Oranjestad, Aruba Panama Canal Cruise 5

October 15, Monday

8:42 am Local Pilot Onboard.

9:23 Arrival Oranjestad, Aruba.

12 noon SW Gentle Breeze, clear skies, harbor conditions 82 degrees F.

 Someone told me that Aruba is just 7 miles from Venezuela.  I wish we could have stopped at a South American port so I could brag that I’ve set foot on the South American continent.  It’s one of the two continents we haven’t been on.

We got off the ship at Aruba around 11.  We found a tour for $18/each but she didn’t give us change so we paid $20 x 3.  Our guide was good and fun.

Aruba is a desert island.

   No mountains.  No water.  They have to process sea water for culinary use.  I wonder what the earliest known people did in 2500 BC. They water lawns and gardens with treated gray water or sewer. 

The official language is Dutch but it seems all advertising and names are in English.

The table and chairs were made from the trees below.

Gated community where the rich and richer live.

The Lighthouse Landmark

  They raise nothing.  No gardens; no fruits or vegetables.  Everything has to be imported.  What would you do in an emergency when everything is shut down?  No power.  No boats.  No planes.  No communication.  Scary.  Unless we have it mixed up with Costa Rica, they do have aloe Vera and agave plants they use for various products. 

Their highest mountain is a knoll called The Haystack.  No one can hike it because it’s brambly and thorny, plus poisonous snakes.

The Haystack from the ship.

The Haystack.

The Watertower on The Haystack (from the ship).

   The official language is Dutch.  All courts and legal documents are in Dutch.  Slaves were emancipated in 1863; they gained their independence in 1986.  The school children learn Dutch first, then English, then Spanish.  In the higher grades, they may learn French and Portuguese.

We were completely satisfied with our tour.  Ed gave our tour guide a hug when we got out.  It was so unexpected, I didn’t have my camera ready. He wouldn’t reenact so DeRay posed with her.

We met a nice young couple whom we kept in touch with the rest of the tour.  They were round tripping like so many were.  Surprising.  I thought 14 days was a lot.  28?  I don’t know.

We ran into Jerry and Lana, and Gary and Joyce at the first stop. 

 An interesting side note, we leave Aruba on Monday afternoon at 5:30; Jerry and Lana’s son, Jayson, a pilot for JetBlue, flew in that night and stayed in a hotel right on the beach, strolling along the beach by the cruise ships.  How often in a lifetime would that happen?   

 Ed stayed in the room while DeRay and I ran to the native shops close to the ship.  He didn’t want the TV on or anything while we were gone.  “I just want to think,” he explained.  I guess he’s behind.  Been too busy. 

5:40 pm Vessel undocked, departing Oranjestad, Aruba.