We rented a truck today and we on an excursion. On our adventure we saw a very large salt flat. The main industry of the island is salt. We also saw where they housed slaves, where they would sleep and stayed the night. The huts were the size of 6' x 8', then they would go to work in the salt mines.

Becky inside a slave hut



One of the salt posts wrote: In the early days of salt trading, ships would moor outside the reef and small boats would bring the ships their salt. Originally smoky fires were lit on top of mounds of corals to guide the ships into the correct site for loading. In the salt mines, a woman would kneel down on one knee while tow men would "give a hand" getting the basket full of salt on her head helping her stand up straight so she could walk away with her heavy load and walk the plank to the boat at the end of the pier to drop the salt. Four strong men standing up in the boat would then haul the salt to the ship by pulling on a long rope stretched between the ship and pier.



Salt flats


Slave huts


We also saw pink flamingos next to a wind mill near the salt flats and they were eating.




Next we went to the shoreline that is so flat that from the sea you often can't see land during dark nights. No lighthouses existed on Bonaire until the 17th century so there were many shipwrecks on these shores. During hight winds the sea waves would crash up on these mounds of finger corals and as the waves were pulled back out again they would pull corals down rolling over each other with a sound of tinkling bells grinding and polishing the stones in the process. The coast was alive with the beautiful music of the coals like thousands of little bells and with the pounding of waves. These coral bells and pounding waves would warn off sailors at night from certain shipwreck on the shore.

Denny looking out at the ocean


We saw a temple that had a nice view of the city of Bonaire


We then snorkeled and we saw a lion fish, octopus, eel, and many reef fish, all amazing.

Lion Fish



These fish are the color of the sand and you have to look closely to see them. They are digging for food in the sand.


Steve & Rena snorkeling


In the end of the video you will see Steve getting a reef animal to go inside, hard to see in this video.


This was such a great snorkel!


I have to look up the name of this reef fish, but it sure was curious and watched me for a long time


This is what the fish looks like from the side


I love the color of this parrot fish


You have to look hard, but you can see an eel coming out of its hole (on the left, towards the top)


This fish was giving me the eye - beautiful colors!


Here he is from the side, he really followed me around for a long time


It was a very fulfilling and rewarding day!

Life is good on Kokomo

Becky