Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Aruba #6
Sunday morning, we set off to find the church of the folks we had met the previous week. With a lot of circling, direction asking, and backtracking, we finally found the church. We were happy to find it, only to be told by a fellow out front that the entire service was in Papiamento, the native language of Aruba. We were very disappointed, and getting ready to leave, when the beautiful alien girl appeared and was very glad to see us. She asked us to at least please stay for “the singing”. We agreed, and we offered to sit in the balcony so as not to disrupt the service. A very nice lady offered to translate for us, and we had a wonderful time singing praise songs, some with familiar tunes, in Papiamento. Quite an experience which also reminded us, that music is still the universal language. We left after the singing as it would be too difficult to follow the preaching through a translator. All our new friends were happy we came, and very surprised to see us. We also had the joy of discovering that our translator’s daughter was a World champion wind surfer at age 15. Later in the store downtown, we purchased a prominent windsurfing magazine with her on the cover. We have a picture of Corky with her. After church we returned to the Condo, had some lunch, napped, and later hit the pool. Vickie went back to the casino for a short time while we napped. She returned to join us at the pool excited to tell that she had yielded $230 this time. In any event, we stayed quite late at the pool lazing around the lazy river, so we decided to eat in this evening. Corky had stashed some fixings for just such an event, so we had penne rigatte, marinara sauce, and sangria. For dessert we all had ice cream cones. Monday morning, we worked on getting our dinner reservations organized for the rest of the week, and set out to go to the butterfly farm and find some CD’s to transfer pictures onto. The butterfly farm was very interesting. It is a small (about the size of a tennis court) ecosystem completely screened with 12 foot high mesh making a big cube of space. Inside this space, they grow and nurture butterflies. We had a tour by a very knowledgeable Frenchman who explained to us how the butterfly life cycle worked, and what we needed to help nurture butterflies in our own environment. All in all it was a wonderful time. In search of the CD’s we ended up at this giant mega mart sort of like a super Wally Mart with a True Value hardware store hitched to the back for good measure. The whole mess was in a rambling sort of mall with shoes, appliances, bakeries, internet café, etc. etc. We found the CD’s and also on our quest was some Pastecki which is the local portable food type indulgence. This consists of puff type pastry wrapped around stuff, and then either deep fried or baked. One of the primary items is a meat pie that looks something like a Hostess fruit pie, filled with a savory meat concoction. Also they have hot dog like things wrapped up in the pastry and baked. We also enjoyed some of their pastries for desert. We stopped off at Little Switzerland so Vickie and Judy could visit a particular vendor for some blouses, and another store where everything was $10 for something or other. We had an interesting sight when we returned to the resort. Somehow a person had managed to drive their rental car over the curb, through the shrubbery, and through the metal fence out to the sidewalk. We never got any details, but it was quite entertaining. I had not mentioned, but we had been under an ocean swimming prohibition for the last two days due to a highly unusual school of jelly fish that descended on the island. That was lifted today, so back in the ocean tomorrow. We rested up a little (naps) when we returned from the CD expedition, and then got ready for dinner. We had reservations for 6:30 at Madame Janette which Corky said is one of the best on the island. We were not disappointed; the food was great, ambience wonderful, cost not extraordinary, wine list great, and portions truck driver size. We were seated outside and it threatened rain a little, but held off and allowed us to enjoy our dinner. Corky and Judy split a pork tenderloin schnitzel with Cesar salad and blue crab lollypops for appetizer. Vickie had tournedos of beef, and I had coconut and almond crusted shrimp in Thai red chili sauce. For desert, Corky and Judy had chocolate soufflé with ice cream, and Vickie and I had rum marinated roasted pineapple with vanilla ice cream. We each had a glass of Chateau de la Coeur Grand Cru Classe, St. Emilion Bordeaux wine. Must mention, it has rained quite a bit off and on in the last week. This is quite unusual for Aruba, which only gets 3 or 4 inches of rain a year. The rain is quite interesting however. You can see the towering clouds and see the rain falling directly under them. You can also watch as they move across the island and out to sea. Tomorrow Vickie and I are going snorkeling, and Corky and Judy are headed back to the jewelry store. We have a reservation tomorrow evening at a restaurant they call Tango which has live tango dancers as a floor show.
Aruba #5
Friday was moving day. Corky owns two weeks and one is called Garden View, the other called Ocean View. Bottom line was we had to move from the 3rd floor to the 10th floor. “All we had to do” was pack everything back up, and leave it for the housekeeping staff. They told us they would move everything—including the food and stuff in the refrigerator. Also, we didn’t have to repack our hanging stuff—they moved it on the hangers. We were in need of some more drinks and such for the rest of the trip, so Corky and I went off to the grocery, and the girls stayed to pack. Finally with everything packed up we went to the pool. I played some water volleyball with a cool bunch of kids—I was like the grandpa of the group, but they accepted me pretty well. Later, we went to our new room and unpacked. We decided to do a repeat of the restaurant over at the Marriott Hotel, due to everyone being tired from the move, and the early rising required tomorrow to go fishing with Monty. We all turned in pretty early as we had to get up before 05:00 for the fishing trip. Also on Friday, we all installed our scopolamine patches to help prevent sea sickness, and these make you a little drowsy. But, this didn’t keep Vickie from heading for the casino. She was up another $88.00 last night.
Saturday morning, Vickie and I were up at 04:30 and ready to go fishing. I was pretty excited, cause I had never been deep sea fishing in my life. We packed some snacks and drinks, everyone had a light breakfast, and we were off to fish. Corky knew Monty from previous visits. His boat was anchored just off the beach in front of the Moomba Restaurant. We walked through the dark over to the next beach to meet out fishing guides, Monty and Junior (the first mate). We had to get loaded in a small rubber boat (with no motor) to get ferried out to the fishing boat. Monty’s boat is called the Pa Ra Dice. We managed the boarding, with a lot of grunting and help from first mate, Junior. Pa Ra Dice is a 32 foot twin Yanmar diesel fishing boat. We headed out just prior to sunrise, and got to see it rising as we made our way to the good fishing grounds. The scenery was really beautiful, because it was an unusual cloudy day. We saw the island from a good distance off shore, and we could see the towering clouds and the rain falling in Oranjestad, the sight was unbelievable. As we moved toward the fishing grounds, Junior started rigging up the various lines and out/down riggers we would use to fish. No sooner had he got everything set than we had a strike. Corky was first up in the Port fighting chair, so he got the nod. He pulled in a 60-65 # what they call Wahoo here. It is a big scaleless fish, probably first cousin to a tuna. We went on to catch 3 60-65 # Wahoo, by Vickie, Judy and Corkey. At one time, we had two fish on the hook with Corky and Judy in the fighting chairs. (quite exciting) I caught 2 small barracudas. Vickie kept Junior and Monty entertained with her squealing and non stop dialogue while hauling in her fish. After 4 plus hours of fishing, (and no sea sickness) it was time to go back. Junior cleaned our fish enroute and we had a large flock of pilot birds following us for the bait and entrail scraps. Monty stopped the boat, so we could pose for pictures with “our fish”. We wanted some fish to eat, so the mate took off 1 whole filet from a Wahoo. It turned out to be about 25# of fish. He cut it in half so we could get it in a bag to carry with us. Corky knew the drill at the Moomba Restaurant, so we took the newly caught fish there. Head guy (who looked a lot like Richard Gere) was delighted to take our fish for later preparation, (try that in the US) and we reserved a table on the beach, to eat our hand caught fish later. For $10.00 a head, they are going to serve us our fish, pan fried, with salad and french fries on the beach at an ocean side table under a palm tree. We then journeyed back to the room to rest up and do some laundry. Our fish awaits us for dinner at 7:30 this evening. Corky and Judy have gone off to do some jewelry shopping, and Vickie and I are hanging around doing some laundry. Currently sleeping is attractive as well due to the after effects of the scopolamine. Vickie slipped off to the casino and came back with $131.05 more than she left with.
Laundry is done, and our hosts are back from shopping. Corky bought Judy a really cool pearl and black pearl necklace along with some black pearl earrings. Judy brought Vickie a surprise back. It’s a red island type decorated gauze dress, and she bought a blue one for herself. They are going to wear them to dinner tonight. With everyone clean and dressed, it was off to the Moomba for dinner. They had one of the best tables reserved for us, in the sand, right on the beach—front row toward the water. The ambience at the Moomba is just out of sight with Christmas type colored lights strung between the palms and indigenous trees, white sand, nice music, and waves lapping the shore. It was a clear night, allowing us vistas of the moon and stars. Off in the distance you could see lights of boats out on the water, and occasionally a late returning catamaran would motor by. We got right to it and ordered our dinner course of freshly caught (by us) Wahoo. We picked out a good bottle of Chilean Chardonnay to accompany the fish, and settled back to suck up the surroundings. The two man combo kept the music coming (even if slightly off key) with a little Jimmie Buffet, Elvis, and the ubiquitous Caribbean music that makes you want to dance and rock you shoulders. Dinner arrived, and it was more than expected. There is something primal for us hunter/gatherers when it involves eating what you caught today. Of course we didn’t catch the salad stuff, rice or french fries, but the feeling was there. And I forgot to mention—the fish was superb, pan fried, served with a garlic lemon cream sauce on the side. All in all it was one lovely evening. Tomorrow we are planning to try and find the Church where our new friends from last weekend invited us. Directions go something like left at the first roundabout then straight ahead for 5 more roundabouts. Hopefully we’ll get lucky and find it.
Saturday morning, Vickie and I were up at 04:30 and ready to go fishing. I was pretty excited, cause I had never been deep sea fishing in my life. We packed some snacks and drinks, everyone had a light breakfast, and we were off to fish. Corky knew Monty from previous visits. His boat was anchored just off the beach in front of the Moomba Restaurant. We walked through the dark over to the next beach to meet out fishing guides, Monty and Junior (the first mate). We had to get loaded in a small rubber boat (with no motor) to get ferried out to the fishing boat. Monty’s boat is called the Pa Ra Dice. We managed the boarding, with a lot of grunting and help from first mate, Junior. Pa Ra Dice is a 32 foot twin Yanmar diesel fishing boat. We headed out just prior to sunrise, and got to see it rising as we made our way to the good fishing grounds. The scenery was really beautiful, because it was an unusual cloudy day. We saw the island from a good distance off shore, and we could see the towering clouds and the rain falling in Oranjestad, the sight was unbelievable. As we moved toward the fishing grounds, Junior started rigging up the various lines and out/down riggers we would use to fish. No sooner had he got everything set than we had a strike. Corky was first up in the Port fighting chair, so he got the nod. He pulled in a 60-65 # what they call Wahoo here. It is a big scaleless fish, probably first cousin to a tuna. We went on to catch 3 60-65 # Wahoo, by Vickie, Judy and Corkey. At one time, we had two fish on the hook with Corky and Judy in the fighting chairs. (quite exciting) I caught 2 small barracudas. Vickie kept Junior and Monty entertained with her squealing and non stop dialogue while hauling in her fish. After 4 plus hours of fishing, (and no sea sickness) it was time to go back. Junior cleaned our fish enroute and we had a large flock of pilot birds following us for the bait and entrail scraps. Monty stopped the boat, so we could pose for pictures with “our fish”. We wanted some fish to eat, so the mate took off 1 whole filet from a Wahoo. It turned out to be about 25# of fish. He cut it in half so we could get it in a bag to carry with us. Corky knew the drill at the Moomba Restaurant, so we took the newly caught fish there. Head guy (who looked a lot like Richard Gere) was delighted to take our fish for later preparation, (try that in the US) and we reserved a table on the beach, to eat our hand caught fish later. For $10.00 a head, they are going to serve us our fish, pan fried, with salad and french fries on the beach at an ocean side table under a palm tree. We then journeyed back to the room to rest up and do some laundry. Our fish awaits us for dinner at 7:30 this evening. Corky and Judy have gone off to do some jewelry shopping, and Vickie and I are hanging around doing some laundry. Currently sleeping is attractive as well due to the after effects of the scopolamine. Vickie slipped off to the casino and came back with $131.05 more than she left with.
Laundry is done, and our hosts are back from shopping. Corky bought Judy a really cool pearl and black pearl necklace along with some black pearl earrings. Judy brought Vickie a surprise back. It’s a red island type decorated gauze dress, and she bought a blue one for herself. They are going to wear them to dinner tonight. With everyone clean and dressed, it was off to the Moomba for dinner. They had one of the best tables reserved for us, in the sand, right on the beach—front row toward the water. The ambience at the Moomba is just out of sight with Christmas type colored lights strung between the palms and indigenous trees, white sand, nice music, and waves lapping the shore. It was a clear night, allowing us vistas of the moon and stars. Off in the distance you could see lights of boats out on the water, and occasionally a late returning catamaran would motor by. We got right to it and ordered our dinner course of freshly caught (by us) Wahoo. We picked out a good bottle of Chilean Chardonnay to accompany the fish, and settled back to suck up the surroundings. The two man combo kept the music coming (even if slightly off key) with a little Jimmie Buffet, Elvis, and the ubiquitous Caribbean music that makes you want to dance and rock you shoulders. Dinner arrived, and it was more than expected. There is something primal for us hunter/gatherers when it involves eating what you caught today. Of course we didn’t catch the salad stuff, rice or french fries, but the feeling was there. And I forgot to mention—the fish was superb, pan fried, served with a garlic lemon cream sauce on the side. All in all it was one lovely evening. Tomorrow we are planning to try and find the Church where our new friends from last weekend invited us. Directions go something like left at the first roundabout then straight ahead for 5 more roundabouts. Hopefully we’ll get lucky and find it.
Aruba #4
Most of the day yesterday, we spent either at the pool or the beach. We watched the Bush live news conference from the Rose Garden, at lunch, and then back to the outdoor activities. Everyone played poolside bingo, and then Vickie entered the beer drinking contest. She has a method which is guaranteed to never win. First, she doesn’t really even like beer, and second, when they say go she sips the cup and talks about how southern ladies don’t gulp anything. Later Vickie and I walked up the beach to see them pulling in the activity boats for the day. She met a new friend Angel who works on a parasailing boat, and is going to personally look after her when she goes Friday (we think). On the way back, we heard some great music from the vicinity of the beach bar, so investigated. Well it was happy hour(s) and they had a small band playing Caribbean music along with other stuff. The rum punch was 2 for 1 and pretty good, so we stayed. The band later played Under the Boardwalk and Vickie and I shagged in the area in front of the band. You would have thought we were the king and queen of shag, not a Myrtle Beach original and a Yankee gimp. We had quite an appreciative audience. Things progressed from there, and we ended up getting a little “partied up”. On the way back from the beach, they had a fellow cutting up fresh coconuts. He would remove the top with a machete and stick a straw in the top. It was tasty and quite refreshing. I have the coconut in the refrigerator now, and intend to see if I can get to the meat. With Vickie and I well partied, and 2 cruise ships were in town, so we opted to stay up on this end of the island for dinner. We went to the strip down near the other hotels toward Oranjestad (not very far) to a Brick Oven Pizza place Corky knew about. Had beer and some of the best pizza I have tasted in a while. We like our pizza extra thin and crispy, and that’s how they fixed it here. Cooked in a brick oven, it was toasty and good. For dessert we had a most interesting plate of cream puffs (but ice cream was substituted for the cream) drizzled with what else….chocolate. It was delicious. After dinner we wandered around the little shops that are in this strip, and found an Aruba ornament for our Christmas tree. One of the shops had a most magical do dad. It looked like a 3 inch diameter piece of bamboo, sealed on both ends, and about 18 inches long. When you turned it over it made a sound like a rain storm. Too big to get in luggage to carry home, but amazing. Later we watched a little tube and crashed. Needed sleep to prepare for our trip with Vader tomorrow. (Little did we know how much we did need to rest up)
Thursday AM, Corky and I were off to the More 4 Less rental place to get a Jeep. This is the place Vader had recommended and was supposed to have good Jeeps. While standing in the office, discovered the other couple that was there was also going with Vader, and had in the past. Meanwhile, the girls were back at the condo getting things ready. Judy and Vickie made some great sandwiches. We got back to the place, and picked them up with 10 minutes to spare. We headed to the Occidental Hotel where we were supposed to meet Vader and the other couple. Things started to appear a little curious when we got to the hotel and no one was there and no one knew anything about Vader and a Jeep trip. We were just beginning to wonder what was up when he appeared and soon after the other couple. Guess this is the time to say, Vader is this quite an interesting (Dutch lunatic with dog named Cheech) tour guide. Apparently he does many of his operations under the radar of the syndicate that controls much of the tour activity in Aruba. We understood this when he said “if we get stopped, you are just some folks I met on the beach who asked me to show you around”. Meanwhile Cheech had jumped in Judy’s lap, and appeared if he was going to make the trip right there. Vader has been in Aruba for 32 years and has seen the evolution of the tourism industry here. He makes a living doing water sports, snorkeling catamaran trips, and the occasional jeep tour. (he seems to really care about the island, but is also about 50% full of BS) First stop on the tour was the grocery store. Vader gave us each a cooler, and suggested we fix it up with water food and drinks. We got all packed up with some good stuff, and got on the road again. Then it was off to the Texaco station to gas up the Jeeps. I had already done ours. Worth mentioning was how Vader made an appearance at each of the establishments we stopped at. We were guessing he got kick backs from them all for bringing us. After that we were off to the lighthouse end of the island. We did the typical tourist tour stuff at that end of the island, and then skipped on, on paved road, further down the island. Vader said the lighthouse end of the island was nothing but red dust, and nothing to see. We turned off and went to the top of a hill with a big water tower and great view. Then we went on to the little chapel and more great views. Then it was on to the natural bridge (which has fallen down—rumor was it fell from all the traffic vibration during the Natalie Holloway mess). So far we had been on pavement and dirt roads, didn’t even need 4 wheel drive. All the attractions so far were typical tourist stuff. But then when we left the “Thirst Aid Station” (Corky treated us to ice cream bars), instead of going back the road we came on (with the giant tour busses) we turned left. I had noticed some 4 wheelers coming down the side of the big hill across from us on what appeared to be a goat path. That’s where we headed. We were soon in 4 wheel low crawling up the rocks. I soon understood why Vader had hollered “the trip starts here” when we left Thirst Aid. I had seen rock crawling, and the Rubicon type stuff on TV, but I wasn’t sure if I could do it, especially in a basically stock Jeep Wrangler. I was really glad I opted for the manual transmission, because it gives you much better control on the accents and descents. The women were somewhat panic strickened, but after we didn’t rollover on the long rocky side hill accent (Vader congratulated me on my performance), they settled down and were just scared. Of course, they were continually fighting cooler burn (from having the cooler between them in the back seat of a CJ), and trying to juggle drinks, cameras and flying out of the truck. I couldn’t let on to them, but using a Jeep for it’s intended purpose, and actually tackling obstacles that required some driving skill, brains and _alls, was me serving my intended purpose. From that point on, we didn’t see anything but rocky trails and incredible scenery for the rest of the day. I’m sure we saw sights that 90% of the tourists to Aruba never see. We stopped for lunch and a swim at the natural pool. It was quite a hike, down 72 “stairs” from the Jeeps to the pool. Vickie was the only one who thought they could make the climb over the rocks to get in the natural pool. She made it, with the help of one of the young girls in the other Jeep. Coming out, she had to climb, and Vader got behind her and pushed. We climbed back up the “stairs” and remounted our trusty steed. We continued onward for the balance of the afternoon, and ended up at the other end of the island near Baby Beach. At one point Corky commented he thought he had lost at least 20 pounds from all the jigging (like one of those old belt exercise machines). Another time he said all he needed was some milk and ice cream in his stomach, and he could have a milkshake. By that point, we were all covered in dust, and worn slap out. Vader took us on a quick trip through the red light district in San Nicolas. (San Nicolas is a town on the end of the island near the refinery, which consists mostly of bars and brothels). We made our way back to our end of the island, bid Vader farewell, hit the Wendy’s for grub, and back to the condo. Everyone was beat, hungry and dirty. After some showers and grub, the beds looked pretty good. Watched some tube and crashed.
Thursday AM, Corky and I were off to the More 4 Less rental place to get a Jeep. This is the place Vader had recommended and was supposed to have good Jeeps. While standing in the office, discovered the other couple that was there was also going with Vader, and had in the past. Meanwhile, the girls were back at the condo getting things ready. Judy and Vickie made some great sandwiches. We got back to the place, and picked them up with 10 minutes to spare. We headed to the Occidental Hotel where we were supposed to meet Vader and the other couple. Things started to appear a little curious when we got to the hotel and no one was there and no one knew anything about Vader and a Jeep trip. We were just beginning to wonder what was up when he appeared and soon after the other couple. Guess this is the time to say, Vader is this quite an interesting (Dutch lunatic with dog named Cheech) tour guide. Apparently he does many of his operations under the radar of the syndicate that controls much of the tour activity in Aruba. We understood this when he said “if we get stopped, you are just some folks I met on the beach who asked me to show you around”. Meanwhile Cheech had jumped in Judy’s lap, and appeared if he was going to make the trip right there. Vader has been in Aruba for 32 years and has seen the evolution of the tourism industry here. He makes a living doing water sports, snorkeling catamaran trips, and the occasional jeep tour. (he seems to really care about the island, but is also about 50% full of BS) First stop on the tour was the grocery store. Vader gave us each a cooler, and suggested we fix it up with water food and drinks. We got all packed up with some good stuff, and got on the road again. Then it was off to the Texaco station to gas up the Jeeps. I had already done ours. Worth mentioning was how Vader made an appearance at each of the establishments we stopped at. We were guessing he got kick backs from them all for bringing us. After that we were off to the lighthouse end of the island. We did the typical tourist tour stuff at that end of the island, and then skipped on, on paved road, further down the island. Vader said the lighthouse end of the island was nothing but red dust, and nothing to see. We turned off and went to the top of a hill with a big water tower and great view. Then we went on to the little chapel and more great views. Then it was on to the natural bridge (which has fallen down—rumor was it fell from all the traffic vibration during the Natalie Holloway mess). So far we had been on pavement and dirt roads, didn’t even need 4 wheel drive. All the attractions so far were typical tourist stuff. But then when we left the “Thirst Aid Station” (Corky treated us to ice cream bars), instead of going back the road we came on (with the giant tour busses) we turned left. I had noticed some 4 wheelers coming down the side of the big hill across from us on what appeared to be a goat path. That’s where we headed. We were soon in 4 wheel low crawling up the rocks. I soon understood why Vader had hollered “the trip starts here” when we left Thirst Aid. I had seen rock crawling, and the Rubicon type stuff on TV, but I wasn’t sure if I could do it, especially in a basically stock Jeep Wrangler. I was really glad I opted for the manual transmission, because it gives you much better control on the accents and descents. The women were somewhat panic strickened, but after we didn’t rollover on the long rocky side hill accent (Vader congratulated me on my performance), they settled down and were just scared. Of course, they were continually fighting cooler burn (from having the cooler between them in the back seat of a CJ), and trying to juggle drinks, cameras and flying out of the truck. I couldn’t let on to them, but using a Jeep for it’s intended purpose, and actually tackling obstacles that required some driving skill, brains and _alls, was me serving my intended purpose. From that point on, we didn’t see anything but rocky trails and incredible scenery for the rest of the day. I’m sure we saw sights that 90% of the tourists to Aruba never see. We stopped for lunch and a swim at the natural pool. It was quite a hike, down 72 “stairs” from the Jeeps to the pool. Vickie was the only one who thought they could make the climb over the rocks to get in the natural pool. She made it, with the help of one of the young girls in the other Jeep. Coming out, she had to climb, and Vader got behind her and pushed. We climbed back up the “stairs” and remounted our trusty steed. We continued onward for the balance of the afternoon, and ended up at the other end of the island near Baby Beach. At one point Corky commented he thought he had lost at least 20 pounds from all the jigging (like one of those old belt exercise machines). Another time he said all he needed was some milk and ice cream in his stomach, and he could have a milkshake. By that point, we were all covered in dust, and worn slap out. Vader took us on a quick trip through the red light district in San Nicolas. (San Nicolas is a town on the end of the island near the refinery, which consists mostly of bars and brothels). We made our way back to our end of the island, bid Vader farewell, hit the Wendy’s for grub, and back to the condo. Everyone was beat, hungry and dirty. After some showers and grub, the beds looked pretty good. Watched some tube and crashed.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Aruba #2
Aruba trip #2
First document ended up with our trip to the Dutch Pancake House and meeting the cool bunch of kids. Monday morning, we headed out to the grocery store, but on the way made a side trip to the tip of the island. (it is very close to us) We saw the area quite near us where we can go snorkeling and all kinds of wild goats near the lighthouse on the tip of the island. Also saw some beautiful Aruban residences, overlooking the water, big $$$$. We went off to the local IGA (via a stop at McDonalds for breakfast) to shop for some “stuff” for our 2 week stay here. The grocery store called XXXXX was quite interesting. Was a large store, but was slam full of folks shopping. Also, it seems like Monday is the day they stock every shelf in the store. So in addition to the 38 million shoppers, every isle was clogged with carts of material waiting to be restocked. Seems like the Aruban grocery store clerks union has negotiated some interesting work rules for them. Most of the restockers were standing around dividing their time between chatting vigorously in the native language, and restocking the shelves. (about 70-30% 70 chatting, and 30 restocking) Some of those who didn’t have someone close by to chat with were talking on their cell phones with one hand while restocking with the other. All the prices in the store were in Aruban Florins. Conversion involves dividing by 2 and adding 10% so 2 Florins comes out to be about $1.10 US. Still the prices are quite high on many items. This is due to the fact that everything in Aruba must be imported. Only thing they grow much of here are Aloe Vera plants and Iguanas, neither of which is immediately edible. It was, however, great fun looking through the very different offerings in the store. Because Aruba was in the past a Dutch colony, they still have very close ties with Holland. Because of that, this is cheese heaven. The deli section had a great selection of meats and cheeses with a Dutch flair. Bought some incredible Edam, goat cheese, and unfamiliar, but interesting lunch meats. Also had fun substituting European products for our normal brands. Bought mustard, mayo, and other condiments, passing up the standard American products, and going for the stuff I couldn’t read the labels on. After checkout, we loaded everything in the Suzuki something or other we have for a rental car, and carried back to the resort. One of the bell guys was more than glad (for a fiver) to help us upstairs with our purchases. After stowing stuff, it was off to the pool and lazy river for an afternoon of exquisite indolence. For dinner, we got reservations at La Fondue D'Aruba. Corky and Judy had been there before and also were familiar with fondue in general. Enroute to La Fondue, we once again saw all sorts of back street sights in Orangestad (lost again but having a big time). I hate to say it, but I sold my 6 or 8 fondue sets received for wedding gifts back in the 80’s. Fondue has been making a big comeback of late. Vickie and I just have not been on the cutting edge of this gastronomic experience (never had fondue). With the able tutelage of our food mentors, we sailed through our first fondue experience, and enjoyed the trip. Of special note is the desert fondue (which it seems is why folks eat fondue in the first place) that was wonderful. We ordered the large desert for four, and the 50/50% dark and white chocolate. The owner offered us serving the white and dark separately (usually swirled in one pot), and each couple got a plate of fruit, pound cake, brownies, marshmallows, etc for dipping. Suffice it to say that it was some of the best chocolate we’d ever tasted. (hum Dutch chocolate—just made the connection, duh) Tuesday morning, Vickie and I had an appointment with the Marriott dude, to talk about joining the “Marriott Family”. Guy was very interesting, before working for Marriott, was a photographer for Wind Surfing Magazine and spent his time shuttling around the world in the windsurfing scene. (he was pretty cute—I think Vickie wanted to have his children) In any event, to make a long story short, we realized the merits of joining the Marriott family, and are now the proud owners of a week at a two bedroom condo in Aruba every year. It has a lot of advantages for Vickie and I planning to travel a lot. Also, as one of the perks, we essentially got a trip, including airfare and lodging, to anywhere in the world. After our morning with the Marriott folks, we adjourned to the beach this time instead of the pool, and parked ourselves under a palapa (Vickie and I call it a tiki hut--one of those ubiquitous thatched thingies you see at most tropical resorts). Spent some time swimming in the ocean, and watching the sun go down into the water. Corky struck up a conversation with some local fishermen looking for a past acquaintance that had taken him fishing quite successfully. (I believe he and Vickie were cut from similar cloth in the “they never met a stranger department”) Spent some idyllic time on the dock watching the local guy throw fish guts to the birds, and chatting. As we departed the dock, I struck up a conversation with a couple who had a late 70’s Toyota land cruiser (when it comes to vehicles, even I can meet folks). Turns out the guy’s name is Vader (not Darth), and he runs a jeep outing on Thursdays. (among other offerings like deep sea fishing and iguana wrestling) This sounds like it is not your run of the mill structured tour. Told us to contact this specific Jeep rental place and “tell them you are going with Vader so give you one with good tires”. He supplies the coolers and does the guiding. You supply your own supplies and the rental jeep. We think this might be in our future. For dinner we went just down the road to the Radisson that has a dinner buffet. This night was Italian night, and the food was great. There was a musician performing guitar with a drum machine. I sensed there might be more to him than what he was doing to pay the bills. Corky struck up a conversation with him, and as it turns out, he was a heavy metal rock n roller who did what he had to do to pay the bills. Also turned out his father was an Italian violin maker, and he had recently constructed his own electric guitar that as he said, was just right. Such an interesting assortment of people on this island. Finally off to bed and Vickie to the casino.
First document ended up with our trip to the Dutch Pancake House and meeting the cool bunch of kids. Monday morning, we headed out to the grocery store, but on the way made a side trip to the tip of the island. (it is very close to us) We saw the area quite near us where we can go snorkeling and all kinds of wild goats near the lighthouse on the tip of the island. Also saw some beautiful Aruban residences, overlooking the water, big $$$$. We went off to the local IGA (via a stop at McDonalds for breakfast) to shop for some “stuff” for our 2 week stay here. The grocery store called XXXXX was quite interesting. Was a large store, but was slam full of folks shopping. Also, it seems like Monday is the day they stock every shelf in the store. So in addition to the 38 million shoppers, every isle was clogged with carts of material waiting to be restocked. Seems like the Aruban grocery store clerks union has negotiated some interesting work rules for them. Most of the restockers were standing around dividing their time between chatting vigorously in the native language, and restocking the shelves. (about 70-30% 70 chatting, and 30 restocking) Some of those who didn’t have someone close by to chat with were talking on their cell phones with one hand while restocking with the other. All the prices in the store were in Aruban Florins. Conversion involves dividing by 2 and adding 10% so 2 Florins comes out to be about $1.10 US. Still the prices are quite high on many items. This is due to the fact that everything in Aruba must be imported. Only thing they grow much of here are Aloe Vera plants and Iguanas, neither of which is immediately edible. It was, however, great fun looking through the very different offerings in the store. Because Aruba was in the past a Dutch colony, they still have very close ties with Holland. Because of that, this is cheese heaven. The deli section had a great selection of meats and cheeses with a Dutch flair. Bought some incredible Edam, goat cheese, and unfamiliar, but interesting lunch meats. Also had fun substituting European products for our normal brands. Bought mustard, mayo, and other condiments, passing up the standard American products, and going for the stuff I couldn’t read the labels on. After checkout, we loaded everything in the Suzuki something or other we have for a rental car, and carried back to the resort. One of the bell guys was more than glad (for a fiver) to help us upstairs with our purchases. After stowing stuff, it was off to the pool and lazy river for an afternoon of exquisite indolence. For dinner, we got reservations at La Fondue D'Aruba. Corky and Judy had been there before and also were familiar with fondue in general. Enroute to La Fondue, we once again saw all sorts of back street sights in Orangestad (lost again but having a big time). I hate to say it, but I sold my 6 or 8 fondue sets received for wedding gifts back in the 80’s. Fondue has been making a big comeback of late. Vickie and I just have not been on the cutting edge of this gastronomic experience (never had fondue). With the able tutelage of our food mentors, we sailed through our first fondue experience, and enjoyed the trip. Of special note is the desert fondue (which it seems is why folks eat fondue in the first place) that was wonderful. We ordered the large desert for four, and the 50/50% dark and white chocolate. The owner offered us serving the white and dark separately (usually swirled in one pot), and each couple got a plate of fruit, pound cake, brownies, marshmallows, etc for dipping. Suffice it to say that it was some of the best chocolate we’d ever tasted. (hum Dutch chocolate—just made the connection, duh) Tuesday morning, Vickie and I had an appointment with the Marriott dude, to talk about joining the “Marriott Family”. Guy was very interesting, before working for Marriott, was a photographer for Wind Surfing Magazine and spent his time shuttling around the world in the windsurfing scene. (he was pretty cute—I think Vickie wanted to have his children) In any event, to make a long story short, we realized the merits of joining the Marriott family, and are now the proud owners of a week at a two bedroom condo in Aruba every year. It has a lot of advantages for Vickie and I planning to travel a lot. Also, as one of the perks, we essentially got a trip, including airfare and lodging, to anywhere in the world. After our morning with the Marriott folks, we adjourned to the beach this time instead of the pool, and parked ourselves under a palapa (Vickie and I call it a tiki hut--one of those ubiquitous thatched thingies you see at most tropical resorts). Spent some time swimming in the ocean, and watching the sun go down into the water. Corky struck up a conversation with some local fishermen looking for a past acquaintance that had taken him fishing quite successfully. (I believe he and Vickie were cut from similar cloth in the “they never met a stranger department”) Spent some idyllic time on the dock watching the local guy throw fish guts to the birds, and chatting. As we departed the dock, I struck up a conversation with a couple who had a late 70’s Toyota land cruiser (when it comes to vehicles, even I can meet folks). Turns out the guy’s name is Vader (not Darth), and he runs a jeep outing on Thursdays. (among other offerings like deep sea fishing and iguana wrestling) This sounds like it is not your run of the mill structured tour. Told us to contact this specific Jeep rental place and “tell them you are going with Vader so give you one with good tires”. He supplies the coolers and does the guiding. You supply your own supplies and the rental jeep. We think this might be in our future. For dinner we went just down the road to the Radisson that has a dinner buffet. This night was Italian night, and the food was great. There was a musician performing guitar with a drum machine. I sensed there might be more to him than what he was doing to pay the bills. Corky struck up a conversation with him, and as it turns out, he was a heavy metal rock n roller who did what he had to do to pay the bills. Also turned out his father was an Italian violin maker, and he had recently constructed his own electric guitar that as he said, was just right. Such an interesting assortment of people on this island. Finally off to bed and Vickie to the casino.
Aruba #1
Aruba trip so far:
Plane travel was exactly as it always is with the exception of being lucky enough to be on 2 COMPLETELY FULL planes. Flight from Charlotte to Aruba is 4 plus hrs, and boy were we ready to get off that plane. Aruba immigration was easy as they wheeled me right through in my chair. Caught a cab right away to the Marriott and driver was very nice and interesting. Marriott is very deluxe. Corky was waiting on us in the lobby, and after we were settled a little, he and Judy showed us around. After our tour we spent some time unpacking, and went to dinner at one of the restaurants here at the Marriott complex. (There are three separate Marriott entities all in one giant complex) We had one of the best plates of Mahi Mahi I had ever tasted. It was situated on a bed of roasted vegetables with mashed potatoes, and some type of sauce. (and cream brûlé for desert) Washed it down with a couple of Balashi beers, which is the only beer brewed here in Aruba. Probably one of the only beers in the world brewed with de-salinated sea water. (95% of the water in Aruba comes from the world’s second largest desalinization plant) Saturday, it was up early and stake out four good chairs around the pool. Can’t reserve your chairs until 07:30, but then you put your big towels on them and claim them for the day. After I claimed the chairs, I shared my granola bar with a pretty little blue lizard then got in the pool and started walking laps. Bet I walked 20 or 30 laps around this pretty good sized pool. Then I found a cool water seat under a palm tree and it allowed me to work my legs against water resistance and work on the range of motion. Alternated between reading a book and cooling off in the water for a large part of the day while Vickie was off at the Casino playing bingo. Later Vickie bought us some tube type blow up things and we spent some time floating around the big lazy river they have in the huge wandering pool here. Went to dinner Saturday night at Hostaria Da Vittorio and had some really great authentic Italian food (Vickie had some amazing vegetable and wild mushroom risotto and I had some veal medallions in a killer butter sauce with wild mushrooms) and shared a bottle of GOOD Italian wine. Corky and Judy have been coming here for quite a while, so they know a lot about the places to dine. Also, Corky is quite an aficionado of both food and wine, so we have our own gastronomic guide to the island. Vickie and I don’t often go out to eat, let alone at restaurants of this caliber. Sunday morning was pretty much a repeat of Saturday, except Vickie and I took some bagels and coffee out by the pool and had a morning picnic. Tried something new, and walked laps against the current in the lazy river. Vickie walked with me and we went and explored another part of the pool that has a water fall, spray jets on a wall, and a water slide. Then we walked back through the other side of the lazy river against the current. Read a book again for a while, (Vickie went to the casino) then grabbed a snack and went to the room to watch the Talladega race. Tonight we went to dinner down in Oranjestead at the Dutch Pancake House and in the process, we got to se a lot of the little back streets etc of the city. The pancakes were totally different than what we were accustomed to. Corky and Judy suggested we order 1 savory pancake and one desert pancake and share. So Vickie and I ordered a Dutch which had ham, cheese, and leeks in it, and a Pear Flambé. (with rum) The food was once again wonderful, unlike anything we had ever tasted. All the while we were eating, we were in an open air café overlooking a park. It was cool and a breeze was blowing in off the ocean. Just across from us some musicians were set up on a little open air stand, and kept us entertained with all types of music. Meanwhile Corky kept us enthralled with stories of his past adventures. It is totally amazing, if you didn’t know him, you would think he was trying to impress someone with name dropping. But the truth of the matter is, he’s not. He really did perform for all those Presidents, and really did work with and spend time with many famous people. And of course my personal favorite he really did perform a duet of God Bless America at a Presidential reception with Kate Smith. After dinner, once again the “Vickie never met a stranger” show was on the air. A tall young boy was sitting on a bench listening to the musicians. He waved to Vickie, and somehow pretty soon they were dancing (the only ones dancing) on the sidewalk in front of the band. Turns out the guy, was a young (23 tomorrow) evangelist from Holland. He came to Aruba with just a suitcase, and has since become somewhat of a phenomenon. He was totally amazed by how things had just happened in a good way, that he never planned. We had an interesting time talking to him and his entourage. (All young kids but good kids) In the fiction can’t be this strange department: one of his group was a beautiful young girl with strange gifts. She was a twin whose twin died in the first trimester (before birth) and somehow, she ended up with some extra bones and sort of a dual circuited nervous system. She was able to move parts of her body independent of others, especially appendages of the hands and feet. She also had some strange bone structure in her hips that allowed her to dislocate them at will without any pain. She said her friends thought she was an alien. All I know was she was the prettiest young alien I had ever seen. Well finally it was back to the Marriott and I’m writing this while Vickie has gone back to the casino. She says there is a dolphin machine she really loves from past experiences at Vegas. Can’t fault her though, she plays for hours, and usually ends up money ahead. Bye for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)