Day 197-198: April 13-14, 2025 – Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Bonaire was for me the prettiest Caribbean Island so far. The colors were exquisite: shimmering turquoise waters, pink salt pools, white salt pyramids, yellow and orange birds. A place I would love to come back to.

Immediately after boarding the Odyssey in Bonaire, my niece Christina rented a car and took the four of us on a grand tour of the island.

The turquoise waters are what immediately caught my eye. The color was unlike anything I had seen in the Caribbean (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Bonaire has a long history of salt production. Following a lengthy extraction process, salt is stacked in pyramids ready for export throughout the world.

The white salt mounds contrast with the pink salt pans where extraction takes place. The sun, strong winds, and shallow pools are conducive to the salt extraction process. The whole process relies mostly on solar power. Salt from the sea gets moved through a series of condenser pools, with the salt content increasing as water evaporates. The color is due to a halophilic (salt-loving) single-cell algae.

The nearby Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary is home to thousands of flamingos. Visitors are not allowed inside the sanctuary, but birds can be viewed from across the salt ponds. Their pink color is due to their favorite snack, brine shrimp, which thrive in the salty waters.

The small island has 8 lighthouses which over the years have guided maritime traffic.

Faces of Bonaire: shooting the breeze over a beer in Rincon.