It's Off to Aruba

Doesn't the name Aruba just conger up rhythmic music? Can't you picture the locals dancing to bongo drums, doing the limbo and enjoying the lush island? Well, you would be partially right. The name does manifest itself to the beat of steel drums and bongos, but the island itself is a contrast in nature. Even though it is somewhat lush, it really is a desert island. It certainly isn't a desert like the US Southwest, but it has large cacti and some pretty barren areas. Yet, you will find it green and lush also. Talk about an anomaly.

We arrived at Aruba on the morning November 5th, and Skip had arranged to rent a van so we could tour the island. Aruba is Skip & Mo's favorite island and they have traded their time-share week the last few years so they could spend time on it. Because of the familiarity Skip has of the island, he wanted to be our tour guide. He headed out about 7:15 to get the rental and because of miss-communication, we didn't get started on our tour until about 10:30. Betty was not planning to go as she was tired and Mo decided she wasn't going either. So, Keith & Mary, Skip and I headed out to see the island. Skip took us to see the condo they had used earlier in 2010 and then we headed to a local grocery store. Remember, Aruba is a Dutch island, so there were all kinds of Dutch items in this market. I was in 7th heaven when I went into the cheese area. To make a long story short, I ended up purchasing two balls of Edam, two small wheels of Gouda, some wonderful goat cheese and a dutch cheese similar to Brie (it was wonderful at Thanksgiving). As we were about to head to check-out, I spotted some Dutch liver sausage, so I purchased that also. That was a real treat when we returned home, Betty and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mary was afraid I was going to purchase a 30 lb. wheel of Gouda, which I thought about but I figured I didn't have enough space in the little refrigerator. So, after the store, it was off to see the island.

I'm not going to go in the same order with my photos as the way we actually toured the island, because I think I can make it a little more interesting by grouping different photos.

Our tour guide. Skip really knew quite a bit about Aruba and did a really good job as our guide.

The next few photos will give you a better idea of the contrast of the island I was talking about. It is a very flat, desert like island, yet has very lush vegetation in many places. Judge for yourself as to this anomaly.

I certainly hope these photos re-enforce what I was saying about the mystic of Aruba. The beautiful cacti growing out of the lush, tropical vegetation is really quite amazing to me.

Now that I have piqued your interest in Aruba, you'll have to come back another time to see more. Until my next post!