Home after a wonderful week...

The celebration of my Lifetime Achievement Award on Bonaire was a week-long festival. It even made the local newspapers! Here I am with two lovely representatives of the government, Lillian de Geus on the left and Director of Tourism Lara Chirino in white.

What a souvenir! The event was attended by a group of travel journalists and Leslie Leaney of the Historical Diving Society: The reporters were used to the kind of non-stop pace in the heat, and managed to get in two dives most days!

The airline lost the suitcase with the real award in it, so a framed certificate to use for the ceremony was quickly created:

In addition to presentations in the evening, our days were filled with land tours and (except for me) of diving.

On the last day we enjoyed our final tour, to the salt pans and the flamingos at the South end of Bonaire
These are the immense piles of sea salt harvested from the pink-colored evaporating pans.

Of course, salt pans mean breeding flamingos, and we were lucky to approach a few

Then we drove on to the group of red slave huts from150 years ago, complete with slavemaster's home and navigation pylon

Ah, memories! In the past few posts I've tried to suggest how magnificently varied and colorful the island is, but I guess you just had to be there. Despite that, I hope you will browse down the page to see the earlier scenes.

I'll never forget the hospitality of the government of Bonaire and my return after three and a half decades to my 'home island!'

(Photo by Paul Roessler)

Dancing down memory lane...

Yesterday my son Paul, his lady Sarah and my webmaster Patty drove Bonaire's northern road. We found the overlook to which I used to drive the Hotel Volkswagen (my camper van) after finishing the day's dives and putting the divers into the hotel. When I used to wake up in the mornings (1969-72) I would be surrounded by foraging goats, who watched attentively as I made my coffee. Here's the view:

After the drive, I went with them and Leslie Leaney of the Historical Diving Society to the cemetery. Leslie had tracked down the resting place of one of Hans Hass's divers:

The grave was untended, so Leslie cleaned it up as best he good and we took another picture:

Today he is going out to the small island of Klein Bonaire, looking for the camp site Hass used in 1939.

Between dives, there are always Iggy, Ziggy and the other professional beggars looking for handouts. The little guys are everywhere, and they love melon and watermelon!

I have to go South and see the sea-salt evaporation ponds with their flamingos, to see if they have changed at all. I suspect not. There is a quarter-million tons of salt down there in huge hills, gleaming in the sun. I may go home and dig out the photos from the old days for comparison.

More to come as the adventure continues!

"Your Award is in the lost bag"...

The ceremony was wonderful, with many old friends from the old days in attendance. Our conscientious tour escort, Stephanie, has been agonizing for days because the airline lost her suitcase. Yesterday she said, "I'm sorry, but your award is in that lost suitcase--but we quickly made up a temporary substitute til the real award arrives."
I told her not to get stressed about small details, and the ceremony went just fine with this framed certificate:

Presenting the Award were two representatives of the Government of Bonaire. Ms. Lillian De Geus on the left represented the Deputy for Tourism who was laid up with an injured leg. Ms. Lara Chirino on the right is the Director of the Tourism Office. 
As you can tell, I enjoyed a warmhearted evening, reminiscing about adventures with my old pal Captain Don Stewart and an enthusiastic crowd.
Phillipe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques-Yves, is on the island and we both are presenting seminars this evening--at different times.

And perhaps the lost suitcase will arrive...

After 40 years, I return to Bonaire..

 Updated 8/22/2011

!n 1969-72 I lived in Curacao and brought diving groups there and to pristine Bonaire. Forty years later, the government of Bonaire is honoring me with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
My son Paul and his girl friend Sarah, My webmaster Patricia Shannahan and my friend Leslie Leaney of the Historical Diving Society are here for the week of festivities. I wish my daughter Kira, who was a mere eight years old when we moved here, could be with us. She is finishing work on a major movie, and her schedule was in direct conflict. We miss her!

It is hardship duty, as you can see.

We are being hosted by Captain Don's Habitat, an impressive resort right on the water. Captain
Don Stewart was a colleague way back when, and it a pleasure and honor to be back where our adventures began. These views are from the walkway of our luxurious villa.

Stephanie Wirth of the Adams Public Relations agency of New York is our guide (they represent both Bonaire and DEMA Diving Equipment and Marketing Association), and a group of journalists who coincidentally are all avid divers has joined us.

The view below is North toward thee site of the famous Windjammer Wreck. a favorite deep dive in the old days. I was shocked to see that an oil trans-shipment terminal now sits on the shore precisely above the fabulous wreck, and the site is closed to diving..

 It's a shame in one way--I loved diving that wreck!

Looking forward to a fabulous week!! More reports and pictures when I have any time! It's a full dance card!