ArubaApr 4, 2011
|
|
formal night
Lido deck
library and computer stations
| As we head south to Aruba I took a few shots of the ship to show some of the public spaces. The dining area shown (the Lido), we mostly use for breakfast when we do not want to go to the formal dining room to be served. The trip ashore in Aruba was brief but pleasant except for the 88 degree temperature. We had no trip booked but with another couple hired a mini van driver to take us around to the high spots of the island, which are few. We stopped at The Casibar rock formation and climbed up the stone steps for a view of the area, then on to a now non working lighthouse called California that was built after a ship, by that name, sank in the area. Viv and I stopped on the way back from the tour and walked for some distance along the wonderful beaches. Aruba is a small island just 20miles long by 6 miles wide with very little vegetation except cactus and the Aloe plant. It lies just off the coast of Venezuela and was formally part of the Netherlands Antilles with Curacao and Bonaire administered by the Dutch, but is now independent. Because of the beautiful beaches there is a large tourist trade that has attracted many large American hotel chains (like the Hyatt). Things are expensive as everything has to be shipped in – nothing is grown here for food. The town of Oranjestad has pastel-coloured buildings in the Dutch style. There are also lots of jewellery stores for the tourists. The main emphasis on the port info we are given seems to be more about “guaranteed shopping” than the other sights to see. |
Advertisement 
|
