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Day 3 : Shopping in Punda and the Duty Free Zone Ladies , this is your day : SHOPPING !! And boy , is there great shopping in Curaçao ! Luckily I was staying in Otrobanda , one half of the city of Willemstad ( the island ’ s capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site ). All I had to do was cross the Queen Emma swinging bridge to find myself in the shopping mecca of Punda , the other half of Willemstad . Behind a line of towering pastel-coloured buildings reminiscent of old European architecture are tons of small bustling shoe and clothing stores . My eyes opened wide in anticipation at the prospect of a mountainous retail adventure ! I remember summoning one poor Venezuelan salesgirl and telling her to follow me around her crowded store as I grabbed outfit after outfit and then sent her to claim a change room for me , all the while trying on endless shoes , of course !
The next road over teemed with a rainbow of souvenir and duty-free shops selling everything from keychains to perfume to miniature bottles of The Genuine Curaçao Liqueur , a product of the island . On another day , we ventured into the duty-free zone , where vendors purchase clothes and other goods in large quantities to be sold in shops overseas . It was quite the shopping experience : my fellow pilots who had initially laughed at me for bringing such a large suitcase ended up having to buy an additional one to hold all their purchases !
Day 4 : Day in Otrobanda Today we check out the action centre of Otrobanda , and this day I was again thankful for the company ’ s decision to put me there . There is so much to do and it ’ s all within a 10 minute walk of the hotel ! Art galleries featuring everything from custom-made sandals to digitally-reproduced pieces dot the city on both sides of the Queen Emma Bridge . More a museum lover , my love of history led me to check out the Money Museum Yotin Kortá , an exploration of the currencies used in Dutch Caribbean history , and Museum Kurá Hulanda ( Papiamentu for “ Dutch courtyard ”: it sits on the grounds of a former merchant ’ s home and slave yard ), home to the largest collection of Atlantic slave trade artifacts in the Caribbean . For the gamers , there are casinos on the ground floor of most of the hotels in the area , and what ’ s a big win without good food and drinks to match ? Night time was prime time , as the neighbouring restaurants and bars literally burst alive after sunset . Rock and pop music wove its way through the blackness to mingle with cheery voices and the clinking of glasses . The relaxed , casual vibe enticed me to sample a few spots before settling on my favourite .
Day 5 : Day trip off-island To be able to say you ’ ve visited the ABC islands , you must touch the “ A ” and “ B ”, Aruba and Bonaire . A short flight away , these smaller but equally idyllic corners of paradise tell a slightly different version of the Dutch Caribbean island story . My initial thought was that they were quieter and more laid-back than Curaçao , but with an abundance of eco-tours , water activities , historic sites , and cultural events , there ’ s no time to relax ( unless you really want to !) Need ideas ? Here are some off-thebeaten-path ones : gear up in a specially-designed helmet and stroll a walkway 20 feet below the water while rubbing noses with brilliantly coloured marine life in Aruba , or go snorkelling in combination fresh / salt water in the dark and deep of one of Bonaire ’ s 400 caves . # ExcuseToExtendTheDayTrip !
So ended my Curaçao adventure , and my only regret was that my company couldn ’ t extend my stay . There was so much to do and still much more to discover ! What started out as a unique step away from my usual ( English-speaking ) Caribbean foray transformed itself into a warm , smiling invitation to come back again !