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Fe e l i n g C u r a ç a o Article and photography by Steve Gillick
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fter visitors land at Curaçao airport, it takes only a few minutes to discover the slogan of the Curaçao Tourist Board, “Feel it for yourself.” And once they experience the people and the culture, along with pristine beaches, soothing turquoise waters, exhilarating national parks and an incredible culinary scene, visitors appreciate what it means to personally ‘feel the vibe’ on this exciting island. It begins on arrival when you are honored with the Papiamentu (the language of the Dutch Caribbean) greeting, “Bon Bini na Dushi Curaçao”. “Welcome to lovely, beautiful, wonderful, Curaçao”. Dushi is one of those all-encompassing endearments. When
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you call someone Dushi, you really mean “sweetheart” or “sweety”. The giant “Dushi” sign can be found near the equally giant “Curaçao” sign in Queen Wilhemina Park, in Punda, the historic core of the capital city, Willemstad. The freewheeling idea of ‘feeling it for yourself’ involves all the senses. When I mentioned the attraction of all-inclusive resorts to one of the locals, she told me about Westpoint, and asked, “What can be more all-inclusive than a holiday where you have beautiful green forests, caves, the unrestrained power of nature, plus birds, beaches, great food and sunshine”?
Westpoint is a 45-minute plus drive from Willemstad, depending on how many times you stop along the way to breathe in the gorgeous scenery. After crossing the Queen Juliana Bridge, spanning St. Anna Bay, we headed west, past the Three Brothers; three sedimentary hills popular with hikers and climbers. Kas di Pal’i Maishi outdoor museum provides a glimpse of a 130-year-old slave house and insight into how many people lived on the island up to the 1950s. Evil spirits were kept at bay with a triple-row cactus fence, and if that didn’t work, the spirits would become ensnared in the curled feathers of the chicken, kept in the coop by the entrance.
