turtle diaries and the déjà vu samosa

What can I say? I think Curacao has just about everything we love in a vacation getaway. It may just be one of my favorite places. But we might need a vacation from our vacation. We are wiped. From hiking the tallest mountain on the island, to chasing mindlessly after turtles in the water, to snorkeling until our heads were bruised from our masks… it’s been busy.We took our crap-rod darling rental ride (read: a chintzy Diahatsu) off-road to see the uninhabited side of the island- we didnt get as far as we’d like since the wheels are the size of a Barbie Jeep, but we were by ourselves completely, with the crashing waves and petrified coral roads as our companions. We met a bit of an impasse and had to turn around…but it was wild and unkempt out there, perfect for exploring.

Just before we took this pic we had stopped at a cliff overlooking a cove with picture perfect water. Something caught my eye and I gasped- glory of glories – a shell,with little arms and feet floating at the surface!  A turtle coasting along! And then two, three, four more were parading around, swimming up and around and having a jolly time.  This was an area totally off the beaten path, and if we weren’t about 30 feet up I would’ve jumped in and joined them, but the choppy water- and my husband’s tight grip around my wrist for fear of me plummeting toward the rocks below- held me back. We watched them frolic around for a bit as I shot several photos.

So this jump-started my obsession desire to swim with them again and I dragged Justin again to go visit the beach coined as the “turtle spot”. The other day we were at the beach side bar when a Dutch husband and wife were nonchalantly talking about how they snorkeled with the “resident turtle” that morning, puffing on their cigarettes and giving off this “loddi-da, what’s the big flippin’ deal” attitude as they ordered another cheese toastie and smiled smugly. Booh.

“That’s it,” I turned to Justin, swatting smoke from my face, and looking at him with intent in my eyes. “We’ve got to find him.”  I strapped on my gear and stomped into the bay, spashing water all around me as I charged in, looking like a psycho robot flipper-woman. And so proceeded a two-hour hunt, skimming the area and swimming quite far out to where some of the scuba divers where doing their shore dives. The snorkeling there is actually some of the best we’ve ever done, with amazing visibility and many exotic fish. I kept waiting for my little shelled creature to come next to me and grab my hand, and float with me. Justin said he needed a break from the sun and I said I’d be out in a bit. I finally gave up. We read in our chairs for a while  and then Justin asked if I wanted to go back in again. I was feeling a bit deflated and grumpy, especially after Mr and Mrs Turtle Whisperer came over and asked if I had “any luck spotting the turtle like they did” as they drank their Heinekens and laughed. I agreed and moped back in. After about 30 min we swam back to shore as the sun was going down…suddenly Justin grabbed my hand and yelled through his snorkel, “A turtle!”

I looked and there my little lovey was, gliding towards me, his big curious eyes and  gentle little arms soaring through the water. Oh I love them. We were swimming next to him, the little lovely looking at me as he glided up and down, happy for my company (okay maybe this is a stretch, but he certainly wasnt threatened by me). I kept my hovering distance so I didnt seem like the turtle stalker that I actually am. Suddenly, a big oafy guy came barreling through the water, and scared my little lovely as he hovered right over him, almost chasing him, and grunting heavily in his snorkel, blowing bubbles and disturbing the mood.  Horror of horrors! We were having such a moment! I wanted to tell the big-bellied bully to go away but it was too late, and lovey swam away into the deepness ahead. I was thrilled and ticked at the same time.  Justin kept reminding me how lucky I was to swim with him, and that I got my wish, before Speedo Creepo spooked him away and ruined everything. Argh.

All my turtle stalking sightseeing made us hungry, and we dined at a lovely Indian place, Tandoori Heights, which afforded an incredible view of downtown. We had the place to ourselves since it was still early. I thought of my friend Ange as we indulged in samosas, paneer tikka masala and malai kofta incredibly reminiscent of our frequent Landmark Inn dining jaunts in Mbale.

(Gratuitous handsome hubby shot:)

(Rooftop view:)

The next day we took it easy, and I tested a little floaty out…this was quite relaxing until a fish took my ring and i spent the next hour looking for it, to no avail. Okay, what actually happened is my ring fell off and by the time I realized it I wasn’t sure where to look, although we tried, though there were hundreds of coral and sea life crawling about.  Justin decided a fish likely ate it. Grumble.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a beach day without catching up on the Royal Wedding nonsense details, thanks to a care package full of gossip mags from pal Aleta (seriously? they spent $64 million on the wedding?!):

The next day we decided it would be a dumb  good idea to hike to the highest peak on the island, in the middle of the day. Though everything I read cautioned to go in the morning, we figured we were from AZ and could handle a hot hike. We made it, and the views were totally worth it- but we stripped as much clothing as possible without looking naughty to try to cool down. I remembered a dry heat and a humid heat were quite different…as I should’ve learned in Haiti. We wiped the sweat from our faces to take a quick pic.

We decided a nice stroll on the Emma floating bridge was in order, followed by a nice foofy iced cappucino. The historic building and renovated plantation homes are captivating, their vibrant colors are quite compelling against the bluest of skies. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I was slightly out of control with the camera.

I leave you tonight, lulling myself to sleep with flashbacks from earlier today, when I could be found peering at the jade tranquil ocean from inside my palapa hut. Could it be we only have one more day? Say it isn’t so…