Tim Stewart's Blog
Sunday, May 29, 2005
To Mandy
Hi Mandy! We are on our way home, we'll be there tomorrow with some surprises for you. We miss you and will see you soon. Love Mom and Dad!
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:30 AM 0 comments
More of the Natural Pool. The water washes up over these rocks.
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:26 AM 0 comments
Once we got down the hill in the 4x4 there were still 86 steps to walk down.
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:23 AM 0 comments
The hill we went down in the 4x4 to get to the Natural Pool. The pool is at the end of that point in the distance. You can see one of the 4x4s just behind a rock in the foreground.
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:22 AM 0 comments
The natural cave we visited near the Aruba shoreline. These writings were found in the cave.
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:21 AM 0 comments
The Aruba Natural Bridge. One of the largest in the world.
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:17 AM 0 comments
"Baby Bridge", a natural bridge on Aruba but not THE "Natural Bridge".
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:11 AM 0 comments
Aruba
Our day in Aruba started early. Aruba is the last stop on our cruise before we head back to San Juan. Teresa booked a 4x4 Jeep Tour for us, and we ran a little late making the bus. There were two other couples who were also arriving at the same time, so it was no big deal, but the driver rushed us to the 4x4 tour office where we were asked if we wanted to drive. We both declined. The jeeps were for 8 people, and I didn't want to be responsible for driving other people around rough terrain.
Anyhow, one of our group did volunteer, so we had no tour guide in our jeep. There were two other jeeps in our group, and the tour guide was driving the lead jeep. The jeep in front of us had a group of girls who were staying on the island, and the tour guide was with a family of four. Our jeep had 4 couples. It worked out well.
My first impression of the island was that it was nothing like the others. It is a desert, not a tropical rainforest like Dominica or Barbados. Its vegetation is mostly cacti and the animals appear to be mostly lizards. There is also a lot of volcanic rock.
Our first stop was the California lighthouse named after a British ship that sank off the coast and lies 200 feet under water. The lighthouse is 45 feet tall. See photo.
On our way to our next stop we passed a number of odd rock formations. Stacks of rocks Jenga-style all over the place. It turns out these are called wish-stones. Its a local tradition. You stack up some rocks, make a wish, and if you can return two weeks later and find the same stack your wish will come true.
The stop next was the site of the oldest chapel in Aruba. Its in the middle of nowhere, nothing for miles. The oddest thing was that a lady was sitting there, in the middle of the desert selling ice cream. I thought I was hallucinating. The church was burned down and the one now at the site is a reconstructed replica.
Again on the drive we passed "Baby Bridge" a natural rock bridge formed by the waves. Later on we get to the "Natural Bridge" which is one of the largest in the world, but first we stopped at some gold mine ruins. It was a fun stop to climb around the ruins and snap some photos.
After the natural bridge, we stopped at an ostrich farm where they raised ostriches. They are not native to Aruba, and can't survive here because of the humidity, so I don't know what was up with that. It was cool and they fed us chicken and ribs that were very tasty, so it was a worthy stop. Note the picture of Teresa feeding the ostriches. It was more of a frenzy.
Next on the tour were a set of natural caves formed by the ocean water where there was some indian writing. A brief stop, and interesting, but we moved on pretty quick for some snorkeling.
The snorkeling was at "Baby Beach", and it was okay. I'm not that impressed with the beach, or the snorkeling but I did see a Puffer fish again, so I tried to snap some underwater photos with the disposable camera. It was raining when we got there, so my camera was packed away. No digital shots. There was an oil refinery right next door, so though the beach was a nice natural beach the scenery wasn't so great.
Our last stop was Natural Pool, a place where the ocean crashes over the rocks and makes a swimming hole about 20 feet deep and full of fish. The ride there was a nail biter. There was no real road there, so we were 4x4'ing it the whole way. Our fellow cruise passenger and driver did an astounding job of getting us up and down that cliff. I thought for sure we were going to roll off the side once or twice, or end-over-end a couple of times.
All in all, Aruba was a fun place to visit. Nice beaches, surprisingly different scenery, and some good swimming. Teresa liked the 4x4 adventure and calls it one of our best excursions. I liked the Sea Turtles in Barbados the best, but I did enjoy the swimming in Aruba. Its not a place I'd want to live though.
Our next day is a day at sea, and then we arrive in San Juan. I'll do an update there as well.
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:04 AM 0 comments
Sea Day 1
Played in casinos. Saw a show. Had dinner. Fun.
- posted by Tim Stewart @ 6:02 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
