lt’s possible that the Dutch Antilles is the most concentrated area of multiculturalism in the world. Papiamento, spoken throughout the Netherlands Antilles, is testament to this face – the language is derived from every culture that has impacted on the region, including traces of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French and local lndian languages. The islands are diverse – there are the cutesy houses of Curacao, ruggedly steed Saba, Sint Maarten with its large resorts and casinos the delightfully sloe pach of Sint Eustatius.

Year – roung

Hiking to the of Mt Scenery on Saba, for a close – up view of an elfin forest with its lush growth of ferns, tropical flowers and mahogany trees, and a panoramic view of Saba and neighbouring islands

Diving in Bonaire with hawksbill turtles, peacock flounders, stingrays and seahorse

Exploring the strange volcanic Hooiberg ( ‘haystack’) on Aruba – the parched scrub and cacti landscape are classic Spaghteei Western country

Kicking back in Sing Eustatius,a tranquil little Dutch outpost where islanders strike up conversations and stary chickens goats mosey in the streets

Cycing around Simpson Bay Lagoon on Sint Maarten

Wandering around Willemstad on Curacao – the maze of and lanes wiggling back from the waterfront are lined with houses running the gamut from pastel and spruce to crumbling and spooky

Read Nights in Aruba by Andrew Holleran, which tells the story of a gay man who spends his early years on Aruba before heading to the USA

Listen to lyric -heavy calypso, beat – based soca, or reggae

Eat cornmeal johnny cakes and yambo ( green soup of okra, salt pork, onions, celery and sometimes fish )

Drink Saba Spice ( a rum – based liqueur spiced with a ‘secret concoction’) or Amstel been on Aruban beaches

Bon bini (‘welcome’ in Papiamento )

Palm – fringed with – sand beaches; tourism; diving; Dutch colonialism

Only about 20% of all residents were born on Sint Maarten; the town of Willemstad on Curacao is one of a select number of urban areas on Unesco’s World Heritage List

…demand for tender iguana flesh is high is high, not only for its taste ( which is a bit like chicken ) but tender also to the widespread belief that iguana flesh has a positive affect on your sex life, both in terms of desire and performance. ln fact, there was a time on Curacao when doctors prescribed iguana as a cure for any number of strength – sapping maladies.