Monday, June 18, 2007

Golden Reef Inn Debuts New Web Site

Golden Reef Inn recently announced that they have debuted a renovated web site featuring new pages, updated images, and additional information about their two properties in Hato, just north of Kralendijk.

Some of the new pages include a “Dive Center Page” featuring Wannadive Divers, as well as a “Party Time” page featuring Chef Gibi and his updated Daily American Style Breakfast Buffet, Free Monday Night Rum Punch Party, and “All-You-Can-Eat-BBQ” featuring local live music.  Also, new specials have been posted on the “Specials” page.

For additional information, view the new web site by clicking here.  (Source:  Golden Reef Inn)

Note Update July 24, 2008: Please note that effective August 4, 2008, the “All-You-Can-Eat-BBQ” is now held on Sunday evenings, instead of Monday evenings.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Dive Friends Bonaire Hosts Ninth Bonaire Web Cam

Dive Friends Yellow Sub is now hosting the ninth web cam on Bonaire, which features a view of their dock and the anchorage and ocean-side promenade fronting their Kralendijk facility. 

With image captures every minute, the tourists diving at this facility can now wave to friends and family as they enter the water for a dive, or simply re-live their memories when back at home by visiting the archives (a nominal membership fee is required to access the archives).  Another unique feature for those who find their images captured on the Yellow Sub Pier Cam is that they can send an e-postcard of themselves over the Internet and via the archives. 

This cam will prove to be exceptionally popular each Monday night when Dive Friends hosts their weekly Pier Rum Punch Party.  The current view of the cam is prominently displayed on the main page of Dive Friends’ web site at http://www.dive-friends-bonaire.com as well as at http://www.bonairewebcams.com. 

The Bonaire Web Cams have proved themselves to be very popular with visiting tourists from around the world, and have, on their own, became famous, from the award-winning underwater cams, to the beach cams, DonkeyCam, Downtown Cam, and WindsurfCam.  Many Bonaire visitors plan at least one trip to the cams to wave to family and friends back home and now the Yellow Sub PierCam makes this very easy.  www.bonairewebcams.com receives an average of 200,000 visitors per month, with an average of 2,000,000 page views per month.

Dive-Friends-Bonaire is one of Bonaire’s premiere and innovative dive facilities with locations on the oceanfront promenade in Kralendijk, at Hamlet Bonaire, and at Port Bonaire.  They offer all the services of a large shop, while still providing personal service.  For additional information or to view the Yellow Sub PierCam, visit http://www.dive-friends-bonaire.com.  Those interested in additional information may email info@dive-friends-bonaire.com, or telephone or send a fax to +(599) 717-2929.

Bonaire’s Parrot Team Launches New Web Site to Assist the Island’s Loras (Parrots)

Sam Williams and the Bonaire Parrot Team report that they have just launched a new web site for Parrot Watch, or as they say, the site has just fledged!  You can view the site at http://www.parrotwatch.org.

On the site, viewers can regularly see updated movies of wild parrots and get to see what goes on inside their nests. They can get to know the birds, as well as follow the team’s fieldwork experiences as the season moves forward.

Access to much of the information on the site is free, but there is a section reserved for those who sponsor a volunteer or a parrot. 100% of the support given parrotwatch.org goes to help the conservation of these fantastic parrots and the Bonaire Parrot Team’s field-based research.  Interested parties can find more information about sponsorships by viewing the site.

Olivia Parrot is the current star of ParrotWatch and she already has eggs. Other loras (parrots) will be highlighted as the season progresses.  (Source:  Bonaire Parrot Team)

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Buddy Dive, Belmar Apartments, and Caribbean Club Announce Nitrox will be Standard in Diving Package

Beginning in December 2007 for the 2007/2008 season, Buddy Dive Resort, Belmar Oceanfront Apartments, and Caribbean Club Bonaire will begin supplying unlimited Nitrox (standard) as a normal inclusion in their dive/air packages.

“With the increasing demand for Nitrox from our guests, we found it was time to include Nitrox standard in all our packages,” says Ruud van Baal, Managing Director of Solar Management, which operates the three resorts.  For those that are not Nitrox certified yet, all three resorts offer a Nitrox course for US$ 79.00 (available at this cost for pre-reserved classes only).

For more information on available packages for any of these resorts, contact:

--For Buddy Dive Resort, visit www.buddydive.com, e-mail to reservations@buddydive.com, or call toll free in the US 1-866-GO BUDDY
--For Belmar Oceanfront Apartments, visit www.belmar-bonaire.com, e-mail info@belmar-bonaire.com, or call toll free in the US 1-888-655-0605.
--For Caribbean Club Bonaire, visit www.caribbeanclubbonaire.com, e-mail reservations@caribbeanclub.com, or call toll free in the US 1-800 906 7708.

(Source:  Dive New Wire)

New Indonesian Restaurant, Warung Louise, to Open June 20th, 2007

There’s been lots of news emanating recently from the Bonaire culinary world, but there’s more:  a new, authentic Indonesian restaurant named Warung Louise is scheduled to open on June 20th.

The restaurant is dedicated to Louise Oei Paulus, mother and grandmother of the current mother/daughter team who are opening the restaurant.  All of the recipes have been handed down through these three generations, after Grandmother Louise, wrote them down and gave them to her daughter, Jessyca, who in turn gave them on her daughter, Debbie.  Louise, born in Makasar, Indonesia in 1928, compiled recipes from Java, Sumatra, Bali, Sumba, Flores, Timor and North Molukken. In Indonesian, “Warung” means little restaurant, and indeed Warung Louise may be little in size, but Jessyca and Debbie plan to provide service, taste, and quality in abundant quantities.  They wish you selamat makan (enjoy your meal) and sampei bertemu lagi (hope to see you soon)!

Lunch and dinner menus are planned.  For lunch, Warung Louise will be serving up authentic sandwichs and different soups.  For dinner, diners can enjoy either complete authentic Indonesian individual dishes or rijsttafel (ricetable), which is available in both small and large portions.  Vegetarian versions of both the individual dinners or the rijsttafel will be available.  Home-made sateh, like sateh kambing (made of goat meat) or sateh babi (made of pork) can be ordered, and a vegetarian version is also available.  All satahs are served with either home-made peanut sauce or kecapsauce.  Indonesian desserts will be available for those with a sweet tooth.

Warung Louise is located just next to the Plaza Wilhelmina (where the Lions Club Time Capsule is located) directly on Kaya Grandi in Kralendijk.  The restaurant will be open Wednesdays through Sundays for either sit-down service or carry-out.  Delivery to a home or resort location is also an option.  Wednesdays through Saturdays, lunch is available from 11:30 AM through 3:00 PM, and dinner will be served from 6:00 PM through 10:00 PM.  On Sundays, the restaurant will be open straight through from 3:00 PM through 10:00 PM.  For additional information, reservations, or delivery, please call 786-6694.  (Source:  Warung Louise)

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Workshop on Ocean Nutrient Monitoring to be Held June 11th and 12th, 2007

Last year a nutrient monitoring program on Bonaire and Curacao started and was later joined by St. Lucia. The Department of Environment & Nature (MINA) of the Ministry of Public Health & Social Development (VSO), as coordinator of the Netherlands Antilles Coral Reef Initiative (NACRI), is organizing a two-day workshop on Bonaire to present and discuss topics of interest in regard to waste water pollution and their effects on coral reefs.

The topics will be presented by an international group of people involved with the program, including the well known expert, Brian Lapointe. There will also be time for excursions to look at some relevant sources and examples.

Location: Captain Don’s Habitat
Date: 11 & 12 June 2007
Language: English
Entrance: Free

The workshop is open to everyone, but space is limited.  Therefore, if you wish to attend, it is required that you pre-register by emailing markwieggers@hotmail.com.  Additional information and an agenda can be viewed by clicking here (in PDF format).  (Source:  NACRI)

Bonaire’s Culinary Team Goes Iron Chef…..Well, Sort of

The past two Sunday evenings have found the Miami-bound Bonaire Culinary Chefs working diligently over their hot stoves to prepare a repast for those lucky enough to enjoy the meal.  They are preparing and testing foods in advance of their trip to Miami for the 2007 Taste of the Caribbean.  If you’ve ever dreamed of being a judge on Iron Chef, this is probably as close as you’ll ever come!

In a Bonaire version of the popular Food Network series, Iron Chef and Iron Chef America, the Bonaire Culinary Team is offering four Sunday evenings of fine meals and wine, all for only FL 50.00 per person per night (USD $28.09).  Using these dinners as a fund-raiser to garner the necessary monies for the chefs to fly to Miami for the competition, the dinners allow those on Bonaire the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic and creative three-course dinner while doing something good for the island’s young chefs. 

The chefs learn on Saturday what the mystery bag of ingredients includes, so they have only one day to prepare their menus and accompanying items.  Last Sunday, the evening began with samples of award-winner bartender Janie Coffie’s newest tropical concoctions.  The appetizer plate was then offered with such delights as a fish carpaccio, watermelon with tomato salsa, watermelon “caviar”, and chilled tomato soup with a coconut foam.  The main course proved delicious with stuffed tornadoes of beef and pork tenderloin, with a pumpkin funchi (polenta) and grilled asparagus.  The desserts offered up pleased everyone’s sweet tooth:  a peanut fritter, caramel ice cream, creme brulee, and a chocolate-toffee lollipop.  Both red and white wines were served with the appropriate courses.

Those dining are encouraged to rate the meal, as well as offer their suggestions as to how it can be improved.  All are provided with the menu, with space to provide comments.  This is as “Iron Chef” as anyone is bound to be!

The Bonaire contingent will head north to Miami for this year’s Taste of the Caribbean Competition, held June 16th through 19th, 2007.  The goal of the event is to provide a platform for the islands of the Caribbean to showcase their individual rich cultural heritages and the uniqueness of the Caribbean’s diverse culinary expressions.  Each national culinary team manager will have six minutes to make a presentation based on the following pre-set questions:

1. What is the island’s signature dish?
2. Origins and history of the signature dish.
3. Description of the preparation of the dish (managers may provide handouts with the recipe of the dish).

Each team will be judged on: 

1.  Quality and treatment of information
2.  Visual appeal
3. Presentation skills
4. Hard copy of the presentation (required)

Two Sunday evening dinners will still be held prior to the Miami competition.  If you wish to try your skill in judging the young chefs’ offerings, plan to attend either Sunday, June 3rd or 10th.  Reservations can be made by contacting Margreth Kloos - phone 717-2897 or e-mail at margreth@bonaireyellowsubmarine.com.

Pictures of last Sunday’s dinner are available on the Bonaire Insider Photo Gallery by clicking here. (Source:  Bonaire Insider Reporter)