Our goal today was to take it easy and really enjoy some of the nature that Curacao has to offer.
After walking around Christoffelpark for awhile, we headed a little further West to Playa Forti, a beach known for it’s turquoise water, and for the more adventurous folks – for it’s cliff jumping.
Right by the diving platform on the cliff, is a restaurant with an open balcony, that is literally a couple of feet from the ledge. Anyone wanting to jump actually has to walk by the tables in order to get to the platform!
You can see the layout, as well as a diver, on the front cover of the menu in the pic below.
Pretty awesome, right?
The beach area is small, but certainly not crowded (at least it wasn’t when we were there).
Thatched umbrellas provide respite from the sun and a well constructed staircase brings you back to the upper ledge.
Standing on the edge…
Our table was right by the ledge…you can see the diving platform behind the ridiculously cute dog looking for scraps of food.
Entrance to Playa Forti Restaurant
The entrance to the restaurant was essentially a songbird sanctuary…
I know from the chart I saw in the visitor’s center at Christoffelpark, that the yellow bird in the pic below is a Gele Zanger, aka a Yellow Warbler; a species also found in the southern part of North America.
The little bird in the pic below is an Andemus, or a Rufous-collared sparrow. (I love his tiny mohawk!) 
The food
We ordered a few Amstel Brights and some lunch consisting of goat stew with capers and the National Dish of Curacao – Keshi Yena, which is basically cheese stuffed with spiced meat and raisins, and then baked.
The goat stew was savory and satisfying, while the spiced beef in the Keshi Yena had both savory and sweet notes.
Sweet plantains are always a nice touch!
Local Artist
After dinner, we chatted for a while with a local artist who had a small shop set up inside the restaurant.
The drive back
The following day
[continue reading: Island Time]