Yes! We are in Aruba! This was an impromptu trip that we have only had planned for a few weeks. My companion pass for Southwest ends at the end of the year AND since Southwest now flies to Aruba AND we had some Marriott points to cover the lodging we thought, "Why not?" So here we are! We have been here since Wednesday and this is actually our last night here. We will be headed back to Orlando tomorrow afternoon. We couldn't get a direct flight so we had to overnight in Orlando both directions.
It has been an enjoyable time! Truly, we haven't done a whole lot except spend time in the water snorkeling and sunbathing on the beach. (I actually have finished three books. Hopefully one more before I get home.) Today, because it's Sunday and not a water day, we took a drive around the island to see things. It is very dry here. You would think that it would be more tropical (and it IS very humid and hot) but it is more a desert than anything. Sand dunes, lizards, centipedes (yes, I saw one today....really creepy) cacti, and lots of desert. I think they must have imported the palm trees here because they don't look indigenous. Here are some random pictures of the week.....
Rick purchased this shirt at the flea market yesterday. He has never owned an "island" shirt and thought he'd get with the times. It is so not him but I think he looks pretty darn cute:)
Our view off our balcony. That little inlet allows a twenty passenger boat to come right into the hotel lobby and pick up the guests to take them out to the private Renaissance Island. It is about a 10 minute ride to get there. We have really loved going to that island because there are lizards, crabs, flamingos, oodles of feeding pelicans, hammocks, cabanas, pina coladas and a great view for watching airplanes land and take off at the airport. Plus, Rick found out yesterday that they have great snorkeling as well. He found barracuda, a green moray eel, and a lot of sea spiders! He is so excited to go again in the morning before we leave. Me too.....one last hurrah!!
Dinner at the Flying Fishbone. On the beach with a rack for our flip flops...need I say more?
Actually, the food here is really expensive but I will say this.....it has been superb!
Every. Single. Meal.
Church was good. It was in Papiemento but thankfully we had headphones for translation.
They worked for part of the time:) The people here are so, so nice.
We visited the donkey preserve. The donkeys have been here for hundreds of years. They say that Columbus brought them over but I'm not sure I believe that. They were starting to be a menace on the island so the preserve has gathered most of the wild ones and castrated them to keep the population down. There are still about fifty in the wild.
Isn't this picture hilarious???
Yup, it's a desert island!
It's been a great little getaway but I am excited to get back to Christmas. There are a lot of Christmas decorations up, especially in the roundabouts (and one really strange one of a giant Christmas tree made of KFC buckets strung with lights) but it's just not the same in this island heat.
See you soon!!
