Vacation Happens ... the good; part one

Such a relaxing time.

Sunset, last night in Curacao

Dinner one night. Outside.

Dorsey and I spent last week in Curacao, an island in the south Caribbean sea, very near to the Venezuelan coast. As the photos indicate, stunning isn't a large enough word to describe the island's water and beaches.

Playa Kalki beach, known for good snorkeling and beauty. 

We chose Curacao because it met criteria — in the travel guides — for our requirements. Good diving (for Dorsey), which the island lived up to; good food (yeah, mostly ... I had the best chocolate molten cake ever); good shopping (I have no idea ... I didn't even try it because I just wanted to stay on the beaches and relax); and BEAUTIFUL BEACHES.

As for the shopping, we did tour the downtown shopping area on Sunday when most everything was closed. Downtown Willemstad reminded me of a cross between New York City and New Orleans.  Just like that. I'm not sorry we didn't shop, though. Relaxation and beautiful views met my needs.

I was somewhat obsessed with the cat-sized
iguanas all over the Marriott resort. 

 The Marriott Resort was nice. I enjoyed the beach, the pool and the service, although I wonder a little bit what staying at the Renaissance might have been like. It could have changed the entire focus of my stay (not Dorsey's; diving was his thing). The Renaissance (also a Marriott) is located in/near downtown Willemstad, where there is more bustle and shopping.

View from a restaurant of the Renaissance Hotel's beach side.

We always stay at Marriott's when we travel because Dorsey gathers so many frequent stay points through his travels that we end up staying on points wherever we go. (Job perk!)

Like other islands we've visited, tourism is Curacao's life force. Otherwise, poverty abounds on the island. Driving is a nightmare for those of us who have learned to rely on Siri. The streets are not marked!!! So when Siri says to turn left or right on such-and-such street (in Dutch, by the way), we have no idea what that street is. No signs! Who does that?

Dutch is the predominant language, although most locals also speak English. We just couldn't read many signs or directions. Oh, well. We're still alive, right? And we managed to eat the food we intended. :-)

This one came to visit me and stayed awhile
one morning.

 The travel guide said the locals were friendly. I found that true with the staff at the hotel and restaurants, but not so much with just everyday people doing their thing. The driving rivals that of Amarillo drivers. RUDE! And I didn't notice much courtesy to pedestrians. Oh, well. Guess those islanders don't appreciate the money tourists bring to their beautiful but poverty-stricken home. 

OK, wait. I noticed that if we said "hello" first, we received a friendly "hello" in return.  Another thing we noticed is the lack of haste to eat and run. The meal experience usually took about two hours. Waitstaff didn't care to hurry us or anyone else out of our seats, no matter what type of restaurant. That was a strange experience! So unAmerican!!

This was our vantage point.

Perhaps the most unusual experience occurred on Morning Number One. We jumped out of bed and headed straight for the beach first thing.

DEAD BODY!

Yep, he wasn't even covered yet. So we and everyone else watched the hotel staff scramble to put barriers around his body with lounge chairs and a couple of towels. This lasted about two hours as staff guarded the body and waited for "CSI: Curacao" to show up. Finally, the poor guy's body was removed.

I found out later from the massage therapist — who was super nice and good, but still not as good as Amarillo man Larry Brooks at Relaxation Station — that the man was a local, and cause of death was uncertain. Drowning is the predominant theory, although the man was 78 years old. I'm assuming it wasn't foul play, based on the way things played out that morning. Sad.

Overall, the vacation provided much-needed downtime for Dorsey and me after the year of constant change and loss we've had. It was really the first time either of us relaxed, I think.

Dorsey and I like to compare the islands we've been to — he's visited more — and we still say St. Kitt's is our favorite so far. That trip with Kim and Vince over my birthday in 2008 was epic. As for Curacao, we will check this one off the list and relish the fun memories we've been blessed with.

(But soon we will be searching for the next Caribbean island to visit — although I've demanded that the next major vacation is Italy ... and there are beaches there, so Dorsey should be just fine.)

Stay tuned for part 2 ... the bad that attempted to ruin vacation and all the philosophizing that goes with it ...