Not only could I see the entire width of the island but virtually the entire island since Aruba is only 6 miles across and nearly flat (think pitcher’s mound. Well okay, there are three “mountains” the tallest of which is over 500 ft. - just high enough to remind you that it really was of volcanic origin.) It is always windy here (always) but despite the constant wind it is not usually clear enough to see the coast of Venezuela, only 17 miles away. There are four official languages which all schoolchildren are required to learn and depending on how well they do, the children are sorted at 12 years of age to either proceed to junior (followed by senior) high school or off they go to technical school to learn a trade. Aruba belongs to the Netherlands and Queen Beatrix makes an appearance every few years to check out the latest and greatest hotel here on the island (although if I were the Queen and I had Aruba had my disposal, I would probably find an excuse to visit it at least yearly. But then I’ve never been to the Netherlands - I’m sure the beaches there are just as lovely!)I had just enough time to update the blog, snap a few photos, get dressed and head to breakfast for we had an early call ashore (7:20 am!) Not a lot of choice for breakfast on a morning like that so it was catch as catch can at the Horizon Court buffet and then down to the Plaza Deck for disembarkation.
And then back up to the room to fetch our photo IDs that were supposedly going to be required to re-board the ship (they weren’t) and then back down to the Plaza Deck for disembarkation.
And then back up to the room for a card I had already purchase Aruba stamps in order to mail (and naturally had already affixed same to the envelope) and of course we would return too late to make the mail if we waited until after our morning in Aruba. Oy! Finally back down to Plaza Deck, mail the card, and like good sheep, wait in line to disembark (golfers were chanting “Golfers First” in order to make their tee times!)
We had selected the “Best of Aruba” excursion and our ticket said to wear our swimsuit (Really? Would I have booked something like that? Where was the cooking demo or pub crawl?), bring a towel, plenty of sunscreen (one man’s definition of “plenty” of sunscreen clearly differs from say, MINE) and water (well the ship certainly helped out here as there were many, many opportunities for you to purchase bottled water as you left the ship) and be in the terminal at 7:20 am. What with running up and down several times we were a) nearly overheated already; and b) nearly late. Turns out not late enough. Had we been just a tad later we would have been in the front of the last bus instead of having to trek to the very last seats (after each stop) and “he-who-won‘t-be-named-here-but-you-know-who-he-is” was, as you might suspect, not particularly excited about this. That is until he discovered that the seats at the very, very back of the bus have the most leg room and the best air-conditioning! Whoo hoo!
We blitzed through Main Street - it was Sunday and everything was closed (and most would probably remain closed the entire day given that this island is approximately 90% Catholic and they don’t work on Sunday here). That was one of the highlights of Aruba for me! We had spent 2 ½ days at sea and at least 2 channels on our stateroom TVs were dedicated to reviewing, describing, enticing, outlining ad nausea complete strategies of how to make the most of your shopping time while in Aruba. There were at least two enormously popular seminars held onboard during the days at sea and never - not once - did they ever mention that we would be hitting Aruba on Sunday and that most the stores aren’t open on Sunday (except of course for those wholly owned by the cruise lines and therefore absolutely obligated to ONLY be open whenever the ship is in port!) I loved it!!!!!
After whipping thru town (the main street is only about two or three blocks long and there was no traffic, this being Sunday and all) we passed the Orangestadt International Airport (3 buildings, one long runway) and the world’s second largest desalination plant and then headed for Casabari (a rock formation with steps…ooh/ahh) As it turns out it is one of the taller places on the island.
From there we were off to “The Natural Bridge” - well okay we couldn’t really see that since it collapsed in 2002 but we could see where it had been and look at instead (but not walk on since it was somewhat cracked during the other bridge’s collapse) “The Baby Bridge” (ooh/ahh). Then we toured the Aloe Balm Factory which probably was a lot more fascinating on any other weekday (including Saturday) because just like everything else in town, it’s closed on Sunday (but they still allowed us to experience a tour nonetheless: ‘Here is the room where we’d be cutting the leaves if it were any other day, here’s the room where we would be mixing the extract with other ingredients if it were any other day…you get the picture.)
The houses in Aruba are small single floored homes without basements (you don’t have to dig too far to find water below). Cactus is plentiful (wood is not) so the homes are built from cement blocks and the fences are made from “organ pipe” cactus. It definitely keeps nosy neighbors from leaning up on your fence! There are some homes still made the old-fashioned way (with walls 18” thick to maintain a cooler temperature). Though they refine gas on the island, the price of a gallon of gas is well over $4 still (it was almost $8 last year) so driving is done with small cars and not as frequently. Jobs are actually plentiful on Aruba and our guide told us if someone wasn’t working it was because they were just a lazy bum!
Our final stop before returning to the ship turned out to be the most beautiful beach in the world: Palm Beach, Aruba. Beautiful white sand and water that was easily 80+ degrees! While most of our fellow travelers opted to be taken back to town for a brief shopping trip (obviously not listening when the guide told them the town closes up on Sundays), we decided to spend our entire hour swimming in the Caribbean (with pictures to prove it!) It was worth every quart of sunscreen I had to put on just to be able to play for that hour at the beach!
As I was drying off in order to get back to the bus on time, I asked Gerry to snap a few photos of the local scenery. This is what he came up with - I'm pretty sure he knew this isn't what I meant!Back on this ship in time to listen to the brief litany of those who hadn’t yet returned to the ship (please call 5000 from any phone NOW), have some lunch, a dip in the wave pool (not nearly as much fun without those four foot waves of the day before!) and then another round of trivia with our friends. We seem to be regressing - only 10 right this time (I mean seriously…who knew ‘Tia Maria’ came from Jamaica? Or that “Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon” was the highest grossing foreign-language film of all time? Because if you did, I’m putting you on my “Trivia Dream Team” now!)
- Terri’s Travel Tip: If you are on a cruise of more than 7 days, no matter who you are, assume you are one of the younger passengers aboard. Take extreme care to not, REPEAT NOT, position yourself between 5:00 and 5:30 pm between the dining room and the nearest bar. They might look timid and weak (because a lot of them are using walkers, wheelchairs and/or oxygen) but they will, at any cost, be first in line (all of them!) for dinner when the doors open at 5:30 pm. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Tomorrow: Cartagena (better lock and load before I head to bed!)
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