Caribbean Dutch Treat lecture recording, 1964 February 11, Side A, Lisa Chickering and Jeanne Porterfield Collection
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{Speaker 1} Freshly painted, fresh air circulates through every six minutes
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It's a lovely place, but I don't like it.
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We would like you to stop by some time and take a look
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and I'm sure that your opinion would be other than mine, I kind of stand alone in this.
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Next of all, I'd like to remind you, too, that Phil Walker appears with his incomparable
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Switzerland in just two weeks. In this, you will see an exciting
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episode where he crosses the Swiss Alps in a balloon.
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Now, this was written up recently in National Geographic
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and we might say that Phil Walker rose to this high adventure.
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(clears throat)
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I didn't have anything prepared to say tonight, you see. (chuckles)
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But, uh, also, as you know, Switzerland is an extremely popular box office
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subject, and the advance sales have been tremendous, so if you have any friends who
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are interested, we urge you to suggest to them to get their tickets as soon as possible.
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Some of you have been coming to World Cavalcade for a great number of years
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and you know that we have certain speakers appear year after year after year,
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and these are the top notch men in the field.
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You've come to know them personally, recognize their trademarks.
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However, World Cavalcade does constantly
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bring to you new personalities. I don't know of any
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year in the past seven that we haven't introduced at least one new personality.
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This year we have three: two this evening and one next March.
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Next year we have two, and I'm sure that you will enjoy them [00:01:51} a great deal. And I want to point out that we keep vigilant and keep an eye
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out for these people that we believe come up to World
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Cavalcade standards. The two young ladies you'll see this evening are presenting
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their second film. This is the second film they have ever made.
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However, don't mistake me, they've made a lot of films for commercial organizations,
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and we think this is pretty unusual that they have achieved
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such eminence and distinction throughout the United States and Canada.
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Mrs. Saunders caught their show up in Canada a couple of years ago
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and said they are good, and we must have them. I won't tell you too much
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about them, because they have a very cute little introduction about themselves. All I'll say
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is that Lisa Chickering is part of the Chickering piano family, and
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Jeanne Porterfield is part of the Porterfield family that operated the Barter Theatre in the east--
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Lisa had studied for the concert stage and has been a concert singer appearing throughout the world, Jeanne was a professional actress and now they're making films and showing them to such wonderful audiences as World Cavalcade. Ladies and gentlemen, Jeanne Porterfield and Lisa Chickering. (Applause)
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Lisa Chickering : Good evening everyone, it certainly is nice to be here in Seattle with you tonight.
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Jeanne Porterfield: I can't tell you how much it means to us. First of all, Seattle is our very favorite city in this country and now with this beautiful theater, this is our favorite theater in the country. So we're very happy,(applause) and you know since being here in Seattle, so many people have been asking us just how the two of us ever did get started making travel films.
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Lisa Chickering : Well now you might say that interest in the world in travel started at a rather early age.
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Jeanne Porterfield: It certainly did. As children, Lisa and I lived near each other in Chicago and I remember one time somebody said that China was right under Chicago.
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Lisa Chickering : I remember that too, in fact I also remember that we immediately proceeded to dig up the backyard, in search of it.
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Jeanne Porterfield: Well now needless to say, China wasn't reached that time. Although some years later it was, only not via the backyard. Lisa was a singer and had a singing engagement in Paris and asked me if I'd liked to go along. Well the answer was yes because I'd always wanted to go to Europe.
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Lisa Chickering : So had I.
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Jeanne Porterfield: And this tour which was to last, oh approximately four weeks turned into a three year trip around the world.
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Lisa Chickering: And all this time we photographed everything we saw, from the Eiffel Tower, to wild monkeys in India, to chop suey in China. Then arriving back in the United States,
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Jeanne Porterfield: which as I said turned out to be 3 long years later. We found we had more interesting pictures than anything else.
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Lisa Chickering : So that's when we decided to go back to some of our favorite places in the world.
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Jeanne Porterfield: --and tonight we're so glad to be able to show you our film on the Dutch area of the Caribbean.
Lisa Chickering : "Cari-bbe-an"! Well, now, there's a slight difference of opinion here.
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You know how we have our own ways of pronouncing certain words? Well now, for instance, I say "ee-ther"--
Jeanne Porterfield: --And I say "ai-ther",
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and needless to say we have the same differences with "nee-ther" and "nai-ther", too.
Lisa Chickering : Well, now, these differences of pronunciation don't affect you too much, but I'm afraid our
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next one does. I say "Caribbean".
Jeanne Porterfield: And I say "Cari-bbe-an". And since neither one of us can
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come to an agreement, I'm just--
Lisa Chickering : --And since both are equally used and equally acceptable, this evening, you're going to the "Cari-bbe-an" with Jeanne,
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and the Caribbean with me. [[laughter]] Now, just in case you might be wondering how two people are going to
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narrate this one film, do know that's very easily solved: I'm leaving. [[applause]]
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Jeanne Porterfield: But she'll be back to take you on the second half of our "Cari-bbe-an" trip.
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Now if your bags are packed, we'll start. But first, just a word about the territory we're going to. When one thinks of the Netherlands, we tend to picture
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just little Holland, but actually, there's quite a bit more to it than that. The Kingdom of the Netherlands contains, not only Holland, but extends into our part of the world,
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the Caribbean, to include the 6 islands of the Dutch West Indies and the country of Suriname in South America. Since Indonesia, and more recently, New Guinea,
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are no longer a part of the Netherlands, these 6 islands and Suriname, where we're going this evening, now comprise the entire kingdom of the Netherlands
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outside of Holland. So now let's see our tropical touch of the Dutch.
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[[Applause]]
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[[upbeat orchestra music plays throughout]]
Jeanne Porterfield:
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This trip we had planned to travel light, but somewhere those plans went astray. Luckily, a most obliging man from the airlines offered to help us with all those last-minute things one thinks of to take along.
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Little did he know the feat he had undertaken.
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Well, that was an easy boarding for us.
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Our huge jet soared off and, once in the air, our Dutch treat began. We settled down to enjoy the steady stream of delicacies that appeared almost every mile of the 1,900 we had before reaching our destination.
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You know this was the kind of flight that made me think it would be just as much fun to keep on flying rather than getting back down to Earth, in more ways than one.
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The first part of our trip is to the three most important islands of the Dutch West Indies known as the ABC Islands. The three windward islands to the northeast and the country of Suriname you'll see in the second half of the program.
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As for the ABCs, instead of starting in alphabetical order, we're going to work backwards and start with the center island of the group, Curaçao.
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Jeanne Porterfield: Curaçao is the largest and most important island of all six of them as it is the seat of government for all of them.
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Now the Dutch West Indies, or Netherlands Antilles, as they're officially called, form an independent part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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Before 1954, they were colonies, belonging to Holland, but in that year, Queen Juliana gave them their autonomy, making them self-governing and on a basis of equality with the Netherlands.
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Well, after a most glamorous flight, we reached Curacao and anxiously anticipated what lay before us.
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Luckily another unsuspecting Dutchman offered to help us. [[laughter]] But this, I'm sure, he didn't anticipate. Nor did we anticipate the strong tradewinds. This is certainly no place to wear one of those new fashionable wigs.
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With what coiffures we had left, we took the bus into town. Willemstad is the capital, in fact, the only real city of Curaçao. And what a surprise it is to find down here in the tropics the colorful Dutch waterfront reflecting the quaint charm of Holland.
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One of the most memorable features of Willemstad is this unique swinging bridge fondly called Queen Emma after the present Queen Juliana's grandmother.
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This most restless of bridges connects the two main sections of town. One side being called the Punda, the other, the Otrabanda.
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It's constantly opening for the many people, for the many boats that come and go. And there's always considerable hurrying and scurrying when the opening signal is given.
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If the cars don't make it over the bridge, it's a 15-mile drive around to get to the other side. Well, you know, they have a really good excuse here for being late.
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These people, it seems, got caught in the middle, but most of the pedestrians take the busy little ferry boats that shuttle back and forth while the bridge is in operation.
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Jeanne Porterfield: A clock estimates the time the bridge will close and the traffic can cross over again. Curaçao is the Caribbean's busiest port with a steady flow of ships streaming right through the very heart of town dwarfing the streets and gabled rooftops.
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Well, you know, I'm not sure who has the right of way in a situation like this.
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Overlooking the waterfront is the harbor pilot's office and here the pilots receive their orders as to the ships they're to bring in and take out. One of the most experienced pilots is Johan [[Bainstra??]] on his way here to bring in a cargo ship. Now watch the impeccable Dutch.
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The cargo ship's waiting for him just outside the harbor entrance.
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There are eighteen harbor pilots in all, each usually bringing in an average of two to three ships a day.
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Because of the tides, ocean currents, and narrow, restrictive harbor entrance, it takes a great deal of experience to pilot in the big ships. In fact, under Dutch law, a harbor pilot must have earned various certificates that even qualify him to be a sea captain himself.
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Although the captain is responsible in all ways for his ship, when a harbor pilot is on board, he takes over command. And as ships come to Curacao from all parts of the world, he must be able to give his commands in at least eight languages.
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Although Curacao is only 38 miles long and 7 at its widest, it's the world's fourth largest harbor in tonnage of ships using it.
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Coming in this way, you can see the [[Leading??]] Hotel, built within the remaining walls of an old fort. And the Dutch waterfront slipping by is a sight travelers rarely forget.
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The narrow channel Johan is now guiding the ship along opens into a huge inner harbor where the Dutch Shell Oil refinery is. This is the world's second largest oil refinery and was established here due to Curacao's proximity to Venezuela where the crude oil comes from.
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The refinery has brought great prosperity to the island and is one of the most important factors in its economy, giving employment to thousands.
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Having completed his job, Johan crosses back over to the Punda side to await another call.
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The Punda is the oldest section where the main shops and businesses are located as well as many important buildings of historical interest.
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The Protestant church, dating back to the mid 1700s, is an excellent example of Dutch colonial architecture.
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And here in the same square is the old Fort Amsterdam. The Dutch first came to Curacao in 1634. They took the island from the far-reaching Spanish who had settled here after discovering it in 1499.
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Despite several attacks by the French and British, and a few short periods of British rule, Holland has managed to keep the island down through the centuries, with Curacao now, as I said, an independent part of the kingdom of the Netherlands.
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The yellow building is one of the oldest synagogues in the Western Hemisphere. It too dates back to the mid 1700s.
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Although gone for many years, the influence of the Spanish still persists with narrow little streets and picturesque alleyways accompanied by long Dutch names. Not one of which I'd try to pronounce.
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The younger face of Curacao is seen is such things as their post office and modern war memorial. You know, with so many of our United States dollars going to the four corners of the world, we taxpayers should appreciate this American consulate as it was given to us by the people of Curacao in gratitude for our protection of them during World War II.
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The houses of Curacao are another of its memorable qualities. Their style and ornamentation are strictly Curacaoan. And even their color presents an unusual story.
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Legend says that a Dutch governor once complained that the glare of the sun on the white houses gave him headaches. Well, when reminded that he was the governor, he promptly passed a law that no more houses could be painted white. Well, that's quite a cure for a headache.
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Here's an appropriate name for a flower shop.
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And from the looks of this house, a Picasso or Dali might live here.
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It's fascinating to wander around looking at all these rainbow hued houses, but don't be surprised if one looks right back at you. [[laughter]]
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In seeing all the various houses, we came to the one where the harbor pilot Johan [[Fainstra??]] lives with his wife and family.
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Both Johan and his wife Jancha are from Holland and were married there 13 years ago. Now Johan says what a joy it is to be able to come home after a day's work instead of the way it used to be for the first five years while he was away at sea most of the time.
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While he was an officer on a Dutch Shell Oil ship that kept coming to Curacao, he decided he'd like to make their home here. Well, that was 8 years ago and they've all been happily here ever since.
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Just off the main waterway, in a small lagoon, is the picturesque floating market. Schooners from South America line up here by the dozens to sell fresh fruit and vegetables right from their decks.
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It's here where Jancha, the harbor pilot's wife, likes to do some of her marketing.
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As Curacao has a very dry climate, little food can be grown on this arid land so much of it comes from Venezuela which is just 38 miles to the south.
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Johan and Jancha always enjoy shopping for the many bargains that are available here, and of course, so do the many tourists who come here from all parts of the world.
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One of the main shopping streets is the Mall, where even a donkey could find something to buy if he were so inclined.
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Everyone's most anxious to fill up their shopping bags but seem a bit confused as to just which direction to proceed in, which store to go to.
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And when they find another store, do they have any money left to buy just one more thing?
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We too were unable to resist the lure of shopping and headed for one of the finest jewelry stores.
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Business in Curacao is conducted in 22 languages and the currency of any country is accepted so the language barrier doesn't exist here. But after enough shopping, neither does your currency.
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The diamond rings in this box alone came to over a quarter of a million dollars. And, wouldn't you know, the first one that I pointed to was the most expensive one there: $42,000. They didn't know that we were just looking.
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Many of these exquisite pieces would sell for 30% more here in the United States.
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Now I know why they say diamonds are a girl's best friend.
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Nowhere else in the Caribbean is there such a great range of lovely items to be had at bargain prices.
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The bargains exist because the import duty is so low here, especially on many of these lovely luxury islands that come from all corners of the globe.
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One of the things strictly from here is their own world-famous Curaçao liqueur, made from the peel of the little green oranges grown on the island.
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On the outskirts of Willemstad is a Curaçao museum, another fine example of Dutch colonial architecture. Built originally as a military hospital, it now houses many interesting things from the colonial period.
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56% of the island's budget goes for education, and this is one of their finest schools, the Peter Stuyvesant College. The word "college" here actually means high school.
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Curaçao has one of the highest rates of literacy in the entire Caribbean. Peter Stuyvesant was the first governor here back in the mid-1600s and is still fondly remembered.
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Colourful flame trees dot the landscape along the road leading to the picturesque Piscadera Beach Club, situated a few miles outside of town on the water.
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This is not only a favourite place for the Curaç--for the tourists to stay and relax, but also, where the Curaçaoans themselves like to spend much of their free time.
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[[Jan?]], too, every chance he gets, brings the whole family here to spend the day. The two older children, Robert, 12, and William, 10, were born in Holland. Little Mica, age 4, was born here. But now all of them, including Jan and Yangtze feel like this is home, and more than thrive on Curaçao's wonderful climate, where the sun dips behind the rain clouds a scant 20 days out of the year at the most.
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The children, as all children everywhere, are more than anxious to get into the water.
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And if they had their way about it, they'd stay in all day long.
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But Johan, as must dutiful parents, has other ideas about it, especially for the youngest member of the family who's just learning to swim.
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But in this case, the smallest turns out to be the mightiest.
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She even proves to be the victor of the day by keeping the whole family in the water until they were finally forced to leave, but only because the sun did.
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Boca Tabla on the windward side of the island is a huge cave. Here the timeless waves, which present quite another facet of the Caribbean, have pounded against the coral rock to carve out the formation.
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Sailing is another popular recreation here and it seems as though little Mica doesn't want to miss the boat.
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Johan, on his day away from piloting in the big ships, takes the proverbial busman's holiday and sails his own boat in a picturesque bay known as Spanish Water.
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Johan also likes to build model ships, and is even in the process of building a small boat for his son.
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Back in his native Holland, Johan's father wanted him to go into business and thought his love of the sea just a passing fancy.
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But with Johan, this was a fancy that certainly didn't pass.
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The countryside is called the kunuku, and here hundreds of wild goats have smugly taken possession of the land, haughtily regarding the people as the trespassers.
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Here two stately plantations still stand dating from the colonial days. They contrast sharply with the thatched roofed roofed huts of the few people still living in the sparsely populated kunuku.
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The majority of the island's hundred and twenty-nine thousand people live in Willemstad.
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Folk customs and dances are usually better preserved in the rural areas than towns and this group's enjoying themselves in a typical Curacaoan dance of a most abandoned, congenial nature. Did I say congenial? [[music plays]]
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There are varied styles of dancing brought to the island by the many seafarers of the past. [[drums playing]]
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Well, after that dance, a well-earned rest before heading down the road back to town where they often perform at the hotel. That one's really putting his heart into it.
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The hotel is situated right at the entrance to the waterway. And because the ships pass by so close to it, you can almost reach out and touch them. It's the only hotel possessing collusion insurance.
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It's ingeniously built within the remaining walls of an old fort. Passengers from the cruise ships come to see this unique hotel and also to see the dancers who've come in to perform for them. [[music plays]]
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Fort Naussau, the oldest fort, is built high upon a hilltop. It's now used as a signal tower for the ships as it can be so easily seen from its vantage point.
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The harbor pilots down below watch for the various signals, each having their own meaning. And when the black ball is up, accompanied by a red flag, it means that the bridge is open and a ship is about to leave.
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And what a famous ship it is. The Portuguese Santa Maria, and Johan is the pilot to take her out.
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It was the same time of day in January 1961 that an amazing story was enacted. Right here in Willemstad, a group of Portuguese men peacefully boarded, but a little outside of the port, they hijacked the ship in a rebellion against their government.
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They were the first pirates of contemporary times, and the plight of the Santa Maria became world headlines.
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Then, as now, this same captain, Captain Maia, was in command and he was forced at gunpoint to surrender the Santa Maria to the rebel leader, Galvao.
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Somehow Galvao managed to keep this twenty-thousand ton luxury liner hidden at sea.
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And as many of its 600 passengers were American, even the United States Navy joined in the search.
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Finally, thirteen days later, Galvao was forced to surrender the Santa Maria at the Brazilian port of Recife. Since then, many articles and books have been written about this daring, unforgettable incident.
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When the rope ladder is lowered and Johan is back in the pilot boat, his job is complete and he sends the Santa Maria on her way. Safely, we trust this time.
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Curacao is certainly a port that Captain Maia will never forget, and nor will we, but for many more pleasant reasons. And no matter how one leaves, it's always fun to look back and see that little bit of Holland in the Caribbean.
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Second in size of the ABCs, but third in importance, is the island of Bonaire. It's only 40 miles east of Curacao, but what a change in the weather.
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The mystery of the barren trees, drifting snowflakes and snowbanks, well, it's mere wind-whipped salt foam and piles of sparkling salt so Bonaire is a tropic isle after all.
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It's a quiet, sleepy island devoid of any commercial activity where its 6,000 inhabitants really enjoy being off the beaten track. In fact, the tranquility of the island is its main tourist attraction today. But you know, I often wonder, with many tourists, then what happens to that tranquility?
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Kralendijk,the peaceful little capital, has the air of a colonial settlement as in the days when the Dutch first came here.
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The building, designed in the style of a miniature Greek temple, is of all things the town fish market.
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Here the fishermen bring their catch which can consist of an abundant variety, anywhere from the small, colorful tropical ones to the large tuna, barracuda, kingfish, and sailfish. In fact, for anyone who enjoys the sport of fishing, Bonaire is certainly the place.
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Very little food is grown here, and meat's quite expensive so every day the townspeople gather to await the fishermen and their evening meal.
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One of the most interesting inhabitants here is Mr. Hitekernick, known as Hite. He makes jewelry from tortoise shell.
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Many years ago, back in his native Holland, Hite was offered a job as a jewelry salesman over in Curacao. Well, he took it, planning to stay only a year.
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But one weekend, he came over to Bonaire. Well, that was 22 years ago and you know he's never been back to Holland since.
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It's very difficult to work with the hard tortoise shell and the lovely dresser set he made of a rare cherry tortoise sells for $100.
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One of the main places to stay here is a delightful rustic inn, the Flamingo Beach Club.
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Here one can rent the club's 40-foot catch for the day, or if one prefers, swim at the club's own beach, a beach whose bathers appear quite routine, or do they?
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This bather's name is Bubbles, the devoted pet of Mr. Hitekernick, who I'm sure is the only man in the world with a 165- pound pet loggerhead.
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Bubbles, who dearly loves swimming with Hite and follows him around like a puppy, is a mere youngster of 8 and has many swimming years ahead of him as his life expectancy is well over a hundred years.
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The story of this strange friendship began when one day a newly hatched baby turtle waddled over to Hite and enjoyed being petted by him. Well, as he grew, his devotion for Hite grew.
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And as loggerheads are of the snapping, dangerous variety, this was certainly a devotion out of the ordinary.
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One day, Hite decided to take Bubbles swimming with him, to see if perhaps this turtle love would dissolve in the depths of the ocean.
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Instead, the turtle stayed right with him, came up for air when he did, and even swam ashore when he did. So now these improbable friends are a common sight in Bonaire.
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Not too far from the Flamingo Beach Club are the salt pans and, although little exploited now, they attest to the once thriving salt industry of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
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Nearby are rows of stark slave huts used to house the many slaves brought to work the salt pans.
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An average sized man has difficulty in even entering, yet, as many as 6 slaves used to be kept in one hut.
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Here two picturesque pylons still stand that used to guide the salt ships to their moorings.
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Nearby in the salt lake is one of only 7 natural breeding grounds in the entire world of rare pink flamingos.
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We were told that we might be able to see these beautiful birds out in the center of the shallow lake near their nests.
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Well, not keen on such a watery hike, but most anxious to see them, we splashed off in search of them.
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Unlike the tame flamingos generally seen, these birds are extremely shy and very difficult to approach. But soon we saw a group off in the distance, but when they saw us, off they flew.
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Although knee-deep in water, our hopes remained undampened as we carefully approached another group. But they too turned their backs on us and flew away.
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This sanctuary is so protected that even planes aren't allowed to fly over it.
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Finally, we were able to get fairly close to one, a young one, as his feathers hadn't turned pink yet. They don't for nearly a year.
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Luckily, he didn't see us. I guess he was too busy doing the flamingo twist. [[laughter]]
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At last, we reached their nests, after trudging through the water for 2 miles, but still no flamingos.
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Their mud nests are well elevated to keep the eggs dry and the sun bakes them until they're firm enough to hold the egg and parent bird.
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To think, there are almost 5,000 flamingos here and we can't get a really good look at them.
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Before returning to shore, mission unaccomplished, we wearily made use of their nests, empty ones that is.
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Early the next morning, we set out again, and this time we were successful.
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What a rare sight. A whole group of wild flamingos at their nests.
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These birds are among the richest in color of the entire species. Their deep rosy hue is due to the microscopic red shrimp that they eat from the salt lake.
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That's the way we felt about it too.
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Some of these babies are probably no more than a few hours old.
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Well, I think this one better wait until tomorrow to try his new little legs.
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This could be called "baby's first steps." And from the looks of the next one, he must be pondering the old adage of "which came first."
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As these graceful creatures flew away, so did we. Leaving Bonaire behind, we continued on to the island of Aruba, lying just 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela.
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Aruba is the smallest of the ABC group, but second in importance. And surprisingly, its airport is an important link in international air traffic.
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Sitting right out on a beautiful stretch of beach is the Aruba Caribbean Hotel. It's strikingly modern.
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And you know, it's a funny thing, the cars around here are appropriately the same identical color as the trim of the hotel. Well, I wonder in this case who mixed the paint first.
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The hotel's 8 stories make it the tallest building in the entire Dutch West Indies. It was built several years ago by an American architect at a cost of 5 million dollars and has played a very important part in bringing many more tourists to Aruba.
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A band that plays at the hotel is composed of a father and his 7 sons ranging in age from 18 down to only 5 with sometimes even a younger conductor taking over. [[music plays, laughter]]
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When the Caribbean moon comes up so do the lights of the hotel's famous casino. And with the turning of the wheels, the guests gather, hoping to see Lady Luck turn in their direction.
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Well it looks like she's turned toward him. The slap machines are one arm bandits as they're apply called aren't holding anyone up tonight. You know this seems to always happen to the other person. Around the hotel there's a living fence of cactus and as Aruba, like Curacao Bernal is very dry, the cactus not only grows everywhere but is also put to very practical use.
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With this unique clothes line the cactus needle serve as a clothes lines pins. But you know with enough of this, i think that the laundry could serve as a siv as well. One of the most distinctive features of Arubas landscape is the tree that grows sideways enchantedly called the dd tree. He'll never need a compass in Aruba as the dd tree is vent by acessive trade winds to always point side west. Aside from being a natural compass, the tree also has another use discovered by Jacob Henriques. Cutting down only the dead ones he proceeds to a great deal of work to turnt he trunks of these trees that will soon become known as ddd detangles. Mr. Henriques
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with the application of the lacker
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fascinating rock formations and piles of huge bowlders rear from the earth. This ....
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Nature's performed some natural features here such as
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00:45:43.000 --> 00:45:47.000
Jeanne Porterfield: Here, Pam Dallas leaves a cultural center in search of more subjects to paint in town.
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Jeanne Porterfield: Often too, he can be found right on the town streets conducting his art classes.
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Jeanne Porterfield: The official language of the entire Netherlands Antilles is Dutch, but the ABC Group have an added language all their own called, "Poppymento."
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Its recipe contains two cups of Spanish, one cup of Dutch, a teaspoon of French, a pinch of Portuguese, and a dash of English.
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The dash of English being the words, "okay," and "payday."
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Along L'Orangestad's waterfront, schooners come again from South America to sell their food, which consists mainly of fish and fresh food. And in the marketplace, everyone searches for a bargain among the bananas.
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But instead of a bargain among the bananas, you're liable to find something quite different.
[SILENCE] While we've encountered many camera-shy people on our travels {LAUGHTER}
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Moored along the waterfront is a little house boat, the home of a unique floating restaurant called the Bally.
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We went in to have their specialty, rijsttafel, a meal to have only when you're really hungry and not counting calories as it consists of twenty to forty different exotic Indonesian dishes.
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It takes two days to eat or two days that's right two days to prepare all the dishes, two hours to eat them, and I might add, about two weeks of strenuous dieting afterwards but now I wasn't thinking about those two weeks. I did that later.
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We were told that this was just the first group of dishes to be served. Well, you know I couldn't believe it until they brought the second.
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Later, when we left, the owner was outside to greet us or was it to congratulate us?
00:47:50.000 --> 00:48:02.000
Jeanne Porterfield: Along with wooden shoes and windmills, another thing typically Dutch is the barrel organ. This one has been imported straight from Holland and is accompanying a most unusual dance, typical only of Aruba.
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Jeanne Porterfield: At first glance, you may think this just an ordinary May pole dance, but on closer inspection, you'll see it's much more than that. It's a May pole dance but done with a Roomba beat. [music playing]
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Jeanne Porterfield: The rhythm's accentuated by scraping a piece of ridged metal called a weary. This is a most important instrument in this part of the world.
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Jeanne Porterfield: This dance is only done on very special occasions. Today, they're celebrating the birthday of a member of Holland's royal family, Princess Beatrix [music playing]
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Jeanne Porterfield: Though footsteps in the sand quickly disappear, nothing can dispel the charm of these three islands, so truly a tropical touch of the Dutch. [music playing]
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[audience applause]
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Jeanne Porterfield: Thank you. Now after the intermission, Lisa Chickering will be back to take you on the second half of our trip. Thank you.
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