The allure of Curaçao is tantalizing, teeming with diverse culture, vibrant festivals, and a thriving local scene. Local tourist guide, part-time Geography teacher, and world traveler, Elton St. Jago, reveals the essence of his island home Curaçao, including a fascinating glimpse into the island's vibrant culture, local currencies, and languages, folk heroes – a remarkable introduction that sets the mood for the remarkable journey ahead.
Experience the unparalleled beauty of Curaçao as Elton and I traverse the UNESCO World Heritage city of Willemstad, exploring its distinct sections rich in history. From the azure allure of Banda'bou's beaches to the "city" charm of Banda'riba's regions, each area unveils a unique tale waiting to be told. Be wowed by the natural attractions Curacao has to offer as we navigate natural wonders like the Blue Room at Bok'i Fluit and uncover the hidden wonders of Shete Boka National Park.
This episode will leave you enamored with Curaçao and Elton and you will undoubtedly want to visit or re-visit if you've already been before. Contacting Elton for an island tour is now essential, and get to know our native Curaçao from his perspective by contacting him on Instagram www.instagram.com/explorewithelton
I invite you to follow him and his journey across the globe and Curaçao in particular.
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If you want me to help you plan the best itinerary for St. Maarten, Statia, Saba, or Anguilla, book a consultation call with me here.
*I may get a commission if you purchase or book any product or service mentioned in my podcast episodes. Thank you.
The allure of Curaçao is tantalizing, teeming with diverse culture, vibrant festivals, and a thriving local scene. Local tourist guide, part-time Geography teacher, and world traveler, Elton St. Jago, reveals the essence of his island home Curaçao, including a fascinating glimpse into the island's vibrant culture, local currencies, and languages, folk heroes – a remarkable introduction that sets the mood for the remarkable journey ahead.
Experience the unparalleled beauty of Curaçao as Elton and I traverse the UNESCO World Heritage city of Willemstad, exploring its distinct sections rich in history. From the azure allure of Banda'bou's beaches to the "city" charm of Banda'riba's regions, each area unveils a unique tale waiting to be told. Be wowed by the natural attractions Curacao has to offer as we navigate natural wonders like the Blue Room at Bok'i Fluit and uncover the hidden wonders of Shete Boka National Park.
This episode will leave you enamored with Curaçao and Elton and you will undoubtedly want to visit or re-visit if you've already been before. Contacting Elton for an island tour is now essential, and get to know our native Curaçao from his perspective by contacting him on Instagram www.instagram.com/explorewithelton
I invite you to follow him and his journey across the globe and Curaçao in particular.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ask me anything, let me assist you with your trip to the Caribbean or book a St. Maarten Island Tour with me as your personal guide.
Sign up for my newsletter and be the first to get the details about my retreats and updates on the islands.
Follow me for more Authentic Caribbean tales and tips on Instagram and watch my YouTube channel for even more free recommendations and suggestions
This podcast is only possible because of YOU. So, send in your questions about your upcoming Caribbean visit to booking@thetravelingislandgirl.com with the subject "Podcast Question" and I will answer them in future episodes.
If you want me to help you plan the best itinerary for St. Maarten, Statia, Saba, or Anguilla, book a consultation call with me here.
*I may get a commission if you purchase or book any product or service mentioned in my podcast episodes. Thank you.
Welcome to Paradise Perspectives, a podcast about Caribbean travel from the locals perspective, and get ready for some authentic Caribbean travel tips, recommendations and more from the people who live where you vacation, Straight from Paradise. I'm your host and island friend, rizal, the Traveling Island Girl. Hey friend, how's your day going so far? I want to start off, of course, by thanking you for spending some time with me again today to learn about yet another beautiful island destination in the Caribbean. Now, today's very special because we are about to embark on a trip to. Are you ready to?
Speaker 1:My native island of Curaçao? Yes, that's right. I was born and raised there. I still have family and friends on the island, and one of those dear friends is Elton Santiago. I cannot wait for you to meet him because he's a super nice guy. He's a world traveler, has been to about 82 countries and counting. He speaks about six languages and I wouldn't even be surprised if he's currently learning his seventh and when on island, he works as a part-time geography teacher and a tourist guide. So he's a very interesting human indeed. Now are you ready to learn more about Curaçao, what makes it special and why we highly recommend you visit? Yeah, I thought so. All right, let's go. Elton Santiago, I am so happy you were able to make it out of your busy schedule. My gosh, it's like you're a teacher. You give island tours in Curaçao. I mean, you do everything and with your very busy traveling schedule, I'm amazed that you could make time to be here with us today. But thank you so much for being here. I am so, so grateful.
Speaker 2:Thank you for the opportunity. Reselam, it's great to be here and talk to you. It's my first podcast ever, oh amazing.
Speaker 1:I'm glad that I'm the one to get your toes wet into the whole podcasting thing. So, of course, for the ones who don't know for the audience, elton and I are very good friends. We've been friends for a while now, I think, since I interviewed you for my blog a few years ago. I think it's almost 10 years ago now I should be.
Speaker 2:I think it was after I went to St Martin or on, so it would be six years, maybe Six years yeah, I would say six yeah.
Speaker 1:In my mind everything that's passed five years it's about 10 years, okay, so I'm very, very happy that you're here, because I am excited to be talking about both of our native place. Of course, you and I were both born and raised in.
Speaker 1:Curaçao I left a little while ago Well, now it's over 20 years ago but I've been visiting every so often and I've been following your journey. It was like Elton is the unofficial ambassador of Curaçao. He always travels around the world and always has a t-shirt with Curaçao on it, promoting the island, kind of like getting the name out there.
Speaker 2:Exactly it's amazing.
Speaker 1:So you're getting people from all over the world getting to know this tiny island that you know. If it wasn't for Aruba, we probably nobody would pretty much know where we were, because I don't know if that's what's happening with you too. Every time when you say, when you introduce Curaçao, it's like where is Curaçao? It's like, well, it's next to Aruba.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I usually, honestly, I usually don't mention Aruba and I never do, to be honest, no, I don't. I just say we're in the southern Caribbean Sea and just off the coast of Venezuela.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. I've noticed that once you mentioned Aruba, people are like, oh yes, I know where that is, or they've heard of Aruba before, but Curaçao for a very long time hasn't been kind of like out there. But you know, recently the Curaçao Tourism Office has been doing a magnificent job because of being more and more a Curaçao, and I think that it is also because of you that the name of Curaçao is getting out there.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, I guess it does help a little bit. I mean, definitely it helps for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, listen, I am again grateful that you're here, because I wanted to discuss with everybody what all is going on in Curaçao, and who better to tell us everything that is going on right there than you, you know, say? You are the person that got me interested in traveling the world. You are the person that also got me to start my own you know island tour business in San Martin.
Speaker 2:San Martin, yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, and if it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't be doing it. I was like I did a tour with Elton many years ago and we had a fantastic time. You've introduced me to some of the things that I didn't even know existed in my own native island.
Speaker 2:I remember that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, which are causing too right.
Speaker 1:Yes, it was the jurors and my cousin and my brother. My brother, Pietro, was there as well.
Speaker 2:True, true.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, so let's start from the beginning. For those of us, or those in the audience, that don't know Curacao, or who have been thinking about maybe visiting, or that have never even heard of it, or perhaps they've been but they want to visit again, what should they know about Curacao? Like, let's start with the basics. You know the currency and the language and all that, yes.
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, like we said before, the island is in the southern Caribbean Sea, so I'm just off the coast of Venezuela in South America. So from Curacao to Venezuela it's only 40 miles coast to coast, or 65 kilometers.
Speaker 1:Sometimes, on a very, very clear day, you can even see Venezuela.
Speaker 2:It happens a couple of times a year. Yes, you can see the mountains of Venezuela on the horizon. So we currently have about 150,000 inhabitants, which went down from 160 a couple of years ago because, due to Corona pandemic and economic recession, people left the island. The island is 444 square kilometers, or 171 square miles. It's not very big, which is 60 kilometers in length, or 37 and a half miles, and the width is between four and 11 kilometers, which is roughly two and a half, and between two and a half and seven miles. Currency we have the Dutch and the Antelian Gilder. Next year we're going to have a new currency to go with St Martin. You probably knew about that right, so I should say it's on your.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's, can you?
Speaker 1:believe it, I guess. I know there's been talk about it, but I haven't actually heard that they're ready to introduce it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, apparently next year it should be introduced, it's going to have the same value?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that should be interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Caribbean Gilder, oh Lord. It has a fixed exchange rate with the US dollar, so officially a 179. So one US is 179 Gilders.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we take it at 1.8 here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of places take it at here at 1.75. Yeah, exactly Easy to do the conversion that way.
Speaker 1:I used to always get mad every time I travel back to see my parents in Curacao. I'm like damn it. So I'm like I'm going to lose a little bit because they take it at 1.75.
Speaker 2:5 cents per dollar. Yes, right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, about the climate. We have a semi-adrid climate. We get, on average, 24 inches of rain a year, which is 600 millimeters. So a lot of people ask what's the best time to visit. You know it's.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, you know that was going to be my next question.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a bit difficult to say. I would say year round. Basically, I mean, if you're not very well against it, if you cannot treat the heat well, like you know, then it's better to come early in the year. I would say January till March. That's when it's the well, the least warm, but temperatures will still reach like 88 Fahrenheit or 30 Celsius, 31. So, yeah, but compared to September it's. You know, September is the hottest month, so you're going to get like 33, 34 almost every day, roughly 40, 93, 94 Fahrenheit.
Speaker 1:So I was talking to Hiro, and Hiro sends his regards, by the way, he's always talking about oh and a Ruben friend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, our Ruben friend and he was saying and the day that I recorded the podcast with him, he actually measured it in his car and was 44 degrees outside. But of course, we all know that this year has been like a ridiculously hot time of the year, which is abnormal. It's not a usual occurrence. I am recording right now from Belgium and in Belgium as well, we're going through some kind of a heat wave, so it's like a worldly thing, it seems like. But okay, so you were talking about the best times to travel to cure ourselves.
Speaker 2:Like why?
Speaker 1:what is your favorite time of the year?
Speaker 2:Well, it's definitely between December and March.
Speaker 1:Yeah, or even November.
Speaker 2:Even November too, because I like the rain. That's the thing, because we don't get a lot of rain here, so we love it when it rains and with thunderstorms, and November is the wettest month on average.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, starting even October, it starts. So like that's the, for me, the favorite time of the year, october, november, until, like, march is, yeah, a little bit of a. I don't know if you have you used to do?
Speaker 1:that but I remember in Curesaw growing up, so whenever it rained we used to actually love going to the beach because the water was always warm and then you get like a little bit of that rain on you. It's like I used to love that as a kid. And for those listening, when we're talking about rain, I don't think anybody should expect like like heavy rain that lasts more than a day, correct?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's. I mean here we have a lot of passing showers so you have a very heavy shower for maybe five or ten minutes, then it stops again, and then after a half an hour it might start raining again. Yeah, but sometimes it might rain a lot the whole day though. I mean on and off and on the phone, yeah, but then still.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's not something like somebody who books for four days is not going to be experiencing heavy rain all through their stay.
Speaker 2:No, it's like you have to be like very unlucky to experience that. Yeah, but whether? I think weather is definitely not a reason not to visit certain times of the year, like if you can't stand the heat, much like I said. Then you come earlier in the year. You know that's the best time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and I think I know why you're saying, of course that's your favorite. Your personal favorite time of the year is between November and March, just like because you are definitely including your absolute top part of the year, which is, of course, carnival right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the well if we talk about events on the island. Yes, that's definitely, yeah, yeah, one of my favorites. I think that's for you is your highlight.
Speaker 1:It's the highlight for you, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I was born in in neighborhood of Domi, which is like right next to Watrabandha, so it's very close to the carnival, where the carnival passes through the parade. Yeah, so as a kid I was basically born into that, so I've always been to the parades and yeah. So, and now you're part of the parade. Yeah, since 2013 I've been participating on and off, though, because I've been away for some years. But and yeah, you had covid, of course, in between. But yeah, this year I participated for a seventh time, well, okay.
Speaker 2:The big parade yes.
Speaker 1:I remember when you took me on a tour of Bandabal which we'll talk about that area in a little while you were always, always in the car with you. You're always playing Tumba, which is, of course, the music of Carnival and Curacao. So I was, like I'm always. Every time I hear Tumba nowadays, I was like, oh, elton, elton would be enjoying this right.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I mean, I know I'm born and raised here and you know I live most of my life here and I love the island, you know, and I appreciate everything, like the culture, like the music, the food, and the music is also so rich. We have so different types of rhythms here and I appreciate every single of them. I like listening to all of them and they let others also listen to them.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly so. Which one is your favorite, apart from Tumba?
Speaker 2:You mean other rhythms or?
Speaker 1:other rhythms, yes, and all of the traditional Curacao music.
Speaker 2:Well, I like to hear Tumbo sometimes, but which is mostly end of the year. Of course you hear that.
Speaker 1:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2:And Rhythm Comina. Should I combine rhythm? Like local bands? You know them, yes.
Speaker 1:Exactly, those are my favorites as well. All right, so let's dive a little bit deeper into the festivals and things that people can expect when visiting to Curacao. So, of course, we just spoke about Carnival. Carnival happens about what time of the year?
Speaker 2:Carnival happens in February most of the times, and sometimes it might happen in March, so it all depends when Easter is in the year.
Speaker 1:Because it's like it has to happen before Easter, correct yeah?
Speaker 2:exactly A certain amount of weeks before Easter. So next year is going to be pretty early and so 2024 is going to be on. I think 13th of February is the last day already. So about 25 groups roughly participate. Each group has its own theme and their costumes are according to the theme they have. So let's say, if a group has Underwater World, they would have costumes and have pieces with shells and coral, you know, like that fish and things like that. Right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay. So now, one thing I want the audience to know, is our listeners to know, is that it is elaborate. I mean, the Carnival costumes in Curacao don't expect what you see on TV with you know, in Trainedad, with like feathers and things like that, curacao goes all out. I mean exactly.
Speaker 1:You guys should google this and see some of the pictures, because it is amazing. And then so you can imagine for me growing up in Curacao and knowing how the Carnival in Curacao works, and then moving to Simarton, where it's a completely different Carnival.
Speaker 2:You know exactly.
Speaker 1:It's very, it's much shorter too. It's like in the beginning I was like, oh, my blinked, it's gone. And then, of course, when you see the, the, the, the well, the costumes, I was like, okay, where's the rest of it? Because then it's kind of very nude. When you compare it to Curacao, curacao's costumes go all out. I mean it's like fancy. And what I don't understand is how you guys can actually do that whole march without losing toenails.
Speaker 2:Yeah, true it's. You know, at the end of the march, the parade, you definitely have like sore toes and legs, but yeah, it's a good training, you know, definitely. Well, especially for women, some women go the whole um, do the whole parade. They have, um, they say, heels, they have high heels on. Yes, I know, I don't know what they're doing that is.
Speaker 1:that is amazing. I mean like really shout out to the women in Curacao who can do that whole parade in high heels.
Speaker 2:High heels Like.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't even I mean in like flat shoes. I'm already know I would be exhausted and my toes would be completely destroyed at the end of the march. So I can imagine with these women, with and they do it again the next day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's two days after, so the Sunday is two days after. Yeah, the Sunday is during the day, so it's if the sun is out there. Yeah, it's in the sun, and the Tuesday is in the evening, which is, you know, easier to do. Let me say that.
Speaker 1:Right, did you do both this year?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you do. Usually you do both. Yeah, because you pay your fee and it's for both days.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, it's like two days are very long.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're talking about seven kilometers or four miles. That's how long the whole, the whole route is.
Speaker 1:That's crazy. That's crazy, but indeed, like it's a very good exercise for sure, all right. So, besides the carnival period, what other festivals or times a year is something that you're seeing a visitor should definitely experience?
Speaker 2:Well, another thing that goes together with carnival, we spoke about it the tumba. So there is this, the tumba festival as well, which is the well when it comes to music, is the longest annual festival in the island.
Speaker 1:Competition yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, so everyone can participate. You just have to pay whatever you got, to pay your fees and things, and you got to write a song, a road march for carnival, basically, and then you can participate. So there are three preliminary nights Monday, tuesday, wednesday, and then the finalists will go to the final item, friday, which is which about 10,000 people attend. So that's how big it is and it's they've been I'm having it since 1971, so it's been slowly growing, obviously, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember the old names like Boyd Dopp and all of us who used to be like our reigning, you know, like carnival or what do you call it, tumba King.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because the winner is the king, tumba king or queen, and Boyd Dopp is the one that won one. The most titles, 10 titles exactly, exactly. That's about two years ago, I think he passed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so recently, which is so sad it's like it's such a big icon and carousel. Yeah, speaking of again about carnival and about the tumba festivals, like if you travel all over the world and you have been to pretty much a lot, I mean like how many countries?
Speaker 1:and you know 82 countries and counting, always with a carousel shirt, always promoting the island. You have made so many friends all over the place. You've done surfing, you've done, yes, so and I've seen constantly on your social media you know you have friends from all over the place that coming to visit you in carousel.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:Have you taken any of them to the tumba festival or to carnival?
Speaker 2:I have let me see. I think I had Italian friends that were here during carnival. I took them to carnival. I have a coached surfer from India once that went to the tumba festival as well.
Speaker 1:What did they thought of it?
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, I mean, it was new for him, of course, but he was tired, so at the end I had to bring him to the car to let him sleep. Oh my gosh yeah because he arrived that day. But the yeah, oh yeah, I had friends from Panama also that came for carnival. I mean they loved it, obviously the Italians and the Panamanians yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah good, yeah okay, let's take a little detour before we continue on the topic of carousel. I was, like you know, I have to let our listeners know because I am always so impressed with your travels like what is? And I asked you this so many times and every time I think you've been stat fast on the answer that I'm expecting you to answer right now, but it could have changed because you've done some more travel.
Speaker 2:I think I know what's going on.
Speaker 1:What is your favorite country? So?
Speaker 2:far, I think it didn't change Probably I don't know when- we spoke about it, but it's a question a lot of people ask and it's always hard to answer, sometimes because every country has its own charm and so far I've enjoyed every single country I've been to. You can't really compare any country, so I just always enjoy whatever they have to offer. But if I really have to choose one, it's still Ethiopia.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's still. Ethiopia is still there.
Speaker 2:Ethiopia is still there, wow.
Speaker 1:Okay, Fantastic Like. Is there anything that you can compare with Kyrgyzstan? Is that it?
Speaker 2:doesn't right. No, it's not really. Was it the people.
Speaker 1:Was it the food? Because I know I'm just in love with Ethiopian food. The food definitely has some to do with it, the culture, history, everything.
Speaker 2:It's a mix of everything, very unique.
Speaker 1:Very beautiful, all right. So let's continue now with the other festivals or time of year.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Of course, Christmas, of course in Kyrgyzstan is big, as is New Year's.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:Just please tell the listeners a little bit of New Year's. It's like that is the time of year that I always get homesick because nobody can party like Kyrgyzlinians can.
Speaker 2:Well, a lot of fireworks, a lot of fireworks, of course, everywhere. And on New Year's Eve people go in the city, on Breyon Square, which is the main square in Wilhelmstadt, and people gather there and there is music, there is fireworks show, so the whole bridge, the Emma Bridge the. Emma Bridge is full of people, yeah, and then you have several other parties, maybe at people's homes or at clubs as well.
Speaker 1:Right. So yeah, and of course it starts like from a week before the end of the year for it with several of the what we call pagata parties, right.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, exactly Like the 30th, the 29th, the 28th.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there are several things, yeah, yeah, and yeah, other time of the year it's a good time to visit, for sure.
Speaker 2:Definitely. Yeah, it's definitely the high season, it's busy, probably the visitors, of course. And yeah, if you want to come to December, in December you got a book very early. Yes, for sure.
Speaker 1:And it's not only visitors. I think there's a lot of people from Kyrgyzstan that are native to the island also returning Exactly Because, like me, they get homesick for around New Year's for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, people come and spend New Year's and Christmas with family, so yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, all right, so any other festival that's worth mentioning, yeah. Around Easter we have the Sehu Parade, which is the harvest parade. It is also big, it happens in a city and I think a week or two after it happens in Bandabao, which is the countryside as well, and it's been going on for at least four generations already, yeah, where it's kind of a celebration to give thanks for the harvest, for the harvest, for the harvest. Successful harvest, yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've seen that parade once in Bandabao and I really that is still one of the most beloved by me. I love that parade so much. Because it's just so full of culture and so much of history.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and it you know.
Speaker 1:Carousel is a super rich history, of course, but before we dive into that, let's talk a little bit about the center of the island, or the what do you call that?
Speaker 2:The city the.
Speaker 1:UNESCO like the city. What everybody really talks about or know about Carousel is, of course, that UNESCO part. So tell us a little bit. I know you do city tours in Pundan Otrabanda. You still do that.
Speaker 2:Sometimes, yeah. So a lot of people you know I talk in general when they hear about the Caribbean, they think about the beach and palm trees. Obviously we have that too. We have beaches, but it's more than beaches. We'll always say so. The capital, Wolomstad, is indeed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and still a lot of people don't know this. So that's definitely an interesting part. And the historical center of the city is actually divided in four. So Pundan, otrabanda are the main ones, the oldest ones, punda being the oldest, so where the Dutch started to build once they got here in 1634. And Otrabanda, like you said, the other side, so the other side of Punda, that's the second oldest. Then you have also Pitermij and Scharlow. Scharlow used to be a Jewish quarter in the past. So they together we have over 700 listed monuments in Wolomstad, and being a monument means that you're not allowed to change the facades, the outer part of these buildings, and inside you can adapt and change as much as you want.
Speaker 1:But Scharlow has done an incredible job at renovating a lot of these old monuments that were in ruins for years when I was still a living anchor, so like, if you see, scharlow now is something that almost unrecognizable by me.
Speaker 2:Well, Pitermij as well.
Speaker 1:It's beautiful, Pitermij too exactly.
Speaker 2:Pitermij big time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's beautiful, beautiful, what I've done.
Speaker 2:Pitermij is a good example, at least for me, because my father was born and raised in Pitermij, so I used to go as a kid in Pitermij all the time, so I used to see how it all run down and ugly and it was with drug addicts. It wasn't a place you would take anyone, not even drive through. Basically you would avoid it when possible. But now completely changed.
Speaker 1:Well, the same with Scharlow and the same with Scharlow. The funny thing is, your father was born in Pitermij and my father was born in.
Speaker 2:Scharlow. Well, maybe they even know each other.
Speaker 1:Like who knows? Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:They're not quite far from each other. But Otrobana too, otrobana, they did a great job too. Otrobana is amazing. So.
Speaker 1:Otrobana is really, I mean, what it looks like now from compared to when we were younger. You know, it's really truly amazing what you've done with all of that. And now, of course, you also have all of these beautiful murals scattered all over Williamstad as well, so it's become so vibrant again.
Speaker 2:And you remember when there were boutique hotels all over the place.
Speaker 1:But you remember when we were younger, Punda was the ish.
Speaker 2:That's where you go to try your friends and correct. Correct, but since the renovations on Otrobana kind of Otrobana kind of like took away from that, A little bit and a lot of you know they've been building more and more shopping areas outside the city as well, so like some meal shopping mall, for example, yeah, Right.
Speaker 2:But the city. Definitely. I would advise to take a walk-in tour when you come in the city. If you're interested in history. You have the free walk-in tour, fwtqrasaucom, so it's fully tip based, and you go and you tip the guide at the end and you get a better insight of the different districts. So definitely the ones who are interested in history. You also have the museums Kuraulanda, I could recommend, museum which is based on slavery, most of the transatlantic slave trade. You have the Maritime Museum. You have the McVeigh Israel Emmanuel Synagogue, which is the oldest active synagogue of the Western Hemisphere. Yeah, what else can I recommend? You have the Curacao Museum as well, as a little bit out of the city center but near the Otrabanda, and definitely have a local launch at the Old Market Plaza View. Yeah, you cannot miss that. Yeah, and you must take a walk on the Emma Bridge, the Floating Bridge, which is which.
Speaker 2:I see as our like landmark.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I was like you know, of course, you have that high bridge, the Juliana. Bridge and of course, the Emma Bridge, and then which we nicknamed the Floating Lady right.
Speaker 2:Old Swinging Lady, yes.
Speaker 1:The.
Speaker 2:Old Swinging.
Speaker 1:Lady, yeah, I was like. My mom always told me a story of when she was younger and she almost fell off the bridge because she was late for work. I don't know how she actually did it. I think it's the way that it swings open right, yeah, it swings.
Speaker 2:Basically, if it's like this, and then it goes like this, completely, yeah, it goes from its wings horizontally and then back, and then, whenever it's open, you can still cross. But then you got to take the little boat, the ferries exactly, which are free of charge? Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:So my mom, back in the day she used to work in Pundo. She used to live in Otrabanda, so she had to get to work because of course she was late and she's trying to get there, and just as the bridge started opening, so she tried to jump it over and her heels got on and somebody caught her just in time before she fell into the water, which we know is the deepest harbor, naturally deep harbor.
Speaker 2:It's definitely one of the deepest natural harbors. Yeah, yeah, the whole San Ana Bay and Scotta Gatia.
Speaker 1:Exactly so. Kirosso is just magnificent because it's got so much going on for it. It's just the culture and the vibrant and the colors and of course the beaches. Since we're on the subject of beaches, of course, beaches is something that definitely should be on your list, and will be on your list if you travel to the Caribbean and to the islands of Kirosso. So let's talk a little bit about the beaches. It's like, how many beaches does Kirosso have, though?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the question. It all depends what you consider as a beach, because we have different inlets as well, but I would say it's around 30.
Speaker 1:Of the swimmable beaches Exactly, or are you talking inlets? No, no, swimmable beaches are around 30,.
Speaker 2:yes yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, okay, so now all of the 30, which one is your? And I have kind of like have an idea of which ones you prefer, but which one is your top three?
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, you make it difficult for me. Let me see. Definitely the Canepa beaches are my favorite. Yeah, both of them.
Speaker 1:They have a little smaller one and a bigger one, yeah the bigger one is like all sandy and that's pretty much the one that whenever you see like a beautiful white sandy beach from chances are. That is the. That is a picture of Canepa beach, and then small Canepa is always rocks, but what I like about Kirosso beaches is that it might be rocky on the shore, but once you get into the water, the water is the clearest water that I have seen Exactly, and it's very good for snorkeling too.
Speaker 2:I mean, basically all most of the beaches are great for snorkeling. So the Canepa beach is so has an underwater world.
Speaker 1:That's underwater world is just completely stunning.
Speaker 2:There is a underwater marine park as well, which is east of the island and with a lot of coral and untouched, very healthy reef over there.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Jeremy is also one of my favorites. I love the water.
Speaker 1:The water is just me.
Speaker 2:Jeremy is such a gorgeous and I like the fact that it's a combination of, like white and brown sand, like a chocolate ish caramel. That's very unique. Yeah, clanker is also beaches, you know gorgeous, that's the longest beach we have on the island, over a kilometer long.
Speaker 1:Clanker is all, for those who don't know is a small little, tiny, tiny speck of an island you could wear. You can almost call it the sand bank. It's that small that is. That is off the coast of Curacao.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly.
Speaker 1:So it's called Clanker. So Clanker is of course yeah for small.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they offer. It's popular with day trips, so a lot of several companies offer day trips to Clanker. So you go in the morning, you come back late afternoon, all inclusive, you get RVQ and all those things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's great, it's great, and the only thing that's on it is a what do you call it? The lighthouse.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, there's a lighthouse and there is like a ship wreck.
Speaker 1:And goats and hermit crabs.
Speaker 2:A lot of hermit crabs crawling in certain areas.
Speaker 1:How the hell did the goats get there though?
Speaker 2:I have no idea. I haven't been, for. I haven't been for two years, maybe now, or more, a bit more yeah. Yeah, yeah, I bet the goats are still there though Other beaches I like as well, which is unknown to a lot of people. Even locals don't know it Are the San Juan beaches.
Speaker 1:Oh, the San Juan beaches. Yeah, you and I took a tour of those San Juan beaches. Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2:And I love them because they're quiet and if you want to be by yourself, especially during the week, you don't want to be around people.
Speaker 1:That's the first place. What was that bigger one that you showed me? The cave at the end of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's Playa Manzalina.
Speaker 1:Playa Manzalina. It's a beautiful beach.
Speaker 2:Playa Chamosa, playa Hondo, yes, beautiful.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly, and they're beautiful, and so those are definitely beaches that we highly recommend you visit. One thing that I think our listeners should know is that, of course, if you are going to especially the Bandabao beaches, most of those beaches do not have any amenities, so you're going to have to find yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, not all of them, yes.
Speaker 1:So there's no which is great.
Speaker 2:I think you know not all of the beaches. You're going to have a bar and a shower and all those things. No, some of them is just the beach. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's like some of them might have like a roof or a Palapa or a little cave like Playa Manzalina, where you can get like a little bit out of you know, get a little bit of shade from there or from under the Manzanita trees, which we should explain. The Manzanita trees what's the English word for those anyway?
Speaker 2:I think Manzanita or something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, manzanita, I think yeah, and yeah, they are poisonous.
Speaker 2:People should know that, so they don't touch the fruits. The fruits are like tiny green apples and only the iguanas can eat them, and they're fine with it. Don't ask me how come but it's how nature works, you know.
Speaker 1:Exactly, all right. So let's talk about Bandariba and Bandabal. So we curious how it's pretty much separated. You could say I wouldn't, I don't even want to call it separated, but there's a big difference still between Bandariba and Bandabal. Can you explain a little bit about that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's the word we use for the eastern and the western part of the island, basically. So Bandariba is the eastern part, bandabal is the western part, and yeah, then you have the central part as well, and.
Speaker 1:Bandariba in English means the upper side and then Bandabal the downside, but it's that there's nothing upper or downward.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly. Yeah, it's just when you're looking at it. That's how we refer to it, but yes, Just east and west, I would say Bandariba is more built up and more people live there. It has more, yeah, more population, of course, and Bandabal has a more countryside feel compared to Bandariba, a little more.
Speaker 1:And Bandabal is much bigger Right and it's much bigger too, More beaches more hiking trips, more nature, everything. Yes, exactly it's where some of the natural wonders of Kurosawa are.
Speaker 2:Most of them Right and then so funny story.
Speaker 1:You took me on that last island tour that we did. You took me to the one spot which I still have to conquer because I wasn't able to do it. I know it. So please, let's talk a little bit about these natural attractions that I like and I thought about you.
Speaker 2:Did you? I thought about you these days.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, why Did you go again?
Speaker 2:I went a few times and it was perfect for you to go in.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. And you know Hyro. Hyro did it as well and Hyro told me he even took a video to tell me that.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, he went with me.
Speaker 1:That's right, he went with you and the two of you got into the cave and I'm so jealous. Okay, so let's tell everybody what we're actually referring to.
Speaker 2:All right, so it's called Boca Flour the official name.
Speaker 1:Or whistle Whistlemouth.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, whistle. Yeah, exactly, boca Flour is the whistlemouth. It's known as the blue room and it's a water cave. So you have to hike to get there. You can go away boat, of course, as well. You hike to get there and then you have to go up off the rocks. You can jump from off the rocks or you can just go down and then go in the water. For the ones who are afraid of, jumping.
Speaker 2:And then you have to swim and get into the cave, but then when we have a higher tide, then you're going to have to dive a little bit, which is a very short distance, I mean it is, but you're still diving under.
Speaker 1:You know what do you call it the roof of the cave, the rock, it's a rock, yeah, so you're diving underneath that and I had no idea if I would be swimming far enough to be able to get into the cave and not get up and hit my head. So I completely panicked because when we went it was still. It was high tide.
Speaker 2:So true and then. But I understand, because if it's, it's unknown for you, if you've never been before, so you have no idea how far you get. You have to dive. I always say it's not longer than three meters, what you got right. It's even shorter than that and I tell people when you come up, before you come up, just go like this, put your hands up first, so you know it's.
Speaker 1:You know the rock up there or not before you come up. Yeah, yeah, so I missed out on it because of high tide, but yes, it's definitely something, actually two times, I remember. Oh, yes, because the first time when we went. It was too rough. It was way too rough, Exactly.
Speaker 2:I didn't get in either, and the second time I got in, but you didn't dare to get in, and I'm telling you the third, third times.
Speaker 1:the charm, I swear. I think this. This time, when I come back, I'm going to make sure that I'm coming back when it's low tide so I can get into that damn cave, because that is not around this time would work perfectly April, May, June I'm not sure about how the tides work, but yeah. Exactly, but I know that in the summer is usually when the water is a little lower.
Speaker 1:So yes, I'm hoping that that would be the time that I would visit, and then I can. I can definitely finally say that I've been into the blue room. But besides the blue room, there was another place that you took me which I am still in awe of, and they call it they nicknamed it the natural jacuzzi.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, all right that was a fun day. Yeah, right, yeah, yes, that's true, you went there too. Yes, I went with you. Yeah, you went in the water and everything.
Speaker 1:So please tell everybody what the natural jacuzzi is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, natural jacuzzi is also. It's along the North Coast it's located, which is the rough side of the other rough coast. It's basically a hole and then the water, the rough sea water, goes through and then it sprays up Right. So it's kind of like it's more like because you can sit close to the hole. You can sit close to the hole and there's water and there's water, so you sit a little bit in the water and then you get splashed.
Speaker 1:Right, so it's like a natural fountain and a natural jacuzzi at the same time? Yeah, exactly, but it's a beautiful, beautiful spot. Not a lot of people know about it. I've seen that more and more people are offering it in the tours now, but that was definitely one of those things that when you took me. It was not very well known at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's a bit difficult to access because the road is not very good. So you need a four-wheel drive or maybe an SUV, a pickup with big wheels.
Speaker 1:Yeah, remember, we tried it with your car to get there, and it was difficult because it was a rainy season and so there was a lot of mud, you couldn't get there the first time either.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:All right. So besides that one, which other natural attractions would you recommend?
Speaker 2:Sheteboka National Park.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, that's a must. Definitely recommend it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it has four stops and it gives you a good idea of how the different formations along the north coast. So, like our north coast, like I said before, is rough because we have the north easily trade winds that blow year on, so you don't have many beaches on the north, so it's always the water coming and hitting the waves and splashing off and there are some interesting formations to see at Sheteboka National Park and you can do all the stops by car. So some people walk from stop to stop but I wouldn't do it because there is not a lot of shade.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So it's all in the sun. That's why it's better to do it all by car. And, of course, christoffel National Park, which is the biggest one. It offers several hiking and driving trails and, of course, the opportunity to climb our highest point, the highest hill on the island which is Christoffel Mountain.
Speaker 2:Yeah 375 meters high, or 1,012 and 30 feet, and not necessarily to mention, but the views there are just epic oh yeah, exactly, especially when the island is green, which is, I think that's probably also a reason why, like October till March, the most. Yeah, then the raining is starting and then the island is completely green and beautiful.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's gorgeous. It's gorgeous, I mean, we come from a very, very beautiful island, you know. A lot of people don't really realize, but I find that, yeah, I think locals should start to appreciate their island more, right and especially speaking of the history of the island, we just spoke about Boyd Dup, which is, of course, one of those iconic figures, but another national hero is, of course, tula the slave. So yeah, and we have, and that Kurosawa has done a very fantastic job at actually memorizing his legacy.
Speaker 2:So Tula is.
Speaker 1:there's a few statues, there's even a museum. So let's talk a little bit about Tula and about where you can find out more about this epic figure or this local.
Speaker 2:Well, talking about the museum, the museum is Atlantis Canepa, which is in the west of the island. So he was the main leader of the biggest slave revolt, we had in 1795.
Speaker 1:The Atlantis, by the way. For those who don't understand that Atlantis is a plantation house.
Speaker 2:Yeah, former plantation house, exactly. So yeah, he was the main leader of the largest, biggest slave revolt in 1795, which started at the plantation house Canepa. So now the plantation house is a museum. It was a museum already. Then they closed down for renovations and some changes. It's supposed to open soon. I don't know exactly when, but yeah, so he is seen as the main hero because of that.
Speaker 2:Right, I mean even though at the end they didn't win the whole revolt, but after that the slaves were treated better and eventually until 1863, the slavery was abolished.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And close to the city. Along the coast there is a park dedicated to that and a statue, a monument, with him and two other leaders Right, carpata, and I keep forgetting the other one, pedro Ocao. Right, pedro Ocao, luis Mercier, yeah beautiful.
Speaker 1:It's just. It's a beautiful part of our history that I think you know. Curacao has done a wonderful job at actually putting it out there so that our visitors can actually see that too and be part of it. Yeah, curacao, of course, being part of the Dutch Caribbean and being, for a very long time, the one or the main island of the Dutch Caribbean. That is where the central government used to be when we were still all together, exactly, being the biggest island, exactly.
Speaker 1:And then in 1906, so there was always a lot happening in Curacao. There's a lot of Dutch.
Speaker 2:Visitors.
Speaker 1:And the Dutch have. Yes, well, I'm not only talking about visitors, but also islands Living yeah. And then, yeah, the ones living there, so it has a feeling like it's more Dutch than anything, but you still have the actual culture of the island.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:It's so beautiful, but there's I've started seeing more and more, which I'm so proud of seeing more locally owned businesses, like actual local Curacillinians, like we call ourselves, setting up business building hotels. So do you have a couple of examples of those?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do. There is Barrio Hotel to start with in Otrabanda. Maybe you've heard of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Popular it's beautiful. Yeah, it's beautiful. It's a small hotel. I think they have like 25 rooms or not more than that, and so they renovated a couple of historical buildings in Otrabanda, which is where the rooms are located, and they also have the so-called Urban Street Food, which is like a four-window food market, which is popular especially weekends. You need to have a reservation because it's very busy.
Speaker 1:I haven't seen that one yet. It's like I think that is in recent years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know exactly how long they exist. But yeah, it hasn't been four, I think, more than five or six years now, I think.
Speaker 1:Right, I haven't been back to Kerosol in a while, so yeah, for sure, I haven't seen that one, but I have seen it come along on social media. I've seen it come across there. It looks it's another fantastic initiative by our local. Kerosolians. For sure, that's one.
Speaker 2:Then we have Mondi Lodge. You don't know if you've ever heard of that Mondi Lodge. That's closest in Michiel in that area.
Speaker 1:It's a beautiful setting with many trees and the rooms I think all have palm leaf straw roofs Right and also, I think there's one room that I saw that I had because I was trying to get a booking there, but they were sold out on that particular weekend and I remember looking on their website and there's this particular room that has a tree growing right inside of it which is just gorgeous. It's a very it's a hotel, a small hotel that was built around the neighborhood.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:They never took away any trees to build it or anything like that, so it's just built with nature.
Speaker 2:That's what it's called Mondi, mondi, the Mondi and Papiamento. Our language means the bush or forest, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Another one we have is in Yantil. It's Amalia Hotel.
Speaker 1:Is that also the hotel? Yeah, that's locally owned.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that. Yes, that's locally owned, and you also have a was not a hotel, maybe apartments, but it's nice as well. Genesis apartments on Karakas Bayway yeah, those are a few examples.
Speaker 1:No, that's my old street. Oh my gosh, that's where I grew up.
Speaker 2:One of the main streets business street, by the way. Yeah, yeah, super busy yeah.
Speaker 1:And of course we have Palapa also, which is also.
Speaker 2:Karakas Bayway itself? I didn't know it was locally owned.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's owned by the Lakers. Actually grew up Feleska Lakers. Oh, okay, so it's like shout out to Feleska and her brother Kurt, like they did a magnificent job, of course, with Palapa Hotel too, Nice, that's another locally owned place right there.
Speaker 1:Speaking of there, there's a couple of really good restaurants and I remember there was one really good one just next to Palapa on Karakas Bay. But let's talk about food, and you know, Kurosawa dishes are like, extremely delicious. So let's talk about food, and let's talk about, first of all, what are some of the dishes that anybody visiting Kurosawa must try.
Speaker 2:Well, we have a wide variety of you know food as well on the island. Very interesting. I always mention if you've never had goat before, definitely try goat meat. It's too goat, it's very good. I love goat meat. And as a side dish you could try Funchi, which is like polenta. You know? Yeah, exactly, you can have it fried or just boiled soft like it is.
Speaker 1:I just did. By the way, I just made some fried Funchi the other day I was surprised at myself. It came out so good, that's good. Yeah, and another one.
Speaker 2:Okay, so besides the goat. Another one I say is Okrasup Yambu.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Which is not going to be.
Speaker 1:I know, not everyone's favorite, I know. No, it's not my favorite.
Speaker 2:That's for sure. Have you ever tried it yourself?
Speaker 1:I did. I think, I was forced, it was under duress because you know, I was a little kid and my parents made me eat it and it was slimy. Yeah, it is slimy and I like the smell, and so since then I haven't.
Speaker 2:You have to you should. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't eat meat anymore.
Speaker 2:You can have it with me, or fish you eat fish.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, yes.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, they put fish in it too. You can tell them not to put.
Speaker 1:I will try it. I will try it with you, yeah.
Speaker 2:Not to put the pigtails and things in it. You know, sometimes they put that in it too, exactly Asem to make it without, but it's good and I just did it.
Speaker 1:It's good and healthy.
Speaker 2:I mean, obviously, like I said, the texture is a thing, because you, you know, you scoop it up and it's like slimy, but I think, but you, know I've had okra after that and it was okay and then.
Speaker 1:So it's not the okra taste that is stopping me, it's definitely the slimyness I knew it, but I have such a childhood trauma with this I don't know if I can survive this, so you're going to have to coach me. Oh yeah, I will do this so next time I'm in Curacao, you and I are going to our favorite local spot, which we're going to mention in a little bit, and I'm going to try Yambu again.
Speaker 2:Great.
Speaker 1:And the blue room.
Speaker 2:And the blue room, and for those, for those who have more well, I would say more courage. Whatever you can try iguana soup.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can do it. I love iguanas too much. I mean like I love iguanas as animals. They're the cutest little things. It's like I cannot eat.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, those are. Those are the things I would definitely recommend if you want to try something that is very different.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, and you can go even a little bit more into it with Kadushi.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, of course, a cactus soup Right, cactus soup as well. Yeah, also slimy. Yeah, that was funny too. Yeah, we got a lot of slimy stuff and now we're going to have old cuisine.
Speaker 1:Yes, true, absolutely. So let's talk about some of the places where you can get these traditional dishes. What are the best places to get them?
Speaker 2:Well, I mean obviously the old market, like I said before, the Plaza Viejo, which is right in town in Punda, easily accessible, yeah.
Speaker 1:so again, if you're going to the market and you need to go to the old market, not the new market you need to go to the old market and you need to be there like a little bit before 12 so you can get a spot because it gets busy.
Speaker 2:It can get busy, yeah, it can. But yeah, you can get there a bit after midday as well, of course. But yeah, there is only lunch there, I mean only eating. Yes, so when you go into the new market by accident, you're going to easily find out that it's the wrong spot Just ask anyone and it's just very close to the new market. So the new market has a round shape, yeah, and the old market is like a hall with like six, seven kitchens.
Speaker 1:So don't expect anything fancy.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, it's not fancy at all, it's just exactly it's a market and it's like benches. Yeah, benches, and yeah and little tables, and yeah, yeah. But a mosque Okay so definitely.
Speaker 1:Of course, the Marcibeo, or the old market, is one of the spots where you can get some really truly traditional dishes, or curacao, which one, which was another spot that you can go.
Speaker 2:Well, in Bandabal I would say Yankee's restaurant, for example. Yeah, Yankee's is like one of those that's been there for years.
Speaker 1:My gosh, I can't believe it's still there.
Speaker 2:And play a 40 restaurant as well, you can get certain things. Yeah, like Keshiana.
Speaker 1:So you're not? Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Keshiana is my favorite Soft cheese, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it's actually stuffed. They used to do it in a wheel of cheese.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, it is still like all cheese. And then inside they put like meat, and often means meat or chicken or whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I had it with tuna the other day, which was amazing. It's really good, and you can eat it with rice or food to your side if you want to, but it's good stuff. It's definitely good stuff, Keshiana fulfilled cheese. And then, but you're not mentioning the place where we went together the last time I was there. Is it no longer there, Dr Stein? Oh?
Speaker 2:yeah, good that you mentioned it. Yeah yeah, sorry, yeah, I go there sometimes still Plantation house, dr Stein, yeah, that's also your command, and Dr Stein means doctor's guard. Yeah for literally translated. I don't know the history behind the name, though, but yeah, yeah, okay, sure, I forgot about that one, all right, so yes, definitely another place.
Speaker 1:So if somebody is coming for the first time and they want to stay in Kerosol and they're asking you, of course it's one of those frequently asked questions where should we stay?
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:Which areas do you recommend? I'm not talking about exactly the hotels, and I am definitely one that always recommends you to go local or to go with smaller hotels to kind of like get more of that culture and that vibe from Kerosol, which is so special. But what are some of the areas that you would recommend people to stay in?
Speaker 2:Well, I think it all depends what you want to do during your stay. I always recommend renting a car, at least for a part of your stay, maybe another whole stay Other than the traditional hotels. West Punt, for example, is a nice area to stay. You have a couple of boutique hotels. Even Lagoon area as well has a few small resorts you can stay.
Speaker 1:Yes, Lagoon is gorgeous.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a little bit of beach and quiet. You know, definitely those ones, if you want quiet, definitely go to Bokasami area too.
Speaker 1:Bokasami area is nice.
Speaker 2:Bokasami area is nice.
Speaker 1:I've been coming and heard good things about Bokasami.
Speaker 2:Those are the ones that come in mind, which basically, yeah, outside the traditional big hotels.
Speaker 1:Peter Mai has some really cute little boutique hotels as well. If you want to be in the middle of Wilhelmstadt and you want to be closer to downtown Punda and Otrabanda, then definitely, peter Mai might be something for you Especially. It has a very lively nightlife there too. You can kind of get a little bit of that. If you want more traditional, then definitely Bokasami, west Punt, which is the western point Lagoon is a really good one. Those are all the spots that we would recommend you to stay in. Of course, there are Airbnbs everywhere.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, all over the place If you are choosing.
Speaker 1:Of course, if you're choosing an Airbnb, try to get in one of those areas for sure.
Speaker 2:Is there anything.
Speaker 1:I mean the two of us love Bandabo obviously we love the nature of Bandabo.
Speaker 2:Bandabo, definitely a lot. Yes, exactly.
Speaker 1:It has a quaintness to it. It's just special because it's a little quiet compared to the eastern side and it's just all nature and I'm all for nature. But if you want a more authentic feel, I would definitely stay in the more like the Otrabanda side going to Bandabo.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, all right, anything you might want to add that our listeners need to know about?
Speaker 2:Well, I always say that it's an authentic island. It's definitely an island to explore. Other than beaches, there is a lot more than many people might think. You just have to look for them. Maybe they're not out there to see or to choose from, but if you're interested in hiking, there is a couple of trails you can do. There are groups on Facebook that organized hiking a few days a week. You can always join and definitely rent a car for a few days, like I just mentioned before, because it's good to be independent and be able to move around and do some beach hopping all the beaches that we have, especially in the west of the island, and it's not an overly touristy destination.
Speaker 2:I mean compared to some other islands, and so we don't have, like these, very long beaches full of resorts with all the amenities nearby. No, we don't have that. So it's definitely more for travelers, I would say. Travelers really want to go out there, be adventurers and be an explorer.
Speaker 1:All right, so let's talk about some of the don'ts, Some of the things that you wish visitors would know, about things that they should definitely avoid doing.
Speaker 2:One of the things I can think about is when you go to Westpins, for example, or anywhere else where you see turtles, do not touch them. It's one thing that happens a lot Other than that just be friendly. You know you're on holiday, so be happy, say hi to the locals. They're nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the locals and carers are not only are we super nice, but we're also very helpful. So whenever you need anything, like directions and everything. Like the local carers, they will always be there to help you find your way around. And we're the kind of people that, if we notice that your loss will walk up to you and be like you know, how can we help you find your way? You know, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And just treat everyone with respect, just as you would do back home. Just those normal things, and yeah, and then overall the island is safe. So I'd be lying if I say nothing, never happens.
Speaker 1:I mean things happen, yeah, like everywhere else.
Speaker 2:But I would say, just take normal precautions and use common sense like you would do back home as well. Okay, so don't like not leaving anything in your car.
Speaker 1:Don't leave your fancy car right on the front seat. We don't do that.
Speaker 2:No, exactly, no, no, no bags Don't leave anything really inside.
Speaker 1:That's especially when you go to the more remote beaches on the island. Don't leave anything Exactly. Correct, Alton, we've come to the end. It's like I am going to ask you again. I know it went like so fast because you and I and it's kind of weird that you were talking in English, right? This we are always like in Papiamento. In Papiamento, of course it's kind of weird that we're now having this conversation.
Speaker 2:That's another thing. I think people that's another thing people should know about the island is that a lot of people are able to speak several languages, more than more than I had this conversation with Hyro, which you know his he is also on the podcast and we were talking about that.
Speaker 1:It was like a lot of people don't realize, but these small islands, especially the ABC islands, we speak. It is very normal for anybody to speak at least four languages. Yeah, exactly. So Dutch the Papiamento English and of course Spanish, because you know we you would remember this, growing up in Curacao and the only channel that we could get before five o'clock in the afternoon was the Venezuelan.
Speaker 2:Venezuelan, venezuelan TV.
Speaker 1:So we, grew up watching all of the like the Bugs Bunny and all of that in. Spanish yes, exactly.
Speaker 2:So say for the bell, fresh friends over there oh. Baywatch was in Spanish and I remember also what they even have to have, and he had such a funny voice in Spanish, really yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So definitely one of those things from our childhood thing. I was like things have changed a little bit. But yes, spanish is very, very well spoken by most of the locals, as is English. It's, it's, it's deep. We must of course you must have it. It's like back in our days, I think you had to be able to speak Dutch to go to school. So it's all the, all the classes.
Speaker 2:It's a mandatory language. Yeah, english as well, and Spanish for a few years.
Speaker 1:But Curacao has done a magnificent job at making Papiamento an actual language on the island, with its vocabulary and it's everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So let's talk a little bit about that before I let you go. It's like what are some of the words? Of course, we know Dushi by now. It's like Dushi is everything positive from sexy to good, to great, to beautiful to delicious, everything is Dushi. Dushi is like one of those, like universal words in the Papiamento language. But what are some of the other things that you think a visitor should know, in the Papiamento language, that is, that will actually be valuable to them on their vacation?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, I think basic things. When you meet a local like you say Bondia, want to be good morning Bondia. Or good day, want to have this. Good afternoon Bonoche, good evening Contabay. So how are you? How are you doing, machadanke? Thank you very much, things like that, yeah.
Speaker 1:How would you ask for a local beer and Papiamento?
Speaker 2:Mi por a haia is. Could I have mi por a haia un serbes local? So a local Right, a beer local, yes, a beer local, a beer local, nice, okay.
Speaker 1:So, Elton, thank you so much for the time.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:And thank you for all of the. You know the great advice you've given us today and anybody. If you want to get in touch with Elton, you can find him, of course, in on social media. He's very active on Facebook and on Instagram.
Speaker 2:Explore with Elton.
Speaker 1:Explore with Elton.
Speaker 2:Explore with Elton.
Speaker 1:And I'm going to leave it and take talk notes.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness. Yeah, I've only one. Yeah, but you're trying something new Trying to get there. You're trying something new. Oh, I love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's very good, very good, I love it. So if you want to get in touch with him, I'm going to have all of his details, of course, in the show notes. You can check there to see how you can get in touch with Elton and, of course, please take it from me. If you want a tour guide when you're there, elton is the one to take a tour with. He knows pretty much everything about the history, the culture. He knows all the secret nature spots. So if you want a truly authentic or authentic pure soul vacation and you want it from a local's perspective, then Elton is the one that you should go on a tour with.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and also for those who speak Italian and German, because I speak those two pretty well.
Speaker 1:So if you're listening to this and you speak German or you speak Italian or you speak English, you speak Puppyment or you speak Dutch or you speak Spanish, then you can have a complete conversation with Elton Santiago. So definitely give him a call, give him a shout out. If you're taking him to Curaçao, he's the guy to contact. Thank you, elton. Again. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for the opportunity. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Now. It's always such a pleasure to hang out with Elton. He is so knowledgeable and knows Curaçao in and out. Definitely he knows the islands much better than me. A very intelligent, kind and just a beautiful human indeed. Now I hope you book a tour with him so you can get to know him too. And when you do, do me a favor, make sure you tag me in your photos so you can find my social handles and that of Elton's, of course, in the show notes. And I would really really appreciate if you can tag me in some of your Curaçao photos or some of your Elton meeting Elton in person photos. That would be so cool.
Speaker 1:Now we have learned quite a few things about Curaçao today, haven't we? Now we now know some of the best beaches to visit, some of the natural treasures that kind of remiss to like Shete, boca Boqui Flute and the natural Jacuzzi. You can miss that. We know which areas, the most interesting areas, are to stay in when you're visiting, especially for the first time, and what all Willemzat has to offer. Besides, of course, the world-renowned colorful buildings that you see everywhere, which is situated in Punda on the Handelskade, there is of course also the floating market, which we didn't get to mention today. And there's the old market, where you must must take it from us, make sure to grab a traditional lunch there. And of course, we spoke in details about Carnival, tumba and the New Year's Eve celebrations.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I just get so homesick just thinking about that Now. I loved, loved, sharing my beautiful native island of Curaçao with you today and I hope you got some really valuable, you know information in this episode. And thank you again for spending time with Elton and I, and I'll be back soon to whisper more beautiful Caribbean things into your ears and get you all excited to visit and experience the region in a more authentic way. I'm going to leave you again with a little bit of inspiration the sound of me walking on the beach by my friend. Until the next episode, bye.