Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Papiamento
is the local language spoken on the streets, a ver-
itable cocktail of tongues. Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch,
Indian, English, and some African dialects combine to form the
lingua franca
of the Netherlands Antilles. Even between the is-
lands the language varies slightly, each with its own slang and
accent.
That ease with multiple languages seems to translate into a
comfort with many cultures as well. Over 70 nationalities are
represented on the island and, with such a true melting pot on
this 184-square-mile piece of land, there's a true welcoming
spirit for tourists, wherever their homeland. When Curaçaoan
says
Bon Bini
, they mean “welcome.”
Some say the island of Curaçao looks like a bikini top, pinched
in the center. On one side lies the capital of
Willemstad,
by Ca-
ribbean standards a major metropolitan area, with a harbor
consistently rated about the fifth busiest in the world. This
truly international city boasts streets lined with Dutch-style
architecture as colorful as a candy store.
The city is divided into two sides:
Punda,
the original settle-
ment, and
Otrobanda,
literally the “other side.” Both sport
picturesque harborfront buildings, and are connected by the
largest bridge in the Caribbean, a free ferry, and the
Queen
Emma Pontoon Bridge
for pedestrians, locally known as the
“Swinging Old Lady” because of the way it moves out of the way
for harbor traffic.
Festivals
Curaçao parties with special events such as
Carnival,
which
starts New Year's Day and comes to a feverish pitch the day be-
fore Ash Wednesday. Every month, Willemstad throws a giant
block party called the
Ban Tupa Street Fair
, which has with a
rollicking island spirit.
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