dive shop, and relax (that's the plan).

// Kuredu may be more gorgeous due to its long stretch of beach at the side we had our room, but Vilamendhoo's restaurant is nicer, without the hassle of making daily reservations. And the food is on par ... at least, maybe even better. So from a price performance point of view Vila beats Kuredu, for sure with our good deal! And ... you can walk around the island, something we missed at Kuredu. //

September 27th - Beautiful Day

We wake up, to our own surprise, due to the alarm we had set. It's 8 o'clock in the morning, and we fell asleep immediately, so we slept 10 hours straight. Aahh that feels soo good (normally my back wakes up after 7 hours tops). When we look outside we have a good reason to get up: the weather is lovely. Blue sky, a few scattered clouds and a nice sun. We hadn't expected that yesterday.

Time to check in. Matthieu (French) checked us in. "Did you dive with Eurodivers before?" "It's 15% discount, but than I need to see the stamps in your logbook." Opening my logbook I noticed I added the 2003-2008 logged dives, but forgot the 2008-2012 ones, which was the time we were at Vilamendhoo before. Luckily Hussein still recognizes us, pfew. On top of that, due to having more than 400 dives each, we didn't have to do a check dive (which is for free at Vilamendhoo, but we rather pay and skip the mask routine).

After lunch I go for some snorkeling. The viz is not very good, but it's so nice to see the baby Blacktip's under water. I just had to put them on video.

Tomorrow we will start our dives with a nice, just the two of us, on the house reef. Perfect!

September 28th - Slow start

Sunday, so champagne at breakfast. Better not as we go diving today. Maybe next week.

As we have learned over the years, it is best to give your holiday a slow start. Get used to the time zone, the climate and the diving. So we'll only do one dive today: the House Reef. As expected, from yesterdays snorkeling, the viz is not too well. We go down slowly, as clearing the ears needs some time. And there they are, the beautiful fish. A Picasso Triggerfish, a Titan Triggerfish ..... and YES, an Eagle Ray! A few Giant Moray Eels, a Scribbled Filefish and a few Nemo's. End of the dive. There is some current, so we did Exit 4 (at the dive shop) to Exit 1 (the last one, at the Asian Wok).

Jos: 61 [min] / 22.4 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 22.0 [m]

Just leave the tanks there, walk back to the dive shop to sign out and back to our room to take a shower. The staff picks up the empty tanks. Nice. Time for lunch, and oh boy is it good. Yes, life is good!

Time to take a nap on the sunbed at the ocean, and enjoying the view as well.

Bummer. The bill at the bar is including all drinks. When checking with the waiter he replies: "according the system you are on half board sir." I know we booked FB and not AIP, but HB?! Time to go to reception and clarify. After some back and forth phone calls they confirm they checked us in as AIP by mistake and our booking is confirmed as being FB. So, unfortunately, as of now we need to pay our bills :-)

It was also too good to be true, a super deal AND a free upgrade.

September 29th - Wind and Rain

I thought we had left the ventilator on during the night, but Petra said I must have dreamed that as it had been very windy during the night. When I looked outside I knew she was right. The sun was hiding behind the clouds, it was still a bit windy and it rained. But we are going to dive, so we are going to get wet anyway.

Today we are going to Nufeney Giri, which means invisible reef. Like our dive guide, we had seen reefs that were harder to spot from the boat. Once in the water the visibility wasn't brilliant. But the reef was very nice, with lots of fish. Petra even spots a White Tip Reef Shark.

Jos: 61 [min] / 22.0 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 22.0 [m]

Back on the boat our dive guide tells us we should expect similar visibility on the 2-Tank tomorrow. Maybe it is normal to have such low viz this time of the year (just like on Filitheyo). We'll see. According AccuWeather the weather will improve as of Wednesday, so we can maybe do a 3-Tank Whale Safari later this week.

Relaxing, strolling around the island, enjoying the view, the sunset and the beautiful light. Topped up with an excellent cocktail.

September 30th - Rain in Paradise

After a restless night the weather seemed to be not so good today. Grey skies and rain. Not what you wish when you are in paradise. But there is nothing we can do about it. Petra discovered yesterday that we could have an early (7:00 - 7:30) breakfast in the other restaurant, next to the dive shop, when your on a 2-Tank or Full Day. So we need to get up a little earlier, but no need to rush.

The dive staff is already there and tell us that there will be a "change of plan". The sea is too rough to go to Seventh Heaven, so they changed it to Vilamendhoo Thila, just around the corner. Okay.

There are two persons on the boat that had signed up for the "Specialty of the Month", being the "Drift Diving Specialty". Part of the course is to check the current ... no way, we will not sign up.

// Specialty of the Month: free course, only the certification fee needs to be paid //

The first dive was as expected. Lots of current. But also very poor visibility. Nice and strenuous, but - due to the viz - not very memorable.. At the end of the dive there is three of us? The dive guide (Adria) thought we were following her she explained us later on? During the safety stop we lost her again. Rejoined on the boat.

During the safety interval we had a chat with the guy from Switzerland. He had booked Wakatobi in March next year. Hope he sees a lot more fish than we did .... no worries about the reefs, they are gorgeous.

Jos: 58 [min] / 29.6 [m] | Petra: 58 [min] / 26.5 [m]

The second dive was even worse. Ripping current and bad viz. Reef hook out and hang was all we could do. Luckily I decide to move a little further from the group, due to that we saw two Whitetips passing by. Then Petra takes my arm and checks my deco time? Plenty of deco time (15min) left. Shit, now I see why she is checking my computer. She left her computer in air mode, so she already reached her bottom time. I sign her we should go up. Not so easy with a current pushing you down. After some drifting we ascent for our safety stop. Petra has 4 min mandatory stop. Nothing to worry about and they passed quickly.

Man man ... I what a hassle with my safety buoy. The rope is all around me, and than catches the rope of the reef hook, which is stuck around my camera .. . Man, I must look so stupid. Petra is laughing so hard that her goggles are flooding. I don't think it is funny.

Jos: 52 [min] / 22.9 [m] | Petra: 52 [min] / 23.5 [m]

As we had to go up so early due the computer incident we were very surprised we - again - entered the boat last?!

Hopefully the visibility will get better soon. I looking forward to a blue sea.

October 1st - Lucky

For today we only booked a single dive in the afternoon. So we can have a long sleep in and a long breakfast. The weather has improved a lot. So nice to see and feel the sun. The 10 minutes of rain doesn't impact the good vibe at all. Relaxing until lunch. 

[John Legend, Satisfaction, keeps 'playing' in my head]

Today's dive is "Lucky Rock". Guides are Coleman and Eddy. Holger (Austria) and Christian, with his son Noah, (Switzerland), are on the boat again. The visibility is getting better .... bit by bit, we're getting there. I can take a nice pic of a Longnose Hawkfish (German name is so funny: Langnasen Büschelbarsch). A few Whitetips and a hunting Tuna. Back in the dive shop I am glad to see someone had picked up my reef hook. 

Jos: 59 [min] / 30.5 [m] | Petra: 59 [min] / 26.5 [m]

Time for a nice cocktail at the sunset bar. A nice dinner, And than time to tuck in as tomorrow we have to get up early for our 2-Tank dive.

October 2nd - Mixed Emotions

Hardly any wind, and the sun is out. Signs of a beautiful day to come? After the early breakfast we are on the "Marina" to head south. Guides today are Coleman and Michelle. But they will be busy with a course, so not much of use to us. Matthieu - despite it being his day off - is on the boat as well . The current is okay, but the viz is still less then wanted. Unfortunately. I am sure there was a lot of action in "the blue", but with such viz you can't see it. All in all two very nice dives, both of which Holger joined us ... at least the safety stop. It seems he is just diving alone and circles a bit around us?

Jos: 61 [min] / 31.1 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 28.5 [m]

Jos: 61 [min] / 26.2 [m] | Petra: 62 [min] / 24.4 [m]

Another two memorable moments:

1. Christian lost his camera. I see it going up to the surface and signal him where to look. After instructing his son to stay put, he ascents and picks it up.
2. The first dive I mastered the Safety Buoy, But the second one was drama again. The rope grabs my octopus and the buoy pulls me up. After I have disentangled the rope the rope breaks and the buoy leaves on its own to the surface. Bye. [luckily the boat crew saw it and picked it up]

The rain after the last dive is setting the scene for the rest of the day. Rainy and overcast. After lunch my sister texts me, bad news about my dad, I was afraid of this, but you never seem to be prepared for this.

[Jamiroquai, Seven Days in Sunny June, keeps 'playing' in my head]

Let's check at the dive shop for Saturday's dives. The plan is to go to Lucky Hell (neighbor site of the previously cancelled 7th Heaven) and Vilamendhoo Thila. Hopefully the 1st one is on this time, and maybe we are lucky and see Eagle Rays at the 2nd. Let's give it a try.

The sun sets. We're halfway now. I hope the 2nd half isn't going faster then the 1st half of the holiday. I am nowhere ready yet to jump on the treadmill again!

October 3rd - Cancelled

Hmm. It's six in the morning and the wind is blowing hard and the sea is rough. When I want to go outside I can hardly open the door. Not really looking forward to sit on a boat half a day or more for a 2-Tanker with this weather. Petra has the same doubts and is glad I am too, rather than pushing to go. So ... time to cancel. Adria is already at breakfast and tells me I can give it a thought until 8 before finally cancelling it. "Maybe it clears up in an hour" she says, But she actually doubts that herself very much as well. No need to give it a thought, sorrywe're cancelling.

Holger also walks in to cancel. He knows what is going to happen. They won't go to Lucky Hell, and he doesn't like to do a 'just next to the island' 2-Tanker. Later I find out that this is his last day. Tomorrow they fly home. He gives me a tip for a next holiday though: he liked Mauritius a lot. Something we haven't done before. Maybe next time.

Later in the morning it does start to clear up and the wind lays down. So we decide to sign in for the afternoon dive: Miyaru Thila. Good choice as this was a nice dive. And visibility is getting better! Let's do the afternoon again tomorrow, and a House Reef in the morning. Entrance we'll decide later.

Jos: 60 [min] / 31.1 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 29.4 [m]

// Later we found out that all but 2 cancelled their 2-tank dive this day, so finally the 2-Tanker was completely cancelled //

October 4th - Return of the Sun

During the night I had seen stars, so I had good hopes for the weather to improve. The wet terrace when we left the room in the morning was not a prediction for the rest of the day, luckily. It's afternoon now and the weather is brilliant. Amazing how a few hours of sun makes you forget tons of rain so easily.

The dive on the House Reef this morning was very nice. We entered at exit 8, turned towards 7 a while and than returned to exit at 10. It all looks so much better under water now the visibility is improving. Hopefully this heralds a magnificent second week. AccuWeather is predicting all good until Tuesday at least. Fingers crossed.

Jos: 65 [min] / 26.0 [m] | Petra: 64 [min] / 23.7 [m]

We had already seen this morning that little people had signed up for the afternoon dive, Would it be on, or cancelled? It was on. But with only 3 divers it was a close by one only: Vilamendhoo Thila or Ranvelli Thila. We opted for the first one as the viz on the House Reef this morning was quit good. So it was the 1st half of the dive, after that the visibility became poor again. Coleman was in for a deep dive it seems. Only after 30 minutes we ascended to above 25 meters.

Jos: 60 [min] / 31.1 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 29.7 [m]

As the viz is still not super and Petra had some ear issues, we cancelled tomorrows 7th Heaven and decided to do a House Reef. Just the two of us.

October 5th - Messy Dive

Two dives on the menu today: House Reef in the morning and a boat dive in the afternoon. We go back to do the North Side again, and this time Petra sees the Leaffish. Such a beauty!

Jos: 69 [min] / 24.7 [m] | Petra: 67 [min] / 22.3 [m]

The afternoon dive is not so nice. Coleman advises "left shoulder" during the briefing, And since the current is small we can swim up and down to the swim through, he claims. NOT. Way too much current, so we all end up at the wrong - ugly - side of the Thila with no other option than hang or swim back and forth a bit. Horrible dive.

Jos: 59 [min] / 27.1 [m] | Petra: 59 [min] / 26.8 [m]

// Christian and Noah have dived 2 hours with Manta's on today's 2-Tank dive. So they are around. Actually we also saw two from the boat when heading to Hudhu Thila // 

October 6th - Mobula

We had signed up for the 3-Tank Full Day to the North Ari Atoll tomorrow, so we plan a more quiet day for today with only one dive. The plan is Camel Rock, but Coleman and Marie (new German guide) had also brought the plan for Coral Hills along, as they had seen Manta's there yesterday. The plan: "We go to Coral Hills, do we see Manta's on the cleaning station than we do a dive there. Do we see them on our way .. than we snorkel there. If we don't see them we dive plan A, being Camel Rock". No Manta's to be seen at Coral Hills, but we all decided we wanted to give it a try anyway.

We descent to the cleaning station. Someone bangs. Looks like a group of Eagle Rays. To far and to quick gone to point them out to Petra. After waiting for 15 minutes without any Manta's showing up, we decide to continue our dive following the beautiful reef. Visibility is really good, which helps.

Cling, cling, cling. 4 Mobula Manta's "fly" over. I try to keep up and film them. I can only keep up for so long. Still trying to catch my breath I return to the group. So nice. It had been years we had seen Mobula's. And are they gorgeous when they fly by. Such a beautiful dive makes you forget all bad viz dives of the passed days in a blink of an eye.

Jos: 60 [min] / 19.5 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 18.2 [m] 

The rest of the day we just totally relax, enjoy the weather and the view. Not a bad thing, taking a holiday during your holidays .. ha.

[Bob Marley, Rainbow, on my mind. Petra has I save the day of Roberto Jacketti and the Scooters on hers ?!]

// Later that day, when I look at my pictures and zoom in I see that those "Eagle Rays" at the beginning of the dive actually were the same 4 Mobula's // 

October 7th - North Ari Atoll

The sun is shining, the boat sails smoothly over the ocean. We are on our way to the North to do the famous three: Maayaa Thila, Hafza Thila and Fish Head. Despite having 13 divers joining there is only one guide: Michelle. Even before we arrive the weather starts to change. Rain and wind again. Plan for today: "Anything can happen" on Maayaa Thila. Grey Reef Sharks on Hafza and some more on Fish Head. And ... watch out for Eddy, the baby Eagle ray, on Maayaa.

To our big surprise the "anything" on Maayaa was Grey Reef Sharks. No Eddy though. An hour later on Hafza Grey Reef Sharks again. More of them and they were coming in close. WAUW.

Jos: 60 [min] / 27.1 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 25.9 [m]

Jos: 64 [min] / 16.5 [m] | Petra: 63 [min] / 16.2 [m]

On our last dive - it's 15:30 already - we really dive into Shark Soup. At least TEN Grey Reef Sharks, two White Tips and a nice Eagle Ray to top it up. They keep on cruising and turning right in front of us. And they keep on returning and returning ... for an hour with no pause! Who cares the rain and choppy sea, Man this is awesome. [both if us not being seasick helps of course].

Jos: 62 [min] / 19.8 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 19.2 [m]

On our way back the weather turns from bad to worse and it starts gushing rain. We survive without any issue. 18:30 we are back on Vilamendhoo from a FANTASTIC day!

October 8th - Reethi

Despite the forecast the sun is shining nicely this morning. So we start the day with a nice stroll around the island. So nice, let's do a 2nd one after breakfast. O no, rain again.

We start with a House Reef dive. 5 to 1 (no, not a Doors song - exit 5 to exit 1). The visibility is amazing, but apart from a few remarkable sightings (leave wrasse) there is not so much interesting. What does show out is the enormous sand "dune" in front of our room. I think we found the beach! At the end the current picks up so we can gently fly to the last exit.

Jos: 66 [min] / 21.3 [m] | Petra: 66 [min] / 19.5 [m]

And than it's that time again: the last dive of the holiday. It will be Reethi Thila. Michelle explains during the briefing that "Reethi" means "beautiful" in Maldivian. No surprise that this spot is also called Paradise Rock. And yes, this name is not a joke. What a beautiful Thila! The good visibility helps of course. We both don't want to end the dive, but I am running out of air ..... so we have to end the dive. Petra, like the rest of holiday, still has plenty of air.

Jos: 56 [min] / 30.0 [m] | Petra: 56 [min] / 27.4 [m]

// Reethi Thila is quite a deep dive, and looking back it was our deepest of the complete holiday with an average depth of 19.8m over a total dive time of 56 minutes. //

The last 3 days of diving make up a lot for the the rest of the dives. We wonder whether we should have come 1 or 2 weeks later. But as we know, you can't plan nature.

When the evening starts the rain disappears. It's a Full Moon. Very low tide. A perfect time to do our planned second stroll around the island. Oh, this is so nice. Strange, the beach is empty, are we the only ones enjoying this? The beach is wider than ever and the balmy air is lovely.

// A delicious bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chili to accompany dinner //

October 9th - Gift

As so often the last day turns out to be a very slow one. A few rounds around the island. Dreaming on our sunbeds. Staring over the ocean. Etc etc. AccuWeather predicts rain rain rain, but is - luckily - far off. The result is the last day being exactly that: a gift.

// I had Bob Marley's Rainbow on my mind already for a few days. I never told Petra, so it was a little scary she started singing it spontaneously on the jetty this evening //

October 10th - Tring Tring

Last nights announcement from the hotel through the mail: wake up call at 5:25 (yes that early), vacate the room at 5:55, breakfast and than fly at 6:55. The alarm starts ringing at 5:15. And again. And again. We had already seen 2 day offers to Vakarufalhi, so we guess they are pretty full (overbooked), and try to vacate rooms as soon as possible?!

Knock knock. "Is your luggage ready?" But to be fair. We could enter our room immediately in the early morning when we arrived and had the best positioned villa on the island. So no reason to complaint!

In the meantime we are on our plane to Vienna. Maja, Loeki, tonight we are home again!

*********************************

If you can't get enough of shark video's here's another 3 unedited movies from our North Ari Atoll trip .... .

[Maayaa Thila]

[Hafza Thila]

[Fish Head]

Port Ghalib 2014

June 5th - Dancing allowed

Yes. Holidays have started! A hug for our two pats and off we go. Destination Brussels Airport. Stuck in traffic the last 10 km, but still well in time. Too early actually, we need to wait another hour before we can check in. The ground stewardess mentions our hand carry luggage is actually too heavy (13 kg where 8 kg is allowed), but puts the "cabin luggage allowed" strap around it with a big smile. No complaints there.

Oh, no ice in the plane to cool my medication. "And that's not all you are going to miss, this will not be a nice flight for you guy .... neither for us", the stewardess says. The local catering in Brussels is on e strike, so no service. Luckily one of the crew has managed to arrange a bit of dry ice, so I can keep my medication cooled.

It seems they have also managed to arrange water, cafe, thee and a sandwich or waffle outside the normal catering channels. I must say, we have seldom been spoiled like this on a low cost flight!

At the airport the car of the Inter Continental is already waiting for us. "Welcome to your second home".

O? Life music during dinner. Luckily the guy really can sing, and to our surprise he manages to get quite some people to leave their chairs and dance on the terraces. A new experience for us here in Port Ghalib. We enjoyed our first evening a lot (despite the two Dire Strait songs).

A good start! Time to sleep.

// Room 6319, same as last time. Let's ask for 6320 upto 6323 next time //

June 6th - Checking in and having a lazy day

First day is always a lazy day. Sleep in late and a long breakfast. Time to explore. Emperor Divers is on the beach according reception (the IC is promoting them lately). Hmmm, is that all? O, they are also around the corner in the former water sports center. Nah, that's not what we are looking for. Better go to our old friends at Extra Divers. On our way there we try to get some cash from the ATM, which doesn't work?! After having checked in (tomorrow at 10:15 we will have our 1st dive) we try another ATM. Shit, no success either. To our surprise there is an ATM in the hotel as well, but also here no luck.

Aha. Our bank has "of course", without asking nor announcing, blocked all regions, except Europe. So glad we took our login key with us, so I can adjust the settings. And yes ... cash from the ATM! Quickly to the small shop to buy some bottles of water, and than it is already time for lunch. Gnocchi for Petra, Fish & Chips for me. Yummy.

Much later that day, at diner time, we seem to arrive a bit late - or the hotel is really full, as all outside tables are taken. We have time, and a bit later we are escorted to our table. We order a nice Egyptian white wine which tastes very good (Obilisque or so is the brand).

// Every day a Dutch News Paper (a copy of all headlines and main stories), free internet (normally quite expensive), late check out and a free special dinner. Nothing wrong with being an IHG Gold member :-) //

June 7th - House Reef

Today our first dive. At 10:15 we are picked up, very punctual. Of course we have to say 'hi' to all staff we already met before before we set-up our gear. The see is a bit rough today (quite some wind, hence also some waves) so we decide to dive from Crown Plazza (the neighbors) to the Inter Conti jetty. The last one is slightly inside the harbor entrance and hence has lot less waves, making it a lot easier to exit. A lovely dive it is. We see two turtles, one is huge. We're not quite sure what type it is. As always in a first dive our air consumption is quite high. Let's see if we can do better tomorrow,

Jos: 57 [min] / 26.3 [m] | Petra: 57 [min] / 25.6 [m]

After another delicious lunch at the pool bar we run into "Guest Relations". Are we interested in a Lebanese Dinner tonight? We are Half Board so there is a discount for us. No idea. We wonder when the 'Special Dinner' will be arranged. "O. Than tonight is free for you". The complementary IHG Gold dinner appears to be every Tuesday and Saturday. We decide to try it tonight.

The Lebanese Dinner was very good .... and by far too much for us. We ordered less the we were allowed to, and already had no room what so ever for desert. We enjoyed it a lot and really liked this gesture from the hotel.

June 8th - 400

A lovely and quiet Sunday. As we run out of air quite quick yesterday, and hence got a little nervous, we decided to re-do the same dive. Again a beautiful dive. No turtles this time, maybe we stayed too deep. This was dive number 400 for both of us .... yes, a real buddy team!

Jos: 61 [min] / 21.3 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 20.5 [m]

After the dice we sign in for Elphinstone (Wednesday) and arrange a Scooter Course for tomorrow. The rest of the day we spend doing little to nothing, as it should ... this is a holiday.

June 9th - Scooter

We had already agreed before the holidays, we want to have our Scooter License! Today was the day to complete at least one of the mandatory two dives. But first, filling out forms, theory lesson and de- and assembling the scooter. From there we dive Fish Market to CP and back. During the first part of the dive the visibility is quit bad, as quite some boats left the harbor not too long ago, but further on the visibility picked up to become clear as what you expect in Egypt. Time to enjoy the turtles and moray eels, and and and.

Jos: 57 [min] / 21.0 [m] | Petra: 57 [min] / 20.7 [m]

Just before we left we already decided to also do the second dive today. CP → North → IC. And what a dive it was. Crystal clear and as bonus ... two dolphins passing by!! Little later ... two eagle rays! Our guide/instructor (Mostafa) was also very exited and asked for a copy of the photo's and video's of this memorable dive.

And of course ... we passed and got our certification. Hurrah.

Jos: 59 [min] / 27.5 [m] | Petra: 59 [min] / 21.6 [m]

// Funny, all "extra's" were between the IC and CP Jetties. Not really a reason to do different sites than the House Reef. Besides a shark on Elphinestone and a Dugong on Marsa Imbarak (around the corner) than //

June 10th - Lazy

No idea why, but I seem to be unable to wake up today. It is 8 o'clock, so were already sleeping about 10 hours, and still I can't get to open my eyes. Petra, who woke up at 6 and thinks she just dozed off for 10 minutes, doesn't understand what I am talking about. Until she discovers it's already 8. Okay, better do a slow start today than. Breakfast. Pick up our stuff and off to the dive shop. 

First a picture for our new license. And than ... another house reef. Why not. It is soo beautiful, at our door step and full of surprises. Twenty minutes in our dive I hear Petra banging her tank banger, I look around. And yes, they are back. The two dolphins swim by again. To quick to take a picture, but still. We try to swim a little faster to enjoy them a little longer, but run out of breath. Back to the reef to catch our breath and again enjoy the small stuff. Beautiful beautiful beautiful.

Jos: 63 [min] / 25.4 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 19.6 [m]

June 11th - Elphinstone

6:20 boy that's early. Shower, breakfast and .. off to the dive shop. Today Elphinstone, which is a 2 hours sail, so we need to be at 7:30 at the dive shop. Fred, the only other diver on the list at our dive shop is already on the boat. And a Swiss couple that also stays at the IC. Looking at the number of tanks set-up on the boat we must be with about 15 divers today.

The first dive is dramatic. Or we have been dropped totally at the wrong spot. Or the current had been under estimated. Result: we lost the reef. After hanging 15 minutes in the water, the dingy picks us up. While I am trying not to get seasick we return to the reef, where we are dropped again. So half an hour later than planned we are at 30 meters deep on the North Plateau. Staring in the blue to see a shark. The intend / plan was to see a Hammer Head. But really, any shark would do. It appears not to be our lucky day. No sharks to see today.

There is quite some current, so we hide behind the reef to go to the South Plateau. Arriving there, to our surprise, Fred is already surfacing. Thirty minutes in the dive he is obviously already out of air. The guide signs he wants to surface. I wish him the best of luck with Fred and signal him that we will continue as a buddy team. We slowly return towards the Northern Plateau. Just as we want to start our safety stop I see a Hammer Head swimming in our direction. We descent to have a better look. What a beautiful shark. And what a lucky dive it ends up to be, despite the bad start.

// Unfortunately me and my camera didn't see eye to eye when the hammer head passed. The shark was so close and I thought I had it on video so beautifully. But I had pushed the wrong button, and so there was only the approaching and leaving part on video. The beautiful 'middle' part wasn't captured. At lest not on camera, the brain has a great movie! //

Jos: 56 [min] / 30.9 [m] | Petra: 55 [min] / 28.7 [m]

The second dive we start from the dingy. Nice and slowly drifting passed this beautiful reef. After half an hour we are at the end of the reef. We peep around the corner, but at that side the current is way too strong. As the dive plan was to return to the boat ourselves, we simply and slowly, return the same reef side, swimming against the current. Here and there we stop and hang on the reef. At that time the Swiss guy has finished his air. He leaves for his safety stop. She stays and teams up with us until the end of our dive. We start our Safety Stop under the boat, but at the end of the Safety Stop the current had pushed us quite a bit away from the boat, so we had to swim quite a distance against the current to catch the line that was hanging from the boat. From there it was easy to pull ourselves back towards to boat and climb on.

Jos: 59 [min] / 23.5 [m] | Petra: 59 [min] / 25.0 [m]

"Beep beep beep" The Captain spotted Dolphins. They are gone before I see them. "Beep beep beep" ... the boat next to us is honking its horn as well, as they also see the dolphins. They return and four dolphins ride our bow wave and jump up effortlessly. A big black spot in the water. A huge turtle. "Dugong dugong"... no. Yes .... the green-yellow spot surfaces to breath. It is a big Dugong. And all that just outside Marsa Imbarak. Our destination for tomorrow. Maybe we are lucky .... again.

// Fred is from Roosendaal //

June 12th - Private Yacht

I expected, as we had seen it was only the two of signing up these Day Boat Dives, the dives to have been cancelled. But no, we go with the two of us. "Private Tour" Marc, the shop owner, cried when we left the harbor,

The plan was Marsa Imbarak (south) followed by Korafi (north). Our guide, Tobi, tells the captain he is going in the wrong direction when he turns north when he leaves the harbor. He should go south! The captain explains that the wind will pick up this afternoon making it impossible to go there than. Marsa Imbarak is wel protected, so we can go there any time. Okay. The captain makes the final decision on this, so Korafi first it is.

Jos: 64 [min] / 30.9 [m] | Petra: 63 [min] / 29.9 [m]

Korafi is a very nice dive site, just north of the house reef. After we finished the dive we immediately sail to Marsa Imbarak. As our guide is not joining us (we didn't book a guide) there are 2 tanks extra. So we could make a third dive .. . To keep that option open we do our second dive before lunch. As we don't see screaming snorkelers in the water, which normally locate something exiting as a Dugong, we decide to skip the boring sea grass and head for the reef. Quite some sand in the water, so average visibility, when we start. But that improves as we get further in our dive, making the reef more and more beautiful. On the other hand it is getting more busy above us. Man, what a noise! despite some discussion on which direction to go we find our boat quite easily.

Jos: 54 [min] / 18.6 [m] | Petra: 54 [min] / 17.4 [m]

Ooh .. my God. There are already ten (!) boats in the bay. And there are more coming. After lunch we decide to call it a day, and skip on our - optional - third dive. There are fourteen boats in the bay now, and number fifteen is approaching. Marsa Imbarak is both a know place to 'hide' on a windy day, so on a day like this many day boats go there as there are little other options, as also the place to hang on the start and end day for many live aboards. A beautiful bay, with - if your lucky - so much to see. But to day it's not that lucky day, and it is way too busy.

Time to say goodbye to our Private Yacht, it was a very nice gesture form Extra Divers!

// Tonight: Cocktail Party //

June 13th - House Reef

Time flies when your having fun ... today is already our last diving day. After a chat with Mostafa, our scooter guide, we decide to do CP → North → CP. Again a very nice dive. Not for Petra, her goggles keep fogging up the last half of the dive. Back at the dive shop they advise us to use plain dish washing soap.

Jos: 61 [min] / 24.1 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 23.2 [m]

No, this can't be the last dive with Petra not really being able to enjoy it. So we do another last dive in the afternoon. Man, how incredibly beautiful this house reef is! I could simply lay on my belly in the sand for an hour and just look around and enjoy. Maybe I should really do that on a next visit, because it is clear that we will be back.

Jos: 63 [min] / 27.8 [m] | Petra: 63 [min] / 25.3 [m]

// Very confusing. The air carrier website says departure 19:50, ticket says 18:50. After making a few calls with our travel agent and reception calling the airport it is confirmed: departure is 18:50, as the ticket says [check out at 14:00, taxi at 17:15]. This happens when you fly with a Belgian company. The clock will be adjusted in Egypt for Ramadan, which starts 3 weeks from now. The Belgian air carrier already adjusted their website now .... //

June 14th - All good things come to an end

In the middle of the night the ringtone of a text message wakes us up. T-Mobile finally discovered we're in Egypt. Little later another one. The Netherlands had beaten Spain, the reigning World Champion, 5 to 1, of course we had to know that as well! So we watch the beautiful sun rise and sleep a little more.

It's our last day, so we take our time for breakfast. It's delicious. Next stop is the dive shop: paying the bill, cleaning up our stuff and saying goodbye to the Extra Divers team. Than back to the hotel, for a day of relaxing. First to - and in - the pool. At 13:15 it's time to go to the room and pack all our stuff. At 14:00 we need to leave the room. To reception to pay the bill. And than to the Pool Bar for a final lunch. Fish & Chips with a cool beer for me and Rosemary Chicken and a Rose for Petra.

The rest of the afternoon passes and at 17:15 it is time to go. The private car with driver is waiting for us. About ten minutes later we are at the airport. After "Verona" has left the check in goes quickly and smoothly. Until .... DELAY 19:50 → 21:00 .... it's going to be a long night.

5th Time Bonaire

January 24th - Radisson Blu - Schiphol

Not too much to report about this day. Packing our luggage and cleaning the house. Hugging our 2 cats. Dropping off our house keys at Natalie. Drive to Schiphol airport.

When we arrive at the Radisson Blu the Swedish guy at reception tells us they are fully booked and hence we are upgraded. Nice.

January 25th - Hmmm 

We had trouble sleeping. The bed and pillows were too soft. The air too dry. And the room too hot. The breakfast made up for it. Delicious.

*************************************

Drop the car keys and shuttle bus to Schiphol.

Arriving on Bonaire all went smooth. Picking up the car at AB and then to our B&B (5th time, so "our"). My navigation (Petra) tells me to tutn left. Stubborn as always I move straight on. Luckily, are better due to fools luck, we end up at the main road not lang after. From their we arrive soon quickly GooodResort.

Esther is already waiting for us. A hug and a kiss. We have a drink and have a chat with her. Some other guests also show their faces.

We are tired from our trip, and although we exactly know what to expect, it needs some mind adjustment being at a small B&B after our previous holiday.

// The B&B's name had changed, from Deep Blue View to GooodResort. The set-up, apart from some small things, is still as it was. //

January 26th - Kontiki is really closed

We are, off course, up quite early. We decide to have another nap before we go for breakfast. The guests: Arron and Darleen are from Canada. Bob and Sue are from Detroit. The other 2 couples (Minnesota and Germany) leave today.

After the - as always - lovely breakfast we go for a Bonaire island tour. OMG. A lot of places are closed ... and not just because it is Sunday. City Cafe leaves a big void in the middle of town. And unfortunately, Kontiki is really closed. On the other side, new places have been opened. So some searching and discovering to do!

Lunch at El Mundo.

// Again I didn't pay enoug attention when packing. Next to bring too little short pants, I forgot to bring my SD Cards. The smallest one I have - off course - is still in the camera. Look for a new one or try to upload it will be then. //

// New staff: room maid - I ddin't catch her name yet. And dive instructor: Irene from Uruguay. //

January 27th - Andrea II

Today we will do our 1st dive. But before that we first pay a visit at Germaine. Funny how she immediately recognizes us, knowing it has been a good 2 years ago we had seen her. After some chatting and looking around we decide that we will have a blue turtle (60x60cm) without frame.

Time to dive. Andrea II, close by and easy. It is a nice dive!

Jos: 61 [min] / 26.5 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 23.3 [m]

After lunch (@ It Rains Fishes - nice) we try to find the famous Goat Farm from "Boer zoekt vrouw" Aletta. As we expected, and heared, it is on the road to Rincon.

Dinner @ Four Seasons (very good!)

// Yesterdays anxiety - we both experienced - is gone. All feels good now. The holidays have begun! //

January 28th - Double Reef

One or two dives today. We'll see. We bring 4 tanks just in case. After loosing our direction a little - the main road is blocked due to maintenance and the alternative road signs are not very clear or not present - we drive passed the airport towards the south. I pick "Alice in Wonderland".

When we get out of the car a Dutch couple steps out of the car next to us: "Do you see the Dolphins?". "They pass by every morning". Smiles on everyone's face.

The dive is a double reef, and my intend is to cross to the second. Obviously - as happens more often - I loose my orientation. It must have happened following the big Moray Eel when we started the crossing. Half way the dive I want to go back to the main reef (assuming we were on the second). My buddy refuses. I think "Petra, why are you so stubborn?". Somewhat later I am at a 100bar (half tank) and am getting a little agitated. Damn ... TIME TO GO BACK!

Petra starts to understand what the issue is. She smiles at me and makes a sign trying to say: "watch your compass". What? No! My sense of direction is even worse than I thought! We had never been to the second reef. Now I understand she ignored me.

Back at the surface she told me she was very surprised I wanted to start the cross to the second reef already half way through the dive. Later on she understood I was being me ... totally lost :-)

Jos: 67 [min] / 29.4 [m] | Petra: 67 [min] / 28.6 [m]

Back at our pick-up the divers next to us, who had just entered before us, also had returned. No, they didn't see the dolphins under water either. But knew they were seen here quite often. We will leave it at one dive today. Starting slowly is the better choice we learned over the years.

Lunch at Bistro de Paris (yummy).

// There is a stone on our bed //

January 29th - Two Tank

On the program today: one of our pre-booked boat dives. We leave early. Meeting time is 8:00 am at the Marina. Menno's boat is now in front of "It Rains Fishes". There is six of us on the boat: Menno, Irene an other buddy team (they rent a Villa and dive through GoooDive) and us two. Of course is Klein Bonaire our destination.

The sea is not really flat due to the wind, so we pick a spot in the wind shade: Rock Pile (according to Irene the remains of a farm). It's a nice dive.

Jos: 60 [min] / 29.0 [m] | Petra: 59 [min] / 26.8 [m]

The intend was to dive Leonora's Reef next, as the turtles seem to have moved to this directed due to the many snorkel trips from Cruise Ships. Unfortunately someone moved his boat at high speed in front of us and occupied the buoy. Well, than try Jerry's Reef any way. Which was very nice, but as expected without the turtles .... two years ago we saw quite afew turltes there!

Jos: 60 [min] / 28.7 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 26.2 [m]

In the afternoon we had a simple sandwich for lunch. Later that day the Rum Punch (at the resort, not on the boat as before) and the weekly BBQ. With the world famous Apple Pie as dessert. Yummy.

January 30th - Salt City

Boy, what a struggle to wake up. Yesterday afternoon I already fell in a coma. Seems I badly need my rest. After another delicious breakfast from Esther (2 pancakes with apple and bacon) we decide this will be a relaxed and slow day. So one dive only. But it than better be a goood one: Salt City.

Jos: 65 [min] / 26.5 [m] | Petra: 64 [min] / 24.8 [m]

Even without the Eagle Ray - like last time - this is still a beautiful dive site. Lunch at It Rains Fishes: Good choice. Later we drive around a bit and end up at the Donkey Sanctuary. We buy a thimble for Fatima and than drive on. Past the Mangrove Center towards Cai, enjoying the Flamingo's from the car.

I have a lot of fun racing the dirt road, but Petra finds it way too bumpy and is happy to be back on the main road. Dinner at GooodResort: Self made pasta.

January 31st - Kite Burger

The plan for today: 2-tank shore dive. Esther advises us to try Margate Bay, and so it will be. During the first part of the dive there is an odd current, and it's quite dark. On our return, during the dive's second half, and hence less deep, the light and the colors pick up bringing out the reef in it's full beauty.

Jos: 63 [min] / 29.0 [m] | Petra: 63 [min] / 27.4 [m]

We drive further South and think about doing White Slave, but there is no mooring (so difficult to navigate) and quite a long patch of sand before the reef starts. So we opt to go a little further and choose Tori's Reef. During our safety interval we watch a big group of Spanish speaking divers enter the water. After the last one goes under, we slowly start setting up our gear and enter the water as well.

Jos: 65 [min] / 28.0 [m] | 66 [min] / 25.3 [m]

Again a nice dive. The "Spanish" divers were nowhere to be seen under the water. Hungry, so it's time to check out Bonaire's latest culinary attraction: Cactus Blue on the Beach. A mini-mobile-hamburger-shack. The rumors are positive as well as the reviews on Trip Advisor. Both are right, the Kite Burgers are super!

Time to return to GooodResort. Washing, showering, logging and relaxing. Eating out tonight .... life is Goood.

February 1st - Turtle

After a restless night (I had to get up at 4 to take my medication) and a good breakfast (French Toast as Paul recommended), we go to Germaine to check the status of the painting we ordered. Wow .. she already finished it, and the turtle is beautiful!

We are not in a hurry, so stay for a coffee and a chat. When the subject diving pops up we ask one of Germaine's friends, who is also visiting, where we can find the turtles. She advises Andrea and further North. After lunch we decide to check it. As we already did Andea II we take a few dive sites further: Weber's Joy.

Jos: 62 [min] / 28.4 [m] | Petra: 61 [min] / 25.8 [m]

Again, the dive site is very beautiful. But, again, no turtles. Back at GooodResort Esther advises us to try La Diana's Leap to Karpata. Let's try that tomorrow.

Until now we have only see one turtle on Bonaire, and that one is coming home with us to enjoy a long long time.

February 2nd - North and South

The plan was: 1st North, 2nd South → Kite Burger. But okay, that's just a plan. Already at GooodResort I was think of doing La Diana's Leap to Karpata, so I check again where exactly and how we need to enter. Esther explains exactly what we would see would we pass the site .... so we must pay good attention as we can't turn around on this one way road. The clue where to stop was very accurate as well.

The descent (with all gear on) to spot where to jump into the water wasn't that easy. Certainly for Petra without her glasses. Yes, as promised, and immediately when we jump in: a turtle! We see two more, the last one a very beautiful Green Turtle.

Jos: 67 [min] / 15.9 [m] | Petra: 67 [min] / 13.6 [m]

Hmmm. We have forgotten our 'in between dive snack', so back to GooodResort. Esther just prepared lunch for Menno, Irene and herself. It smells good ..... and she has a little more. One burger for me and one for Petra .... what a nice gesture. No need for a Kite Burger now.

Our second dive is at Angel City. Slowly, slowly and not too deep we swim along the reef. After almost 35 minutes we turn around to go back. No, not yet. First enjoy the stingray that cruises along. At what should be the end of our dive we fail to locate the buoy, so after more than 65 minutes in the dive we decide to start swimming towards the shore line. We pop up exactly at a dive site, but we don't see our pick-up. We are already at the Hilma Hooker, so we ended up at the next site.

Jos: 72 [min] / 19.9 [m] | Petra: 71 [min] / 19.0 [m]

Esther's hamburger filled us up quite good, so we decide to eat 'at home' tonight. Pizza or so ... .

//New guests: The one couple we already saw yesterday - they seem to shy away a little. The other couple we'll see tomorrow I guess. Paul's sun is visiting.//

February 3rd - Hospital

As planned and agreed, at 8:28 am (!?) we leave for Cai for a "Wild Site Dive". We all (4) join in our car. After a fun drive over the bumpy dirt road we are there. Menno does a briefing and then ... of we go. Going from the mangrove over the reef ledge to the ocean is easy as there is a nice outgoing current. We pass the Tarpons at their sandy pit and then see the reef. Due to the current the visibility improves fast. Only after 40 minutes we turn around, just before Petra and I hit the 100Bar mark. Slowly we go back. Just after 85 minutes we emerge. It was - again - a very nice dive. Unfortunately no Eagle Rays this time.

Jos: 85 [min] / 17.8 [m] | Petra: 85 [min] / 15.9 [m]

Back at GooodResort. Washing the gear, taking a shower, having lunch. And than all of a sudden Petra says: "I think I am going to faint". I hold her while she sits on her chair and slowly sinks away in unconsciousness. She flips back and sinks away again. When she comes back she says she needs to throw up. It is not going well. Irene jumps up to help. Also the new guest, Sue - who happens to be a nurse, steps in to assist. She strongly suggests to go to the hospital.

Esther leads the way and Irene joins us, to support Petra. I drive. We quickly register and then Irene leads us to the Emergency Help. Petra is in good hands. The doctor is friendly (I didn't catch her name). Also the nurse, Dennis, is a very friendly guy. Some tests, oxygen and a fluid drip and Petra already feels a lot better.

The final person to see her is the Dive Doctor (Dr. Hermelijn). He repeats some tests and concludes that the issue is most likely not dive related. To be sure he wants to see Petra again tomorrow for a final check and conclusion.

Man ... exiting day.

//The new guests are Sue and Mike from Austin Texas, the other couple now also have a name: Tiffany and Jeremy. Paul left.//

February 4th - Do Little Day

Sleep in late and a slow breakfast. I was think of a "Ty Special", but at the time I figured out what it was I already decided on my pancakes with apple and bacon.

We called Dr. Hermelijn and left a message on his voice mail. We didn't think it was needed to have another check-up. But as we assumed to have an open bill, we decide to go and visit him. The doctor wasn't there. We were asked to come back in an hour. Okay, an hour playing cruise boat passenger it is than . Filling an hour in Kralendijk is not that easy. We go back to the Doctor. He insists on a second check. Same conclusion.

Back to the resort for some chilling and reading. Dinner at At Sea. Fair to good, but not as jippie aj yo super duper as all the reviews on TA make you think it is. Of course being from Maastricht, the Culinary Capitol of The Netherlands, doesn't help here I suppose.

February 5th - Boat Dive

After the mandatory 'no dive day' yesterday, it is time to enter the water again. The whole bunch joins on the boat today. Jeremy and Tiffany spend the day snorkeling, while Mike and Sue join us on the 2-tank dive from the boat. Menno guides the 1st dive, Irene the 2nd dive. All in all a very nice day on the boat. Really nice. Dive sites: Monte's Divi and Just a Nice Dive.

Jos: 63 [min] / 18.0 [m] | Petra: 62 [min] / 17.4 [m]

Jos: 64 [min] / 19.5 [m] | Petra: 63 [min] / 18.6 [m]

Tonight dinner at Cappricio.

February 6th - Eagle Ray

Traveling half way around the world to "Eagle Ray City", and than haven't seen an Eagle Ray. To bad, but still two days to go. In the morning we check with Esther where our chances are highest. In the South, on the sand. Of course. But you never know.

So to the South we go: Aquarius. Easy entrance, but no buoy. So some compass training. Once on the reef I want to start against the "current", as usual. Petra wants to go the other way. Okay, no prob. No more than 10 minutes in the dive she spots an Eagle Ray on the sand below us. Quickly we descent and then try to follow the ray. My air consumption increases a lot, 31 meters deep, trying to keep up with an Eagle Ray. It takes some time before I catch my breath. Checking Petra's air I see I consumed up an extra 30Bar on the chase.

When it is time to turn around, 30 minutes in the dive, Petra notices a 'dust cloud' on top of the reef. Is the ray still there? Yes! We spend another 10 minutes with the Eagle Ray, while it is digging up some food, before it 'jumps off' the reef edge and disappears. What a beautiful dive that was.

Jos: 61 [min] / 31.1 [m] | Petra: 60 [min] / 30.2 [m]

In the afternoon we are confronted with the charm of an island. Two of the three gas stations are without gasoline. Quickly we rush to the third station, at the airport, before we are out of gasoline .... as our truck is almost empty. Pfew, they didn't run out yet. A few minutes later we have filled up our truck, so we can cruise the island during our last two days.

Time for the weekly Rum Punch, and BBQ. Yummy

//Cappricio, last night, was delicious. The most expensive, but best, mail during our stay on Bonaire. !! Nothing beats a good Italian !!//

February 7th - Tolo

The last diving day has arrived. Back to the South, or another one North. The latter it will be. Esther recommends Tolo. I think we haven't done that one ever before. For shore not as a shore dive. After a simple step down it's an easy entrance. The sea is clear, the light is beautiful. It is a very nice dive to end the diving part of the holidays.

Jos: 77 [min] / 24.4 [m] | Petra: 77 [min] / 23.3 [m]

Lunch at GooodResort, where we spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. And some reading.

When Petra asks when we have to leave our room the answer is a bit disappointing. We had seen the room was only occupied as off Sunday and hence anticipated on being able to stay in the room until we left. Unfortunately the new guests arrive very early and the maid is off tomorrow afternoon. That means already packing in the morning. Bummer.

We decide to eat "at home". In stead of the planned pizza, we changed our plan to Sweet Potato with Harissa Chicken (a good choice).

The line up at the gas station was still very long. Hopefully we have enough fuel for tomorrow.

February 8th - Island Tour & Gooodbye

Already before the breakfast Esther had an announcement that brought big smiles on our faces. We can keep the room until the end of the day! Soo much more relaxed.

As it is the last day - so a none diving day - we decide for a final tour around the island. We start towards the North. Stops at 1000 Steps and of course Lake Goto. On our return we decide not to do the South side as well. The line up is still huge, so we better save up fuel.

For lunch we stop in Kralendijk. Remembering the super low cosmetics prices on Aruba Airport, we decided to check them out on Bonaire. Wow, really really cheap. After Petra replenished her cosmetics stock sufficiently we went to Rumba Cafe for lunch.

The afternoon we spend at the pool at GooodResort. You know the time for the bill will arrive, but it never feels pleasant. Quickly pay and back to relaxing.

Then the holidays slowly come to an end. Packing, saying gooodbye to Esther and Menno, dropping the car and checking in.

Our Turtle painting is just too big for the X-Ray machine, but after an 'off line' check by local authorities we are allowed to take it home.

Another Goood Holiday on lovely Bonaire has come to an end ..... .