ARUBA, DUTCH ANTILLES

ARUBA - DUTCH ANTILLES

Saturday, March 30, - Buffalo, NY

We arose early, finished our packing and left Buffalo at 10 a.m., for the ninety mile drive to Toronto. Enroute, we breakfasted at McCabe's restaurant, situated in the Prudhomme Bay complex, along Lake Ontario's westernmost shore.

Arriving in Toronto, we located the "Toronto Air Park", where we left our car. A shuttle took us to terminal # 2 , of the Toronto International Airport . This is where Air Canada's charter flights depart. We picked up our tickets and bumped into several friends. They were also headed for Bushiri Beach, Aruba. Collectively, we checked in our bags, had coffee, then a few beers. We waited patiently for the 3:30 p.m. departure.

The four and one half hour flight was uneventful, though tiring. We arrived at Princess Beatrix Airport, Aruba around 10 p.m. It was humid and sticky (80). One of our passengers was so inebriated he could barely stand. We hoped that he and the couple, with two "enfant terribles", were going to another resort. Luckily for us, they did. We boarded a delightfully air conditioned bus and traversed the five mile distance to the Bushiri Beach Hotel Resort, in about ten minutes.

Upon arrival, we scrambled for rooms and quickly unpacked. We still had time left in the day , so we met by the pool bar and had our first batch of pina coladas. They were very good. A noisy calypso band played native music. The drinks flowed and the stars were bright overhead. We were tired, but happy to be here. We retired at 12:45 a.m.

Easter Sunday, March 31, - Aruba, Dutch Antilles

We arose early (7:30) and took our first 6 mile walk along the beach.The water was crystal clear, near shore, and a beautiful aquamarine, offshore. The sky was a dazzling cobalt blue, with puffy white clouds. The ever present northeast to southwest trade winds were blowing. The temperature was in the 80's. The place was right out of Hollywood casting for a tropical isle.

We walked along the beach and enjoyed being there. The two resorts next to us (Tamarind and the Divi) were crowded with vacationers, sunning themselves as well. It was a pretty interesting mix of Americans, Europeans, (mostly Dutch) and South Americans. As we walked further, we encountered large numbers of locals camped out on the public beach. They had fairly elaborate trailers and tents. It is apparently a local festival, on the beach, during Easter week. Later that week, we got caught in an actual traffic jam headed into this area. This is on an island, with one main highway and a few feeders.

Returning to Bushiri Beach at 10 a.m., we breakfasted and then met our gang for a 10:30 orientation meeting. It was a rehash of what was included in the "all inclusive" package. The smell of furniture polish was pervasive in the lounge , as well as in the rooms. I wonder who had the concession?

It was hot, humid and sunny, with a breeze (like every other day). We settled in by the pool and tried our first "drink of the day", a chi-chi. It is a strawberry colored, creme de cocoa concoction, that is pretty good, if filling. I started reading "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris. Everyone else settled in. I heard Ozzie Nelson beckon and we repaired to our air-conditioned room, for a civilized afternoon nap.

Later, we rejoined friends by the pool, for more sun and several chi-chi's. A brief ten minute sun shower broke overhead, as we lay about. We were joined by Anne from Toronto. She had become friends with acquaintances of ours, who stayed at Bushiri Beach the previous week.

After showering and dressing for dinner,(very casual) we assembled by the bar and ordered chi-chi's. We then went in (all 7) to the hotel's Flamboyan Room, where dinner was served. Reservations were required. Dinner was excellent. Mushroom toast, lobster bisque, salad bar and a great red snapper dish made a memorable dinner. My companions had various cuts of sirloin and chicken, which they enjoyed as well. Portions were of good size, the quality was superior and the service was exemplary. Wine and or drinks were included. A dessert table was laid out. We had strong Venezuelan coffee as well. This was beginning to look like a ten pound vacation.

It was a balmy and beautiful evening. A full moon reflected off of the swaying palm trees and a gentle breeze swept over us. Off to the southwest, was the rumble of thunder and periodic flashes of lightning. An ever present parade of oil tankers lay just off shore, their running lights twinkling like Christmas tree lights in the dark. They were loading Venezuelan crude in nearby Caracas, Venezuela.(16 miles)

We had another drink, enjoying our evening in the tropics, before Mary and I retired, to read and log in a good night's rest. It was a nice first day.

Monday, April 1 - Aruba, Dutch Antilles

We got up early (7:15 a.m.) and had breakfast. Afterwards, we walked for 25 minutes to the island capital of Oranjestad. The colorful facades of the commercial shops were architecturally Dutch in style and quite striking. Most of the other buildings were basic, tropical French colonial in design. The main drag, Williamstadt, is lined with ultra expensive boutiques like Gucci, Little Switzerland and The Colombian Emerald Exchange. It was an interesting foray, but too steep a tariff for us.

The Harbourfront Mall, the Crystal Casino and other areas were nicely set up for the cruise ship monsters. They were disgorged, in large numbers, from the nautical behemoths that put in daily. Today the Scandinavian ship "Skyward" was in port.

We had coffee at a quayside cafe and were intrigued by the plight of a Dutch woman, whose guilders were refused. Newly arrived, she had no other money. We took 20 guilders in exchange for a U.S. $10. She was appreciative. Subsequent attempts on our part, to cash these coins, met with failure. So much for it being a Dutch colony. We decided that we would go to Amsterdam, to spend the guilders.

We browsed the shops and bought a hand painted t-shirt for $25. A large calliope was playing and we saw several colorful parrots in cages. The Sonesta Hotel, with a large interior court, accessible by water taxi, completed the downtown area. It is clean, interesting and very pricey.

We walked back to the hotel and signed up for three of the island tours, that were offered. Sun and swimming by the pool were accompanied, in order of preference, by "Blue Mondays, Yellow Birds, and Ariba Aruba's." All were very good.

Lunch, alfresco, and a nap rounded out the afternoon. At 4 p.m., we boarded an air conditioned bus for our first tour. The Casibiri Rock Formations are interesting. Massive boulders and piles of rock, some curiously wind sculpted, are a seeming anomaly in an arid desert. It is reminiscent of the American southwest. We ogled, took pictures and put up with some inebriated rascals, who were on the tour with us. Various types of cacti and aloe plants abounded.We saw a Divi(ear) tree, whose leaves all pointed southwest, reflecting the trade winds which blow from northeast to southwest.

Next stop was the beautiful "Natural Bridge", with its thirst aid station. It looked to be a large area of coral, that had been eroded underneath by waves. A beach area appeared under the coral span, with a space of about 12 feet between bridge and water. The waves crashing against the shoreline were rhythmic and entrancing. We dutifully enhanced Kodak's sales figures.

Lastly, after traversing some abysmal excuse for roads, we came upon a picturesque lighthouse at sunset. We took many photos. The surrounding terrain is sere and heat blasted. No wonder the original Spaniards termed the island "useless"

Returning to Bushiri Beach, we had additional "Blue Mondays" and readied for dinner. Escargot, white wine, onion soup, salad and a seafood platter were exquisite. We had several more drinks after dinner, listening to the Steel Band and watching the limbo contest. A full moon illuminated the island. We retired at 11:30 after another full day.

Tuesday, April 2 - Aruba, Dutch Antilles

We arose early (7:30), breakfasted and readied for a tour of the southeastern end of the island. The most striking feature is an enormous oil refinery, now being refurbished. U.S. interests had built it, in 1935, and operated it until 1986. The refinery closing was a major economic setback for the entire island. A shift toward tourism, as a major industry, has helped fill the gap. Currently, 2,000 men from Turkey were brought in to help rebuild the place. They lived in company trailers. They were "allowed out" to fill the 25 bars, in the four square blocks of San Nicholas, a small town adjacent to the refinery.

We drove through the American compound, past Rogers and Baby Beaches. Beautiful sand and aquamarine seas looked curious in juxtaposition with the rusting metal smokestacks of the refinery. The contrast seemed only to heighten the areas natural beauty.

Next, we stopped at the "Indian Caves", a series of eroded fissures where the island's original Indian population had sought shelter. The "mouth" of the caves was now a tourist attraction. It had a garish sign entitled "Tunnel of Love" over the mouth of the cave. The caves stretched for 1/2 mile underground, with an outlet to the beach. Wave action on rock had carved the entire affair. The surrounding flora again looked like the Arizona desert, with cacti and aloe plants abounding. The 'male' aloe plant, with its huge central stalk, was a new oddity for me. Each of us posed next to the burned out wreckage of an old bus, entitling the photo "our rental car.' Tourists at play.

Lastly, we put in at the aforementioned San Nicholas and congregated at "Charley's Bar." It is a local attraction, now run by an Aussie and a colorful Irishman, who had worked there since 1953 . The place is an eclectic collection of souvenirs, left by tourists. Buttons, hats, rudders, cards and pictures from countries the world over, gave it a certain ambiance. It is like like "Foxy's", on Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgins, or "Harry's New York Bar", in Paris. We had a beer and returned to the bus. Again, the area had about 25 taverns, in a 4 square block area. It must be interesting on a Friday night.

At 12:30, we returned to the hotel. A nap followed. Later, we took a cab to the "Eagle Pharmacy", near the hospital. We walked the two miles back to the hotel and went for a swim and lay in the sun by the pool. Banana coladas were the order of the day and we persevered bravely. It was another glorious day.

We cleaned up for dinner and met for cocktails at 7 p.m. Dinner consisted of shrimp, black bean soup, salad, red snapper, dessert and Venezuelan coffee. The theme was "Mexican Night" and everything was excellent. Fat City.

We walked about 1 1/2 miles to the Alhambra Casino and tried our luck. The slots were ridiculous, no chance. We contributed $50 and then walked back, in a beautiful moonlit night. We collected a drink and sat on the beach, looking up at the stars. Jesus, this is beautiful.

A few asides given us by the driver, are that the water and power are provided by a government run desalinization plant. There is no natural water on the island. The local 'con-ed' is pretty reliable, but several large storage tanks of fresh water are held in reserve, in case the plant is not functioning. The entire island also is apparently owned by the central government and leased to home owners, a curious bonanza. The island of Aruba itself, all 65,000 souls, broke away from a confederation of Bonaire and Curacao. It is scheduled to be given its "independence", from the Netherlands, around the year 2,000.

We found the native Arubans, as a group, to be cheerful, friendly and almost eager to engage in tourist oriented commerce. It is a state of mind, not all that frequently found, in the Caribbean. It was refreshing and enjoyable.

Wednesday, April 3 - Aruba, Dutch Antilles

We had a coffee and danish at 8:15. Then, we took a six mile walk along the beach, to the Holiday Inn and back. Windsurfers raced across the aquamarine surf at dizzying speeds. Their brightly colored sails were like neon butterflies flitting across the surface, darting to and fro.

As we walked along the wooden boardwalk, past the Divi and the Divi Tamarind Resorts, scores of salamanders, with bright green tails, skittered through the sea grass. They are chameleons. We enjoyed watching them change from lime green to sand brown, as they scurried through the Sea Grass and surrounding dunes.

Returning to Bushiri Beach, we swam, lazed and had lunch. We cabbed it into Oranjestad and again shopped in Harbourtown, Sonesta and the Main Street shops. We bought neon hats, t-shirts for, visors for, and Cuban cigars for $5 each. We cabbed back at 4:15. It was too hot to walk (90's). We arrived in time for "chi-chi's" and the swimsuit contest, by the pool. We got a nap before dinner.

The drink of the day was "sex on the beach". The dinner of seafood crepes, cream of brocoli soup, poached salmon, with shrimp and Hollandaise sauce, was excellent.

We stopped by the pool bar for "B-51's". It was breezy and comfortable. We retired at 10:30 P.M.. Getting up early and walking 5 miles a day had a tendency to tire one out in this kind of heat.

Thursday, April 4- Aruba, Dutch Antilles

Once again, we were up early. We breakfasted at 8 a.m. and readied for sailing and snorkeling. At 8:45, we took a cab to the Playa Linda Hotel, for a sail aboard the catamaran, "Wavedancer." We were picked up on the beach, in a battered rubber zodiac and ferried out to the Wavedancer, by native skipper Eric. There were 14 of us and a few of the people were Civil War veterans. Once aboard and settled, Eric and his assistant, a young Dutch girl named Tinika, raised sail. We skimmed across the bay, to a spot ideal for snorkeling. The boat provided fins and masks. We suited up and spent a delightful hour watching an aquarium full of tropical fish. Yellow and black striped sgt. majors, violet blowfish, longitudinally red striped opahs and many more, swam amidst the brain coral and dangerous fire coral. Spiny urchins also lurked about, posing a potential danger. It was fascinating watching schools of brightly colored fish drift back and forth, in the current. It was a nice trip. Sailing back, watching the wind surfers skim by at 30-40 mph, against blue sea and sky, was visually memorable. Several other catamarans, ketches and other types of sailing vessels also lent colorful character to the scenery.

We debarked and were ferried to shore by Eric. We wandered around the grounds of the hotel Playa Linda and were impressed by its' opulence. After a $5 cab ride back to Bushiri Beach, we showered off the salt water and had a nice lunch of carrot soup and salmon salad. Then, a nap in the comfort of air conditioning. It seemed like a battery charger in the intense heat.
Cocktails by the pool preceded a buffet, which wasn't very good. We retired early and read.

Friday, April 5 - Aruba, Dutch Antilles

It was our last full day of vacation. We arose early (8:15 A.M.) and had coffee. We walked 10 miles along the beach and back, stopping at the beautiful Hyatt Hotel, for coffee and danish. On the way back, the heat was intense. We stopped at the Divi Beach Bar for club sodas and found out that the drinks we had been swilling were very expensive, at the big hotels. (Concorde, Americana, Playa Linda, Holiday Inn)

The Hyatt grounds were beautiful, with ponds replete with black swans, palm trees and flowers. If this wasn't paradise, it was a good copy.

Along the beach and everywhere, we were accosted by "time share monsters", hawking interval units for about $7-9,000. They must have had a lot of takers. To us, they were as ubiquitous and bothersome as moonies at airports.

Back at Bushiri, we cooled off with a shower and had a lunch of soup and salad. Then, banana daiquiris poolside and a swim. The girls again went shopping in Oranjestad. A few of us guarded the pool bar. It was windy, humid and very hot (90's). We had a catnap, in the room, to cool off and came back for more daiquiris and "hurricanes" (14 types of liquor), before readying for dinner. We met for vodka tonics around the bar, at 7 p.m.. We had dinner at 7:30. Coquille St. Jacques appetizer, bouillabaisse, salad and red snapper, a la orange, were followed by coffee, sambuca and white wine. These people know how to eat.

We listened to the music, after dinner and sat on the beach, for a while. It was another beautiful evening. A brief rainshower chased us inside, where we began to pack and ready for an early a.m. flight home.
It was time to go, albeit reluctantly.

Saturday, April 6, - Aruba, Dutch Antilles

We were up early (5:30 a.m), finished packing, checked out and breakfasted at 7 a.m. The bus loaded up and pulled out at 7:30, for the airport.

We checked in, got our exit tax forms and passed through customs. There, we lounged and waited for a Venezuela Air flight to Toronto. It left at 9:45. Five and a half hours later, we arrived in Toronto.

Before we left, we observed several old DC 3's parked off the runway. It is an amazing plane, built in 1935-38 and still flying.

Toronto Airport was rainslick and appealing after 7 days of hot sun. We collected our luggage, cleared customs, said goodbye and took the shuttle to our car park. A short 2 hour drive home ended the journey in Buffalo.

General Observations:

Aruba is a sunworshippers delight. Every day of the year is sunny and hot. It is south of the hurricane belt and has some of the most beautiful beaches and colorful seas that I have ever encountered. The native Arubans are pleasant, fairly affluent and all speak English. Crime is rare and one feels very safe walking about. Gentle tradewinds always make life bearable.

The hotels are fairly new and top quality. Casinos and night shows abound for entertainment. Shopping is abundant and on later trips, short hops to Curacao and Caracas can provide variety.

Visually, we saw no evidence of the non-biodegradable plastic flotsam that ringed the high water mark of many Carribean Islands. Here, they just needed to clean up the Heineken bottles strewn liberally about. The island is a visual contrast of sere desert and lush tropics and is well worth visiting.

Joseph Xavier Martin