Curacao
Paradijs

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    • Day 4

      Curaçao Liqueur

      January 9 in Curacao ⋅ 🌬 84 °F

      How did the island of Curaçao get its name? A popular theory suggests that Portuguese cartographers combined what the Spanish called it: “corazon” (meaning heart) along with Portuguese words for “heart” (coraçao) and “healing” (cura) after scurvy prone sailors who were miraculously cured after eating the island’s abundant fruit.

      A few years later, in the early 1500s, Spaniards introduced Valencia orange trees to Curaçao. Rather than flourish, the orange trees produced a small and bitter fruit rather than a tasty orange.

      Eager to make “lemonade” out of this experience, the islanders experimented until the found a way to take the dried peels of these oranges and create a tasty orange flavored liqueur.

      Locals called the drink “Laraha” but along the way, it became known as Curaçao. The traditional blue color is simply due to food coloring.

      There are now 10 different flavors of liqueur produced on the island of Curaçao. We sampled three of them after our distillery tour.

      After which, as I’d promised myself, I enjoyed a frozen coffee drink with a shot of coffee flavored Curaçao. Yum!
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    • Day 10

      Curacao Liqueur Distillery at Landhuis C

      January 23, 2020 in Curacao ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

      When the Spaniards came to Curacao they brought Valencia orange plants with them. Unfortunately, the soil and environment morphed the tree into something completely different. The peel is green and the fruit inside is inedible ... even by iguanas who love fruit! In the late 1800’s a pharmacist and a businessman experimented to try to make something useful from the fruit. They discovered that although the fruit was worthless, the peel held potential. Fast forward to the renown liqueur that they produced, and is still hand crafted and created in the same still that they developed. Peels are put in burlap sacks along with cloves, cardamom, sugar, and water, more or less. The recipe is still secret. The burlap bag acts like a giant teabag, which is brewed in the distiller then hand bottled, corked, and labeled. We had samples and it was a big surprise! I was expecting a bitter, potent alcohol flavor that would gag you on the way down. Wrong. It was silky smooth and sweet, but not sickening sweet. The first picture shows the buildings on the grounds and the second shows the ersatz Valencia tree, now known as Laraha.Read more

    • Day 5

      Curacao

      February 27, 2020 in Curacao ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      Laranha oranges are wild oranges originating from the Spanish Valencia oranges that produce fruit twice a year. They are so bitter that even the goats won’t eat them but the Jewish Senior family, beginning in 1896, started using the rind, sugar, clove and cardamom to make blue Curaçao liqueur.

      They now make it in many other flavours like chocolate , coffee, rum and raisin, etc.

      Also visited a local cottage business started by a 10 year old girl and her mother who wanted more sending money for her family trip to Orlando. Now the whole family works at making lip balm, organic soaps and skin butters. The girl is now 17 sad finishing high school.

      Watched a folkloric dance and music performance. Very educational and beautiful. Even Vic got in on the action. If only I could have remembered how to use his video camera. Yes I realize now I should have just used my phone.

      Visited an aloe farm where they make shower gels and face creams. An aloe plant is ready for harvest after 2.5 years. You can also eat the gel And of course it has many healing properties. Our bus let us off downtown where we had a small gelato in place of lunch. 29*C and as long as you idle walk in the shade or catch a breeze it was comfortable. Got back to the ship by 4 pm to shower and have dinner. Went back out for the evening.

      The yacht moored across from our ship was a owned by Bill Gates’ business partner. He is wishing to sell it. It has a full sized helicopter, three power boats and at least six jet skis. Anyone interested?

      All aboard is at 10.
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    • Day 11

      Island Driving and dancing

      January 28, 2023 in Curacao ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

      Saturday I slept in and had a relaxing morning and then I was all over the island. I went with Christel towards her CrossFit studio but got dropped off and did a walk instead. Then I took the car and explored Jan Kok area, saw the Yoga Festival and Flamingos 🦩, then went to Otrabanda to the cruise ship area and shopping (bought the traditional Christmas ornament), then groceries. It was nice to tour the island on my own (however… I haven’t been using data so lots of getting lost or turned around and trying to find my way).
      In the evening we went to a friend of Christel’s sister (Laura) to make t-shirts for the “jump in party” for Carnival…. Then off to the party to dance, wander and listen to music till 2am (Taki Tin).
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    • Day 30

      Week Two of Yoga

      February 16, 2023 in Curacao

      Second full week of classes. Things are going well, the business plan is complete and classes are filling. We got Momoyoga scheduling software for the classes and people are signing up and starting to purchase 10 class punch passes and single sessions. Christel is feeling the roller coaster ride of business.
      On Thursday we went to Avila Beach Resort to walk around (and look through the museum), then to Sweet & Blue (but the menu wasn’t great) so off to Ten. The “dress code” was above our yoga clothes but we went anyway and it was delicious!! I was going to the Pier to socialize with sailors but since Yin had 19 people the previous week, we decided that both of us should do the class — not as many showed, but still a nice evening.
      The weather here is great, and it rains once or twice a day (so far I haven’t got soaked in it), but it sounds and smells beautiful and only usually lasts for 5-10min.
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    • Day 49

      Autonomie Monument

      April 4, 2019 in Curacao ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      The Autonomy Monument was designed by architect J. Fresco and was revealed by H.M. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands on 9 October 1955. It was designed for the occasion of the introduction of the “Statuut” (Charter) on 15 December 1954. The Netherlands Antilles with this leading legal document of the Kingdom became autonomous as to its internal affairs.Read more

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