Ugly

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Geo: 12.2277, -69.092

After the obligatory visit to another one of Curacao's fine beaches, Cas Abou, the Middle Earth theme resurfaced again today, as we visited, of all places, Curacao's Ostrich Farm. Orcs and Creepy-Crawlies ... who woulda thunk we could find this shit here? Starting with Tapie the Tapir, resident mascot of the Ostrich Farm, and an animal with a face that no mother could love - unless she had the the eyesight of Hans Moleman, from The Simpsons.



I've heard of Tapirs before, but have never seen one up close - sorry Tapie, but you are one ugly SOB, although somehow strangely cute, in a perverse, puke-a-little-in-your-mouth kind of way. Taking a closer look at his face, you can see a striking resemblance to an Orc, I kid you not. You wonder how artists can come up with these creatures for movies, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone once said "Hey, a Tapir would make a great starting point for a disgusting, drooling, murderous creature in a fantasy movie!"

Things didn't end there - proudly on display at the farm was a giant centipede, thicker than my thumb, and probably three times as long, and absolutely nasty. The Ostrich Farm is an unusual kind of place, with a pretty random collection of animals, in addition to its focal point, the Ostriches. It's supposed to have a good South African-themed restaurant specializing in - you guessed it - Ostrich, and featuring a boma, a typical South African bonfire. Unfortunately, visiting during daylight hours, we didn't really find too much entertaining here, though an evening visit for a boma would surely be quite the experience.

However, today wasn't a complete waste, as Cas Abou lived up to its billing as one of Curacao's best - being midweek, it was fairly deserted, and feeling almost as if it was off-the-beaten path, though it's certain that hordes of tourists and locals alike descend upon its powdery sand every weekend. The beach itself was great, but perhaps the highlight of Cas Abou was the snack shack - typical beach fare is overpriced and unappealing, but this place was delicious and was fairly good value, all things considered.

Beyond the food, the bartender mixed up a killer local rendition of a colada, streaked with an electric-blue bolt of Curacao. Another day, another beach, another colada ... you think we've settled into a pattern here?

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Photos

Tapie the Tapir ...
... not sure how he fits into the theme of the Ostrich Farm, but here he is!

Giant Centipede ...
... the theme of the Ostrich Farm got downright bizarre and nasty here.

Playa Cas Abou ...
... perhaps the nicest beach in Curacao.

Killer Beach Shack ...
... you wouldn't think it, but the beach kiosk had some killer food and drink, including Caribbean Coladas and this grilled beef dish, little strips of beef spiked with some Indonesian-tasting spices.

Fried Fish ...
... equally killer, like the grilled beef.

Dutch Influence ...
... sort of - from the colonial days, Dutch cuisine picked up a large Indonesian influence, so we decided to try Sambal, one of several Indonesian restaurants in Curacao. Pangsit goreng - fried pastries stuffed with ground beef. Quite nice, but unfortunately, the dough wasn't sealed completely around the edges, so the inside was a bit greasy.

Bami Goreng ...
... chicken sate - fried noodles with chicken sate. The noodles were fairly pedestrian, but the chicken sate was great, juicy and nicely grilled.

Nasi Goreng Rames ...
... like bami goreng, but with some surprisingly-good fried rice instead of noodles, and the addition of egg and fried banana. Pretty good value at Sambal, compared to some of the expensive meals we've had so far.