Our journey to Bonaire started like any other. We landed at night, got our car, and Pa proceeded to get lost. After about 45 minutes of driving in circles, we finally found our house. It was a cozy little place right on the water, Casa Topana. At this point, though, there was no time for exploring. I needed food and a bed.
The next morning I was able to explore the property. We had a nice patio off to one side and a courtyard as you entered. There were hammocks, a few chairs, and even a grill so Pa could work his magic. We got some food in us, and then it was off to our first beach.
We hopped in the truck and headed across to the other side of the island, Lac Bay. There was a beach that was attached to a resort called Sorobon Beach. Next to the resort, there was a school for windsurfing. Pa said I was too small for classes. It sure did look like fun. The water was warm and calm for the first few hundred feet. We had to go out pretty far to get to deeper waters. It was nice, though. I could walk on my own, splashing Ma and Pa as often as I could. After a long dip in the water, we headed back to the sand where it was time to build some sand castles. It was not the greatest beach, but it was a good start.
The next beach we explored was my namesake (just spelled differently). It was Cai Beach. Now, it was a trip to get to this beach. The dirt road took us through mangroves, which was quite cool. Lots of birds in the trees and the water. Once we finally arrived, we realized we were the only ones out there. There were some people in Kayaks with glass bottoms paddling through the mangroves, but on the beach, just us. We played on the beach for most of the time. It was cloudy, and the water was cooler than it was the day before.
Pa got distracted by a beautiful bird that landed near us. It was a white crane. Pa would slowly sneak up on it to snap a few pictures. It was actually quite willing to be photographed. The crane was never really scared and let Pa get pretty close. Ma quickly grabbed another camera, and I think she was secretly hoping to catch an episode of When Animals Attack, but it never happened.
The next beach we headed to was located in Washington Slagbaai National Park. This was another trek to get to but well worth it. This was the most beautiful setting from the trip. Rocky coast, sandy beaches, and a picnic area. It was a perfect day too. Blue skies, a couple clouds but not too many. Just enough to create an incredible picture.
We had a fun filled day at Slagbaai Beach, which again, we had all to ourselves. One boat appeared and promptly left. The water was calm and perfect. We built some sand castles. We had a picnic. I even got my first lesson in skipping rocks. Talk about the perfect day at the beach. Seriously, does life get better than this?
The next beach we visited was Te Amo. This beach was a bit more popular; there were maybe 20 other people out there. We enjoyed this beach so much that we actually came back another day. This was an awesome place to people, boat, and place watch. It was located right in front of the airport. The 2nd time we came out, there was a food truck with fish tacos. I ate a whole taco. It was delicious!
I have saved the best for last: Bachelor Beach. This place was perfect. It was about a hundred yards long and had rocks all along the coast. But the sand, oh the sand, it was so soft. This was another place that we came back to twice. It was a popular spot for divers too. Every so often you would see these creatures just appear from the water in these crazy suits. It was a bit freaky at first.
We played here for hours. Building sand castles, kicking and throwing balls, and jumping in the water. Sometimes we would just sit and watch the waves roll in. Man, this is the life. I love the beach life!
