Aruba

Monday, March 20, 2017
We finally got to our apartment located at Topaz 30, North Aruba, around 6 PM after leaving for the Bonaire airport at 7:15 AM to return the rental truck. We were to meet Elisabeth for breakfast, but had to cancel when we were put on an 8:30 flight to Curacao. Then we sat in that airport until 1:45! When we did arrive in Aruba our luggage did not come until the 4:45 plane. We got the luggage and a taxi and met Jose Marin, who is the caretaker of the apartment. This is the main house with 2 apartments off in the back.

Front

Our apartment with the private pool.

Cactus garden on the property.

Living area

Kitchen and eating area

Bedroom

Bathroom

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

We are learning how to get around on the Arubus. It involves walking to a bus stop about 20 minutes from our apartment. It is great exercise. The cost is $2.60 per person each trip. Beats car rental prices.

We took the bus to Oranjestad, the capital city. That is where all the cruise ships dock. There are lots of open air markets with souvenirs. Stan found an Aruba cap for $5.

We found the I LOVE ARUBA sign and had our picture taken by another tourist and we took a picture for him.

We walked a bit in the Renaissance Mall and enjoyed the air-condition. We stopped in Kong Hing's market for a shaved ice. We got on the trolley and enjoyed the ride around the shopping district.

Stan found a new pair of tennis shoes and will enjoy walking more!
We took the trolley to Baby Back Grill for BBQ ribs and steak. There was enough to bring home. It was not that good, however. It came with fries, corn on the cob, macaroni salad, baked beans, and a dinner roll. It came to $27.

Monday, January 9, 2017

We got a coffee maker from the management and then were off for a long walk. We went in search of a cap for Stan. Our first stop was the huge Super Food grocery store. No luck there. We continued on to Eagle Beach where we walked along the road in search of a place to buy a cap. We ended up at Costa Linda Beach Resort and went to the Water's Edge 12° N for a grilled grouper fish sandwich. It was very good with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and French fries. With drinks and tax, the total came to $27.98. We sat under the papala as we ate. After lunch we walked back to Super Foods and bought groceries for the rest of our stay in Aruba. The US dollar is equal to 1.75 Aruban florins.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

We arrived in Aruba a few minutes early, (3:50 PM). It was 84 degrees and still light outside. It was a five and a half hour flight. We got through immigrations and customs and got a taxi ($28) to our check in location, Perle d'Or. There we were told we were upgraded to a different property called the Palazzio Apartments. Originally we were booked to stay at@7 Suites Aruba. The room was nothing fancy. It had a minimal kitchen: full refrigerator, 2 burner hot plate, microwave, sink and cupboards. There were a couple of frying pans, dishes, glasses, mugs, pitcher, silverware, and a few other essentials. The big thing missing was a coffee maker. There was a bedroom. Wifi worked good, and TV is good to have. Air conditioner is in the bedroom, but the place is small, so it cools the place fine. There is a shallow long pool, about 4 inches deep. I was very disappointed. The original property had a nice pool!

We walked to Super Foods grocery store for some supplies before dark, but the store was closing. We found another small grocery store to get some boxed milk, margarine, cheese, and bread. Our total was $7.98. We had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.

Aruba is a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the southern Caribbean Sea. It is about 18 miles north of the coast of Venezuela. It is 20 mi long from its northwestern to its southeastern end and 6 miles across at its widest point. The capital is Oranjestad.