Austin's Travel Adventures July 18th, 2002 Aruba, Netherlands

Island Details Quick Facts and Figures Official Name Aruba, autonomous part of the Netherlands, claimed 1643 Capital City Oranjestad Languages Dutch (official), Papiamento, English Official Currency Aruban Florin Religions Catholic, Protestant, others Population 70,441 (July 2002 est.) Land Area 193 sq km Latitude/Longitude 12º 30N, 69º 58W Time and Date in Oranjestad

Well, its that time of year again for our family getaway. Sharon still doesn't have a clue to where we're going. I gave her clues about the Regal Angel that is only found in two parts of the world, so she was on a wild goose chase. This year I decided to stay closer to home and try the Caribbean. We started out early from Orlando. I stood in line at American Air Lines while as in the past years Sharon and Austin went and parked the jeep. It was finally my turn. Things were going smoothly, so I thought until the ticket agent said "No Boxes Allowed". I used one of my fish boxes to pack water and snacks for our stay. Apparently there is a cardboard embargo at the present time into the Caribbean. My choices were to pay $35.00 for a trash bag to ship the contents in or leave the box behind. We opted to leave it behind. We stuffed as much water into our carry on's as we could, weighing them down, but still left at least 20 bottles of water bottles behind and a good fish box too.

We have a short flight to Miami and will be in Aruba by 2:00PM. Last year we weren't even to LAX at that time. The flight to Miami was short, and actually arrived a few minutes early and headed directly to our gate. No sooner did we sit down at the gate it was time to leave. The plane was only about 2/3rd's full. Austin played with his new NHL Game Boy Game, Sharon watched the movie Cool Runnin' on her laptop. I forgot to bring the dual head phone set up so 2 people could watch and listen to the movie at the same time. Already forgetting things. I wonder what will be next. I wasn't that lucky because my laptop battery died shortly after.

The plane ride to Aruba was smooth for most of the way. Very poor service, only got a drink and a package of crackers. The bathroom smelled and looked like one you would find in a dark alley bar. Upon getting closer to the island, you can see the outer reefs with the turquoise waters. It looks so different from the air than the islands we have been to in the South Pacific, very commercialized with high rise hotels, etc. I was beginning to have this feeling that we should have stayed in Miami. The airport was deserted for the most part, we went through customs without a delay, although they did x-ray our luggage. We got our luggage carts and headed for Dollar Rent a Car to pick up our car.

After a short stay with the agent, we headed off in our Dodge Caravan Mini-van to find our hotel. Stay on 1A then left , then left, then around the turnabout, then across 2A, then right, well, many lefts later we are lost. No sooner did we think we were going in circles we came across the Mill Resort. This will be our home for the next 8 days. I was real bummed that it wasn't on the water, but across the street from the beach. The check in service left much to be desired. I had to ask 3 times for someone to help us with our luggage. No one speaks English or if they did, very little, or choose not to understand. The room we have is mediocre. Typical king size bed, with a roll out for Austin, kitchen table and small kitchen and a bathroom that you would think was on a ship, small and compact. We unpack a bit and headed out to the beach. It was a short walk, but never the less we were all a bit cranky and tired. It appears that most of the people visiting here are from Venezuala which is only about 18 miles away.

The beach was very clean and beautiful, the water a nice clear green and warm. The beach was located at the Wyndham Hotel. We actually had to go through the hotel lobby to get to the beach. The Wyndham was a very nice hotel and quite expensive too I'm sure. The sand was so fine it felt like flour. Sharon found a lounge chair and Austin and I took our mask and headed out to the water. The entire reef was dead. We saw a few damsel fish, came across a small eel that I tried to catch in my shoe but had no luck. I was hoping would see some clams, for a quick moment, I was thinking we were in the South Pacafic, but then realized not here!!! I guess I was expecting to see more life as we have seen in Tonga last year. Austin swam back to the area where Sharon was sitting, I walked along the shore with him.

After taking a short rest, we all headed out to Benihana's for dinner. The Chef was very entertaining and quite crafty. One thing you realize right away about this island is that the signs of the United States are very apparent. McDonalds, Wendy's, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Domino's Pizza, KFC, Pizza Hut and even Taco Bell and Hooters no less.... Dinner was excellent. Austin even played Chef by throwing an egg onto a spatuala and slicing it in half for the fried rice. He had to be convinced to do it but he realized that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Unfortunaltly, we forget to bring the camera so another Kodak memory had passed. We stuffed our faces until we all started to fall a sleep in the chair. It was our 1st solid meal of the day. At dinner we met a newlywed couple from Idaho. They had been there already a week and were staying at the Marriott which we later found out had the best beach on the island. Big day ahead tomorrow...

---

July 19th, 2002