June 7, 2020 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!!!
Welcome to Bonaire on this fantastic occasionâŚI wonder what surprise is in store for Sarah?
Arawak Off-road Safari…Â
This trip is all about getting to grips with Bonaireâs historic best bits. Clamber aboard one of the 4x4s, and in a couple of minutes youâll be whizzing along the off-road trails.First, youâll climb into the Subi Rincon hills, where the convoy will stop at a set of time-worn Indian caves. Then, itâs on to one of the islandâs only two towns â Rincon. Keep an eye out for the honey-yellow church tower as you pass through, then hop off the truck when you arrive at pretty Boca Onima. This rocky stretch of coastline is home to some of the best cave art in Bonaire, which gives you a real glimpse of the islandâs past.One of the best bits is saved âtil last â the beauty spot, Seru Largu. This cross-topped monument sits on a raised platform, setting you up with panoramic views of the capital, Kralendijk.
This shore excursion was a second choice as the first choice was sold out weeks before weâd even started our cruise. We were thinking about the 4×4 Land Rover trip weâd done in the Azores(see here) but couldn’t really get excitedâŚAs it was much hotter here and the thought of being crammed in the back of a Land Rover really wasnât doing anything for us today. So what we thought was going to be an anticlimaxâŚTurned out to be the best trip of the whole holiday! Oh and iâd just travelled in my best vehicle of all time! đÂ
The 1961 Yellow UnimogâŚ
Awww friendsâŚ.Let me introduce you to this Yellow, 1961 Unimog…..have you seen the tires, lol! It threw us around like crazy and i still can’t believe that he didn’t slow down for anything. There is no way a vehicle can hit rocks, huge pot holes, climb cracked hills and go around tight bends whilst travelling at break neck speed, it would have destroyed anything else and left them in a pile of spare parts, lol. I’m not sure they issued these with brake pedals! đ
Subi Rincon hills…Â
 Bertrand was our fantastic guide, and even better rally driver, lol. He said he had a PHD(pot hole dodger) although he didnât dodge anything but drove straight over everything which made the ride so much funâŚWe were all hanging on for dear life as our bums were ‘getting airâ as they lifted off our seats!!  Â
We  climbed higher and higher into the Subi Rincon hills, where the amazing yellow Unimog stopped at a set of time-worn Indian caves. This place had lots of rocks to walk over and Bertrand told Sarah âYouâre a fantastic guideâ as she was expertly weaving me through the rocks! He told the group how the first explorers crawled through these caves in the pitch black, an inch at a time without knowing what was coming. đ¨ Â
 Back on the Unimog…
Bertrand put the ladder in place at the rear of the Unimog so we could climb in and out. I was very careful the first time as i was feeling with my feet to find out how many (and where) the steps were. But after a few times i was flying off them! đ Â Â
He kept slowing down and then (klunck) slamming it into low gear as he climbed ludicrously steep and rocky slopes until we got to a high viewing point. Ikept forgetting it was Sarahâs birthday and not mine, lol!Â
 The Bonaire Donkeyâs…Â
We were screaming down a dirt track when Bertrand hit the breaks. He jumped out of the Unimog and tried to call out to the Donkeys to see if theyâd come over. He told us:
Donkeys have been around on Bonaire since the 17th century. The Spanish brought the donkeys for transportation. When modern vehicles became available like pushcarts, donkeys were redundant and left to their fate.
Bonaire is a predominantly rugged and arid island, making it difficult for the donkeys to survive. Nevertheless, there are hundreds of donkeys on Bonaire present. Because the donkeys can move freely on the island this regularly leads to traffic accidents.Â
Fauna ezel thumbThe donkeys live in small herds of about 20 animals and can be 40 years old. During the day they seek the shade of the trees. In the early morning or early evening the donkeys are usually active.
Since 1993 injured, sick and orphaned donkeys are cared in a shelter, called Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire. Volunteers take care over 400 donkeys in a closed area. The shelter is open to visitors and is located south of the airport on the Kaya Ir.R. Statius van Eps.Â
I heard âEEEYYOOORRREEE, HONK, HONK, HONK) and Bertrand said âOk i hear youâ to the donkeys and âThey donât want to say helloâ to us as he climbed back into the Unimog and drove to our next stop…
Wait a minuteâŚHow did Sarah take a panorama whilst sat in the Unimog? “Nobody likes a show off, lolâ 𤣠Â
 Bertrand stopped in many interesting places, he even fed lizards by hand as we stood on a sandy park burning to a crisp.
Weâd had a simply breathtaking trip on the fantastic yellow Unimog and we were really sad when we pulled back into the dock.
Back at the ship…đł
After the incredible and mind bending ride in the Unimog, we quickly went on board and had an iced coffee before heading out into the town to see what goodies we could find.
It was absolutely scorching so the first place was a tiny local bar where Bertrand told us to try the locally (and traditionally)  brewed beer âBonaire Blondâ. Sarah sat me down at a small table and soon came back with a birthday celebration drinkâŚThe 2 bottles of ice cold Bonaire Blond. The bottles were soon empty as the room was just too hot and we needed to get back outside.Â
Yay, we managed to buy another bauble for our Christmas treeâŚOh and i bought another bright and colourful shirt that youâll see at a later date! đ  đ  Â
The Evening Meal…
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