N, EP, E, and I arrive in Bonaire at 8am, after leaving Boston at 7pm the night before. I didn't sleep on the plane, and E didn't get much sleep, so we get some breakfast and go to bed. Get up at 2pm and go snorkeling. EP's mom, dad, sisters G and L, and L's significant other, M, arrive. Relax for the rest of the day, have dinner with the whole gang, and call it an early night.
Day 2 - Sunday Sept 27Up early with the sun. Have breakfast, then head to the dive orientation at 9am to learn about the SCUBA facilities at Buddy Dive. Get our equipment and go for our first dive! N's ears weren't cooperating, so we end up continuing the dive without him. See tons of fish, including the Blue Parrot fish below. Drive south to the slave huts in the afternoon, then to the windsurfing side of the island, and back to the resort in the early evening.
Day 3 - Monday Sept 28Up early again. Have breakfast and head out for dive 2 in the morning, dive 3 in the afternoon. This is how most of the vacation goes until the day before we leave. Dove at Buddy Dive reef, saw a wreck during the afternoon dive, and some 4ft Tarpon's. Also found a Coral Banded Shrimp.
Day 4 - Tuesday Sept 29Up, have breakfast, and head out for diving at Windsock. The dive site has a beach entry, probably the only beach on the whole island! Makes it easy to get in and out. I see an octopus, but E misses it, and also scares it into hiding. I get a picture though! We see a school of Blue Tang that will continue to show up at every dive site for the rest of the trip. That afternoon, go snorkling with the whole gang at Klein Bonaire, the island just off the coast of Buddy Dive. We see 4 turtles (and the school of blue tang), and have a good time. In the evening, go to Casa Blanca for dinner with the whole gang. It's an Argentinian Steak House, but they have very good salad and baked potatoes for me. E says it's the best steak he's ever had.
Day 5 - Wednesday Sept 30I wake up to E wishing me a happy anniversary! We have breakfast with EP's mom (the rest of the gang has gone deep sea fishing), then head to Windsock to dive. EP's mom comes along to snorkle and hang on the beach. See a bunch of eels today!
After the dive, 
EP's mom buys us lunch (happy anniversary!) at the pool bar. In the afternoon, we go to Bachelors Beach to dive. Find a swirling school of hundreds of silver fish, that tries to school with us when we swim through. Very cool! That evening, we head into town for our anniversary dinner at the local Mexican place. Food's so-so, but it was nice having a night to ourselves.
Day 6 - Thursday October 1Up, have breakfast, and head to Oil Slick Ledge for a dive. Ledge is right, we have to jump into the water from about 12 feet up to get in. See some barracuda, a Queen Angel Fish, and a puffer fish. There's a ladder to get out, but that's no fun, so Evan takes some more jumps into the ocean once the gear is off. That afternoon, head to 1000 Steps (there's really only about 70) with N and EP to dive. The reef here is the best yet, we see a new kind of tiny blue shrimp. EP finds an octopus that she shows us when we come back in. The walk back up the steps with all of the gear makes it seem like 1000 steps! On the way back, take a drive on the 'bike path', which is a dirt road that goes over the mountain on the island. It's a fun drive, with very nice views of the desert island.
Day 7 - Friday Oct 2Up early, have breakfast, and head north to go diving at Tolo reef. Best reef so far, too bad it's our last dive (we have to stop 18 hours before flying). We dive with some others from TN, and see a Spotted Drum and some squid (VERY cool!) Spend the afternoon having lunch, doing a bit of shopping, and swimming in the ocean. E and I watch the sun set from the pool bar, then have dinner alone, sitting by the water at a table for 2. Our first truly romantic meal here.
Day 8 - Saturday Oct 3
Did I say we got up early during the week? We're up at 4am today, so we can catch our 4:45am shuttle to the airport. N, EP, E and I stagger to the front desk, load in the vans, and head off to sit in the airport until our flight boards at 7:30am. Fly to Houston, arriving late. Rush through customs, security (thank goodness for friendly travelers that let us skip to the head of the line!), and immigration, and run to the other side of the terminal, stopping only for a quick bathroom break and to grab lunch to go. Arrive just in time to board our flight, whew! Fly to Boston, find out our luggage is still in Houston, fill out the baggage forms, and head home.
Epilogue - Monday Oct 5
2am, our luggage arrives. And I have to get up for work tomorrow? Ugh!
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