One more loop around the sun

September 14, 2020

At some point I thought my birthday was going to be in quarantine somewhere isolated. This 2020 with its coronavirus has turned everyone’s plans upside down. But, instead we managed to clear in, anchored in a nice safe place in Spanish Waters in Curacao. So the Capitan was confident in leaving Happy Days for a couple of days anchored and proposed we rented an Airbnb in town for a couple of days! What a great idea !!! A touch of land! I’m still a landlubber after all!

Willemstad Curacao’s capital was built with fortifications in the 18th century. Therefore a suburb called Pietermaai was rebuilt with the Dutch architectural styles of the 18th and 19th century. In the mid-19th century, after the city walls were torn down, Pietermaai became a hub for ideas, business and culture. The theatres and small artisanal businesses added to the neighborhood’s appeal and still serve as inspiration for the lively atmosphere the area is known for today.

For long time residents, it was painful to see their beloved Pietermaai slowly being taken over by drug peddlers in the late 20^th century. The residents retreated indoors and wealthier families moved to safer parts of the island, leaving the streets and iconic buildings for criminals to wreak havoc on. Remnants of that period are still visible in a few buildings, however most of the derelict buildings have been restored and modern buildings occupy previously vacant plots. Some of those restored buildings are now restaurant, hotels, airbnbs, etc

We found a pink house in Pietermaai to be our home for 4 days. One thing I love about Airbnb is that you can live in a house for a few days that is really nice but that you would never buy or live in it permanently. Look at this :

When doing the search I made sure we had a washing machine and air conditioning. It was written in the ad that an extra charge would be added for the AC usage but I took it anyway. I just wanted to take a break from the heat. Curacao is super hot at this time of the year because there are no trade winds, there is very little wind and everything is deserted. Not quite like a dessert that cools at night. Even at night the temperature is still hot. The maximum temperature and minimum on the same day differ just a couple of degrees.

We arrived at the place which was quite charming but no washing machine and one of the AC units was not working. Of course, I was furious but I tried to remain calm. With Airbnb it is always a lottery, 80% of the time you can get great things but also you might get not so good ones even after looking at all the pictures and reviews. In any case I a sent note to the “super host” and he gently replied, “open the windows and you will get a nice breeze”. Obviously, he doesn’t know I live on a boat and I wanted a break from the breeze. With one AC working, I thought we would be fine. I kind of made peace with it and decided to stop there. There was no more time left to think about that, it was my birthday and we needed to get ready for dinner.

Cedric told me I had to be ready at 5pm, although the restaurant was only 1km away and the reservation was for 8pm. I kept asking why but he just said get ready for pictures. At 5pm I was ready and surprise surprise, he had prepared a ZOOM call with my family.

I had a great  birthday being spoiled!! Surprised ZOOM conference call in the morning with Australia (thanks Teresa for organising), family ZOOM in the afternoon and great dinner with my captain.

But the next morning there were more surprises to come. The Superhost sent me a note that we could move to another of its properties close by with a working washing machine and dryer. I looked quickly at the pictures and I said yes. They looked fantastic. I thought they would give us a room in that place but when we arrived I realised the whole place was for us. What a nice bday present. A villa with ocean view, private swimming pool, huge tv, sound system top of the line, great kitchen!! This place was built by the main architect that worked on the development and reconstruction of Pietermai and he built this house for himself. So even though it is two floor with huge spaces it is only good to host 2 people. The sad part of the story is that he died without really enjoying the place. His daughter as the owner has a small toddler and the house does not cater well for that. So lucky airbrnb guests have the luxury of enjoying this amazing place.

We spent the next 3 days just relaxing in this fantastic villa…. And enjoying the pleasures of living on land. Long showers, unlimited fresh running water, dishwasher, big kitchen with a huge oven, (we cooked a whole chicken ) and washing and dryer. I did 8 loads of laundry as I washed all the cushions covers from the boat.!!

I’m so grateful for a great birthday, the perfect way to start another turn around the sun!