Lacey and I woke up bright and early this morning (5:30am), in order
to catch an all day boat trip we had learned about called the Mermaid
Boat Excursion. We climbed aboard the Mermaid at 6:45am with Captain
Cor and his crew, excited to be whisked away to the small caribbean
island of Klein Curacao, which is 15 miles southeast of Curacao. After
the 2 hour tour on rocky waters, which caused several passengers to
lose their breakfast, we finally discovered what all the fuss was
about when the Mermaid reached her destination.
The only word to describe the view that awaited us was PARADISE. White
sandy beaches, crystal clear blue water, colorful sea life, a
spectacular coral reef, not to mention two real life ship wrecks, and
an abandoned light house! Lacey and I promised each other before
leaving the boat that we'd remember to apply sunscreen regularly and
limit our adult beverages. With our elevated state of curiosity and
excitement, adding alcohol to the mix was just asking for a tetanus
shot.
Once on the island, we set off to explore all its hidden treasures.
Besides the other 58 people that came with us, the island looked like
all life it had ever known had been swept away with the tide decades
ago. First we hiked to the abandoned light house, cautiously climbed
through the rubble, and up the spiral steps of the lighthouse tower.
Once at the top the views were absolutely breathtaking, but the
deafening silence and the strength of the sea breeze was a bit eerie.
After the lighthouse we hiked on to the island's two ship wrecks. The
first ship was a large, rusty, vessel that looked like it had seen its
fair share of tropical storms. Our captain told us the ship was
ditched off the coast and its captain later tried to claim the
insurance money. Less than 500 feet away was a much smaller vessel
beached on its side. Rumor has it this ship's captain had a little bit
too much to drink one night and ran his vessel ashore. This little
story helped us create an excuse to partake in the beverages the
captain had packed on board just so he wouldn't be tempted. After all,
we weren't going to be the reason the captain was so drunk it caused
the Mermaid to be the third shipwreck on the island. ;)
The rest of the day was spent laying in the sun, snorkeling in the
crystal clear waters, and enjoying the splendor of this quaint,
deserted island. The trip was wrapped up by a feast of a bar-b-q the
Mermaid's crew cooked for us. IT WAS FANTASTIC!!! Once dinner was
over, we boarded the ship and headed back to the main land. The whole
day was surreal and Lacey and I will remember it forever. If we ever
make it back to this beautiful corner of the world, we'll be visiting
the Mermaid and its crew again!
xoxo,
Audra and Lacey