Dead coral cliffs right next to gorgeous waters

Remember that beach and vast expanse of sky blue water that I had spotted from the airplane? After searching the maps, I was finally able to locate the beach – Playa Cas Abao. The approach had some rough dirt roads. I am glad that I had rented a Jeep.

Here we are. The water is as beautiful as it could be!

I have never seen stones like this in any other island. Including the neighboring Aruba. But this is present all over Curacao. The stones on the beach are all near cylindrical in shape. Like the rocks were rolled around by the waves instead of randomly thrown around. Does anybody know why and when this happens?

A unique experience in Playa Grandi. Many turtles like this simply hung around with us and swum around…

Felipe pretends to stab the green coconut he opened up for Sharmila with a straw!!! This was in Playa Grandi!

One of the first Tagore poems my late dad had taught me…

তালগাছ এক পায়ে দাঁড়িয়ে
সব গাছ ছাড়িয়ে
উঁকি মারে আকাশে।
মনে সাধ, কালো মেঘ ফুঁড়ে যায়,
একেবারে উড়ে যায়
কোথা পাবে পাখা সে?

There is something about island life – the toughness and grit it calls for, the “it will happen when it happens” island time, happiness and poverty co-existing (almost a required condition)… it just appeals to me at a level nothing ever does.

My dream would be to open up a bar by the beach in one of the islands a few years before I die. I know it will be a tough adjustment – but there is always the alcohol to forget it and the knowledge that it is a finite journey.

Now, if only I could figure out when I am going to die…