Page 13 - AHATA

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local Thursday 5 February 2026
The Bali Restaurant: a touristic hot spot and lost gem on the island

(Oranjestad)—Once lo- legendary Aruban musi-
cated by the yacht dock cian and composer, Toti
in front of the Parliament Arends.
building, the Bali Restau-
rant was once both a tour- After 1989, the restaurant
istic and local hot spot, and was again handed over
nowadays it’s considered to other owners, and since
a forgotten gem on the is- then suffered from unstable
land. pillars underneath the foun-
dation, resulting in various
Known as “the floating res- leaks and overflowing of
taurant”, Bali first opened water into the restaurant.
in 1955 by Willem “Bill” And as most great things
Strijland, who had experi- come to an end, so did the
ence in Javanese cuisine. survival and maintenance
At the time, the restaurant of the Bali Restaurant. How-
was pretty exclusive— ever, folks today reminisce
with space to host only 25 its legacy, and it’s now
guests. Yet, 4 years later, it considered a lost monu-
was named the best res- ment.
taurant in the Caribbean
by the Caribbean Tourist Be a part of the conversa-
Association. tion: if you or any family
member of yours have a
The restaurant was proba- memory of the Bali restau-
bly most iconic for its Java- rant, whether it be a pic-
nese-inspired exterior with ture or just a story, share it
its pointy, slanted roofs. renovations and rebrand- unstable pillars underneath “The New Bali”, who had its with us! We would love to
However, the first version of ing. the foundation. However, official (re)opening in 1972. see this legendary hot spot
Bali did not look like that at the biggest change made through the lens of our visi-
all but was still considered In 1964, the restaurant was to the restaurant happened After 1972, when Ronny tors!
as one of the most popu- taken over by Karel “Carl” in the year 1970—still under Schmand took over, the
lar restaurants on the island Schmand. Over the years, the ownership of Schmand, restaurant saw yet another Source and pictures credit
at the time. The restaurant the restaurant needed when it got its iconic pointy expansion; this time com- to: “De Kolibrie op de Rots
saw three different owners constant renovation and roofs. The restaurant was plete with a long bar and (en meer over de geschie-
during its existence, during repair, mainly due to its vul- also expanded to host a dance floor, where guests denis van Aruba)” by Evert
which it underwent various nerability to leaks and the total of 85 guests. This was enjoyed live music from Bongers.q

Planning on snorkeling? Get to know our Candelchi!

ORANJESTAD—If you’re our waters, which is called such as color on the dorsal can hide. Although they challenging to scale the
ever planning on snorkel- squirrelfish in English or sci- spine or marks on the body. prefer to hunt for food at fish, which is why it is not
ing during your vacation on entifically known as Holo- night, they are also active one of the favorites among
Aruba, you may spot fish centrus adscensionis. In Aruba: during the day. They are fishermen. They often live in
that you can’t recognize. Candelchi are found on edible and delicious when groups.q
One of these may be the Under candelchi, we in Aru- reefs or areas with structure prepared dry and crispy
“Candelchi” (Squirrelfish), ba generally refer to all the in the water where they with lime. It is particularly
a common, yet shy fish that different species of squir-
swims all year long in the relfish. They all look alike
waters of Aruba. and it’s really difficult to dis-
tinguish between them.
Let’s talk about the names
of fish. Do you know your The squirrelfish family is dis-
fish? The Department of tinguished by the following
Agriculture, Livestock, and characteristics. They are
Fisheries, known as Santa heart-shaped with pink or
Rosa, offers this informative red hues and often show
article that illustrates some heart-shaped streaks be-
fish and their names in Pa- tween the scales along
piamento. the body. They have hard
fins and are always armed.
Candelchi, Squirrelfish, Ho- Over at our sister island
locentrus adscensionis: Curaçao, they are called
Candelchi actually refers to “bari di clabo” (nail barrel)
the entire squirrelfish family for that reason.
or, as some say, when we
say candelchi, we mean In our waters, there are 7 to
several different species 8 types or species present
but without distinguishing and they are sometimes
them by species. In this caught and seen occa-
picture, we are showing sionally. They can be distin-
the most common one in guished by different marks