Aruba! Conch, Coconut Shrimp, and Barracuda

Thursday

This morning, after sleeping in until an unusual and decadently late hour, we decided to explore the more famous beaches on the island, Eagle Beach and Palm Beach. This is where the multi-storied resorts and fancy hotels are, kind of like Waikiki in Hawaii, but not. This is a much smaller island than Oahu!

This is living.
Photo by Harry. All rights reserved.

We wanted to see what Divi Phoenix was like. It had been our first choice, but was unavailable. That's why we're at Divi Village. And we're happy to be at the Village. There's nothing wrong with the larger, taller resorts. They're on beautiful beachfront and have all the amenities you could possibly want. It's just that we're happy to be enjoying a quieter vacation, relaxing under a palapa on the sand by the water. Without a bunch of other people vying for the lounge chairs. The Phoenix (and the Hyatt and the Wyndham and the Radisson and the other resorts) is really nice, but I prefer “our” beach. But that might have been because it was an especially windy day, and my legs were getting sandblasted. In a good way, of course.

I think we've officially been on every part of the island now...tip to toe, side to side, up and down. But we still haven't hiked up the hill (Mt. Jamanota, 617' – or 188 meters or 188 meters – elevation...) in the middle.

Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

We went to Oranjestad to have a bite to eat and to look for souvenirs to take home for the peeps. For lunch, we went to Iguana Joe's by the harbor and were seated on the upstairs deck. (Speaking of iguanas, I'm sure I've mentioned the large number of iguanas here. There are even signs that say, “Please don't feed the iguanas.”) What an excellent view and relaxing place! We had conch as an appetizer. Oh, my. It is just so delicious. I could eat conch every day. And then we had some coconut shrimp, and it was scrumptious, too. We might have indulged in a Balashi beer to go with that. Maybe. It's really hot out, and a light pilsner is just the thing. Refreshing.

Please don't feed them.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

The souvenir shopping was less successful. Something unusual would have been good, but all we saw was the standard stuff you find in all touristy places – ball caps, t-shirts, beach bags, super-thin beach towels, and baubles made in China that you can order from Oriental Trading. But they do have some Delft, also probably made in China. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but on a Dutch island, it should be the real deal. This might be a good place to admit that I have a weak spot for Delft, so I really do want to bring some home. Not big, beautiful, heavy things that'll break in the suitcase, but something small to remember the island by. Some local music would be nice to take home, too. There's a souvenir shop at the Alhambra Casino, and I think I'll go there tomorrow. I noticed some things I liked there, but I assumed the prices would be higher because of the location. We'll see.

Tonight at dinner, we decided to try The Driftwood Restaurant (and Fishing Charters). It came highly recommended, and we were told that the fish that's served is whatever was caught that day by the owner. The fish soup was flavorful and delicious. The coconut shrimp appetizer (okay, we like coconut shrimp, too!) was perhaps the best I've ever had. Light, crunchy batter. Tangy and sweet dipping sauce. Rich, succulent, fresh shrimp. You bite into it, and there's a flavor explosion in your mouth. Well, my friends! We were impressed, and we hadn't even had our main courses yet. Harry had blackened mahi-mahi, and I had Aruban-style (pan-fried with creole sauce) barracuda. It was my first time tasting barracuda, and it was outstanding. Neither dinner disappointed. We were stuffed. But who could resist flan for dessert? Or key lime pie? Everything was superb. And the service was absolutely outstanding. Perhaps that is because the standard 15% service charge was not automatic at The Driftwood. I hope they are still open if I ever return to Aruba.

Cute, no?
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

In our explorations today, we drove through some pretty diverse neighborhoods, all the way from opulent, movie-star mansions to banana republic rusted hulks. In your wildest dreams construction right next to seemingly abandoned, windowless shells. We only noticed one wood house, as most construction seemed to be cinder block. I wonder if it's reinforced? Makes one wonder, in case of earthquake. But I guess they don't have those here. Or hurricanes either, as a rule. So...no earthquakes, no tornadoes, no hurricanes, beautiful beaches, refreshing ocean waters, friendly people, excellent food. Sounds pretty perfect to me.

We did have one low note, though. Our hotel beach towels were stolen from the rental car today while we were downtown. The car is a convertible with no trunk, so we just rolled them up and placed them pretty much out of sight behind the seats. I can't imagine why anyone would want them. They are generic sea-foam green and well used. I guess I should have just left them draped over the seat backs so the thief could see they weren't much! We weren't supposed to take them with us from the resort, though, so...uh, oh. [We fessed up at the front desk upon returning and asked them to please put two towels on our tab, but they said not to worry about it. They were irritated at the thief rather than at us, which just goes to show how nice the people are here, and how generous.]

Ah, well. Other than that, we've found it pretty amazing how safe Aruba is. You can go anywhere without having to be concerned at all. At least, that's been our experience so far on this adventure. The people are warm and friendly and helpful, and a man actually came over to the car to tell us he had noticed the thief and tried to stop him when he saw what the guy was up to, but the thief had outrun him. He seemed very disgusted with the whole thing and apologized over and over. I got the impression there's some concern on the part of the locals as to the backgrounds of folks who are being allowed to come here from other places to find employment or just to live. They feel Aruba's reputation is in danger. [This was just a couple of weeks before Natalee Holloway disappeared.]

Photo by Chris.
All rights reserved.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Aruba. I can hardly believe it. A week is just not long enough. Would two weeks be too long, I wonder?

Aruba! Wild Goats, Parasurfers, and Turtle Nests

Wednesday

Oh, dear. Should have remembered to apply and re-apply and re-apply sunblock yesterday before taking that drive around the island. Yes, you can catch a little too much sun in an enclosed vehicle. “Well, it was only for a few minutes,” are famous last words in Aruba. Believe me. Use maximum protection sunblock. All the time. I have seen some of the nastiest, beet-red, all-over sunburns on tourists here. I've never seen sunburns this bad before. The locals all seem to know better. 

Much of the sand had been displaced
by a storm that didn't even hit the
island. But the waves did.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

Today, we drove down to the south end of the island, to Baby Beach. Baby Beach is a calm and shallow lagoon, perfect for families with children and beginning snorkelers. It was kind of crowded, especially compared to our beach, which generally has maybe a dozen people on the entire expanse. So we parked and walked on, exploring the surrounding areas.

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

We met a totally strange but very friendly local woman, an artist. She was wearing a loose shirt with long sleeves and long, loose pants, and she had an incredibly broad-brimmed straw hat on. Very smart! The color of her skin (what I could see on her face) was like caramel, and her eyes were the most beautiful green-blue. We came upon her on a remote section of reef/beach past the pet cemetery. She was digging in the sand, looking for shells to use in making her painted bracelets. They were pretty, too, but I liked the plain ones made with bits of coral better. She very conveniently had plenty of bracelets in the oversized cloth bag she was carrying!

 I admired her utterly shameless “circle of love” spiel as she showed me her jewelry, trying to steer me towards the more extravagantly colored (and more expensive) bracelets. Hey, you gotta make a living. I purchased a couple of the aforementioned plain coral ones, and she said she was so happy to be sending a part of Aruba to a distant land with someone who would hold the island in her heart. [And I have. I still have the bracelets, and I still wear them. Every once in a while, I take them to the ocean so I can dip them in salt water to “refresh” them. That way, I can still smell Aruba in them. And my heart drifts away to a far-away place where I hope to return someday.]

This is not something I'd like to try.
But I love to see the skill of others!
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

A bit farther, on the “wild side” of the island, we saw some parasurfers. I was fascinated. Man, they go fast! They were flying through the air, doing stunts on the waves. Simply amazing. They're so young...that must be why they have so much strength and energy!

I was going to call this one
"Trees in the Park."
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

We drove up to the caves and saw some wild goats and the wildlife preserve/national park, but the sun was going down in a hurry and I was nervous on those “back country” dirt roads. The signage is “not the best,” so I think you could easily become completely disoriented and lost in the dark. And when it is dark on that side of the island, it is very, very dark. There are no lights at all. No houses. No street lights. No headlights of other vehicles. Just enveloping darkness.

Once we hit Santa Cruz, it only took a few minutes to get back “home.” The island may only be 21 miles long and 6 or 8 miles wide (at the widest), but it takes hours to get from one end to the other, especially on the dirt roads (or “the roads less traveled,” as my husband likes to call them...okay...).

Barricades protecting the turtle nests
on "our" beach.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

Yesterday, I forgot to mention that there's a turtle nest on the beach! It is all barricaded up and cordoned off. Isn't that exciting, though? The turtles just arrive, lay their eggs, and cover them with sand. And soon there will be hundreds of little turtles hatching and making their way to the waves.

And speaking of beaches and waves, the waves were bigger today. Also, about the weather report: Yes, the temperature and humidity (which I didn't even notice today) are accurate, but it seems that “mostly cloudy” here means lots of clouds will pass by, but nothing much will come of it except a sunburn if you aren't careful. Please see the first paragraph. I am not kidding.

The beach (west) side of the island is gorgeous. White sand. Palm trees. Divi trees dotting the landscape. The east side is wild and desolate, with waves crashing and foaming and blowing plumes of mist way up into the air. This is an exotic place. I may have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.

Dinner tonight was at “Jamaica Me Krazy,” and it was very good. We didn't want a huge meal like last night's very excellent Argentinian fare, and jerk hit the spot. Harry had goat (they were out of pork tenderloin), and I had shrimp (they were out of conch). Tonight's light, highly seasoned, cream of pumpkin soup was totally different from last night's, which was thick and mild. Both were excellent.

A shower felt especially fabulous tonight, followed by a generous rubbing of Aruba Aloe after-sunlotion. Did I mention that we bought a bunch of Aruba Aloe products today? We did.

We only have 2 ½ more days in Aruba. Now, that's very, very, extremely, terribly, awfully sad!