{"id":9034,"date":"2024-03-11T10:45:09","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T09:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relaxedcuracao.com\/en\/advertisement\/iguana\/"},"modified":"2024-05-06T11:14:22","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T09:14:22","slug":"iguana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relaxedcuracao.com\/en\/nature\/iguana\/","title":{"rendered":"Iguana"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Head<\/span><\/div>

T<\/span>he Doppler Iguana Iguana in the name of Curacao’s green iguana is basically correct. That’s the scientific name of the reptile we’re talking about here. Curacao’s inhabitants call it Yuana b\u00e8rd\u00e8, whereby the Papiamentu<\/a> word ‘b\u00e8rd\u00e8’ translates as ‘green’. ‘Yuana’ is a variation of “Iwana” which comes from Ta\u00edno, the language of the indigenous people of Curacao.<\/p>\n

\"Three-part

This candidate seems to have fun on the beach<\/p><\/div>\n

Iguanas everywhere<\/h3>\n

On Curacao, the iguana is your constant companion, whether on the streets, in the middle of the city, on walls, sidewalks or even on the beach<\/a>. You can’t miss these dragon-like animals, as they are up to 1.5 meters long, although their striped tail makes up around 2\/3 of their body length. They may look dangerous, but they are completely harmless.<\/p>\n

\"Two-part

Not a snake, but the tail of an iguana<\/p><\/div>\n

The diurnal large lizards are cold-blooded animals. They obtain their body temperature from the ambient heat. This is why iguanas like to lie in the sun. They often sunbathe on the warm asphalt of roads or on sidewalks to keep warm.<\/p>\n

\"An

This one doesn’t let me bother him at all<\/p><\/div>\n

The reptiles mainly live in and on trees. Their green to grey-brown scales are perfect for camouflage. With their long, sharp claws, the iguanas are true climbing artists, which has earned them the nickname of tree chicken – gali\u00f1a di palu (palu=tree, galinha=chicken in Portuguese). The term “green chicken” is often used in connection with the iguana – this is how it is called as a dish.<\/p>\n

\"A

Iguana, the green chicken of the tree<\/p><\/div>\n

Iguana as food?<\/h3>\n

Yep, you read that right. Iguana is often on the menu in Curacao’s restaurants<\/a>. This is especially the case in restaurants with local food, like Jaanchie’s in Westpunt or at the old market Plasa Bieu. In local cuisine, iguana meat is used in soups or in the famous stews known as stobas, which are also available with goat meat, beef or vegetarian papaya.<\/p>\n

We got a sample of iguana on a 4th of July in Barber. We remember the date so well because, as luck would have it, we met up with friends at the 4th of July Bar that day. It felt like half of Curacao had gathered there: razzle-dazzle with DJane and an open-air party. As we sat together over a beer, someone bought us a round of burgers. They were iguana burgers, which we couldn’t possibly refuse. We were also curious to find out what green iguana tastes like.<\/p>\n

\"Two-part

Iguana burger at the snack bar<\/p><\/div>\n

And this is where the \u2018Gr\u00fcnes Hendl\u2019, as we Bavarians call chicken, comes into play: It actually resembles chicken meat in consistency and taste. It is light-colored meat, which in my opinion is a little more firm to the bite than chicken. However, you have to enjoy it carefully, as iguana meat contains lots of fine bones, similar to fish bones. Overall, the iguana burger tasted good.<\/p>\n

Aftertaste<\/h3>\n

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t order or eat green iguana again. I feel kind of sorry for him.<\/p>\n

Friends of ours told us about an experience from their vacation on Curacao. During a break at the side of the road next to the rental car, two guys with hunting rifles suddenly emerged from the thorny bushes. Completely spooked, our friends dared to ask what was going on. The answer was that they had nothing to fear, they were “only” hunting iguana.<\/p>\n

\"Rock

On the way to Santa Barbara there is a rock shaped like an iguana<\/p><\/div>\n

We also heard that many people on Curacao were struggling economically during the pandemic because many tourists stayed away. So, people switched to eating iguana, as it was available for free everywhere on the island. As a result, the population of iguanas was reduced so much that hunting them was banned pretty soon after. We don’t know what the situation is today and whether the population has completely recovered.<\/p>\n

\"Green

Beach-sign by Shirley Wimpel<\/p><\/div>\n

How to train your dragon<\/h3>\n

There was a guy in Curacao, now deceased, who used to tame iguanas. He was known everywhere as the ‘Iguana Man’ and even made it onto the Wikipedia page about yuana<\/a> (Infromashon general) as the man who walks his iguanas in Punda.<\/p>\n

We met the iguana man years ago. Miraculously, his yuanas always stayed with him – without a leash. Although iguanas aren’t poisonous or wild dragons like Komodo dragons, they’re not really comparable to tame pets.<\/p>\n

It was our first close encounter with green iguanas. Before that, we had only ever seen them from a distance and weren’t familiar with their behavior. When we started talking to the iguana man about feeding his iguanas, things got moving. Before we knew it, he was draping the two iguanas on our daughters one after the other – even on their heads. He encouraged us to take pictures. Knowing that this ‘nice gesture’ was not for nothing, we agreed on a fee for the photos. However, he then wanted much more than we had originally agreed.<\/p>\n

\"Two

The two iguanas from ‘Iguana Man’<\/p><\/div>\n

After refusing to pay more, we were insulted by him in the street and left disappointed. That was our very personal experience with the Iguana Man.<\/p>\n

I read in the Curacao Visitors Forum that the Iguana Man is said to have been very hospitable and even invited tourists to his home. So there are many different memories of this man. May he rest in peace!<\/p>\n

The Iguana as a landmark<\/h3>\n

In Curacao, for example, there is a traffic circle with a huge shiny silver metal iguana. Stefan and I always refer to this landmark on the way to Westpunt as the Iguana traffic circle. When we tell others about the Iguana traffic circle, everyone immediately knows which corner of the island we are talking about.<\/p>\n

In the middle of Punda, on Wilhelminaplein, where you can see the letters DUSHI and CURACAO, you will find large, green plastic iguanas. They’re in the playground and kids love to climb on them.<\/p>\n

\"Two

Green iguanas in the playground at Wilhelminaplein<\/p><\/div>\n

The Iguana Caf\u00e9<\/a> in Punda is also named after the green iguana. The restaurant<\/a> is located next to the Punda Love Hearts<\/a>, right on the quay of the Sint Annabaai. There\u2019s a green and black striped specimen sitting under the awnings, which spray water vapor intermittently. It’s a great place to be when the temperature<\/a> is around 30\u00b0 C. You can watch the shipping traffic and the Queen Emma Bridge, which keeps moving completely to one side again and again. Hardly impossible to get bored! You can also buy the hip T-shirts with a unusual iguana design that the waiters wear here. A souvenir<\/a> tip for T-shirt collectors!<\/p>\n

\"A

Iguana Caf\u00e9<\/a> in Punda<\/p><\/div>\n

Cruising through the city with Iguana Ride<\/h3>\n

The Iguana is also the inspiration for a cool business idea. Our buddy Pablo offers adventure tours on e-scooters as ‘Iguana Ride’. We spent a day on the road with him. You can watch the short and the longer video on YouTube<\/a>. The e-scooter article can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When we wrapped up the day at Zus di Plaza<\/a>, we talked about the taste of Iguana:<\/p>\n<\/div>