Stricklandia

Michael Strickland's blog on all things travel: news, deals, destinations, dreams and more.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Diamonds and Tree Houses

The following story is presented by reader request.

Back in July, when we were still planning our recent week-long vacation in Curacao, I blogged about our decision-making about where to stay. My posting included pictures of the Tree House at Lodge Kura Hulanda that we were considering. Ultimately, we decided to stay at low-budget All West Apartments for most of the week, and then spend our last night in the Tree House.

The Tree House turned out to be exactly what we'd hoped for and expected, a perfect blend of romance and adventure. While not strictly a "tree house" in the sense of being built in a tree, the Tree House did sit amongst trees: a wooden platform on stilts holding a safari tent, with a wooden roof over the structure. Inside the tent, luxury furnishings belied the rustic accommodations. The platform outside the tent (reached by a ladder) offered a table and chairs where we could sit and watch the parrots, hummingbirds and iguanas all around us.

A brief but heavy rainstorm (the only one all week) delayed our check-in at Kura Hulanda, so we hurried off to the pool as soon as we got settled in the Tree House. I conveniently "forgot" to bring my book, which gave me an excuse to run back to the Tree House while Cassie lounged poolside. I quickly inflated about 30 white balloons, nearly passing out several times despite good breath control from scuba diving. I also stopped by the bar and arranged to have champagne delivered to the Tree House.


Returning back to the pool area, I relaxed with Cassie like everything was business as usual, enjoying a fruity cocktail and cooling off in the pool. As the sun headed west into late afternoon, we grabbed our snorkeling gear for one last exploration of Curacao's reefs. We weren't disappointed, encountering a school of about 30 squid, the most we've ever seen at one time.

Back on land, we toweled off and climbed back up into the trees. The balloons and champagne surprised Cassie, but not nearly as much as the question I proceeded to pop. She answered "Yes," so we popped the champagne cork too. As the sun set on our final day in Curacao, parrots serenaded us and the sun's last rays sparkled on Cassie's new jewelry. We ended the trip with a beginning!


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4 Comments:

Blogger usamctwo said...

YEAH!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing and love the photo of both of you and Cassie's new jewelry.

September 28, 2008 at 11:01 AM  
Blogger Carol said...

Thanks for sharing. You might inspire some other not-so-creative romantic guy to follow your lead. You've made lots of people happy. And what a cute couple!!

September 28, 2008 at 5:28 PM  
Blogger Anna said...

Congratulations to the both of you!! We are so excited! I love the photo of the balloons and am still in awe that you were able to blow them all up in such a short amount of time.

October 25, 2008 at 4:10 PM  
Blogger Mike Upston said...

Little late to the party here but....WooHoo Congrats!

December 4, 2008 at 2:41 PM  

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