After three months spent living on the small Caribbean island of Curaçao, Jürgen and I came away with some unforgettable memories. We've now collected our experiences into an e-book, with all of our articles and over 200 full-color photographs.
Coming on the heels of one of the most difficult years we've ever endured, Jürgen and I had been desperate for a relaxing and stress-free 91 days. With its chilled-out atmosphere, low-adrenaline activities, friendly people, comforting cuisine, and an infectiously fun culture and all packed into one, small, easily manageable island, Curaçao was exactly what we needed. We couldn't have made a better choice.
Always, the hardest part of our travel project is finding decent accommodation. Picking a destination? That's easy! There are literally thousands of places around the world which we'd like to visit. Booking flights? Please, we live in an age of convenience, when booking a flight on the internet takes mere minutes. But finding an apartment... that's a different matter.
Drag racing is a phenomenon across the Caribbean, and Curaçao is no exception. When the races are on, hundreds of people cram into the stands to watch tuned-up cars and tricked-out motorcycles squeal down the track. Our last Sunday on the island coincided with the first day of the season, so we decided to check it out.
Budget travelers to Curaçao will find no lack of cheap lunch joints in Willemstad. We've already written about some of our favorites in Punda, and there are plenty of others that we didn't get a chance to try out. But as the sun goes down, these shops tend to close up. So what are the cash-strapped do for dinner? Cooking at home is a reasonable solution, but that's no fun. The best option is to hunt down a food truck.
An almost entirely submerged cave found in the cliffs of the western coast, the Blue Room is one of the island's most famous snorkeling spots, second perhaps only to the Tugboat. We visited it during our last week on Curaçao, and found it to be just as beautiful as advertised.
An 18th-century plantation house on the western side of Willemstad, the Landhuis Habaai is home to Curaçao's oldest private art gallery. On the second Saturday of every month, they host a crafts market, where the island's amateur artisans can sell their masterpieces.
Located on the eastern side of Willemstad, Equus is a Curaçao institution, popular for both its mouthwatering food and chilled-out atmosphere. But it's not for everyone. Don't go if you're a vegetarian. Don't go if you had a big lunch. And definitely don't go if it's not Friday. However, if you're a hungry carnivore on Friday night, head on down. You're going to love this place.
The very fact that tiny Curaçao has a Postal Museum was strange enough to arouse our curiosity. And after learning that it's housed in the island's oldest surviving building, we knew that we'd have to check it out. Later on the same day, we passed by another museum which looked to be even more unusual: the Octagon Museum in Pietermaai.
Klein Curaçao, a small, uninhabited island found a few miles southeast of Curaçao, has become a popular destination for day trips, thanks to its pristine beach, excellent snorkeling, and atmosphere of forsaken solitude. We booked an excursion which brought us to the island on a catamaran, and spent the day checking it out.
