There are many things to see and do in Willemstad Curacao

Our visit to Curacao was a short one so we did not have much time to take in all that we can. We decided to visit the famed Curacao Sea Aquarium.

The Sea Aquarium is perhaps one of the most visited locations by tourist. The Public Aquarium is the hub of the Sea Aquarium Park and daily activities include sea lion and dolphin shows, nurse shark action show, aquarium tour, flamingo viewing, stingray encounter, underwater observatory boat, and the touch tanks.

The entrance fee is $US21 which we found reasonable. We caught the sea lion show and then we did the underwater observatory, this was very interesting.

We had been in an underwater sub before. But the difference is that this one doesn't move. It is actually standstill in an enclosed area with many different species of fish including sharks.

We also visited the shark action show where you get to touch the sharks. If you are a coward just don't do it. I actually didn't get to do it because the line was so long and we did not have much time. Yep! I am also a coward. But really I was going to do it. We spent about three to four hours there and it was well worth it. We definitely had fun exploring the marine life of Curacao.

There are many other things to do in Willemstad including a visit to the Shete Boka National Park. The park consists of several inlets on the north coast of the island. The most popular inlet is Boka Tabla.

The others include Boka Mansalina, Boka Plate, Boka Wandomi, Boka Kortalein, Dos Boka and Boka Djegu. If you love turtles, then you are in for a treat as these inlets are protected turtle breeding grounds.

One of the things you can't miss in Willemstad is the Queen Juliana Bridge (QJB). I mean literally. The QJB is labeled as the highest bridge in the Caribbean. It is 185 feet high an overlooks St Anna Bay as well as Willemstad.

There are two forts in Willemstad that you can check out. They are Fort Amsterdam and Fort Nassau. Both are really beautiful, but Fort Nassau also houses a restaurant that overlooks the bay and offers casual fine dining.

Usually floating markets are associated with Asian countries, but you guessed it Curacao has its own, even though it is much smaller now than in its prime. The Floating Market is located a short distance on the east side of the harbor and not to far from Queen Juliana Bridge. You can pick up fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and other local items.

If you want to eat like the locals you can get a meal in Plasa Bieu (Old Market) in Punda. There are several outlets serving local cuisine for you to choose from.

If you have a decent budget you can visit Restaurant & Café Gouverneur De Rouville located at the Otrabanda Waterfront, Willemstad. It serves up both local and international cuisine.

Other restaurants in this budget range are Pleincafe Wilhelmina - they serve international cuisine including from the Netherlands and many Caribbean islands and La Granja which serve Peruvian cuisine if you want to try something different.

▸ On to our first cruise!