Traveling across Curaçao you'll find lots of cacti and some incredible beaches, but did you know there's also a pretty reliable flock of flamingos to be found as well?
As you're traveling northwest to the beaches and parks of Westpunt you'll pass the little town of Sint Willibrordus nicknamed "Williwood." Its here that you might miss one of Curaçao's most amazing sights if you don't stop and look carefully.
In the image below I get my first glimpse of the flock of flamingos as we head north along the Saliña Sint Marie. I look at my GoogleMaps app and see the notation "flamingos" here, and decide to investigate further.
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From this little mostly unmarked spot I gotta say it doesn't look like much. There's a soccer field to the right and the "Williwood" sign in the background. I'd quick checked images on Google and found that one could frame the Williwood sign with the little dead tree if standing in just the right spot. A little photoshopping then removes the power lines behind. See the little dead tree to the right in photo above, and framing the sign below.
There's a little information about this area on the green and white sign. It calls it the Rif St. Marie but a little further down the marsh there's a little dock and sign that refers to it as Saliña di Jan Kok. Whatever its called, this is what we would refer to in North America as a salt marsh. It is kind of a little bay coming off the the ocean but very shallow and brackish. The little blue sign is apparently a street sign that reads Kaminda San Willibrordus.
There's a little information about this area on the green and white sign. It calls it the Rif St. Marie but a little further down the marsh there's a little dock and sign that refers to it as Saliña di Jan Kok. Whatever its called, this is what we would refer to in North America as a salt marsh. It is kind of a little bay coming off the the ocean but very shallow and brackish. The little blue sign is apparently a street sign that reads Kaminda San Willibrordus.
The main attraction in the guidebooks is this little bar and cafe (below) the Toko Williwood. It sits directly across the street from the soccer field, sign, and the salt marsh (aka Saliña Sint Marie) just down the hill from the little town of Sint Willibrordus. On this day it is deserted so we have the place and the distant view of flamingos all to ourselves.
The salt marsh is kind of rocky and the bottom is hard on bare feet, so wear your water shoes if you attempt this.
While at Williwood you might as well stop in and check out the Church Sint Willibrordus (below). The church sits atop a little hill in the town. It was constructed in the 1870s in gothic revival style and is one for he most well kept remaining examples of the Utrecht style of the gothic revival. So says a guide pamphlet and wikipedia. Churches aren't really my thing but this one is lovely. Its too far to walk from the cafe at Williwood but you can drive there in a few minutes.
Once up the hill I discover the church is framed by a nice cactus and rock garden.
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And if this hiking and walking is too much of an effort do not despair. There are more opportunities to see Caribbean flamingos all across the Netherlands Antilles, Colombia and Panama. I manage to get very close in some other encounters. The birds do not seem all that smart but they are very friendly. They spend their time eating and preening. A pretty good life, it would appear.
More on where to see Caribbean flamingos in Aruba, Bonaire, Colombia and Panama in upcoming posts.
. . . on Aruba below
. . . or you can try this. . .
. . .or this across from the Toko Williwood Cafe
. . .or my favorite. . . sunset. . .
