Curaçao 2012 Wrap – The Rest
It’s such a shame that there aren’t more marketed “holiday tournaments”. Of course, it’s not easy for organisers: you need the right combination of weather, tourist attractions, accessibility and a budget that allows one round a day with a rest day or two thrown in for good measure. Murray Chandler’s Queenstown Classic has got the formula down pat, while the Bangkok Open is well known for concocting the perfect recipe for chess and fun. The Surfers’ Paradise Open in Australia is another good example.
Looking back, my best results come from these chess holiday events, and it’s a probably got a lot to do with being able to look forward to a few days’ of chess-free enjoyment after the tournament. After the Curaçao festival, I extended the adventure to spend a bit of time exploring the island. One of the goals for the Caribbean sojourn was to challenge the comfort zone and try a few new things, and fortunately, there’s no shortage of novelties in Curaçao.
See this little guy?
…I ate him.
Well, not him specifically, but iguanas can be eaten (and, I was a little shocked to discovered, also shot) in Curaçao, and I couldn’t leave the island without heading to one of its most famous restaurants for eating iguana: Jaanchie’s. Probably it was a little insensitive of me to order it while lunching with my vegetarian housemate on her birthday. Sorry, Valentina. Karma quickly replied, however: iguana is really not very tasty, and has so many little spikey bones that it takes ages to eat, with little carnivorous reward.
Like many people, I’ve got a mild case of acrophobia – or fear of heights. And, unlike most Australians, I’m a horrible swimmer. So what could be more fun on my vacation than a little spot of cliff jumping? Curaçao has just the thing, and after starting out with the four metre baby jump at the splendid Grotte Knipp beach, I eventually braved the 12 metre monster at Playa Forte (you can see that video here).
Something that is definitely to be recommended is the slavery museum in Curaçao. To my shame, I had no idea how involved in the slave trade the Dutch were – this muddied slice of history seems to have been left out in my history classes back in school. The museum not only describes this period in detail, but also celebrates African history, from its origins through to its connection with the Caribbean today. If you’re in Curaçao, visit it.
I took a few days off to enjoy a really great little side trip to the awesome island of Bonaire. While it’s also part of the Netherlands Antilles, at only 15,000 inhabitants, it’s far smaller in population than Curaçao and less well known than the fancied Aruba. But it’s vastly underappreciated, in my opinion. The island is relatively untainted by tourism, and almost everyone I met was in some way involved in nature conservation or environmental protection. It’s probably the greenest place I’ve been to, in attitude as well as surrounds.
I stayed with Andrea, the best friend of my housemate (and Curaçaoan hostess) Valentina . Her Mother is heavily involved in turtle conservation on the island, while her father currently manages the Bonaire national park and has a special interest in bats. Not surprisingly given its size, everyone seems to know everyone on Bonaire, and even I was running into familiar friends around the island after a few days. Andrea guided us around in her uncle’s pickup, and I relished the chance to occupy the trailer as my preferred seat. It was nice to be back in a place where noone locks their cars – it reminded me of my grandma’s home town in rural Queensland.
Andrea took us down to her work at Jibe City, a sort of hippy paradise on the beach, where windsurfing and assorted water sports are the order of the day. I’ve never been too comfortable in the water, and while I wasn’t as terrible at windsurfing as I expected, I think I’ll stick to the 64 squares.
Andrea also managed to get a few spots on her friend’s sailboat for a day of snorkeling and swimming with turtles around the reefs. Incredible!!
That about sums up the trip’s highlights, save for one. My friends were typically curious to know whether I met anyone special on my travels, and in return, I sent them back pictures of Lola and I.
On one of her regular beach scouts for turtle nests, Andrea’s mum rescued an abandoned puppy, who was quickly adopted by Andy and her sister Dani. I shared a room in the house with little Lola, and, despite her tendency to wake me up at 4am every morning (and her lack of toilet training), we soon formed an unshakeable bond.
Overall, it was really an incredible trip, both on and off the board. Here’s hoping the 2013 Curaçao chess festival goes ahead.
