Recent Trip pics and Canon S100 review

Quote from gerald

Thanks Joseé,

Venezuela is a very special place. So diverse, both in people and nature. I've had some wonderful times there. I hope they will resume the ferry service soon. Lots of curaçaleños used to just take their car and go on road trips to Venezuel when they still had the service. Now they confiscated the ferry. I hope things get better for you guys....

I also hope that everything will change soon.

José :thumbsup2:

Here are a few I took. I have other nicer ones but Gerald has them as they were taken with his mom's camera and housing. Will add more when I get the rest of them. Had a wonderful time exploring places and things on the the island that only someone who has lived there and has an adventurous spirit would know about. Many of the locals don't even venture to the places we went.

I can't thank Gerald enough for inviting me, being my guide, opening up his home to me and having the pleasure to spend a few days with him and his Mom which in my opinion are two of the most amazing people I have ever met. I felt as part of the family and am proud to call Gerald one of my best friends. Thanks again G!

That goat seems to be popular. Something memorable about Curacao goats guys? :atongue: Kudos Gerald for being a great host.

The goat was popular.:D Just a example of how much composition (not the subject) is ultimately the greatest difference between a rather drab snap and a very interesting photo.

Notice how Gerald's captures the wildly varied landscape. It has acacia bushes (which will someday be trees), cacti,the moon crater dead coral ground and a beautiful representation of the animal. In addition in the background you have a spray of water caused when the huge waves collided with the sheer completely horizontal 25ft wall dead coral that was the end of terra firma and where the ocean began. The place was nothing like I had ever seen before.

As far as mammals go goats are able to live in the most extreme circumstances and landscapes. The place where we were was nothing but extreme in every sense of the word. Never have I seen such a odd mix of flora or fauna....and I have been to many places. My shots will pale in comparison to Gerald's but I am an self admitted hack photog while he is a professional. Some of the pictures he has that I took though demonstrate that even a blind squirrel finds a nut or two if they try hard enough. I have a few in mind that I thought to be very nice. Hope to post them soon for everyone to enjoy. E

G do you have one of the orange anemone colony or the B&W one of the two foureye butterflyfish that you can post?

Your pics indeed show Curacao to be an interesting place. I looked it up and for those who may be interested summarized the information I first look to when I consider visiting a place.

From Curaçao - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Curaçao is the largest and most populous of the three ABC islands (for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) of the Lesser Antilles, specifically the Leeward Antilles. It has a land area of 444 square kilometres (171 square miles). As of 1 January 2009, it had a population of 141,766.

Because of its history, the island's population comes from many ethnic backgrounds. There is an Afro-Caribbean majority of African descent, and also sizeable minorities of Dutch, Latin American, French, South Asian, East Asian, Portuguese and Levantine people. The Sephardic Jews who arrived from the Netherlands and then-Dutch Brazil since the 17th century have had a significant influence on the culture and economy of the island. The years before and after World War II also saw an influx of Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe, many of whom were Romanian Jews.

In the early 19th century, many Portuguese and Lebanese migrated to Curaçao attracted by the financial possibilities of the island. East and South Asian migrants arrived during the economic boom of the early 20th century. There are also many recent immigrants from neighbouring countries, most notably the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Anglophone Caribbean and Colombia. In recent years the influx of Dutch pensioners has increased significantly, dubbed locally as pensionados.

Curaçao is known for its coral reefs, used for scuba diving. The beaches on the south side contain many popular diving spots. An unusual feature of Curaçao diving is that the sea floor drops steeply within a few hundred feet of the shore, and the reef can easily be reached without a boat. This drop-off is known as the "blue edge." Strong currents and lack of beaches make the rocky northern coast dangerous for swimming and diving, but experienced divers sometimes dive there from boats when conditions permit. The southern coast is very different and offers remarkably calm waters. The coastline of Curaçao features many bays and inlets, many of them suitable for mooring.

Some of the coral reefs are affected by tourism. Porto Marie Beach is experimenting with artificial coral reefs in order to improve the reef's condition. Hundreds of artificial coral blocks that have been placed are now home to a large array of tropical fish.

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Gerald, as an insider maybe you can say what the nightlife/entertainment scene is like? Is spearfishing allowed officially?

Campo alegre :laughing: appropriate name.