The worst part of a Villa Salentein stay

is leaving.  

And now that our long stay of four months is rapidly coming to an end, I would even go so far as to say that the longer you are here, the worse are the symptoms of impending departure. Ben, for example, has been suffering the effects of "impending VS departure" for several weeks. Clinically, it manifests itself in intense irritability; an inability to concentrate or focus on tasks related to packing suitcases bound for home; a dawning terror of pictures of New England's snow-covered roads, landscapes, vehicles, etc.; and what I can only describe as "ocean-deficit-disorder", a desperate and all-encompassing need to be in the warm Caribbean water as much as possible before the scheduled plane flight home.

We feel so lucky to have been able to stay here for four months. We have become intimately familiar with the rhythms of the villa. We have met many wonderful people who work to make Bonaire a better place to live. We have swum every day in the ocean. We have eaten a lot of cheese and drunk many Coronas with lime and -- in Fiona's case -- San Pellegrino limonatas. We have traveled to six countries in South and Central America (no thanks to Insel Air). We have helped out with coral restoration and at the animal shelter, where we adopted our island dog Bowie. We entertained many guests with trips to Lac Bai, the donkey sanctuary, Lake Goto, the national park, the square during cruise ship-prompted markets. Now it is time to go.

Arrrrgghh.

Here are some things we have learned:

• Don't book any flights on Insel Air if you prefer to live a life free from high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. 
• A walk around the neighborhood in the cool of the evening is fabulous.
• It is easier to travel to South/Central America from the U.S. than from Bonaire.
• Sundays and Mondays are the best days to stock up at the Van den Tweel.
• Boat rental is fun and easy with Blue Bay rentals.
• Menno and Esther -- and the rest of the awesome staff -- at Gooodive rock.
• Ditto the Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire staff.
• Mezze has delicious hummus, falafel and gin & tonics.
• You are almost guaranteed to see turtles while snorkeling at 1,000 Steps.
• The incredibly hard-working staff at Animal Shelter Bonaire CAN, in fact, find a way to get that stray you desperately want to adopt back to you in the U.S. Just ask Natalie how.
• You will look at shallow-reef corals (staghorn and elkhorn) in a whole different way when you learn about coral restoration efforts on the island.
• Tomato plants don't grow and produce fruit any faster on the island than they do at home.
• Rainy season is both beautiful and quiet.
• The people on those boats veering close to the villa while staring intently? They are not looking at you because you resemble ScarJo or Brad. They are just interested in the house.
• There is no rhyme or reason to the bugs. Sometimes they are here. Sometimes they are not.
• It is fun to make sport of using as few kilowatt hours as possible. Re this: the beautiful stainless steel railings double as a laundry line.

Tomorrow we finishing packing up to get home to New England and its beautiful spring. But Bonaire beckons and we will return as soon as possible!