A PINCH OF PRETTY
Yes, you have been at home for way too long now (with still a while to go). Double yes: the world has gone weird. But no, our printers haven’t had a breakdown under lockdown and your eyes aren’t deceiving you either. This wonderful spot of oddity is a real place — the photographer took second place in the 2019 International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. The scene is to be found on a tiny island in the central Caribbean, about 100km from Venezuela. Along with its neighbours, Curaçao and Aruba, it’s part of what are commonly known as the “ABC” islands. A bit more weirdness: all three of them are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. A and C are autonomous, and B is a “special municipality”.
All three attract their fair share of tourists, thanks especially to their inclusion in the itineraries of several cruise companies, though B is the smallest at 290km² and the sleepiest in terms of visitor attractions.
Its waters are in fact a marine national park, so the island is catnip for scuba-divers and snorkellers. Most day-trippers plonk themselves on a lovely beach, try out the unique cuisine (with Caribbean, Dutch and Spanish influences), visit the 1837 lighthouse, or mooch around the donkey sanctuary. The hilly national park in the northern part of the island lures hikers, mountain bikers and twitchers.
But it’s visitors to the south who get to behold this vision of white pyramids and pink waters — a pretty perk of the island’s booming salt industry. The US-based Cargill Corporation’s solar salt facility is one of the largest in the Caribbean, covering almost 42km², or about 13% of the island. Each pyramid of salt, at this point stacked and ready for export, is about 15m high, containing about 10,000t of 99.6% pure salt — the end result of a process that essentially involves pumping seawater into shallow ponds and waiting for it to evaporate. Altogether the process takes about 10 to 12 months, depending on factors such as temperature, wind, and precipitation.
The pink water happens in the late stages of the process, and is actually caused by micro-organisms — halophilic bacteria — that thrive in the high salinity. This is the very same organism that makes a flamingo’s wings pink. Famed for their love of salty snacks, flamingoes flock to the island. The pans are also home to a flamingo sanctuary, though the creatures can be seen all around the island. They are so integral to its identity, in fact, that the airport is called Flamingo International. All round, pretty in pink.
● To stand a chance of winning R500, tell us the name of the island. E-mail travelquiz@sundaytimes.co.za before noon on Tuesday April 21. Last week’s winner is Warda Dollie. The correct answer was St Peter’s Square.