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MeznG. In the air, on the road, river or sea again
This morning we are in Aruba, part of the Dutch Caribbean is about 20 miles off the coast of Venezuela. As is usual we have no plans so we leave the ship around 8.30 and find a tour that will take us to the usual points of interest for just $20 pp. Today there is 7 of us and our driver/guide Mr Hart is probably our least favorite so far. Although he uses a microphone/headset as he drives, he talks very fast and combined with his accent makes it very hard to understand. We start our trip in Oranjestad the capital city. It's a shopping Mecca with all the high end brands represented. Our first stop is at Casibari Rocks. A large rocky out crop which provides great views across the island. It is very windy and hot again today. This island is not at all like any of the others. The vegetation is mainly cactus and a tree with a wide canopy called Divi Divi. It feels more like a desert than a Caribbean Island. After the lookout we continue on to an Aloe Vera plantation and factory. We have a short demonstration and explanation of the properties and the benefits of the Aloe Vera sap but more importantly the slimy gel. Upstairs we can view the production area below and we watch the ladies wash the stalks and then strip the pulp from the skin which is all done by hand. From here it goes into the various skin products, shampoos etc. Next stop is Santa Ana Catholic Church and then onto the northern most point of the island and the California Lighthouse. On the drive back we travel along the coast which is lined with 5 star resorts and beautiful beaches. Every top name hotel chain is represented along with many time share resorts. Also on this island is all manner of fast food chains. McDonalds, Burger King, subway, Wendy's, TGIF just name a few. The last swimming beach before we get back to the city is Eagle Beach and our original plan was to spend some time on the beach if we could guarantee our driver would come back to get us. By now it is only 10.30am and he said he would be back to get us at 1pm. More than 2 hours at the beach would probably be a bit much as it is going to get hotter . We opt to stay on board and head back into town, We return to the ship to drop off our snorkel gear and grab a coffee before venturing out again. There is a Trolley based on the San Francisco ones that goes along the main shopping strip so we hop on that just for fun. We just travel one way and then walk back browsing in the shops as we go. The prices are very similar to home for footwear and clothing. No bargains to be had here. We will return to Aruba on our cruise through Panama Cabal and we would like to snorkel here next time so we go on the hunt for a vendor that can deliver us a tour but the only one we found does kayaking and snorkeling and Glenn doesn't enjoy the kayaking bit. After a bit more research while using wifi at Starbucks we found that we can take the local bus to the snorkel beach so that's a plan. We set sail today at 4.30 so we are just waiting now for some late passengers to return and then we have 2 cruise days ahead to get back to Fort Lauderdale. I can't believe our Caribbean cruise is done, it has gone so quick.
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A and K Last port for cruise 1. All aboard for C 2. Don't side swipe the canal.