We are trying to get our blog caught up with reality so we have been posting 3 updates each week. Unfortunately, we are still about 4-5 weeks behind so be patient with us as we try to get you up to date.
Matt and I have been enjoying our time in Curacao, we have learned the bus system and found a super duper handy website that tells us where the buses are so we don’t have to wait outside in the heat. We make use of the free daily bus (except Sunday) that takes boaters to the market each morning and we have met some new friends.
As we were coming into Spanish Waters for the first time a few weeks ago, a couple was enjoying some downtime at the Santa Barbara Beach Resort. They have been thinking about buying a boat, saw us come in to the anchorage and decided to google “Sugar Shack” which brought up our blog. They read a little about us and sent us a message. We met them for happy hour and thoroughly enjoyed their company. They are from the Netherlands, have a 5th wheel and travel the U.S. and have a home here in Curacao. Thom created a really useful and awesome product called Thom’s Planner. If you use a gant chart or an excel spreadsheet to track projects, weddings, events, or schedules, I strongly encourage you to check out his product as it is simple, intuitive, and very easy to use. Bianca, his wife, is an amazingly talented artist who sells her work all over the world. Check out her Facebook page.
During happy hour, we mentioned our crazy propane adventure (see post from 8/1) and he took pity on us! He offered to drive us to get refills (an 3 other boaters who were in a similar situation). He met us at Fisherman’s Harbor, and drove us to Curoil (a gas station in Muizenberg) which was about 20 minutes by car. We piled our tanks into the back of his truck and headed out. When we arrived, the attendant who was new, informed us that the woman who knew how to handle our American style fittings just left for an errand and would be back in an hour – bummer. Oh well, we decided to head to Goisco MegaStore which is like a Walmart on steroids. It was a win win for everyone as we all walked away with something. I found my coveted diet gingerale and Matt found some fresh jalapenos! Sweet. Back to Curoil where we were we filled up our 20lb tank for a whopping $9! Yep, you read that right. We paid $40 in St. Marteen. The funny thing is, it would have cost $4.50 to fill up as a home unit, but they considered our tank to be a BBQ unit so we had to pay double. No problem as double was still waaaay cheaper than any other island. We will have to come back here to top up our tanks before we leave–for shizzle.
Goisco has quite the candy selection and this is only part of their selection.
They also have a pretty extensive produce department.
Thom and Bianca invited us over for pizza night as they recently installed a new pizza oven. So, we took Sweet N Low over to Fisherman’s Harbor and walked to their house as it was less than a mile away. Their home was beautiful and had a breathtaking view of Spanish Waters (including our boat). Every room was peppered with Bianca’s artwork. They invited a few other friends who live on the island and we had a glorious time! What a fabulous night with new friends, tasty food, and titillating conversations. We hope to spend a lot more time with our new friends including dinner on Sugar Shack.
Bianca & the first of many scrumptious pies on pizza night!
Thom & Bianca’s pizza oven.
Over the course of the night, Thom and Bianca served up between 8-10 pies ranging from vegetarian, to meat to cheese lovers! I didn’t think they would be eaten, but somehow we all gobbled them up!
Thom’s dad has a sailboat so they have a sailing background. They plan to charter a catamaran in the Virgin Islands to get their feet wet in the Caribbean and we look forward to being a part of their new adventure. It’s been a lot of fun helping them with questions (as much as we can) and providing some guidance of what its like to live on a boat. But, since they have already lived in a 5th wheel they have some of the hardest transitioning items covered, such as limited water and electricity, traveling light, and being in a home that is mobile. Either way, we hope to continue seeing our new friends out on the big blue watery road!