Did a fun dive with our friend Christina from the Smithsonian today on the reef in front of the Sea Aquarium. I again saw a Queen Angelfish eating a Touch-Me-Not-Sponge but as I got closer she took off at top speed never to be seen again, may go back and try again tomorrow. We are seeing Lionfish in greater numbers everywhere we go now. Those who thought they were cute and beautiful in the beginning will soon be changing there minds when that’s all they see on the reef!

The villas were usually situated on a hill so that the land and the neighboring villas were within sight. They were raised from coral with the addition of some brick stone details. The high saddle roofs were made with Dutch tiles, leading the rainwater to detached brick built collectors. A surprisingly large number of these colonial homes has survived the ages. About 55 of these landhouses are still to be found, in different conditions, scattered around our island.

I will be doing another photo assignment for Sport Diver/Padi starting on Sunday here in Curacao, so if you don’t hear from me it’s because I just couldn’t find time!! Have a wonderful weekend, Barry

Hi friends, here is another one of the hundreds if not thousands of cool building in Curacao. This is called Landhuis Zeelandia and it was built around 1850. We see this colorful building every time we head out to the grocery or hardware store as it sits high above the busy area of Curacao called Zeelandia. The magnificent colonial mansion located in Zeelandia is not really a plantation house, although it does look like one, it was in fact a country house where rich people could spend the weekend. The architecture of the Caribbean is a synthesis of different influences and each island brings to it a unique personality. The architectural style developed at the same time as a life style that was specifically Caribbean. The architecture of the Caribbean is first and foremost an architecture for life out-of-doors. The architecture in the Netherlands Antilles developed into a quite characteristic style of building. This took place mainly on Curacao, partly because of the fact that the stress of Dutch colonization in the Caribbean was on this island. It was not without reason that the colony was called “Curacao and dependencies”. Large plantation houses, the most imposing residences in the Netherlands Antilles, are set on the islands highest grounds, from which they dominate the landscape visually and can profit from the winds. In the 18th century, the addition of galleries and verandas that were suitable to the climate gave the great European-inspired houses an essential Creole characteristic.

The last decade of the twentieth century was an important era for these and other monuments of the Dutch Caribbean. After many years of neglect and indifference, of late a significant number of people has come to realize that the cultural heritage of the islands is worthy of preservation and that the decay and degradation is to be called a halt. The word Caribbean immediately brings to mind specific colors, arranged in a specific way. Blue above, blue below, white for the beach, green for the coconut palms and dominating all, the gold of the sun. It’s a fact, the folks of Curacao love bright colors and they’re not afraid to show it, maybe there is a lesson for all of us here??

Hope all is well out there, thanks for all the kind notes, you know we love you all!! See you tomorrow, Barry

Good evening friends, here is a taste of Curacao for you all this evening, this is a Kas di pal’i maishi or kas di yerba, so called by locals because of the original roofing material of maize stalks and the name refers to the traditional Curacao dwelling, formerly the slave hut. Obviously this roof has been replaced by tin or sheet metal but the house itself is well over 100 years old! It features a main structure with a rectangular floor plan containing a small living space and a privacy room, a kitchen at a short distance at its rear side, and a connecting roof, a ramada, in between. The walls are constructed of wattle and daub mixed with cow dung. A count in 1903 revealed that there were 2850 traditional structures against 80 stone-built dwellings in the western part of the island. Nowadays, one century later, the kas di pal’i maishi has become a rare piece on the island. The Curacao Monuments Foundation therefore has reconstructed a traditional hut following traditional building methods at Dokterstuin close to Landhouse Ascension ( I sent you that photo a year or more ago) and has turned it into a small museum which displays the customs and the traditional way of living in the old days in rural Curacao. We found this local dwelling being completely restored alongside the road very near the little town of Soto and you know me I just had to go back and ask for a photo. These guys were doing a top rate restoration job to this old slave hut building, I loved the wooden doors and windows and that glowing yellow color just topped the whole thing off perfectly! We see these building everywhere, they are the main structure that really makes Curacao unique and they are all super old, some go back almost 200 years!! 

I did one dive today with the macro lens. I took a rare shell that was brought up last week from 700 feet and took it back out to the reef for a photo shoot and while out there found some other cool stuff your going to love. We had rain off and on today, no complaints from us!!

I hope all is well out there, be back tomorrow, Barry

Breadnut trees grow widely in areas formerly colonized by the Mayan civilization, especially in the Peten region of Guatemala. Breadnut is thought to be the wild ancestor of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and they were planted extensively in the lost city of Tikal (200 bc–ad 900). Mayans are thought to have preserved the seeds in underground chambers called chultunob, probably as insurance against famine. Brosimum belongs to the family Moraceae.

Good morning Amigo’s, how is everyone today?? Here is something super cool that I have been waiting to send but had to wait until I found out more information. They call this, “The Common Screwpine” or Pandanus utilis, an alternate spelling for the common name is “Madagascar Screw-pine”. This beautiful  tropical tree species is native to Madagascar and contrary to what it´s name implies it is NOT a pine tree! In fact it does not even remotely or resemble a pine tree, so why the name?  At any rate it is an interesting tree species and one that is often grown as an ornamental tree in climates that permit. The younger trees in this species have very little branching but as they get older they develop long thin branches a sort of “Dr. Seus” look.  This tree also has a tendency to grow auxiliary “prop-roots” to help support the weight of the tree. The seeds (seen above) of this tree fruit are edible but not very tasty. There is a similar Pandanus tree in Papua New Guinea that grows fruits that are about 2 feet long and 4-5 inches wide. Its seeds are quite a bit smaller than these and the mature fruit can be red or yellow. It is a favorite meal for the locals who boil it in water and then suck the juice off the seeds and then spit the seeds out. The “bark” of this tree is somewhat abrasive although is wears smooth with time. The leaf margins have small thorn-like spines that can scrape and irritate the skin.

I found this tree in Bonaire at Harbour Village Resort next to Wannadive at Eden Beach, ask nicely and I bet they let you in for a look. www.harbourvillage.com For you bird lovers this hotel/resort is exactly what your looking for, you won’t believe how many cool birds, flowers and plants are hidden away behind these resort walls, that alone is worth the price of staying there, I completly loved it!

I did the fastest bike ride to date with Stijn last night, we left from the Sea Aquarium and rode to Saint Joris/Koral Tabak and returned via another route in 38 minutes! We had a head wind half the way and the rest of the trip was wind at our backs allowing us to push 40+mph the whole way, it was so fun! Off to work, going diving at 9:00 and then Aimee and I both are headed to the Punda to watch all the 75 sailboats come sailing into the harbor, should be fun!

See you again soon, Barry