About three weeks ago Jeanne and I and some friends took a brief break to this tropical island, a mere 18 miles off the Venezuela (S.A) coast.
Short on time?… just view the twelve images, and CLICK ON for higher resolution.
Greeted by these MONSTERS at the resort, whom we quickly grew fond of, the iguanas proved friendly, interesting, and to be all over the place.
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The “Occidental Grand Aruba Resort” featured, among many other amenities, its swim-up pool bar.
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Steps away was the beachfront with thatched-roof covered lounges, and tiki bar. I see a pattern here!
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The soft, sandy beach proved to be a pleasure to walk along, and the leeward shore of the southern Caribbean Sea beckoned as a calm, iridescent water playground.
Above, the California Lighthouse was visible from the beach, looking picturesque enough for me to include it as a photo-op visit for the following day.
But what the short cab ride brought me to was anything but picturesque. In fact, this day, scaffolding was being erected for a long-term restoration project of the admittedly neglected beacon built in 1915 and named for a steamer wrecked off the point 24 years earlier. Note: there was no scaffolding in the previous day’s image!
With camera in hand, my obvious dis-satisfaction apparently proved humorous to the (mockingly) waving workmen, as I hastily retreated to my cab. On the way back, I did manage to get a glimpse (not the kind the Beach Boys were likely implying in their ode to Kokomo,) of the arid, primitive north-east shore of Aruba, seen in the featured image on top of this post.
To ease the disappointment of the lighthouse fiasco, we caught this pretty view of the setting sun behind the beach front tiki hut, back at our resort. (Click for closer look)
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The night-life in this tropical oasis stretches among the numerous resorts, offering great food, tropical drinks, and soft warm breezes on what would normally be a cold December night back home.
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Aruba is located a little less than 2000 miles (3200 km) south of New Jersey, as seen at the lower left in this Google Maps image.
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Thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. M 🙂
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