Taking it back to Curacao

...and taking it back to the end of May...

My first vacation of the summer (yes, that's right, there have been and will be more) was to the island of Curacao with my mom, dad, and brother. It was a dive vacation for the guys. They had both recently gotten their diving permit/license/sorry dad, whatever you call it, and were excited to experience the reefs up close and personal. It was a "relax in the sun and work on our tan" vacation for my mom and I. All such goals were met plus a whole lot of fun.

We visited so many different beaches and they were all spectacular. The inland terrain was not what we were quite expecting. It's pretty much desert, with lots of cacti and low shrubs, not much green and a whole bunch of sand. However, it had a beauty all it's own.

Some favorite experiences and places?

• Shete Boka National Park - so hot, but pretty cool. The park is along the northern coast of the island which is very treacherous due to the winds and currents that hit the coastline. The water has created some very interesting formations in the rocks including a natural bridge and a hole that spits the waves into the air. 
• Batidos - fruit smoothies! Seriously, you've never had a smoothie this good. There are stands all over the island selling this deliciously cool treat. Watermelon is my flavor of choice. 
• Hato Caves - we took a guided tour through these caves. Again, it has some really cool formations. At one point the tour guide turns off the guide lights so you can experience how dark it really is. And we got to see a whole bunch of bats! 
• Watching my brother attempt to navigate an island with not so exact maps and poorly placed (or not placed) street signs. Very entertaining. Although to his credit, I gave it a try too and didn't have much more success. 
• "Discovering" and exploring an abandoned building on the side of a cliff and later finding out it was a quarantine hospital. The bricked off upper floors should have given us a clue...so far we have not experienced any adverse affects.
• Discover Scuba Diving - since dad and Jordan were having all the fun diving, I decided to do a discover scuba class. The instructor began by showing us the basics of all the gear and how to use it. Then we got to try it out - underwater! Breathing underwater was a little freaky at first, and I'm not a huge fan of interacting with water creatures, but all in all it was really interesting. I'd do it again. 

All thanks goes to my dad for planning a pretty epic vacation :) And as always, please enjoy some pictures.