Aruba! It Must Be Tuesday?

 I think it's Tuesday. Who cares what day it is when you're on vacation, right?

Aruba = beautiful beaches
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

Yesterday, I was swimming about in the clear, clean, deliciously salty, and perfectly refreshing – yet warm – water off the sparkling – no, dazzling – palm-lined, white-sand beach, watching the aqua waves rolling gently onto the shore. And I had an epiphany, my friends. Yes, I know...another one:  That is why people come back to Aruba year after year, never going on vacation anywhere else. The beach and the water and the weather (hot and muggy, but the breeze makes it all okay, and you get used to it really fast). That's it. You want to fall in love with Aruba? Get in the water.

I actually spoke with some folks at the Ocean View (the beach-side watering hole) who have come to Aruba for 2 weeks a year for 17 consecutive years. They have not been to any other vacation spots in all that time. They are from Boston. [We met lots of nice people from Boston, as it happens.]

At dinner, we decided to try the Pirate's Nest restaurant. Surprisingly, the service was terrible, and the food was worse. My husband sent his meal back to the kitchen for the first time EVER. To their credit, they comped us both entrees and threw in dessert. It's a gorgeous setting, right on the beach, palm trees, open air – but we will not go back. We had been sitting at our table for two hours before we got our food. We would have just left, but it was late. We were hungry. Up until that experience, it was a perfect day. [This restaurant was highly recommended and has good reviews. Maybe it was just one of those things. But when you're on vacation, you don't give a place a second chance if the first time was a disaster. If you've eaten there and had a wonderful experience, please leave a comment. I don't want to be unfair to the place.]

Natural Bridge
See the tiny person on top?
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

Today, I went to the beach for a while as my husband ordered up a little Suzuki 4WD rental car from a cut-rate, independent place. More on that later. And off we went to explore the island! We drove up to California Lighthouse, and then we went 4-wheeling down the wild, eastern side of the island in hopes of finding the natural bridge and other sights.

Stacked rocks...
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

There were stacked rocks everywhere. Someone said it has something to do with prayer, but to whom and for what, who knows? Nobody could enlighten us. Or they chose not to, whichever.

The Wild Side
Photo by Chris.
All rights reserved.

The “other side” of the island reminds me of the Northern California coast, with waves crashing and foaming on the rocky shore. Except that the Northern California coast is relatively lush, whereas this one is absolute desert, with tall cactus and no trees. Perhaps when California falls into the ocean, that's what the coast will look like. Not that I believe that's going to happen.

The exhaust pipe came loose on the car, so, after some initial hesitation and blame casting, the agency came and replaced it (the car) when we got back to home base. My husband enjoyed the 4-wheeling. He generally has a hard time “slowing down” on vacation due to the high-stress nature of his work. He might get to a place of relaxation by the end of the week.

Look closely...
Photo by Chris.
All rights reserved.

He's very taken with the lizards, though, and is taking pictures of them. They're everywhere here at the Village, along with cooing doves and colorful finches. The tree branches are decorated with them.

Tonight, we went to Oranjestad for dinner at El Gaucho, another highly recommended eatery. It's an Argentinian steakhouse. As bad as the food and service were last night, that's how opposite tonight was. The service was very attentive, and the food was plentiful and delicious. The gigantic steak was like butter. The salad, the baked potato, the ears of corn...everything was supersized. When I say the food was plentiful, I mean we (both of us!) could only eat about half of our portions, and we took the considerable leftovers back to our place for future reference. So far, I wouldn't say anything here is a great bargain, but it would have cost as much or more back home.

There was a mariachi band going from table to table, and they sang for us. My husband asked if they knew Eric Clapton's “Wonderful Tonight,” and they played and sang it so beautifully. Oh, my. I couldn't help myself. The emotion was overwhelming, and I cried happy tears. It was so romantic! I was wearing a flounced skirt and a dressy tanktop and strappy heels and big earrings (all black and red), and I felt like a princess.

As we walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk in the cool of the evening after that wonderful meal, I couldn't imagine a more magical “date.” Thank you, Harry.

Downtown. Cute, eh?
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

Town had a very Caribbean feel to it, and it reminded me so much of Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. Not in specifics, but in ambiance. You can definitely see the Dutch influence, too, which makes it “it's own” place.

The island depends on tourism for its livelihood, and the people work very hard. We drove through some neighborhoods today to see the houses, which are, for the most part (at least from what we saw today), neat and tidy, with wild colors. Some are fenced and gated, others are not. I was reminded very much of our neighborhood in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, many years ago. It was the same type of construction, but with a Dutch flavor.

An excellent day!

Aruba! Getting There (Part 2)

Sunday

Well, I didn't get much sleep on the plane. Surprise! There was a loud child, the child's mother, and the grandmother sitting behind us. So many questions, so little time. But I probably wouldn't have slept much anyway. And airport lay-overs aren't very sleep inducing for me, either. But I did doze a little bit on the final leg to Aruba, which was the part of the flight I actually wanted to be awake for. Figures, right? But only a little bit, so it was exciting to spot the islands in the Caribbean and to see the beautiful sea, and landing on Aruba was an experience!

Here's this tiny island at the far side of the world (seemingly, though it's just off the coast of South America), and you can see all the sights from the air. The lighthouse, the chapel, the hotels, the entire island brochure is right there. Aruba is a desert island without a lot of camouflage to cloak it in secrecy. As we approached, I had a fleeting moment of anxiety as I saw the diminutive size of the sliver of land before me:  What was I going to do with myself here on this speck in the water for an entire week? (Well, I hadn't been there yet, now, had I?)

From the air, the water was a marvelous shade of aqua, with sailboats bobbing here and there. The approach to the airport was down the west side of the island, offshore, so I could see all the resorts lined up on the breathtakingly white beaches as we zipped past, practically at eye level. You can pick out the one where you're staying, no problem. Well, I could, anyway, having investigated everything online ad nauseum. I think I had the whole island memorized already.

A very quiet taxi driver delivered us to Divi Village, which in my opinion is the nicest resort on this part of the island. I haven't seen the other resorts close-up yet, so it's hard to tell. But it's definitely the nicest in the “low-rise” section (as opposed to the “high-rise” section, where the many-storied resorts are lined up on Palm Beach).

View of pool area from balcony.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

We were greeted by the friendly staff with a Planter's Punch in the open-air lobby as we checked in, and we made our way to our room. As I mentioned previously, Divi Village is a timeshare resort. It has golf courses and restaurants, and the beach (Druif Beach) is right there. I have nothing to compare it to insofar as timeshares go, never having stayed in one before, but our room is very, very nice.

View from the balcony.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

It's a studio with a perfectly equipped kitchen. Everything you need is there, including a toaster and a blender and good knives (in case you are going to cook...). Well, everything except food, that is. The bathroom has a whirlpool tub and shower and comes completely outfitted with Aruba Aloe bath products, shampoo, lotions, and potions. The floors throughout are tile, it's air conditioned, and, best of all, we found that we had a roomy, covered balcony with an incredible view of both the swimming pool area and the unbelievably turquoise Caribbean waters! Thank you, God!

It's very hot and muggy today, but the strong tradewinds make it comfortable. Don't let that fool you. Wear your super-duper sunblock.

Setting off on foot, we went looking for the grocery store, which is nearby. However, it's Sunday. So, it closed at 1 p.m. Oops. You might want to arrive on Saturday so that you can stock your fridge with goodies. We kept walking about and came to a flea market, which is right up my husband's alley. It was not in the most spruced-up touristy area and looked a little sad and in need of a serious revamp. Actually, so did the folks shopping there. Including us, probably!

We walked back to the Divi along the beautiful, white-sand beach. The water is amazing. It is perfect. The sound of the sea lapping at the shore, the wonderful aroma of clean salt air, the stiff breeze blowing my hair back from my face, the warmth of the sun, the feel of the hot sand between my toes...really, what more do I need?

Food. That's what. There's a buffet at the pool-side “Sea Breeze” at the Divi (at least, there was at the time), and they feature a different cuisine each evening. It isn't included, so you don't feel as though you “have to” eat there. This particular night, we decided to try “Italian Night.” Everything was very tasty, and there was plenty of it (always a good thing when you're really, really hungry). Pastas, salads, fish, chicken, desserts, all well-presented and appealing. And tasty. But I said that already. I thought I would try one of the local beers with my meal. As it turns out, there's only one: Balashi. It was a light and refreshing pilsner, which was just what I wanted. The bottle was kind of tiny, which I understand is normal in these parts. That size is perfect for me, but a lot of people will want two!

Back at the room, I relaxed in the jacuzzi, looking forward to sleeping like a log. And what book was I reading as I soaked, you ask? You know me so well! Where Is Joe Merchant? by Jimmy Buffett. Yes, really. His books are a perfect vacation read. The Aruba Aloe body wash? It's amazing.

Aruba! Getting There (Part 1)

Saturday, several years ago...

Aruba
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

Many moons ago, when my husband was in the Navy and we lived in Puerto Rico, one of my co-workers at the El Conquistador Hotel went on holiday to Aruba and came back all gaga over the island and its beautiful beaches. Ever since then, Aruba has been in the back of my mind, but I never thought I'd have an opportunity to go there. Never say never.

My husband's manager has offered us the use of his RCI timeshare to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and so we are off to Aruba! Dave Moore, you are a prince among men. Thank you!

The traffic from home was simple terrible, and it took forever to get across the Bay Bridge. We arrived at US Air Gate 1 at the San Francisco airport, having had dinner at the terribly sophisticated International House of Pancakes with our son, who graciously and with his arm barely twisted was kind enough to drop us off for our flight. We were surprised to find ourselves first (and only) in line at security (Is it the right day? Are all the flights canceled?). We made it to the gate without any hassle or delay, and now we're waiting for the first leg of our flight, a “red-eye” (night flight) to Philadelphia. Once there, we will transfer to our destination flight.

I just looked at my boarding pass, and it hit me...I'm going to ARUBA!!! Sounds pretty exotic, doesn't it? I'm hoping to get some sleep on the way to Philly, but I'm so excited. The adrenaline's rushing, and I'm wide awake. So, we'll see.

Next up:  We arrive in Aruba!