How about some random tips.
Do not take travelers checks or large bills. Use $20s and your CCs. Some CC's charge you a ripoff fee for currency exchange...even though you are being charged in USD- check with you CC company. I use Capital One and they do not.
There is an ATM directly in front of Sand Dollar that you can use to get either Guilders or USD- your choice. I use it on most every trip and so far neither bank has charged me a fee.
The value of the guilder is 1.77 to 1 but for quick reference I use 2 to 1. A quick reference is 35 Nfl is $20 USD. Most of the time you will get change in guilders, be aware there are 3 and 5 Nfl coins, these add up quickly.
When looking at prices be sure to understand if it's in guilders (Nfl) or USD. Some menus are in USD, some in Nfl and some in both, when in doubt ask.
The food and water are safe to eat/drink on the island so eat and drink where ever you like. We buy 1- 1L water bottle each when we arrive and refill it from the tap the rest of the week. The island is arrid and you will dehydrate so drinking a lot of water is important. Filling it 1/2 way and freezing it on it's side, then filling it fully before heading out makes a great way to have cool water after a dive. We wrap it in a towel at the dive site. An empty 2L soda bottle filled with water and placed on the hood of the truck makes a really nice post dive solar powered face wash.
Take the hardest soled booties you have. The shoreline is ironstone and coral rubble at most spots so soft soled sock like booties are not a good idea.
Personal safety is not really an issue at the remote sites but thieft is at times a problem. Follow the simple rules of don't take anything you don't need and leave the vehicle windows down and it's very unlikely you will have problems. Old t-shirts, towels, water bottles and the like are rarely bothered. There is no need to carry much to the dive sites. Most sites are less than 15 minutes away from your resort. All I carry is a $20 bill or 2 and room keys in a "waterproof" (yeah right
) case. I also put the truck key in it during the dive. It is clipped inside a zipped up BC pocket during the dives. The water does not hurt the keys or bills. I just returned Sat from 10 days on island and had zero problems (trip #15 with no problems). Still, don't invite problems by locking items inside the vehicle and walking away.
Restaurants on Bonaire are good but it's a different culture than ours. SLOW DOWN. Food is cooked to order so expect to take at least 2 hrs for a meal. If you are in a hurry, don't eat out. It is considered rude to place a bill on the table like we are use to. When you are ready to leave, get the wait staff's attention and ask for the bill (I use a hand sign like writing on my hand), otherwise you and the waiter are waiting on each other....a Bonairian standoff maybe
.
Unlike in the US, a honk of the horn at an intersection is followed by the ENTIRE hand being waved out the truck window instead of the one fingered way we often do.
Seriously, a horn toot and a wave are very common hello on the island.
And a few nice to know words you will hear a lot and it's nice to use them:
Bon Bini - welcome
Bon Dia- good morning
Bon tarda- good afternoon
Bon nochi- good evening
Danki- thank you
Masha Danki- thank you very much
Dushi- a friendly term like sweetheart or honey
*(&^*&%@!! I just got back and I already miss the island.
