The "C" in the A-B-C Islands

Curacao is the "C" in the A-B-C islands. It's a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea - only 40 miles from Venezula. A relatively small island, 37 miles long and 5- 9 miles wide, with a population of just over 150,000. It boasts of over 35 beautiful beaches and there are over 100 nationalities living here. Education is mandatory from age 4 through age 18 and as we pulled into port (lower right arrow) we observed the students headed off to school. Curacao is also known for the blue liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the bitter orange, originally brought to the island from Valencia, Spain.

Of the seven species of sea turtles at least five live in the waters surrounding Curacao. We went in search of them on today's excursion (upper left arrow) and were in luck. I was able to take these photos from above the water while standing on the pier. They are the Green Sea Turtle shown in th page that pictures all the varieties.

While standing on the pier, a boat with two fishermen came up to dock their rowboat. And, amazingly, they pulled this sizable Dorado out of the boat, (you can see it being held up on the left side), walked it to the cabana where other catches of the day were beng prepped for market or bait. It was amazing to watch the sea turtles scury toward the boat to see what scrapes they could find to eat.

Then we headed to Cas Abao beach and enjoyed a beautiful sandy beach, shade for me and a chance to enjoy the beautiful day relaxng under the palm tree with a Pina Colada laced with blue curacao liqueur. [Thanks Jeff]. The island's captivating beauty and its extensive beaches often overshadow the fact that it is a significant oil producer, contributing around 8 percent to Curacao's gross domestic product, with a production of about 335,000 barrels a day. Curacao is in the process of negotiating with a U.S.-Brazilian consortium to assume control of the island's oil refinery and storage facilities. [If the US keeps shutting down our oil / gas production we'll desperately need imports from Curacao!]