Tropic of Destiny: Rincon Cultural Market

The oldest settlement on the island of Bonaire is a small town called Rincon, nestled in the desert hills with the main port of Kralendijk to the South and the Washington Slagbaai National Park to the North. Once a month, at the Magazina di Rei, they hold the Rincon Cultural market, so I decided to check it out.

It was about a 30 minute drive from town driving on a clear road passing through a cactus forest with views of the brilliant blue East Coast. Along the way, I passed inviting entrances to a goat farm, a botanical garden and several other sparsely situated tourist attractions. As I got close to Rincon, rock formations rose to the brilliant blue sky on my left. It was in that area that I drove through a cloud of butterflies with their orange and black wings flicking my windshield. I never saw so many butterflies! As soon as I arrived into the town, the Magazina di Rei was on my right. From the parking lot, I could hear the traditional music inviting me to join the fun.

traditional dances

To enter the market, you walk through a garden with native species into a patio area with seating and tables overlooking the valley where the townspeople live. In the center was a band playing music and a beautiful woman doing traditional dances. There was a nice blend of local people and tourists enjoying the music, when I met a friend who offered me a drink. The juice at this market is well-known, the woman who worked at Budget Marine told me not to miss trying it. Andy bought me a drink of lemon juice - it wasn’t like lemonade, but more like juice with a strong flavor sweetened perfectly.

I strolled the market and met a family who own a local restaurant, Posada Para Mira. They offered wonderful sandwiches made on fresh bread. Next to her, a woman was selling hand-made bags and dolls. There was a table offering all kinds of plants and in the pavilion local artists and vendors offered their goods. A fully operational kitchen offered all kinds of freshly made local foods. It smelled amazing.

The people were lovely.

Posada Para Mira

The building itself was built in 1824 and houses an interesting display about the history of Bonaire. Historic

Exhibit hall

line dancing

artifacts from tools to musical instruments are explained in detail with well-maintained exhibits. Outside the exhibit hall, there was a bush that attracted the same orange and black butterflies that I had seen on my drive.

At this time, the music was playing a last song where people joined in to do a traditional line dance, and that was followed by a presentation by a seasoned fisherman explaining how to build their style of traditional fishing boat. The talk was entertaining and generating lots of laughs.

In many ways, it felt like going back in time, to an authentic local gathering of people sharing music, food and fun. It’s a great way to spend a day and still have time to explore the sights of Rincon.