53. CURAÇAO

It was time to leave continental South America and I flew from Bogotá to the Caribbean Island of Curaçao. I was about to visit my family in Germany for a couple of weeks and a flight from Curaçao to Amsterdam has been by far the cheapest option to change between South America and Europe. A direct flight with Corendon or TUI can cost you as little as 240 €.

Additionally, it allowed me to explore the small island paradise of Curaçao for 3 days which has been a very nice time. Curaçao is indeed a pretty interesting mix of languages, culture, currencies and food. A few examples:

Languages: At least 3 languages of Papiamento, Dutch, English and Spanish are spoken by locals and it has been quite confusing to choose the right language. My basic Dutch has been the best choice mostly :D

Culture: A lot of cultural & educational influences are from the Netherlands. The schools and universities work very closely together and many locals move to the Netherlands temporarily for work or studies. The architecture of Willemstad is distinctively Dutch too, with painted houses in beautiful colors. The very close distance to South America / Venezuela brings a lot of Spanish influences. Most were used to watch Spanish TV shows or listened to Latino music. Obviously, there are a lot of local customs too and in general the lifestyle on the island feels super laid back and you can feel a big sense of community.

Currencies: USD, Euro and Antilles Guilders are the 3 widely accepted and used currencies. I paid for a local bus ticket with 10 Guilders and got my change in 3 currencies!

Cuisine: Food is heavily influenced by former Dutch colonies. Surinamese, Indonesian and Chinese food places are the most common and I really enjoyed the taste there. Delicious Sate is a big part of all of them. Most small supermarkets are managed and owned by Chinese immigrants (who else :D).

During my 3 days on the island, I stayed at my friend's Elton's house who has not only been the best host but also the most knowledgeable guide. He was born on the island, works as a geography teacher and tourist guide and traveled to 70+ countries with his Curaçao flag.

He showed me many parts of the island in his car and I learned so much about the history and culture thanks to him. Danki, Elton!

I've spent my days walking around Willemstad, visiting several beaches, trying local food, hitchhiking around the island (my longest waiting time has been 5 minutes :D) and enjoying the kindness of people around me.

Gigantic cruise ships drop people here every day on their Caribbean journey, drastically changing the feeling of many beaches and Willemstad. If you've ever been to smaller cities or towns that get a lot of cruise ship tourism (Dubrovnik, Kotor, Cartagena, George Town,..), you know what I mean. I always feel like in the middle of a plague of locusts :D

Fortunately, they have opened a McDonald's (that has been entirely packed with people) for the American cruise ship tourists, the local food could have killed them instantly.

From Curacao, I took my flight to Amsterdam and was finally able to surprise my family in Germany with a visit after a long time. It gave me time to realize what happened in those wild South American months, charge my batteries, earn some money and put on some weight :D

Stay tuned for the next adventure!