North of Kralendijk

Introducing North of Kralendijk

The road north along the coast is like a roller-coaster, but in good shape. There are great vistas of the rocky seashore and frequent pullouts for the marked dive sites. About 5km north of Kralendijk the road becomes one way, north, so you are committed at this point. After another 5km you reach a T-junction. To the right is the direct road Rincon. Turn left (west), following the coast until the road turns sharply inland. Good views of the large inland lake, Gotomeer, are off on the left. Flamingos stalk about in search of bugs. The road passes through some lush growth and ends in Rincon.

Bonaire’s second town, Rincon is rather sleepy and that may simply be because it’s old. Over 500 years ago Spaniards established a settlement here a) because it was fertile and b) because it was hidden from passing pirates. Most of the residents are descended from slaves, who worked the farms and made the long trek to the salt flats in the south. Homes have a classic Caribbean look and are painted in myriad pastel shades.

The town has a popular market (8am-2pm Sat) with a oodles of the area’s produce. Almost any day of the week you can pause at Rose’s (599-562-6364; meals from NAf10; lunch Thu-Tue), a local institution run by Rose herself. A genial mix of folks enjoy plate lunches of local fare (fish stew, goat, fried chicken etc) at tables scattered under trees. You can get a beer here pretty much during any daylight hour.

About 1.5km on the road to the coast, look for Mangazina di Rei (599-786-2101; www.mangazinadirei.org; adult/child US$10/free; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri), the second-oldest stone building on Bonaire. It has been restored and includes exhibits about its use as a storehouse for provisions that were doled out to slaves. Tours are fascinating and include a glass of tasty sorghum juice.

Last updated: Oct 20, 2009