Faith, Folklore, and Friends

  Curacao is prosperous and beautiful, but different from the other islands I have visited.  It is more arid than tropical, and the Dutch influence is everywhere.  In 1634, the Dutch West India Company claimed Curacao and began to settle it, although the island had been inhabited by many different people long before then.  The island is larger than some we visited with 171 square miles. We docked in Willemstad.    The citizens come from diverse backgrounds and religions.  By fourth grade, children can speak Dutch, Spanish,  English, and the local dialect, Papiamentu.    I'm always trying to get bird pictures for my friends, but I have never been very successful at it.  Steph, these are for you--it was the best I could do.    There is an open air market along the wharf where merchants sell vegetables and fruits from Venezuela, which is 177 miles south of the island. T...

  La Ramona, Dominican Republic, welcomes you with coral beaches and dancers on the pier. The Dominican Republic is a large island/country, and we had lots of choices for excursions. We chose to go to  Altos de Chavón , a re-creation of a medieval European village. Its construction began in 1976 when the construction of a nearby road and bridge crossing the Chavón River had to be blasted through a mountain of stone. The developers  had the idea of using the stones to build a sixteenth-century Mediterranean village. Construction was completed in the early 1980s.     It was a beautiful place, and the shuttle ride there was very inexpensive. As always, the locals loved Santa!

Grand Turk is a small island (6.9 sq. miles) with beautiful beaches.  It was colonized in 1681 by Bermudians who set up a salt industry there. The pond at the top right of the photo is still being used to harvest salt from seawater.  The population is less than four thousand.  Like every island I have ever visited, they claim that Columbus stopped there first when he discovered America.   Steph, this one is for you.   In 1962, the whole world heard about Grand Turk, for it was near here that John Glenn splashed down after his history-making space flight.  The island has a replica of the Friendship 7   and John Glenn on display. There is the omnipresent Margaritaville on the beach, thanks to Carnival and Jimmy Buffett, where you can buy $40 t-shirts or stay dry during sudden rain showers.   The only time I hear Grand Turk mentioned now is on the Weather Channel.  The...