Potpourri

Miscellaneous News

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Local Handmade Goat Cheese Available on Bonaire

Aletta’s Semper Kontentu goat cheese is one of Bonaire’s excellent local products. It is handmade fresh daily and available at supermarkets and on the menu of several Bonaire restaurants. On occasion, the cheese is also available for sale at the Wilhelmina Plein cruise ship market. Productivity varies seasonally.

The cheese production process takes five days to turn from milk to cheese. During that time it is drained and turned in a cooling room at a constant temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. After five days, the cheese is inspected and packed for sale.

The goats who produce the milk are raised and live on Aletta’s kunuku. She milks the goats and makes fresh cheese and milk on a daily basis. The goats are milked twice a day for five months after giving birth. They roam freely in the meadows during the day, eating natural greens to raise milk quality, and are supplemented with concentrated goat feed. There are two groups of goats in milk production, so they are rotated between pregnancy, milk production, and a recovery break. In keeping with eco-sustainability, the newborn goats are raised with their mothers and fed their milk.

Aletta learned about farming and goats in Costa Rica while visiting an eco-sustained community. She has always wanted to be self-supporting and work with farmland and animals. Semper Kontentu means “always content” in Papiamentu, and it is part of her philosophy and the reason why she chose this name for the cheese. Semper Kontentu currently has one volunteer from Holland and one from Germany working and living on the kunuku who share the vision of a simple and nature-friendly lifestyle.

Semper Kontentu goat cheese and milk can also be ordered directly for special occasions. (Source: Aletta’s Semper Kontentu Goat Farm)

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Long-term Visitors to Bonaire Can Enjoy a New Activity--Learn to Dance Salsa While Visiting

For those snowbirds who come and spend several months of the winter on Bonaire, there’s a new activity which is sure to be enjoyed--salsa lessons!  Starting in January, popular salsa instructors Marjorie and Roy will be conducting both beginning and advanced lessons in salsa.

Starting on January 10 and 11, beginners classes will be held on both Monday and Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, while an advanced class will be taught on Monday evenings at 8:00 PM.  Each class lasts about an hour for each of eight weeks.  It’s not necessary to have a partner, but of course, it’s always great to share the fun with someone you know!

Marjorie and Roy have been teaching salsa on the island for some time now, and they have become adept at getting anyone in their classes to enjoy dancing salsa.  The course costs $80.00 per person for all eight lessons and will be conducted in the group classroom at Bon Bida Spa & Gym, across from the Sand Dollar resort.  For additional information, call the instructors at 717-5135, or cellular 785-0783 or 786-0378.  (Source:  Bon Fysio & Bon Bida Spa & Gym)

Monday, November 29, 2010

Enjoy On-Site Massages from the Massage Hut Bonaire

What better way to thoroughly enjoy a relaxing massage than to have it at your own vacation property?  That’s why, effective immediately, the Massage Hut at Bonaire Windsurf Place is offering on-site massage services.

To take advantage of this luxury, simply contact the Massage Hut and request a message.  Let them know you would like your massage to be at your vacation condo, apartment, or home, and let them know where you are staying.  The massage therapist will be there at the designated time, and you won’t have to worry about driving to Lac Bay and back again.

A variety of massages are available, and there is a $20.00 surcharge for the visit to your property.  If there are multiple visitors in your family or group who would like massages, the surcharge can be defrayed over multiple persons. 

For more information or to make an appointment, call 780-0393, visit the Massage Hut’s web site by clicking here, or email info@massagehutbonaire.com.  (Source: Massage Hut Bonaire)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Bon Fysio and Bon Bida Spa and Gym to Hold Open House This Sunday, November 29th, 2010

As reported earlier in the Bonaire Insider, two of the most popular exercise facilities on Bonaire have teamed up to provide an impressive facility offering the finest care in physical or manual therapy, as well as a state-of-the-art workout gym and full massage therapies.  Bon Fysio (now at its new location across from the Sand Dollar Resort at Kaya Gob. N. Debrot #74) and Bon Bida Spa and Gym will host an open house on Sunday, November 28th, so that anyone with an interest may preview the facilities. 

Continuing with the philosophy of providing professional but friendly service, the new merged facility will be open to the public this Sunday from 2:00 PM through 5:00 PM, so that anyone with an interest can see the fully air-conditioned training room, which always has a trained fitness instructor to assist or supervise.  During this time, the group classroom will host several demonstrations, shows, and free trial salsa lessons will be available.  The clean and spacious changing rooms, with toilets and showers, as well as the therapy rooms, will be open for inspection.

This is a great opportunity to meet the therapists and instructors to discuss your personal therapy or training needs.  The entire facility is wheelchair accessible.  Snacks and drinks (including healthy smoothies from Go Green) will be available and a large bouncy castle will keep the kids entranced.  Those who wish to sign up can enjoy discounts on this day only.

For additional information, call 717-7030. (Source:  Bon Fysio and Bon Bida Spa & Gym)

Note Update November 24, 2010:  Please accept our apologies, the date for the open house is Sunday, November 28th, 2010.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Follow The Bonaire Insider on Facebook and Twitter

Starting now, the Bonaire Insider can be followed on both Facebook and Twitter. Facebook is an excellent way to view your favorite stories and participate and/or follow discussions about tourism topics about Bonaire, while Twitter delivers a quick synopsis of Bonaire Insider news with a link to the full story. 

To begin following Bonaire Insider on Facebook, simply click on the “Follow Us” button on the left of your screen when you are on the main page of the web site at www.bonaireinsider.com. When you click this link, you will be taken to the Facebook fan page for Bonaire Insider. To become a fan, simply click on the “like” button on the Facebook page or become a fan directly from Bonaire Insider, by scrolling down to the section on the right that says “Find us on Facebook” and click on the “like” button. Once a fan, any postings from Bonaire Insider will appear in your Newsfeed. To visit Bonaire Insider’s fan page, click here.

To begin following Bonaire Insider on Twitter, again, simply click on the “Follow Us” button on the left of your screen from the main page of The Bonaire Insider. When you click this link, you will be taken to the Twitter page for Bonaire Insider, which is called BonaireNews. Choose the option from this page to “follow” Bonaire Insider on Twitter on either your phone or your computer. To go to the BonaireNews page on Twitter, click here.

Furthermore, each Bonaire Insider post has social media tagging buttons at the bottom, providing options to do things like share stories, add to your favorites, print, email, Tweet, share to other social media, and indicate to Facebook that you “like” a story. Be sure to check out all these options so that you can take full advantage of the Insider’s social media and be kept up to date on what’s happening on Bonaire!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Dixie Greenwood, Frequent Bonaire Diver, Shoots Winning Image for 2011 PADI Diving Society Cards

Dixie Greenwood, a frequent Bonaire diver and a PADI Master Instructor, recently had an image of hers, taken in Bonaire, chosen for the 2011 PADI Diving Society cards.  More than 3300 PADI instructors, divers, and Facebook fans voted for her winning image of a white-spotted eagle ray.

The winning image was taken at the southern leeward dive site called Invisibles, in about 15 feet/5 meters of water in May of this year.  Dixie used a Nikon D70s digital SLR camera, a Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens, SUBAL housing, and Sea&Sea YS-110 strobe.  Eagle rays can be sighted at the southern dive sites, but usually very early in the morning, and this dive was no exception.  Dixie entered the water about 7:00 AM, specifically trying to catch sight of one, and was still getting accustomed to her new fisheye lens. 

When she entered the water, she was ecstatic that two eagle rays were already hunting in the shallows, but the rays circled away from Dixie and her dive buddy.  So they immediately stopped and positioned themselves in the sand to observe the rays, when the larger ray suddenly turned and headed directly toward them, hunting in the sand as he swam.  Moving slowly, Dixie was able to shoot her winning image, along with a few more, from about three feet/one meter in front of the ray, before he turned and swam away.

Dixie is soon on her way back to Bonaire for two more weeks of diving and underwater photography, and we hope that she is just as successful with getting new images as she was in May.  Congratulations, Dixie!

To learn more about Dixie, click here.  (Source:  PADI, image courtesy of Dixie Greenwood)

Friday, September 24, 2010

BonFysiotherapie and Bon Bida Spa and Gym to Merge

Two of Bonaire’s most popular exercise and therapy facilities are joining forces:  BonFysio and Bon Bida will become one entity over the coming months as the two facilities merge.

BonFysio has always been a popular exercise hangout for Bonaire’s snowbird population--those who come and spend considerable time on the island and who wish to continue their exercise regimen while away from home.  But BonFysio does so much more than provide exercise facilities, as they offer a wide variety of physical therapies, and now are launching manual therapy, too.

The transition will begin on October 1st and should take about one month, so those Bonaire visitors who have trips planned for the coming months should check in with BonFysio to see how the transition is going and to which location they should visit.

The new location will be at Kaya Gobernador N. Debrot #74, just across from the Sand Dollar resort.  The BonFysio team also has announced that Martijn Groot, an orthopedic manual therapist, will be joining them and, in fact, he will start on October 1st in the new location at Bon Bida.  After the transition is complete, the current roster of physical therapists, Antje Gunther, Marjolein Rijpkema, and Robert Smaal, will all be available at the new location.

The fitness/spa area is very spacious and completely furnished with the newest Technogym equipment.  Training methodologies will continue under the guidance of fully qualified personnel. Now that BonFysio will have additional space, they plan to provide an innovative range of training classes.  The fitness/spa area has convenient changing rooms with showers, toilets, saunas, and lockers, and a large parking area is available on-site. The entire facility is, of course, wheelchair accessible.

Therapy will continue to be provided with the same friendly “BonFysio Philosophy” and of the same high quality.  Each of the therapists have specialties, and we’ve provided below a short biography for each:

Robert Smaal:  BonFysio owner, Robert, has over eleven years as a therapist, and has worked in the Netherlands, England, and Aruba before settling in Bonaire. He received his degree in 1997 at the Academy for Physical Therapy in Leiden. He’s interested in orthopedics and postoperative rehabilitation. He specializes in lower back pain, neuro-anatomy and neurophysiology, trauma care, prosthesis after-care, musculoskeletal system diagnosis and treatment, headaches, neurodevelopmental therapies for children, Mulligan and kinesiotaping, and general rehabilitation.

Antje Günther:  Antje graduated with a physical therapist degree from the Academy of Heerlen and has working experience in Germany, the Netherlands, and Bonaire.  Her main interests are in orthopedics, sports physical therapy, and general rehabilitation, but she also specializes in shoulder, head, and neck problems, therapies for diabetics, chronic ankle injuries and osteo-arthritis of the hip and knee, Mulligan and kinesiotaping, and myofacial trigger-point therapy.

Marjolein Rijpkema:  Marjolein received her physical therapist degree from the Academy of Amsterdam. She did her internship on Aruba and then decided to return to the Antilles and to Bonaire. Marjolein specializes in postoperative rehabilitation, orthopedics and training therapies, but is also well versed in acute knee problems/instability, musculoskeletal system diagnosis and treatment, lower back pain treatment, heart rehabilitation in the acute or post-operative phase, kinesis, shoulder problems, general rehabilitation, and sports injuries, especially those of adolescent youth.

Martijn Groot:  Martijn is the newest team member, and he graduated with a physical therapist degree from the Academy of Enschede.  He also holds a degree for orthopedic manual therapy from the Academy of Utrecht. He has working experience in Holland, Australia, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire.  He specializes in sports physical therapy and taping, orthopedic diagnostics, pain treatments, prosthesis training, back rehabilitation with the Rehaboom System, diabetic foot care, aerobic rehabilitation (Rehaboom), and regional trauma therapy.

For more information, contact BonFysio by phone at 717-7030, or email by clicking here.  (Source:  BonFysiotherapie)

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Bonaire Insider Welcomes Ann Johnson as Guest Editor

The Bonaire Insider is pleased to welcome Ann Johnson as a guest editor.  Ann will assist the current editors, Susan Davis and Jake Richter, with covering Bonaire tourism news for our readers. 

Ann first came to Bonaire in 1996 to vacation as a windsurfer and diver. She loved the island and returned several years on vacation before deciding to leave a challenging banking career to start a massage business on Bonaire.

She worked for many years at a major U.S. bank in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the Foreign Exchange Department responsible for helping companies hedge their foreign currency risk while also functioning as a regional sales manager, managing several offices across the U.S. She decided that the high stress of this job was not something she wanted to do for the rest of her life, and so she decided to study massage, which fit in well with her active lifestyle and pursuit of mind and body balance. After completing her massage program and becoming a certified massage therapist, she partnered with Bonaire Windsurf Place to open the Massage Hut at Lac Bay in 2004.

She continues to operate The Massage Hut offering massages, sea salt body scrubs and Bonaire Salt Products for retail sale at The Hut. She served on the board of the King of the Caribbean Windsurfing Competition and is an active windsurfer and biker.

Ann will be a welcome addition to the Bonaire Insider’s editorial crew, as she has significant writing experience from her time in the banking industry.  We hope you will enjoy her stories!  (Source:  Bonaire Insider)

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Dutch Actress Carice van Houten On Bonaire to Film Documentary

It was recently announced by her agent that Dutch actress Carice van Houten will travel to Bonaire next week in her capacity as an ambassador for the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF, previously World Wildlife Fund) to assist with the filming of a documentary about the island.

While on Bonaire, Ms. van Houten and the film crew will be shooting images for National Geographic focusing upon the reefs, Bonaire’s turtles, and its mangroves.  She hopes to show how these special flora and fauna can be threatened by growing tourism to the island.

One of her primary reasons for making this documentary at this time is due to the new planned status change of Bonaire effective October 10, 2010 and the film will air on October 11 on Dutch television.

Ms. van Houten traveled to Rwanda last year to make a documentary about their mountain gorillas for the WWF. (Source: de Telegraaf)

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Jong Bonaire Announces 2011 Calendar Available This September

It’s time once again for the Jong Bonaire 2011 calendar. The teens who participate in Jong Bonaire’s after-school programs have a created a beautiful 2011 calendar, highlighting the island’s most scenic locations. 

The calendar is titled Discoveries and the photos feature some of Bonaire most stunning locations. The size is 30x30 cm (12x12 inches) and each one is individually shrink-wrapped. When it is open, it measures 30x60 cm (12x24 inches). It’s a lovely gift for anyone who appreciates the beauty of Bonaire, known for its amazing water colors, unique landscape, and incredible rock formations.

Jong Bonaire mission is to serve the island’s teenagers and provides a safe, supervised, and caring environment for the island’s youth on weekdays after school. The calendars are one of the foundation’s annual fund-raising efforts, so each purchase will help Bonaire teens. The calendars will be available in September in many locations around the island. (Source: Jong Bonaire)