Bezoekers in the Land of the Dutch

Here in Curacao we are surrounded by the Dutch language.  Most everyone who lives here speaks it; some words sound a bit like German, and some words look like something we can suss out.  And it's the rare person who does not speak English as well.

However, this does lead to some times when we are left scratching our heads as to what a sign might mean.  And if food labels in the grocery stores don't have a picture, well, we're at a loss as to what the can or jar might hold.

Parking Lot Sign

Here's a good example.  Hmmm.... BEZOEKERS....some days that's exactly how I feel, Bezoekers!  Close enough to berserk.  Especially on days when we spell each other from diving down into the bilge, an airless, dark cavern, to do battle with the boat, as we have been lately.  What would we do without Google translator?  This really means "VISITORS" so I guess we are Bezoekers.

Bewaking!

Another example.  Camera Bewaking!  OK, Camera is easy enough, the sign has a helpful image as well.  BEWAKING.... looks a bit like English or German.  Beware?  I be waking, or walking?  No - it means "monitoring".

My favorite street sign

And here's my favorite.  LET OP!  DREMPELS  warning to motorists.  Let op!  take your foot off the gas perhaps.  Drempels, a good-sounding word that rolls off the tongue in a pleasing manner.  This sign never fails to bring a smile to my face.  This translates to "Pay attention - thresholds".  I think Google translator really means speed bumps.

We need some humor in our lives as we continue to struggle with the bilge pumps.  Both are still not working (the pumps have both been apart and test out just fine).  So - what we were dreading, the intake hoses need replacing.  This has meant major surgery, taking big pieces out of the bowels of the boat.  Yesterday out came one battery bank and its box, and then a large piece of the diesel engine exhaust system called a waterlock.  We have called in the professionals and a mechanic will be coming over tomorrow to take out the old intake hoses and install new ones.  We can see a rupture in one of the hoses.  As sturdy as they are, thirty years is a good amount of service from the hoses.

Way Down in the Bilge

You can just see the rupture in the hose on the left.  These two hoses go to our pumps up in the cockpit.  Hopefully tomorrow nice new clean hoses will be in place.