Actually it's nearly 150.000 people living there. The climate is very good , around 30 degrees Celsius with a nice wind to make it feel very comfortable. Furthermore there are lovely beaches and good facilities to stay. I've been there on 3 occasions and have loved it every time. Some diving, snorting, fishing, swimming and relaxing on the beach at daytime. Afterwards dining out followed by latin dancing. I just enjoyed it very much!

So I was just a little bit off on my population estimate!

I hear they have great diving in Curacao. One of my colleagues has some pictures of himself feeding sharks at some kind of local marine facility (of course the sharks are behind glass).

Curacao indeed has great diving. The place Terry is talking about is called Animal Encounters and is located at the Seaquarium. You can feed sharks through a small hole in a plastic wall. And you are surrounded by stingrays and a lot of fish. All around the southcoast of the island are perfect diving locations. Most of these can be reached from the coast, so you don't need a boat. The water is clear and warm. I'm not wearing a divesuit, only a T-shirt under my BC.

John, do you run some kind of diving service? What's the best time of year to visit Curacao? Are there seasons there as such?

Hi, I am also a diver. My brotherlaw and I are diving since july last year. There are no seasons in particular with regards to diving. I it's a nice 84 to 86 degrees year round. We have lots of beaches including white sandy ones. We're in the carnaval season with lots of activities every weekends from now till february 9th thats when we have a big parade. (it's some what like the mardigrass)

Glad you're joining us Roberto. Check in often! Do they have large schools of stingrays there like they do in the Cayman Islands? Austin has it's version of Carnaval every year too. It's the ultimate party of the year. What date is the biggest Carnaval event in Curacao?

Hello everybody, I'm Brans, I was born at Curacao and lived there for 13 jears. Sorry, I cannot recall the date of the carnaval event, I just know there are two major events. the first is carnaval for the children and the second is carnaval for the adults. The events have one week in between. I can tell you a lott about windsurfing on Curacao I you are interested.

Hi, I lived in Curacao for a log period. It is a small nice island with a good climate Diving is fine, bud also the people The food is good and the drinks cool As you can understand I'm found on Curacao O yeh BTW the Carnaval was last week I hope that I can return to Curacao this summer The plan is to start a business over there Something with the Internet and communications., If there is someone interested I will here from you Leo

I'm not running a diving service over here,but I'm addicted to diving. If possible I dive once ore twice a week, once during the weekend and once at night during weekdays. The diferences between the seasons are very small. During the winter season (now) it is raining more, which means that there are days with rain. even then, the sun is present almost every day. At the moment it's the time for the carnival. This week the main activity is the tumba festival. At that festival the carnival hit for this year will be chosen. Next week the jump-ups are starting again, which are meant as a warming up for the big parade at sunday 9th of february.

Welcome Thiemo, what is a good windsurfing rig? And how much does one cost? We have windsurfing places around Austin. Windy Point is one. Do you have constant breezes? Leo, if you're interested in a net business, you may want to get in touch with the boomer. I hear he rules the net in Curacao. (that would be Paul). And JohnD, you have an idyllic life. Want to trade places? What kind of musical instrument is the tumba? A drum? Will you let us know what hit is chosen? Jump-ups? Exsqueeze me?

And another naive Curacao question. What is the size of Curacao and how many cities are there? What does it cost for an average sized house (in US dollars)?

Some answers and a bit more explaining about my earlier writing: Terry, We don't have large schools of stingrays, but we have some individual stingrays here. That makes it more interesting if you see one. Furthermore we have turtles. Along the southcoast there are no sharks, but I have heard they live alond the nordcoast and around 'Klein Curacao', an even smaller island nearby. The size of Cuaracao is about 60 kilometers long and 5 - 15 kilometers wide. So it is a small island. We have only one real city, so we speak of THE city; it is called Willemstad. It is located along the entrance of the natural harbour. One side is called Punda and the other side Otrabanda, which means 'other side' in the local language Papiamentu. Jump-ups are called so because a lot of people are jumping on the tones of carnival music, while they slowly walk/jump behind a trailer with a music group or a DJ. The tumba is a ritme. I thinks the ritme is originaly from Africa. It is the most favorite music over here, although the last few years also the calypso is heard. The calypso is the favorite music from our neighbouring island Aruba. So, that's it for now. I have to go to work. From a lovely island, signing of, John

Hello!! How nice to find another site on the web about Curacao! I lived on Curacao from 1961 until 1968 and spen the nicest years of my life there! ( my teenage Years) I have been back there only 2 times unfortunately the latest being in 1987.... I still believe that there are some people that live there now that I grew up with. I would love to hear from them!! My fondest wish is to return there and retire there. If I could find a job there now i would move right away!!! Anybody who has the chance to vi it it should do so. I hope to check this site out and perhaps i will see someone that i grew up with ! Ajo!!!!

What have you been doing since you left Curacao marga? Can you tell us about some of your experiences in Curacao in the 60s. Was the 60s there anything like the 60s in the States?

Hello Terry! In answer to your question about life in the sixties in Curacao.... It was GREAT... I don't believe it was quite like the States as it was rather isolated so the drug and hippy culture was not as obvious as in North America and Europe! It was very much more innocent then! At least it seemed to me that way! We certainly did hear about it all and we too had Beatle mania etc , but much more subdued!! Most of our fun consisted of school in the am and then off to the beach on the weekends and swimming, and sailing of course.... In the afternoons one did their homework as there was no school in the afternoon ( too hot and no airconditioning). I certainly did miss school dances in the outdoors under the stars with a balmy breeze when I moved to Canada !! Looking back it was a very idyllic type of life back then, but then again this was while I was in my teens! Can you imagine spending your "Sweet Sixteenth" birthday in November at a party under a tree with coloured lights in your back yard with a clear sky above dotted with stars?!!! Hope this gives you a glance into the past on "Dushi Korsow" P.S ..I live in Peterborough , Ontario Canada now (Brrrrr). Bye-bye from Snowy Peterborough, Marga

Good to hear from Margaret, John, Leo and brans. I have been getting a lot of emails from Curacao folks and hope they find their way here soon. Clifford writes that he is getting online from St. Eds and see Paul Boomgaart on a regular basis. Paul is one of the major players in the internet movement in Curaco. I had another email from someone who is thinking about moving to Curacao and setting up and Internet business. What has been going on in Curacao lately? How do you connect to the Internet in Curacao? I hope all those folks who have emailed me emerge form the woodwork. They have some very interesting comments.

Hello everybody! The Carnival festivities aren't quite over yet. Tomorrow the Big Parade called "Gran Marcha", which is the main event, will take place and the streets of Otrabanda will be packed! People will leave their homes early in the morning (4:30 AM) just to make sure that they'll have a good spot to watch this parade. It's going to be a long day filled with dancing, jumping, eating and DRINKING!!! (Which is OK, since the next day, monday, is a national holiday. If some of you are thinking about visiting this island in the future, I would recommend going either during the Carnival (mid Jan- mid Feb), or in December (Lots of parties, fireworks). Internet: There are three internet providers in Curacao: IBM, Curanet (www.cura.net) and Setel (local phone company). This service is relatively new and very expensive. Per month $35, 10 hours free, 3,50 per additional hour. Leo, is your last name by any chance Dos Santos??