Curacao

March 12, 2005

Curacao!  I don’t think I’ll ever hear that name again without feeling warmth and longing to return.  For those of you who don’t know, Curacao is an island that is part of the Netherlands Antilles, located approx. 30 miles off the coast of Venezuela.  The official language there is Dutch; however, the locals speak a beautiful “original” language there called Papiamentu, which is a mixture of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, and it also has some Arawak Indian and African influences.  For those of you who don’t speak any languages other than English, everyone also seems to speak English.  Curacao has a colonial Dutch heritage, which is reflected in its beautiful and fascinating architecture.  It is very close to the Equator and is HOT!

The Matt Savage Trio performed a concert for the Autism Association of Curacao on March 12, 2005.  The location itself was great, but saying this doesn’t even begin to put into words our feelings about the entire experience…the love we felt there, the WONDERFUL people, the way everyone went completely out of their way for us was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Did I say how wonderful are THE PEOPLE in Curacao???!!!!

Never before have I been at a loss for words in trying to compose a “scrapbook” write-up.  From the moment we first spoke with Krissy Capriles (the person whose hard work and enthusiasm and heart made this concert a reality), we knew it was going to be something special.  We didn’t expect things to be as wonderful as they were.

Krissy worked tirelessly and relentlessly to acquire sponsors to help bring us to the island.  There were sponsors who were completely and unbelievably generous in making our visit possible.  American Airlines generously cooperated with the Autism Association to help make our trip possible.  Thanks must go to Javier deCastro for that.  With the many difficulties facing airlines at the present time, it is even more special that their hearts were still so caring and that they supported such a wonderful Autism Organization.  Our accommodations were provided by The Breezes Resort Spa & Casino, in Willemstad, by Adalberto Lugo, the General Manager.  If you have the opportunity to go there, GO!  It is a wonderful place for families and for people who know how to vacation!  The resort has something for everyone there.  There is dining (at 3 different restaurants, a beach grill, and a children’s snack bar).  At night the beach grill transforms into a 4^th (unbelievably picturesque) restaurant called the Starlight Grill run by a wonderful man named Jeff Billone.  The restaurant changes it cuisine from burgers and grill fare to elegant dining right by the beach.  (Really great food!)  There are bars everywhere, so you are never far from fresh water (which you’ll need!!!) or your favorite beverage of choice, no matter WHAT the choice. ;-)  There are 3 interconnected swimming pools (one with a swim-up bar) right alongside the beach, a kiddy pool, and a “water sports” pool.  We did just a fraction of what is available there and had the most fun we’ve ever had on vacation.  We played “giant chess” on a chessboard with 2-foot high chess pieces, and Matt spent every free minute in the pool playing with the other kids there.

  When we wanted quiet “land” fun, we played ping-pong, regular chess, shuffleboard (yes, it’s fun!) and foosball.  We also went snorkeling in the crystal clear ocean.  There is lots of coral and fish to see. 

We did LOTS of dining and thoroughly enjoyed the constant activities going on around the area…flying trapeze and trampoline shows, padded sumo wrestling, bouncy boxing, rock climbing and other things.  According to the listing of events about the resort, there is also tennis, golf nearby, an “ice” skating rink, a multitude of water and land sports, scuba, nightly entertainment, a casino, the list goes on and on.  But we spent all our time at the pools or beach or dining or playing games.  It was the most enjoyable and relaxing VACATION we’ve ever had…even though we were there for “business.”  Adalberto was so incredibly attentive to every single guest there, as was each and every staff member.  We weren’t given “special” attention because of Matt’s fame.  I watched every guest at the resort receive smiles and warmth and attention from every single staff member.  I hope we go back there, because I REALLY want to bring Larry and Rebecca next time and show them how phenomenal a vacation can be.

http://www.superclubs.com/brand_breezes/resort_curacao/index.asp

We arrived in Curacao on March 10^th.  We were brought to the resort that evening and settled in.  The next morning, Matt and I had a short press conference, held at Breezes.  All of the newspapers and television and radio people were there.  Matt did a “group” interview, and played a few tunes on the beautiful piano there.  (Breezes has a piano bar in which nightly music is provided.)  Matt was right at home answering questions, as usual.  But I could tell he was having a lot of fun, because the members of the press there were so caring.  He was laughing a lot.  And despite that there were lots of press members there, each person gave time to each other person to ask questions.  It was not a frenzied conference at all.  It was as if Matt was talking to one person at a time, with a bunch of friends around.  And The Curacao Tourist Board gave to each of us (and Matt’s sidemen) a wonderful bag filled with mementos to remind us of our wonderful trip.  There were cool carry bags, hats, pens, key chains, liqueur made in Curacao (for the adults), and other items.  Matt, of course didn’t receive the liqueur.  (Sorry, Matt).  That was an unexpected and completely wonderful present from the Tourist Board.  Every time we carry something in our bags or wear our hats or even write a note, we’ll remember our trip!

Afterwards, we made a trip to do a LIVE spot on the local radio station TROSPARADISE, (with Julie and Martin).  On a side note, although not a minor one, special thanks need to go to Jacques Visser (who heads up the radio station) who was instrumental in getting the piano used for the concert performed by the band on the following Saturday.

Krissy and her husband drove us to the station, which is in a building that used to be a JAIL! and gave us a wonderful scenic ride through Otrobanda and Punda, the major towns in Willemstad.  Krissy used to be a tour guide (as well as professional singer), and Stanley has lived in Curacao a LONG time, so we got the real lowdown on the area.  Next time we return I want to be able to spend lots of time checking out the open markets and nightlife and beautiful architecture and history of the towns, including walking across the floating pontoon bridge connecting the two towns.  The Capriles family drove us all around so we could see the beauty and vastly different terrain of different areas.

They brought us back to the resort, and we ate lunch and relaxed for a while. Then we had an incredible experience…swimming with dolphins.  Breezes is right near the Seaquarium in Curacao.  At the Seaquarium is the Curacao Dolphin Academy.  Hilde Gerlofs arranged for us to experience the Academy. The Dolphin Academy offers several dolphin encounter programs and dolphin therapy programs for children with different special needs.  The dolphin programs in which anyone can participate are Dolphin Encounter, Dolphin Swim, Dolphin Dive, and Dolphin Snorkel.  We did the Dolphin Swim, which was one of the most wonderful experiences Matt and I have ever had. 

 If you’ve never interacted with dolphins before, they are caring, intelligent mammals with soft, sleek skin and a calm demeanor.  And they look like they have a perpetual smile on their faces!  Although we did just the swim, I can understand why there is such extreme effectiveness of the Dolphin Academy’s Dolphin Therapy programs for children with different disorders.  Children often have the ability to interact better with animals than people.  Dolphins have an intuitive sense of how to adjust their actions to fit the needs of the person with whom they swim.  They are extremely gentle with children.  I watched how sweet and gentle they were with Matt, although they dwarfed him in size.  They let him swim alongside them and pet them for a very long time.  And I have a hip replacement.  I worried that THAT might be an issue.  But the dolphins seemed to understand that too, swimming slowly near me so I, too, could pet them at length.  My family supports animal interaction therapies for children…we have “horse therapy” programs in New England that are terrific.  The dolphin therapy program is fantastic.  I would definitely enroll my child in dolphin therapy if I lived in Curacao.  The experience is very calming, physical, interactive and esteem-building…all the elements needed from a good therapy.  You can experience the dolphins yourself at the Dolphin Academy.  Check out this photo of Matt. 

And here is a press release put out by the Academy about our visit:   www.dolphin-academy.com/news/index.htm

After the swim, we spend a long time enjoying the Seaquarium’s sea lions, flamingos, sharks, petting area, and hundreds of other exhibits with Krissy’s daughter. 

On Friday, we spent the morning at the pool and playing giant chess and had a nice lunch before Krissy and Stan picked us up to take us to the beautiful Brakkeput Mei-Mei, where the concert was to be held the next day. They wanted Matt to see the venue in advance and for us to know where everything was.  Normally a performing band has a backstage room (called a green room) in which the band can relax and rest before a concert and during intermission.  The “green room” at Brakkeput Mei-Mei made the term “green room” take on a whole new meaning!  It was without walls and the view was nothing but greenery.  This was the view from the porch at the back of the restaurant, which served as our green room.  You could see the plantation and Taffelberg (a.k.a.  Table Mountain) and Spanish Water. 

The Brakkeput Mei-Mei is actually an open-air restaurant situated on a historic eighteenth century plantation house.  It has a beautiful view, excellent food, and a huge open-air stage.  The open-air stage was where the band performed, and it was as gorgeous a place as one could ever imagine.  Tony Halabi, from the Brakkeput Mei-Mei, donated use of the venue for this benefit and awareness concert.  What a wonderful gift.

I know this article is supposed to be about the CONCERT in Curacao, but I just HAD to talk about the entire trip.  It was a once-in-a lifetime adventure for us.

Skipping ahead to the concert, it was completely awesome!  The guys in the band told me that you perform dozens of concerts as a professional musician and maybe get one or two that are PERFECT…where everything comes together just right and it is a magical experience.  This was just such a night.  The band was ON.  They were hot and they were tight.  The audience was wildly enthusiastic and amazing and the band could feel it.  The sound was excellent in the venue.  The venue and view was amazing.  Everything just came together.  And the songs Matt chose for the sets were perfect.  I’ll never forget this concert.  And neither will any of the band members…including Matt! 

I know my write-ups about concerts are not usually this lengthy, but there was so much to tell about our adventure. The concert was perfect, I think, because everything else about our trip was perfect. And the people were so incredible. If it weren’t for the generosity of the many sponsors, including American Airlines, the Breezes Resort Spa & Casino, the Brakkeput Mei-Mei, the Dolphin Academy, all the board members and members-at-large of the Autism Association of Curacao, a whole SLEW of generous and supportive organizations, and most of all Krissy and Stan Capriles, this trip would never have happened. The American Women's Club of Curacao also deserves a mention for generously sponsoring 10 music students from the Curacao Cultural Center (CCC), along with 20 students from the Symphonic Youth Orchestra (& their Chaperone). Krissy’s original mission of raising awareness about autism on the island and raising money for the Autism Association of Curacao was a huge success because of a small group of people who have very large hearts and lots of determination. We were honored to be a part of such an event, and we now have friends in Curacao we hope to visit again. And of course, New Hampshire is always around when they get tired of sunshine and perfect weather all the time and want some cool, fall foliage or that wet, white stuff on which we ski called SNOW!