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Wow! I'm amazed that so far nobody has asked to be removed. That is encouraging to me. Aruba has an interesting history. Caquetios indians from the Arawak tribe migrated north from the Orinoco Basin in South America and settled here approximately 2,000 years ago. Next year I plan to visit the Historical Museum of Aruba in Oranjestad to see some of the artifacts from this native culture. The island is 18 miles off the coast of Venezuela, and is 112 sq. miles in area, with a population of approx. 106,000 (in 2008). Spain explored the island in 1499, and more than a century later the Netherlands (1636) claimed the island. After a brief rule by the British, the Dutch again took control of the island in 1816, and it officially became part of the Netherlands Antilles in 1845. On January 1, 1986, Aruba seceded from the federation, but it decided in 1994 to postpone indefinitely the transition to full independence. However, while we were there, we talked with an acquaintance who said that Aruba is soon to become fully independent. Despite a burgeoning tourist trade, oil processing remains the dominant industry in Aruba. It was the oil that lured a German ship here during WW II, but when it was threatened to be captured by opposing war ships, the captain decided to scuttle the ship rather than be captured, and today it rests on the bottom in shallow water north of Palm Beach very near the Aruba Phoenix location. The mast is still showing above the surface of the water, and it is a prime spot for snorkeling & scuba diving. We haven't snorkeled there for a few years, but it is an excellent opportunity to see millions of fish swimming in and around this old relic. The following photos are from Day Two. Pete works out three times a week with his trainer Pablo at our gym.
Off hand, I'd say Pablo is definitely making a difference. I think Pablo would have his hands full here. LOL
As I lay on my lounge chair in the shade of this palm And when I look out to sea, this is my view. I am
You guessed it. It is Happy Hour. Pete has a mojito . . . . and I opted for a Guinness. I am, after all, half Irish.
Today they had a pretty good band playing for There was this crazy yellow bird that kept diving down The little yellow bird was there every day, and he had a mate that had lost his tail feathers. I don't know how he flew without tail feathers, but he seemed to manage just fine. Like the Bumble Bee, nobody ever told him that it was aerodynamically impossible for him to fly.
We are on the beach again, and the sun is going down. I'm holding my camera at arms length. It usually takes a couple of tries before I get us centered. I need one of those cameras with a small view screen on the front of the camera. That was a brilliant idea.
Tonight the sunset was not so hot. It got a little more interesting after it had set.
We decided to eat at the Pure Beach Restaurant, and we ordered martinis to begin with. I don't know if you have ever noticed, but other countries getting a bar tender to make the perfect martini is not easy. They invariably use way too much dry vermouth. The British are the worst. To them, at least in the British Virgin Islands we visited, a martini is a glass of dry vermouth with a splash of gin. We usually explain to the waiter that the bar tender should just but a cap full of dry vermouth in the glass, swish it around, then pour that into the second glass, swish that around and then dump it out. Then fill both glasses with the very cold gin that has been shaken with ice. Our waiter did fairly well at communicating this to the bar tender.
Our waiter, Rafael, was a really nice kid. We ordered a New Zealand white wine. The wine was a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough from the Monkey Bay bodega. Leave it to the Kiwis to come up with a label like that. It was actually quite good. Pete mentioned that Rafael reminded him of one of my grandkids. I studied him for the resemblance, and I agreed that he reminds me a lot of Josh. He has the same shy, yet very kind face. It's hard to tell from this photo, but in person I can definitely see it.
After dinner I talked Pete into posing by the Tiki Torches for a memorable photo. He's such a sport. Day Three ~ There were three weddings while we were here. Aruba seems to be a popular place for young couples to begin a life together. It is a very romantic place.
They had some very romantic music being played by a disk jockey. I hoped they were all wearing Off. LOL
This evening the sunset was rather dull But when you are in love, I guess it didn't really matter
After a hard day on the beach, we again visit Happy Hour. Pete and I were enjoying another mohito
The sunset this evening was a little more spectacular. Can't you just hear the waves lapping on the shore?
Pete enjoys being creative. I tried to get the sun to rest on his finger tip, but it's harder than you'd think
Once the sun went below the horizon the sky got really beautiful. I love this time of the day This was Monday, and the 'Bugaloe' restaurant at the end of the De Palm Pier has Monday Fish Night with a whole fish (red snapper or grouper) for only $19.95, so how could we possibly pass this up.
We began the meal with a margarita
Pete got the yellow rice with his . . . . . . and I got the curly fries Well, I'm just over 2 MB, so chapter 3 will begin with Day Four. Bye for now. |
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