Visiting Curacao: Bon Bini

I can not change the wind direction, but adjust my sails to always reach my destination. JAMES DEAM

By many years since I visited Curacao, despite being close, neighboring Venezuela and in my case 30 minutes by plane from Valencia, Carabobo. When I first met in 1976 to be precise, I came across an undeveloped Curacao, now that I've changed back to find it enabled an airport, comfortable, cozy, despite the distance far from the center and where one is forced to move to it, take a taxi with a value of $ 30, than for the Venezuelans is a high price, especially for difficult to access the free purchase of dollars by exchange restrictions known to have imposed on President Hugo Chavez.

Is more organized, they are not farms, comfortable houses, the buildings are representative of the Dutch colonial. friendly people, very treatable, you say with joy Bon Bini ((Welcome) and where one can move without fear of being assaulted, violated, as unfortunately often happens in Venezuela. Of course, the heat is overwhelming, very strong but is supported. The climate is semiarid. The highest point is the Christoffelberg (Mount Cristobal) with 374 m high and located in the northwest of the island.

For Venezuelans, the Island is very expensive because the dollar to be transformed into the forint, the national currency, one dollar equals to 1.72 and the value of things, including meals, hotels, tours are very expensive, not everyone can impede going to enjoy it for bathing beaches. However, one finds many Dutch, other countries with a stronger currency than ours.

Not surprising to hear several languages ​​besides Papiamento dialect, where many inhabitants speak Spanish, English, Portuguese, Dutch.

Public education is based on the Dutch educational system. Until recently, all instruction was provided only in Dutch. Now the bilingual primary education in Papiamentu (local language and principal) and is also available in Dutch

The population of the island of Curaçao has very different origins. Most are descendants of indigenous people mainly of western? African and Afro-Caribbean people, from neighboring Caribbean islands

As we know, there are different versions about the origin of the name Curaçao. One of them says that when the Portuguese arrived on the island, they saw that the sailors who had scurvy were cured after landing (probably due to the large amount of fruit consumed). Therefore named the island Ilha da Curaçao (Cure Island). After the Dutch conquest was finally named as Curaçao.

As noted by Wikipedia, Curacao, Curacao and Curacao (Curaçao in Dutch, Papiamento Kòrsou in current) is the largest and most populous island of the Netherlands Antilles, has an approximate area of ​​444 km ². It is located in the southern Caribbean Sea, about 50 km from the western coast of Venezuela, and belongs to the Leeward Islands, along with its neighboring islands of Aruba and Bonaire

A mid-seventeenth century settlers arriving on the island from Dutch and Sephardic Jews originally from the Iberian Peninsula, where they were first expelled from Portugal, then Holland and finally to the northeast of Brazil, from where most of the Sephardic Jews who settled in Curaçao in the first half of the seventeenth century. This origin of the Sephardic Jews is what explains the existence of Portuguese words of Spanish-Portuguese Sephardic surnames abound in Jewish cemeteries, and especially in the phonetics of Papiamento, quite similar to Portuguese, something inexplicable in the Caribbean, where there Portuguese colonies. With the new settlers are improved techniques for growing citrus and brine mining. In 1642, Peter Stuyvesant was appointed governor. With it, the island became an important center of commerce, and established what would become one of the major markets of slaves to European colonies in America, especially Brazil, a fact which gives a strong impetus to economic development of the colony.

The island was occupied by the British on two occasions, ranging from 1800 to 1803 and from 1807 to 1816, both motivated by the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Almost simultaneously, there are independence movements of the Spanish colonies on the continent, which contributes Founders harboring the likes of Simon Bolivar, and with the participation of at least two of its key figures such as Manuel Piar, Liberator of the province of Guayana, and Luis Brion, who would become Admiral of the Republic of Colombia.

For the year 1863 slavery was abolished in Dutch colonies, including in them the island of Curaçao, which leads to a severe economic crisis. Because of this, a significant number of its inhabitants emigrated in search of work, mainly on the island of Cuba, where they work in the sugar cane plantations.

The discovery of oil fields in Venezuela, in the early twentieth century, specifically in the Maracaibo Lake basin, leading to the establishment of a refinery in the world for its time. This gives new impetus to its economy, and the arrival of a new wave of immigrants.

During the Second World War, established the United States military, since the island is a major source of fuel for the Allied operations in Europe. Consequently, its port was besieged by Nazi Germany's submarines on several occasions.

On May 30, 1963 popular uprisings occur on the island, driven by global downturn in the oil industry and discontent product exclusion within the main industry. These surveys had its climax in 1969 when violent mobs burned a lot of businesses in the largest urban area Willemstad, so that economic losses were enormous.

By the late twentieth and early twenty-first to his constituents is called several referendums to decide the future political and administrative status of the island. In the latter of which is decided separation from the Netherlands Antilles, and the pursuit of an autonomous status for the island, within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The main town of Curacao is Willemstad. Curacao in the southeast includes the small uninhabited islet called Klein Curaçao (Dutch which means Little Curacao) Like most Caribbean islands

It should be noted that the city of Willemstad is the main port and capital of the island, as well also be the Netherlands Antilles. Its historic area, downtown and port were declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. In it is found, among others, the synagogue (Mikveh Israel-Emanuel) which is the oldest continuously operating American continent (1651

In the same there is a refinery, shipyards for vessels of Panamax type, which includes the largest dry dock in the region and an important center for the transshipment of containers, and Zone.

The main industry is oil refining, which is imported in the form of crude oil from Venezuela. It is the Isla refinery, operated by Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and with an installed capacity of 320,000 barrels per day (bp / d), which makes it the third largest refinery in the Caribbean.

Of course, tourism and banking are other pillars of its economy, and employing the largest percentage of the population. Tourism has recovered slowly after a crisis in the 1980 and 1990, with more than 300,000 visitors for 2007.

You can see the new renovation of the bridges, go to Grote Knip beach, explore the Hato Caves, an elaborate network of stalactites and stalagmites with drawings of at least 1.500 years, mountain climbing in the way of 4.446 acres of National Park Christoffel, or go to the Mushroom Forest, a forest of underwater life of 10 feet, with corals that resemble the shape of mushrooms, of course you can visit the city center. The city itself is divided into two sections-Punda and Otrobanda connected by Queen Emma pontoon bridge. Both sections provide visitors with duty-free shopping. Willemstad has a population of 135,000, which includes 55 nationalities.

As indicated curacao.com, according to a comprehensive study by the Department of Monuments of the Government, there are 750 historic buildings in Willemstad alone, they deserve the merit of preservation. Scaffolding is renewed almost every month. Progress has been amazing in just ten years and is likely in the near future, in the regions of Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles managed to conquer the ancient splendor.

A Curacao have to go in peace if we want to know well and above all for those who love diving and enjoy the beaches.