P. O. Box 407, Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean, Phone 786-6518, 777-6125, www.bonairereporter.com email: [email protected] Laura DeSalvo photo fiber optic network can now use the com- This Week’s Stories petitively priced up to 100mb speed, five to 20 times faster than previously possible. Farewell Isabella 3 Bonaire to Consuede Games 3 Bonaire Traffic– Number of cars 4 Letters to the Editor –Illegal Music, Worthless Signs, Don’t Want 4 Pasa Bon Pizza Move 4 Grow Our Own Food 6 Sanikolas Arrives! 7 Adventures of Bakaboe 7 Aruba Transportation Minister Chris Dania Art Competition 9 Romero and Bonaire Director of Tour- Sports Weekend Coming Up 10 ism Maurice Adriaens behind a battery of Tree Planting Days 11 microphones at the gala lunch. Tourism Corporation Bonaire is recog- Departments vember 30th. Four round-trip flights a nizing visitors that have been visiting Bon- Flotsam & Jetsam 2 week are planned with a 50-seat Bombar- aire year after year. Bonaire has an aver- On the Island Since–Mireya Marmol 5 dier CRJ-200 jet. Medical insurance age of 40% repeat visitors. The Bonaire Picture Yourself –Cincinnati, USA 6 (ZVK) flights to Aruba will be carried on Ambassador program was created with the Good Food-Good Mood 8 funeral cortege led by a tall man Aruba Airlines,. For more information call purpose of recognizing Bonaire’s loyal A Garden–Just Do It (Surprises, Well- A in a black frockcoat and top hat, 717-6825 or visit http:// visitors with an official certificate and ness Tea) 11 brandishing a baton was one of the won- www.arubaairlines.com/ . ambassador medal. With this recognition What’s Happening + Cruise Ship + derful surprises Bonaire sprang on us. visitors become official Bonaire ambassa- Exhibitions 12 Classifieds, Masthead, Tide Table, But now this formal and revered tradition The negotiations between Synergy, dors. If you are a multi-year visitor to is coming to an end. Undertaker Raphael Bonaire ask your hotel’s manager to nomi- Sunrise & Sunset Times, Moon Phase Avianca’s parent company, and InselAir 13 Rodriguez has resigned, a casualty of nate you to be honored as a Bonaire Am- are still ongoing. .. But slowly. Pet Of The Week (Reggae, dog) 14 “modern times.” It was customary for him bassador. Animal Shelter News–Safe Home 14 to lead funeral processions from the Catho- Bonaire Sky Park (Supermoon and lic church in Playa to the cemetery dressed New fuel prices took effect on 1 De- cember 2017. There’s a price reduction Geminid Meteor Shower) 15 in formal attire. But outside pressures and Aruba has a female prime minister The Stars Have It (Horoscope) 15 regulations have motivated him to retire. for gasoline and price increase for Diesel and cooking gas cylinders. Diesel goes to for the first time in history. Evelyn Wever-Croes of the MEP party forms a its September 2017 level. American Airlines service from MIA coalition with the parties POR and RED. Below is a list of all prices of fuel prod- How to contact us to BON was confirmed last Friday. The The ministers were sworn in on Friday. connection was thought to be in danger ucts as determined by the Bonairean island The formation took five weeks. The island Find Bonaire Reporter because of threatened budget cuts to the government and that are in effect at the has a coalition for the first time in 16 years. on Facebook. Press pump TCB. As of press time the schedule was At elections in September, the AVP of the “Like” Mogas 95 $1.11 per liter. not yet on the American Airlines website. then Prime Minister Eman lost the absolute The Publisher: George DeSalvo Kerosine 0.61 The Island Government (OLB) an- majority. The Wever-Croes Cabinet con- [email protected] Diesel 0.67 nounced planned budget cuts in a num- sists of eight ministers. Phone 777-6125 ber of island operations like the Center for LPG 100LBS 40.50 per cylinder. Youth and Family (CJG), the TCB LPG 20LBS 9.90 The Editor: Laura DeSalvo The Green Book of the Dutch Lan- [email protected] (Tourist Corporation), FCM (Public Hous- guage Union contains more than 400 Phone 786-6518 ing) The Chamber of Commerce (KVK). words of Dutch Caribbean origin. This Box 407, Bonaire, week the latest edition was presented to the Caribbean Netherlands InselAir won’t be flying to Surinam, Minister of Education. These are words Story, tip, question or idea: soon. The service set to begin December that occur frequently in Dutch language [email protected] 18 won’t start until the airline pays its out- newspapers in the Caribbean Netherlands, Phone 777-6125 standing debts in Surinam. That’s accord- such as: atrakoteam, back porch, blenchi, Available on-line at: ing to the True Time News of Surinam. fruit bar, maribomba, masbangu and www.bonairereporter.com megapier. What other words can you think Printed Every Fortnight, On-line every day, 24/7 of? Aruba Airlines began AUA BON Next edition printing on Monday, December 18 flights one day early bringing officials All private customers of TELBO will During certain times of the year, like Deadline: Friday, Dec 15 and Aruba press to Bonaire for a brief receive a free doubling of their internet now, the rain that falls on Bonaire tour and a gala lunch at Posada Para speed beginning 1 December. In addition, Mira. Commercial flights began on No- residents of Bonaire who have access to the (Continued on page 3) THE PLACE to make ALL your reservations: The only shop on Bon- TUNG FONG Land Sailing, AB Car Rental, aire dedicated to local AB Dive, Woodwind Sailing handmade gifts and jewelry all tourist activities, tours, STORE N.V. shuttle services and more... Featuring the original I♥ LOVE BONAIRE products Cold drinks, cigarettes “The Store With Almost Everything” and phone cards Great Service Too Kaya Korona 52 Tel. 599 - 717 4224 FAX. 599 - 717 5224 Opening hours: 8.30 am - 12.30 pm, 2.30 pm - 6.30 pm Open from Monday till Saturday. Sundays closed. At Sand Dollar Plaza on the northern hotel row in Hato. Open daily from 08.00-18.00 non stop - Phone: (00599) 7856029 Page 2 The Bonaire Reporter December 4-18, 2017 round the end of 2014 I first met A Gilbert Isabella on one of his early flights to Bonaire, traveling coach class. He impressed me in that he was so different from Wilbert Stolte, the man he was replacing: younger, humble, modest, and seemingly not totally aware of the job he was taking on. All three BES Islands were his responsibility. On August 23 he was prematurely re- moved from his job as Kingdom Repre- sentative (Rijksvertegenwoordiger). Not because he was doing a poor job, but, re- portedly, because of the political whim of in favor of - or you give this important BONAIRE PARTICIPATES IN CONSUDE GAMES FOR THE FIRST TIME an outgoing Dutch Minister. function more body, powers and tools to n Thursday morning, November 30, a delegation of 12 athletes, ages 12 to In his farewell speech at Eddy’s restau- really get there.” O 14 years, and their coaches left for Cochabamba in Bolivia. The delegation rant, he made it clear that he did want to Isabella’s open personal style, frequent leader Peter Silberie said that Bonaire is going to participate in the Consude games leave. reports, transparency, and use of social for the first time. Consude stands for Consejo Suramericano de Deporte Escolar - The Rijksvertegenwoordiger job is not a media gave him a positive reputation with South American Council for School Sports. It’s a sports competition for athletes Dutch political plum. It’s a little known the BES islanders. from South America and the Caribbean. Bonaire will participate in the following function in the Dutch state structure, for Lt. Governor Edison Rijna at Isabella’s sports: track and field, swimming, chess and table tennis. the Dutch as well as the Caribbean Neth- farewell dinner, while admitting they did Financing for the team’s transportation is made possible by the Bonaire Govern- erlands. The job is poorly defined and its not agree on all points, extolled him as ment. The Consude organization will provide for room and board. The delegation functions are still developing. One thing “an energetic man who always strives to returns to Bonaire in the evening on December 11. Hopi Exito! L.D. seems clear- the supervisory responsibility achieve his goals. This is an excellent and authority are out of balance. The job character trait that we have also experi- Flotsam and Jetsam (Continued from page 2) ing Auction at Landhuis Wanapa might be described as sort of a super Is- enced here on Bonaire.” Rijna closed his leaves a coating of dust after it evapo- proved to be a very successful event land Governor (Gezaghebber) responsible speech with a special wish: "Gilbert, I rates. According to NASA part of it and the total raised was a staggering for maintaining order, ensuring good gov- want to thank you for your dedication and comes from Saharan dust absorbed in $13,569! These funds help STCB meet ernance and monitoring island integrity. input during the years in your position as cloud droplets and washed out of the their goals in 2017 and 2018. But the Rijksvertegenwoordiger has few Kingdom Representative of the Dutch Caribbean. May Bonaire stay your second shower as rain. Local people also feel concrete resources at his disposal to be able to take real control when it proves home. Good luck in your further career!” the dust comes from the dirt blown from For several days last week Bon- necessary.