A tour of KRALENDIJK, capital of BONAIRE

Hi everyone! This is episode eleven of my Dutch Caribbean series, in which I travel to the ABC Islands - Aruba, Curacao (Curaçao) and Bonaire. In this episode, I visit Kralendijk, the capital of Bonaire, for the first time.

The vlog starts with me walking from my accommodation in a residential neighbourhood towards the town centre. Along the way, I give information about the island as well as my first, raw impressions, including the architecture, the prominent choice of colour and the pace of life on the island. It is fair to say that the pace of life in Kralendijk is markedly different than the capitals of the sister islands, namely Oranjestad (Aruba) and Willemstad (Curacao). I stumble across various beaches and swimming areas, as well as a supermarket, where I get an idea of the cost of items on the island.

After a quick dip in the Caribbean Sea, I arrive at Fort Oranje, the oldest structure in Bonaire and share an interesting fact about the cannons. I then explain the meaning of the colours on the flag of Bonaire, and arrive at the town centre where I walk around Wilhelmina Plein (Plaza Wilhelmina).

I then hit the town centre where I marvel at the beautiful, colourful buildings and continue to notice the speed of development on the island - restaurants, apartments and general works. I also invite some comments from locals on how they feel about this rapid pace of development - on the one hand, it does bring in lots of tourism but could this be at a cost to the natural beauty of the island?

I then take in more of the town itself by strolling around shopping areas and taking in the beautiful street art. I also take a break for a smoothie and a local delicacy - let's just say this is not something I will order every day!

After the smoothie and quick snack break, I explore more of the town and stumble across monuments dedicated to political figures of other countries. At sunset, I visit the Divi Flamingo Resort and Casino, where I share some interesting historical facts about Bonaire and the Second World War.

The vlog ends with me having a sunset dip in the magnificent Caribbean Sea.

I hope you enjoy this vlog and that it gives you some insights into Kralendijk and Bonaire! If you haven't done it yet, please LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE to the channel. I also really appreciate comments and engagement from my audience, so please let me know your thoughts / views in the comments below!

Happy exploring

Willie