Seen through the lenses of my SunSmiles Shades
There are places on this planet you don’t just see – you feel them. Bonaire is one of those places. Not an island that shouts, not a tourist trap full of glitter and noise. No, Bonaire whispers. It breathes. And it hums softly in the wind sweeping over the coral. Nowhere does it whisper as intensely as by the salt pans on the southern coast.
The first time I stood there, I was wearing my SunSmiles sunglasses – the ones with handcrafted wooden arms and polarized lenses that don’t just filter sunlight, but reveal the truth of a landscape. What I saw was nothing short of magical.
A world of pink and white
The salt pans of Bonaire are a surreal sight. The water turns pink – not just any pink, but flamingo pink, sometimes even neon when the sun is beating down. The color comes from microscopic algae and brine shrimp that thrive in hypersaline conditions. Through the lenses of my sunglasses, the pink was even deeper, as if I were seeing a hidden layer of reality.
And then the contrast: bright white salt mountains, neatly stacked as if the earth were breathing in geometry. Some piles reach at least five meters high and sparkle in the sunlight like crystals. The SunSmiles filter made every reflection razor sharp. Not blinding – just as if the light and I had become allies.
The rhythm of wind and water
There’s something hypnotic about the salt flats. No sound except the wind brushing across the still water and the soft crunch of salt underfoot. Occasionally, you hear the wings of a flamingo – yes, they’re everywhere here. Pink on pink, as if Mother Nature had gone wild with her paintbrush.
I stood there, at the edge of another world, thinking of the past. In the 17th and 18th centuries, enslaved people worked this land under the merciless sun, gathering salt with their bare hands. The tiny stone huts along the coast still stand as silent witnesses to that hard history. I looked at them – through my glasses – and history came closer. The lenses filtered the glare, but not the weight of the moment.
SunSmiles and the soul of travel
It might sound odd, but those sunglasses became my companion. The wooden arms, light and natural, felt like an extension of my skin. As if I wasn’t wearing them, but was them. And the lenses… they let me see Bonaire the way it wants to be seen. No distortion. No gimmicks. Just pure.
Isn’t that what travel should be? Not ticking off checklists or slapping filters on photos – but letting a place move you. Through light, through color, through scent. The salt pans of Bonaire do exactly that. They quiet you. They make you look.
Light that lingers
The sun slowly dropped toward the horizon as I stood there. The sky turned orange, gold, violet. The salt mountains looked ablaze, the water glowed from within. My glasses softened the intense light but let the emotion through. It wasn’t just another sunset – it was a farewell with a promise.
Even after I took off my glasses, the image lingered. As if the lenses had stored something – a memory etched in light.
In closing
If you ever go to Bonaire – and trust me, you should – don’t skip the salt pans. Drive there in the late afternoon, bring a bottle of water, wear sandals, and put on a good pair of sunglasses. One that doesn’t just protect your eyes but tells the story of the land. One like my SunSmiles, with those wooden arms full of character.
And then: look. Breathe. Listen to the salt, the light, the wind. And feel how Bonaire awakens something inside you.
Because some places you don’t just see.
You carry them with you.
Just like those sunglasses.
Just like this island.
