Aruba and Cuba

April 2009
Just hearing the word "Aruba" gets me singing Beach Boy songs (see slideshow).  In the dead of winter 08-09, I was entranced by a cruise to the Panama Canal which fit perfectly into my Spring Break.  It also included such exotic places as Aruba, Colombia (Cartagena), Costa Rica, and Jamaica. So, impulsive me signed up to go south.  I had somehow been thinking that Aruba was clustered with the usual Caribbean Islands, but soon learned that it  is only 17 miles off the coast of Venezuela and is part of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea.  It is one of 3 countries  that forms the Kingdom of the Netherlands (I didn't know that either).

It's only 21 miles long with an area of about 47 miles, so if you're someone who gets island fever, this may not be the place for you.  However, if you love water activities, buying Dutch imported diamonds and gems (shops are everywhere with "discounts"), or enjoying languid days in the sun, it's worth the trip.  Aruba is outside the hurricane belt, so it's more dry and arid than the tropical islands.  Not a lot of "historical" events.  My favorite is that it was a US protectorate in WWII (as Germany invaded Holland), and a German sub tried to (unsuccessfully) blow up the oil refineries.  However, US pilots managed to destroy the sub while the German crew was sunbathing!  (Sounds like a good movie plot) The beauty of the island gets to everybody.

More "important facts":  they mine gold; greatest exporter of Aloe; and invented their own language--Papiamento--a combination of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, African and Indian--but everybody knows English.


Getting there, we spent the better part of the day along the Cuban coast (in international waters).  I hadn't realized the coast was so mountainous.  Sadly, much of the coast was clouded by air polluting factories.  I saw a few small boats at sea and hoped they were fishermen and not Cuban secret agents on the look out for curious, picture-snapping tourists.  It was quite a contrast to colorful, joyful Aruba.

So many activities, it was hard to choose what to do in our half day there.  I spent a little time wandering the colorful streets of the capital, Oranjestad, enjoying the markets and admiring diamonds, and then headed  to the bottom of the sea to see what I could see in a small commercial submarine.  See next post.  Great time.
Click link for slideshow:
Aruba and Cuba

Music:  Kocomo, Best of the Beach Boys