Rental Truck Vandalized
- Thread starter ronski101
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
diver 85
Contributor
Ah heck forget it, pic I wanted to post here won't post...............carry on........
Last edited:
The "truck watchers" idea reminds me of when we were waiting for an hour or two for the car ferry in Puntarenas, Costa Rica (the guidebooks say not to leave your car unattended with anything in it) There were a group of sketchy locals hanging around....one young kid came and talked to us the whole time and when it was time to get on the ferry he asked us for the equivalent of $20 for keeping the other sketchy guys away from us. I wasn't going to give him anything but my travel buddies gave him a lower sum ($4 or so)
Needless to say, if this was the experience in Bonaire, it would probably keep me from going back...not make me feel more at ease.
Needless to say, if this was the experience in Bonaire, it would probably keep me from going back...not make me feel more at ease.
T.C.
Contributor
Really?
I'd think the sketchy locals would be more worried about you.
Driftwood, I understand where you're coming from, but the fact is that there is only one significant source of income on Bonaire. You. You, me, Mike, djtimmy...everyone who goes there. Tourism is the engine that drives the economy, and if they want to employ more people, they'll have to get more money from the tourists. That means higher taxes, fees, and expenses. Bonaire simply does not have the resources to develop to anything else. There is no mining, agriculture, industry or significant commerical activity.
Grocery shopping for tourists is very limited. Truck watching has a whole host of problems which I've already outlined.
About the only idea I can come up with is finding ways for the locals to work to improve the corals/ sealife in the area. If they had a good plan, I'd pay extra to support that.
morecowbells
Contributor
Earlier this month I visited Roatan. Crime (violent) is on a much larger scale than Bonaire or Cozumel. On the day we departed the island a Norwegian Cruise Line employee was shot at point blank in the town of Coxen Hole. Killed for his cell phone. Roatan is not exactly known for being the safest island in the Caribbean. Norwegian Cruise Line suspended operations to the island for a week, currently most service is back to normal. Talking to the locals, it seems that the cruise ship crowd is still abundant, however, the number of tourists staying on the island has decreased. The resorts, condos and rental homes are feeling the squeeze.
Would I return to Roatan? Definitely! I think the diving has improved, topside is gorgeous and the people were very warm and welcoming. A couple of shop owners were surprisingly open in discussing the crime issues on the island. There were security guards patrolling the beach and streets in the West End. In the evening many locals would ask to ride in our pick up truck on their way back home. They were always gracious, friendly and appreciative. One may ask why I am posting this on the Bonaire forum. While I have never had a bad experience in Bonaire or Curacao, I do not find the locals as friendly or welcoming as other islands. While a shattered window, stolen flip flops etc. is certainly not the end of the world the aggrivation is fomented by police apathy and locals who seem to shrug their shoulders. Instead of the honey badger attitude, perhaps more more personal engagement by law enforcement and locals. Prisons full? Have the offenders pick up garbage at the beaches and street sides. Jamaica was a vacationers paradise several years ago, now cruise ships are pulling out and their tourist industry is plummeting. I would loathe to see Bonaire or Curacao encounter the same fate, as I love the shore diving there.
Would I return to Roatan? Definitely! I think the diving has improved, topside is gorgeous and the people were very warm and welcoming. A couple of shop owners were surprisingly open in discussing the crime issues on the island. There were security guards patrolling the beach and streets in the West End. In the evening many locals would ask to ride in our pick up truck on their way back home. They were always gracious, friendly and appreciative. One may ask why I am posting this on the Bonaire forum. While I have never had a bad experience in Bonaire or Curacao, I do not find the locals as friendly or welcoming as other islands. While a shattered window, stolen flip flops etc. is certainly not the end of the world the aggrivation is fomented by police apathy and locals who seem to shrug their shoulders. Instead of the honey badger attitude, perhaps more more personal engagement by law enforcement and locals. Prisons full? Have the offenders pick up garbage at the beaches and street sides. Jamaica was a vacationers paradise several years ago, now cruise ships are pulling out and their tourist industry is plummeting. I would loathe to see Bonaire or Curacao encounter the same fate, as I love the shore diving there.
drewmeister_sd
Registered
Hey now, I just got back from a week stay on Bonaire. 2 trucks...nothing stolen out of them. One was unlocked and the one I was with was locked (against my opinion) with a bunch of junk in it. We were all over the island.
We stayed in a condo a few doors down from Dive Friend's Yellow Sub location. My friend got his sandals, bug spray, and towel stolen from the patio the first afternoon. Broad daylight.
We stayed in a condo a few doors down from Dive Friend's Yellow Sub location. My friend got his sandals, bug spray, and towel stolen from the patio the first afternoon. Broad daylight.
DiverVince
Guest
- Messages
- 612
- Reaction score
- 59
- # of dives
- I just don't log dives
OK, lets clarify things a bit here vis-a-vis "the locals". What you may perceive as them not being friendly or welcoming to tourists, may very well be based upon the way you look! Tall, blond or light colored hair? Yea, I can hear everyone saying , "what do you mean by this?" In the US we automatically think about race and the differences between the races. This has been inculcated upon the population by the various politicians to further a political cause..
Guess what, it's not about race. There is an undercurrent of discontent between "the locals" and the Dutch who govern the island. I suspect that if you thought they weren't being friendly, they might have thought you were Dutch. The Bonairean folks are some of the friendliest and warmest I have come across in the Caribbean.
morecowbells
Contributor
Actually you do bring up a good point and perspective.
Amen. We have picked up workers hitch hiking into town several times, and we have met quite a few very friendly locals on our many visits.
As someone suggested earlier when he asked about Gibi and his bbq"s, there are many locals who are a ton of fun to be around, and who make visitors very very welcome on their island.
Hi Herman! Can't wait to be back on Bonaire and diving with you and the NC crew!
As someone suggested earlier when he asked about Gibi and his bbq"s, there are many locals who are a ton of fun to be around, and who make visitors very very welcome on their island.
Hi Herman! Can't wait to be back on Bonaire and diving with you and the NC crew!
Hey, I'm back. What did I miss in the past week? Did this thread finally die? I was out diving--you know, that thing we do when we're not on SB arguing with each other.
Similar threads
