I woke up at 2am on Friday and my body hasn’t adjusted back. I normally love to sleep in, but I’ve been up early…like 4am early. I signed up for the 7am yoga class awhile back and was concerned about waking up for it. It wasn’t an issue.
We met on the lawn outside of Gatsu Gatsu and the Sandals staff had rows of yoga mats with towels for us. They also had a table with more towels and water. There were a lot of empty mats so either they miscounted the number of people who signed up or too many people enjoyed the delicious cocktails that pour graciously around the resort. I carried my heavy backpack way more than I should have between my travel day and switching resorts days. My neck has been unbelievably tight from it and I was excited for yoga. The instructor guided us through a gentle flow and it felt like she customized the routine for exactly what my body needed. The class was right next to the ocean and the combination of movements and waves was a match made in heaven. My neck felt 1000x better after the class. We finished our wellness morning with smoothies. There were two Sandals staff with a large array of fresh fruit who made smoothies for the whole class. I am super picky about my smoothies and this was the real deal. There were at least five different fruits in my smoothie and it was a combination which they’ve perfected.
The trade show was this morning where we had the opportunity to meet several travel suppliers. There are bigger brands such as Royal Caribbean, Sandals, and Virgin Voyages, but also smaller boutique properties throughout the Caribbean. Curaçao was obviously well represented. I learned more about some of the Caribbean islands and some of the resorts available.
Almost immediately after the trade show, the tours began. We had a choice to signup for a tour for the afternoon and I chose the food tour. A catamaran/snorkeling tour was another option, but I wanted to explore Willemstad and get a better feel for the island. Our food tour began on a bus and we learned about the island while we drove into the city. It’s a very dry climate here and they don’t have agriculture. Food is imported. Our first stop was an open-air food market. It was a crowded place with picnic tables. Luckily, tables were reserved for us. A woman from one of the food stands introduced herself and then the food started coming out: family-style. We were first given fresh lemonade. Yum. Next was a chicken soup with the most amazing broth, chicken, carrots, potato, and an unfamiliar but delicious other vegetable. It was like 100 degrees today and eating hot soup was kind of weird to me. I had to keep going back and forth with my cold lemonade to keep my body regulated. Next, was rice and a papaya dish. I couldn’t eat the rice due to an allergy, but the papaya dish was really interesting and good. It was like a stew. There was a goat dish and oxtail which were both amazing. By this time, they brought me white rice which I could eat and it was a lovely combination. There was also a fish and beef dish, but I skipped those. There was also polenta which I enjoyed.
Next we went to the fresh fruit market. Venezuela is very close to Curaçao and on a clear day in the right conditions you can see the country. Venezuelan fishermen bring fresh produce to Curaçao and sell at the market. There was no fish that I could see at the market so that confused me. Are they fishermen or fruitermen? I didn’t verbalize my thoughts, but here we are at a market with fishermen selling fruit. I forgot to mention one detail about the previous food experience. It was served family-style without serving utensils. We rolled with it and did our best. We did have utensils to eat with and I thought how far we’ve come from 2020. Here at the fruit market people started buying fruit and sharing what was purchased. The watermelon was easy to share because they sliced it for us. The fruit that you basically drink out of, not so much. I put thoughts of germs aside and we shared. Mango was my favorite. The passion fruit was good too. There were also a lack of trash cans and napkins. Most of had some remnant of fruit and almost all of us had sticky fingers. We eventually found a garbage can and then used our drinking water to rinse our hands.
We walked down the road to some picture spots. There was a sign that said Curaçao and another that said Dushi which means sweet. We finished in the shopping district and were instructed to meet the bus on the other side of the bridge.
The bridge isn’t just any bridge. It’s a swing bridge which I didn’t really understand until I saw it in action. We were told that if we were on the bridge and heard a whistle to move quickly off the bridge. The bridge waits for no one and if you’re not off of it, you’re stuck on it for 10-45 minutes. The bridge swings open to allow large ships to pass through. I made it across the bridge without the whistle, but not long afterwards, it happened. It was fun to watch people race across it. If you ever come here on a cruise be careful! There are people who have been left behind because of the bridge. When the bridge isn’t walkable, they do offer a free ferry service, but that won’t help you if you’re stuck on the actual bridge.
After viewing the brightly colored city, we were back on the bus to one more stop. Of course we had to try Curaçao in Curaçao. We went to the distillery and tried some samples. Apparently there are a lot more options than the blue stuff. Why is it blue? To represent the Caribbean Sea. How is it blue? Food dye. I purchased a mudslide here that was made with a chocolate and coffee liqueur and it was amazing. A great end to the foodie tour.
Upon returning to Sandals Curaçao, I explored an area of the resort which I hadn’t visited yet: the racket academy. They have eight Pickleball courts and two tennis courts. There is also a nicely air conditioned little club house type building. It was about 4:30pm and all the courts were empty.
I quickly got ready for dinner. They had a special beach party for us complete with fireworks. By this time, I was exhausted so I made an early exit to pack my bags. Sadly, it’s time to go home.
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