ARUBA – APRIL 30TH

I am living proof that eyewitness testimony in court is unreliable.  Here’s why….

Our next port was Aruba and I told Michael that we’d been here on the last World Cruise and didn’t need anything.  I remember very specifically the dock, the pier, and the walkway where I sat on the seawall and, not realizing it was wet, completely soaked my pants.  I remember walking somewhat of a distance to the vendors and negotiating for a sea turtle, offering a specific amount and being rejected, walking away and eventually buying it for the price I wanted.  I remember it was the Dutch President’s birthday and everyone in town was wearing orange.  I remember the pastel colored buildings on the other side of the bridge facing us and walking across the bridge to the “city” and purchasing a specific blouse.  I remember it all very vividly.

Well, we docked in Aruba and NOTHING and I mean NOTHING looked familiar.  I thought perhaps we’d docked in a different area but some of the crew mentioned the terminal and I said it hadn’t been here a few years ago.  They politely didn’t argue.   Absolutely positive that my recollections were about Aruba, I was going to prove it by checking our 2016 World Cruise blog.  Needless to say, I was absolutely mistaken.  We hadn’t even been to Aruba in 2016.  My recollections were of Curacao, an island nearby.  That being said, we did actually visit Aruba several years ago on another cruise where we bell dived.  However, like I said, I’d make a terrible witness;  I’ve got lots of good qualities, like organizational skills, but memory is not one of them!  This is why I keep a blog!

By the way, this is what I wrote about Curacao back in 2016:  http://teamsalazar2016.blogspot.com/2016/05/curacao-april-27th.html

Ok, a little about Aruba where we did, in fact, visit on April 30^th.  Aruba is part of the “ABC Islands” – Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao north of Venezuela and east of Colombia.  We docked in the capital of the Island, Oranjestad.  While native tribes from nearby Venezuela flocked to Aruba as early as 1000 A.D., Europeans didn’t discover it until 1499, with the explorations of Amerigo Vespucci and Alonso de Ojeda.  After years of colonial rule, it was not until 1986 that Aruba became its own country although it remains a Dutch protectorate. 

It is only 20 miles long and 69 sq. miles with a population of 103,000 as of 2009.  The currency is the Aruban Florin (AWG) but the U.S. Dollar is accepted everywhere.  Aruba’s long and colorful heritage is reflected in its dialect, called Papiamento, which combines elements of Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, African and English.  

 

View from our Balcony

Being quite content to remain onboard most of the day, we ventured out into the terminal for a look around, bought a magnet, box and Christmas ornament from Jose and then visited the Mopa Mopa store, a little treasure of a find.  We spoke to the gal, Greta, who talked about the products sold and the very old craft of Mopa Mopa.  It has been carried out by the people of Pasto, Colombia for many centuries.  The craft has been passed on from generation to generation without changes.  In 2018 it was proclaimed national heritage by the Colombia government.  Along with the purchase of the little box, Greta gave us a one-page description of how the people produce these lovely little items from harvesting the Mopa Mopa leaf bud, to boiling it, extracting the resin, staining the resin, stretching the colored resin using hands and teeth, applying it on hand carved wood pieces, cutting into the resin, peeling off the extra and revealing the design.  Although you’d think the designs were decals, it’s far more complicated.  It always amazes me that someone, centuries ago, came up with the idea for all this.  (http://mopamopaaruba.com)

Jose

Greta

Once again, happy to return onboard, we enjoyed a lovely evening of dancing with the Cruisetones.

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:   The thing that impressed me in Aruba was the increase in high-rise buildings.  It’s clear that this has become a tropical paradise for people who are interested in a condo or a time share.  I recall speaking to one couple who said they were approached on the street by someone who was selling time shares.  Unfortunately, Aruba is hot and humid which makes it undesirable for other than a quick visit.  I did enjoy my brief shopping trip in Aruba and maybe one day will visit it again.  

Views from our Balcony

LEONA’S FURTHER OBSERVATION:  Just hearing about this couple being approached on the street about time shares, I’m sure they had the letters “CRA” tattooed across their foreheads – “Crazy Rich Americans”!