Beginning of the Bonaire Adventure!

I am currently spending this semester studying abroad in the lovely country of Bonaire, a small island located off the coast of Venezuela in the South Caribbean. A quick background on Bonaire is that is it a part of the Netherlands Antilles, the official language of the island is Dutch, though most speak the local language of Papaimentu, and the population is 15,000 residents. I am here for a Marine Biology intensive course involving a lot of scuba diving, snorkeling, exploring, and hands-on activities, and I couldn't be more excited! I will keep my blog updated with pictures and notes about my experience all along the way. Enjoy! 

Some dead fan coral I found washed up on the West side of the island. 

My first glimpse of flamingos! The older the flamingos are, the more pink their coloring is since they get their pigmentation from the amount of algae and crustaceans they eat. Hopefully I will be able see them more closely sometime soon though.

Bonaire is well known for their salt mining, among other things. This is a picture of the salt in its final stages, one being the pink salt water and the excavated piles drying in the sun. There is an array of 23 salt flats throughout the island, where the water is moved through each one as it becomes more salty overtime. The flats were originally dug and maintained by hand by the slaves beginning in the seventeen hundreds. 

This is a restored slave hut by the salt flats where the slaves used to work. They are unbelievably small and housed far too many people per hut. Thankfully there is no use for them anymore!  

The view from inside of of the huts looking out onto another. 

A light house on the South side of the island to signal incoming ships. 

Stay tuned for more pictures and experiences to come throughout the upcoming 15 weeks of my program here. I am here and ready for adventure!

dh