Panama Canal Cruise March 2023: Willemstad on Curacao

Our bus tour this morning stopped first at a sort-of museum called “Kas DiPali Maishi” depicting the life of slaves just after they achieved their independence in 1863 when slavery was outlawed by the Dutch. These Caribbean islands had been important stopping -off places as slaves were moved from Africa to the U.S. A major slave revolt had taken place in 1795, under a famous leader named Tula Rigaud.

Curacao is one of the “ABC Islands”; Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. They were part of the Netherlands Antilles until that was dissolved in 2010. The Islands are what is known as a “Constituent Country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands”. Now mostly autonomous, the King or Queen still has the final say!

The main languages are Dutch, English, and Papiamentu. The major industry is tourism, no surprise. There is a large oil refinery here but it been out of service for several years after an unresolved dispute with Venezuela.

Our bus trip continued to the north end of the island for a stop at Shete Boka National Park. A gravel walkway led us across lava fields to the coast and great views of incredible smashing waves! It was very powerful to watch. That's all there is here!

We continued around the north end of the island with a stop at a spectacular beach called Playa Kenepa Grandi. It was too much to have climbed down to the white sand beach, but we had a great view.

We returned to the ship a bit after noon, enjoyed a light lunch in the Lido Buffet and put our feet up.

Our afternoon “hike” was along the terminal and shoreline to the historic city centre with the Handelskade on St. Anna Bay, Fort Amsterdam and the famous “Pontoon Bridge”, also known as the Queen Emma Bridge. This area features the brightly colored buildings that you see on the postcards. Interestingly, some clever developers built a really nice mall right inside the fort!

The hike back to the ship was long and hot! But we made it by about 5:00. Dinner in the Dining Room with couples from Louisiana and Maryland. Again, travel adventures to share from all over the world.

Tomorrow is a welcome sea day as we head toward Cartegena. Weather continues to be wonderful!