Alicia, Aimee, Laurie, and I went on our first trip together
to Miami in 2014, so this marks 20 years of traveling together! I was lucky to
find them so early in life. We threw around a few options for this year’s trip
and came up with Aruba.
Day one
Aimee picked up the rental car and groceries before we even
got in! We rented from Econo. The car had lots of dents and scratches so Aimee
just took pictures of it all so we weren’t docked for any of them.
We rented an Airbnb – Villa Primavera. I’d suggest booking
on this section of the island because we could walk to the beach and restaurants.
We picked up Laurie and Alicia and walked to Moomba Beach for dinner right as
the sun was setting.
Day two
We piled in the car and admired Aimee’s driving ability, as
she’s the driver in all our countries. Aruba loves roundabouts, and we saw only
two stop signs the entire time we were there – and no one stopped at them! She
really just had to go for it in those roundabouts.
We wanted to hike in Arikok National Park, so we paid $80
for the four of us. We drove into the park and headed for the water. Then we somehow
got turned around and it took us a few minutes to find the car again. We meant
to park at the start of the Conchi Natural Pool trailhead, and we found that
and parked there. It was unmarked, but we were able to find it with the help of
the map from the Visitor’s Center and the GPS on our phones.
There was a lot of cactus and the heat was without much
humidity, and I didn’t really think about Aruba being a desert before we got
there. We saw many lizards – some teal.
We hiked to the gorgeous coast and went to the pool, where
you could swim, and I jumped from the high rocks into the water. Very fun and
very beautiful. I loved the views along this hike, which was about 3 miles.
We stopped to get gas and when we got out, an Aruban woman told
us “bad girl” - we couldn’t approach the gas tank from that direction. We all
had to go in the same direction, no matter what side the gas tank was on, and the
hose was long enough to reach the other side. There weren’t any signs saying
this and we didn’t know this, so when we thanked her profusely, she said, “We
are women of earth! We have to help each other!”
We went to Zeerovers Seafood, which was right on the water.
They were bringing in fresh seafood right in wheelbarrows. It all looks gross
to me, but my friends loved it.
We drove to the natural bridge, the gold mill ruins (both of
these were just okay), saw the lighthouse but were too late to go up in it, and
stopped at Burt’s Place as the sun was setting – it set just before 6:00 p.m. each
night we were there.
That night we went to Fireson Brewing Company and ate at Amore Pizza Napoletana. I liked the areas these places were in because there were tons of
people out and about.
Day three
I went running and stopped downtown to get coffee. On the
way back, I was walking with my coffee in one hand and my phone in the other,
talking to Kris, when I heard a bird squawk - and it landed on my head! I didn’t
have a free hand, so I just screamed and it flew away. It really only touched
my head. I told Kris what happened, and he said, “I’ve seen it before.” (This
is true – this happened at my nephew’s outdoor baptism party!!! It was very unusual.)
Bird on head, 2022
We had booked tickets on the Jolly Pirates, which is a pirate
ship. We were herded like cattle onto a tiny boat which took us to the ship. It was approximately a 30 second ride, but people around me were grumbling.
The guys on the boat introduced themselves and told what
three stops we were making, and they were so incredibly good at their jobs.
Funny, happy, entertainers – and they do this every day! We all wondered if it
would be hard to keep it up – but there are worse jobs.
This was the most amazing part to me – the color of the
water. It was so incredibly blue. I couldn’t get over it, and I never do. I
love seeing water like that.
Our first stop was to snorkel at a shipwreck! They mentioned
there were jellyfish, but they said they were the white jellyfish, which would
leave you alone, not orange jellyfish, which would sting you.
Please note – unlike at home, this was just an aside. There
were no directions on how to do anything, no warnings, no nothing – I found
this very refreshing. It was also very casual. Some people snorkeled and jumped
off and did everything, and some people just stayed on the boat. We got in the
water, looked under – and there were SO MANY jellyfish! They were everywhere,
but apparently deeper than we were. And so many fish! We also saw a giant sea
turtle. We swam over to the shipwreck and saw it, which I really liked, and
then the guides threw food to the fish right on top of me, so I felt like I was
part of a school of fish!
We went to the next place to snorkel, and there wasn’t a
jellyfish in sight. There were millions of small silvery fish. Aimee kicked
back and said she saw an orange jellyfish, but I didn’t see it. A minute later
while I had my head above water, I felt a burning pain in my arm and then my
leg as a jellyfish brushed me. I knew I’d been stung, and this was a first for
me! Happily, a jellyfish sting is nothing compared to a bee or hornet or
yellowjacket or other types of stings where I’ve been on the receiving end. It was
very mild and didn’t last long at all. I got some raised bumps, they disappeared
in a few minutes, and that was it. I conquered the sea – ha!
The next stop, we jumped off the highest part of the ship,
and then they got out the rope swing. Everyone cheered as people went off the
rope swing high into the water. I was excited to do it, and have some
experience from Kris’ family’s pond, and it felt fantastic. One guy did
backflips off of it, and the guide put a woman on his back and did a backflip
while she held on! It was impressive. They were playing music, people were dancing,
and it was a really party atmosphere. By the time we got herded back into the
little boat onto shore, no one was complaining anymore!
We jumped into the pool at our Airbnb, walked to Las Palmas
Pier, walked to Eagle Beach, which is listed as one of the most beautiful but
was just like all of them – beautiful, but this one was more crowded and a boat
drove into the swimming area while we were swimming in it. We stopped at The
Beach Bar to watch the sunset, then had dinner at Kalin’s Mexican Cuisine to
top off the night.
Day three
We hiked up Hooiberg, which is .25 miles on stairs straight
up to the highest point on Aruba. Pretty view! We saw a very tame parrot in the
trees here, then on the way home we saw iguanas right in the street.
We were waiting for our ATV time, so we decided to go see
the Casibari Rock formations, which were kind of interesting but just okay when compared to
everything around them.
We had an ATV tour with About Aruba. We didn’t think about
it ahead of time, but we were really happy that they had tops so we were in the
shade, because we saw people on 4-wheeler tours, and have I mentioned that IT
WAS HOT IN THE SUN?
It started at this sort of animal rescue that was pretty depressing.
By the time we got to register, one woman had to go back to her hotel because she
was overheating, and another little girl was crying because she was so hot. How
can I say this – it’s hot there.
But then! We got in our ATVs and started out! In a line of 10
vehicles, with a guide on each end, we went to a chapel where the guide told us
that there are four official languages in Aruba, and that there are no lifeguards
on the island because everyone has to learn to swim. Interesting.
Then…off roading! I didn’t know I’d like it so much. When I
drive vehicles, I usually am the one that owns them, so I am careful not to be
too rough on it. In fact I baby my vehicles and try to take turns and bumps
very carefully. This was the complete opposite, as you have to keep up with the
group, so you’re charging over rocks and up hills and around corners as fast as
you possibly can go. It was loud, incredibly dusty, and fun! I especially loved
when there was a straight shot and you could really get your speed up. Aimee
and I switched off driving our two seater.
We made lots of stops – including at another rock cliff to
jump in, and then you got to swim in a cave. Lovely. We then went to a beach
with huge waves and stood in them as we tried not to get knocked over.
Aimee was idling, getting ready to go, and our ATV just
died. The guide came over and just started it back up again. A few minutes
later we came around a bend and saw what was next – driving though a river! I
was surprised how deep it looked – like if I were driving in the wild I would not
think you could make it. (Again, this was not announced or referenced and was
just a total surprise – so different.) Aimee charged right though! I got
completely soaked, especially my shoes. Then – our ATV died. The guide had
trouble starting it for us again, but after two tries, he got it. We watched Laurie
drive her and Alicia through – so fun.
I was up for driving next, and as I started to climb this
super steep incline, I was determined our ATV was not going to die, so I just
kept the pedal to the metal. Before we could make it up, our ATV just stopped
working. I held it down, but nothing. We started to slip back, and the guide
came behind us and used his ATV to push ours up the hill! That was enough, so
he just traded us vehicles. We were worried about him falling behind, but he just
kept restarting it. We thought his would be nicer than ours, but the only
difference was…it had a speedometer! We were going 64 kilometers per hour,
which when you put it that way, doesn’t seem fast, but I assure you it was with
the wind and sand in your eyes and teeth!
We were returning and had to go on some roundabouts, and it
took all my strength to turn the vehicle. I thought it just didn’t have power
steering. After about 15 minutes of this, when the guide saw it, he came and
switched it from 4 wheel drive to 2 wheel drive. So much easier!
We got back and laughed and laughed, because we were so
incredibly dirty. I had so much sunscreen on my face that the dirt had mixed
with it to make it look like I was airbrushed. Our clothes were covered with
dirt. Alicia had so much dirt on her face between her eyebrows that Aimee said
she looked like Frieda Kahlo. The dirt swirled down the drain in the shower.
Really fun activity!
We ate at Los Tacos and ended the night by dancing to 90s hits
at Kambria and Mexican music at South Beach.
Day four
I started running before the sun came up, because did I
mention IT IS A HOT SUN? I ran on the beach to Eagle Beach, and everything was
even prettier in the morning.
We went to Linda’s Dutch Pancakes, which they had
everywhere, and are similar to crepes. We didn’t have to be back to the airport
yet, so we drove to San Nicholas to see their 70 murals. The mural artists were
very talented, and it was a very different part of the island than the parts by
our beaches, in part because there were very few people outside, maybe because
it was so hot, haha.
Aimee had to have the car back by 1:30 p.m. so we wouldn’t
be charged an extra day, and I said I’d go with her, and everyone joked with me
because I like to get to the airport early. Laurie and Alicia decided to stay
to go to the island’s oldest bar, Charlie’s, before going to the airport. They
asked, and the man at the visitor’s center said he would be happy to call a
taxi for them.
Aimee and I were at the airport when we got a message from
Alicia – “So all the taxis are 30 minutes away and we are now trying to take
the bus. Wish us luck!” Followed closely by, “Okay very important. We are now
riding with a random person. I will send you a picture of the license plate in
case we end up dead.” I asked for a picture of the person, as I thought it
would be easier to identify. Alicia said they met him at the bus station, and a
woman told us he’s safe. I asked if the character reference had a name? Alicia
replied, “Ghislaine Maxwell.” Aimee and I laughed so hard a woman near us had to
get up and move.
Of course the very kind man brought them safely to the
airport and they made their flights. Thanks for Aruban hospitality!
I love these girls and I loved this adventure. I’ll have
plenty of pictures and this lingering sunburn to remember it by.
