Sarah Biggerstaff of TCB-NY Tours Area Around Lac Bay
Sarah Biggerstaff is the newly appointed Bonaire Account Executive at Adams Unlimited, Bonaire’s North American Tourism Office. Although on past trips Sarah learned about much of the island, while she was on-island recently for TCB meetings, she decided to spend an additional day before returning to the States to familiarize herself with some of Bonaire’s lesser known areas in the south and to visit new activities.
Sarah’s tour started on Saturday morning with Rolando Marin as her guide. Rolando has been with the Bonaire office of the Tourism Corporation for fifteen years and was born and raised on Bonaire. In fact, his father was the well known divemaster, Bas, who initiated many of Bonaire’s travelers in the ‘80s and ‘90s to the island’s undersea life.
Heading out to Lac Cai, Rolando paused to show Sarah many of the natural watering holes which the area’s fauna use on a daily basis. He explained that the holes on one side of the road were fresh, while those on the other side were briny with salt. Arriving at Lac Cai, Rolando explained how the conch was of historical significance to the local peoples in times past--not only did they use the meat for sustenance (conch on Bonaire are now protected), but the shells themselves were used as a means of communication between villages. Blowing different sound patterns on the conch could mean anything from, “it’s time to party”, to information regarding a community member’s death.
When preparing to depart Cai for the next stop, Sarah and Rolando were surprised with the arrival of several tourists (Charlie and his friends) and their guide on horseback from the Riding Academy Club, who planned a swimming session with the horses at Lac. Deciding to stay awhile, they watched as the horses and their riders had a great time cooling off in Lac’s calm waters with a bareback ride once saddles were removed.
Once it was time for the riders to continue on, so did Sarah and Rolando, this time to visit the newly opened Butterfly Farm, owned and managed by husband/wife team Jan-Dianna Knaken and Laura Jaap. The farm, only opened a few months, is a quiet oasis in Bonaire’s desert habitat. Once inside the exhibit, Sarah and Rolando were entranced with the multi-hued butterflies which were flying around, or alighting on nearby plants. The exhibit also includes a pond with Japanese koi. The hatching area was opened by Laura, and newly hatched butterflies immediately took flight into the exhibit, while others, also newly hatched, waited a few more moments to dry their wings. Laura explained that new species are constantly added; they are shipped in the pupae (chrysalis) stage, and then hatch after arrival on Bonaire. Laura and her husband, Jan, further explained they are now creating a new visitors center, and hope to begin a small-animal zoo in the not-too-distant future.
Sarah’s final stop was to check out the new WebCams that were recently upgraded at Eden Beach Resort. She had a fun-filled and information-packed morning and closed out her tour with the hope that, on her next visit to Bonaire, she can learn more about the hidden wonders on the northern side of the island.
Images of her morning’s tour can be seen on the Bonaire Insider Photo Gallery by clicking here. (Source: Bonaire Insider Reporter)
