First trip outside the USA! - Bonaire!

[gillyweed_girl]

Rottielover--

We ended up needing to fill up only once (the day before we flew out) and we did a lot of driving around (sometimes in circles--and not just around the traffic circle! LOL! You'll see...)

Anyway--I think it was nearly $50 to fill up--I think we did use our cc, but not at the pump. The funny thing about getting gas is that they require you to pull into a pump on the same side as the gas tank (ie. not pulling the nozzle across the vehicle) AND I think you have to be facing the same direction as everyone else... No biggy, but it made me laugh because we tried to take an available pump on the wrong side and it seemed like it was a major faux paux!

 

[gert7to3]

We used the Total rental agency and they asked us to return the car with the tank filled to the point we received it at. They noted this on the contract.

There is a gas station, on the right, on the main road heading into town from the airport. It's at the first major intersection, about 1 Km after the 90 degree turn, on the road from the airport (trust me, this will make sense).

We paid about $40 for about 20 liters.

 

[rottielover]

The funny thing about getting gas is that they require you to pull into a pump on the same side as the gas tank (ie. not pulling the nozzle across the vehicle) AND I think you have to be facing the same direction as everyone else... No biggy, but it made me laugh because we tried to take an available pump on the wrong side and it seemed like it was a major faux paux!

Thank you for letting me know! These are the kinds of little details that us new travelers need, I have no desire to "tick off" any locals, that's for sure!

Thanks again too all those who responded!

 

[livingstone]

Last April I had to prepay when paying with cash.

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

I found prepaying with cash was a good way to use up all the bits of NA Florins accumulated during the stay. We use Lisa Gas and put in the loose change and small NA florin bills usually twice in a trip.

We had a diesel engine truck and it was about half the price of gasoline last trip, it was one third the price of gasoline on a previous trip.

 

[herman]

Ya know, I never thought about paying at the pump on Boniare, going to have to look next trip. A helpful hint GASOIL = diesel....be sure to get the correct fuel.
The gas station near the airport is Lisa Gas on Kaya Industrial. Kaya= street. There is also another grocery store called The Warehouse located up Kaya Indistrial several blocks past Lisa Gas.

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

Yeah, Lisa Gas had actually relabeled the appropriate pumps 'diesel' during our Nov. 2006 trip vs. our May 2004 trip when it was labeled 'Gasoil' in the European tradition. That's one fairly easy translation for the wife and I due to the way we earn our (light) bread and (Brummel and Brown ersatz) butter. I don't know if Curoil has done that at all their stations on Bonaire. I'll scope it out on Curacao as well on my trip starting in a mere 12 hours:shades: :sunny I did notice the gasoline pumps used yellow hoses and the diesel pumps used black ones, the opposite of many such stations in the USA.

But afer trips all over the NA we're still stumped by what "Ook vor bermen" means:icon5: Even the Babelfish :bfish: site doesn't translate that

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

We'd seen some older posts (but still recent enough) on Bonairetalk about folks getting double-billed on their fuel purchases at Lisa Gas, showing up on their CC statements afterv they returned to the USA, before we left last November. Using loose NA Florin kills that possibility as well (after using as many as prudent at Lovers Ice Cream and Last Bite Bakery of course!). But it wasn't exactly 'pay at the pump'. It was 'drop the NA florin in the sliding drawer for the station attendant and the pump will stop when you run out of NA florin you've paid' at Lisa Gas.

 

[padi1029]

Congrats of going to Bonaire, I think you will enjoy it. My first trip outside US was a couple years ago (to Aruba) and I was a littel nervous about what to expecct. Since then I have traveled outside US several times (including Bonaire) without incident. Here are a few tips that were given to me by Scuba Board members for my first trip, which I still use to this day:

If you plan to use your visa / mc or any other card you should contact your card company let them know your dates of travel and where you will be going...this will prevent your card from being declined for suspected fraud.

I register my trip with the State Department (web page) and obtain location and contact information for the US embassy or consulate in my destination region.

I make 3 copies of my travel itinerary, passport, resort info, consulate inforamtion, credit cards I will be taking along (including 800 customer service number), health insurance & drug cards, dive insurance cards, as well as phone numbers for banks, family/friends, primary doctor. I keep 1 set with me, seperate from the originals and in my room safe... the other 2 sets go to 2 seperate family or friends. I have never needed this information and hope I never will BUT in the event of an emergency I feel more comfortable with it readily available.

Give yourself plenty of time to get through airlines check-in, baggage & customs, Weigh your bags and do not go over your airlines weight limit...THEY WILL CHARGE for overweight / oversize bags.

Finally and most importantly, relax and enjoy your vacation. As for the other things you had questions about; Most places will only bring your check when you ask for it, the prices are listed in both US & Guilders, and TIP IS USUALLY INCLUDED (look for something indicating service fee). If you are with a large group most they might ask if people want a seperate check, this makes the end of the night calculations super easy. Had no troubles using V/MC, especially since I contacted card companies about my travel prior to departure. All the rental vehicles I had were standard (stick). Be sure to keep the customs form you will get on the plane in a safe spot...you will need it when you leave. You will also pay your departure tax at the airport on the day you leave...there is a round or octagonal building right in the center of where airlines are checking people in...it will be marked. Do not forget to pay your departuretax or you will have to get back in line all over again. Odds are your cell phones will not work while you are there so you may want to consider renting a phone but be careful sometimes cell phone rental and call charges end up costing more than a call from your resort room. Check out a restaurant called "Casa Blanca". It is close to the Dive Flamingo resort, looks like a little hole in the wall but the food is GREAT !

Enjoy your trip.

 

[padi1029]

forgot to mention on thing...if you plan on making a night dive, be sure to wear a hood or beanie to protect against sea lice. Not life threatening but from what I hear not a fun time

 

[livingstone]

TIP IS USUALLY INCLUDED (look for something indicating service fee).

I have not found this to be true. But then I haven't been there since last April.

Edit: Or maybe it's true for a large party.

--Dan