Back to Aruba, September 2022

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It’s Sunday the 18^th, but yesterday was a travel day – long and tiring but happily all according to plan. As many of you know, this is the time for friends from church, Tom & Amy Fadeley, to finally come with us! They had won the bid for this event at the fundraiser for our church almost 3 years ago. We are here at last.

We left home at 3:15 am for the American Airlines flight at 6:13. Tom and Amy had arrived even earlier for their flight to Newark. We went to Miami, where we had a very very long walk and barely time to stop in the bathroom and buy one very expensive Caesar Salad to add to our brought-from-home Peanut butter/banana muffins.

We arrived perhaps 30 mins before Tom & Amy so David went off to get the car from Carvenience, and we squooshed all the suitcases in when he returned. Fortunately one room was ready so all the suitcases went up there to the 4^th floor, with partial ocean view (towards Oranjestad). We did a quick food shop at Superfoods, just blocks away. Yes, groceries are noticeably higher here too.

By then our room was ready too, and just 2 doors down the hall. These rooms have all been updated too, with new beds, armoires, and nightstands (some drawers at last), and new chairs at the kitchen table. Noticed that there are no teakettles anymore, but we can survive!

Had to test out the happy hour here at La Cabana – "brown ladies" were very tasty as usual. And the crowd quite boisterous around the bar! Off to Nos Clubhuis for sunset – although it was not very colorful. We drove thru Palm Beach area. We had amberjack (bit dry), rice, salad, and plantains and a grouper wrap (very tasty). And crashed by 9 pm!

So this morning we had recovered, and managed a short walk on Eagle Beach and a visit to the 2 famous bent over fofoti trees. A road race (running and biking) was underway – from way up near Boca Catalina to way past our condo. We arrived at Tres Trapi to snorkel and see the turtles by 8:30, and wondered why there was absolutely no one in the water. Uh oh!!! 2 Dutch ladies who live here on the island said it was the jelly fish stinging. But no one was really sure. We suggested it might be the “sea lice” again – the larvae of jelly fish – that we encountered in the Cayman Islands the time before last – and just once before here, and that very slightly. They blamed it on the complete lack of wind caused by the hurricane up north (yes, we heard that such things caused hotter-than-usual temperatures here too). More locals arrived and one man quickly hopped in the water. We went over to chat with his wife. And she called out to him about it. I think in Papiamento. Some more people went in. Pretty soon we learned a new word – pika pika – and they got out of the water. I think that may translate to little bites!!! Now what?

So we drove north to show Tom & Amy the California Lighthouse and Arashi Beach (not as busy as usual with locals either). Bought some coconut waters and had the man open it (just firm enough!) We drove back to one of our favorite entrance points. David asked some more people if they had noticed any stings. No. So we decided to go in, and good things we did, for no one felt any stinging and for over an hour we enjoyed some lovely fish and very clear visibility once we got away from the sandy entrance. Maybe we won’t try Tres Trapi for a few days – rumor has it the wind will shift by Wednesday and it may carry the critters away.

Lunch was at the Island Grill, just here on site. David’s poke bowl and Jean’s quinoa salad were delicious and the Browns were actually on that tv. So Tom went to watch the Browns valiantly lose another game, and Amy said she might get some sun at the pool, David got to download his photos AND take a nap, and Jean wrote this blog!

So, what happens next? We drove through Frenchman's Pass and stopped to pay our respects at the local shocos - the burrowing owls. We saw a yellow warbler and a hummingbird too. Then stopped by Mangel Halto and showed our guests the lovely views and where we get in to do the drift snorkel. The ocean is very flat with the lack of wind. Just in case our friend Michel was working at Zee Rover, we stopped in. The line to order dinner was out the door!!! but we walked right past them allto order only some Balashis and a sprite, and lucked out by grabbing one of the 3 tables out on the pier. It is doing a great business, and we saw huge bags of red snapper being prepared, so hopefully that's what they will offer when we return on Tuesday for lunch (to try to avoid such crowds). Why did David keep telling everyone we met about this place since we discovered it in 2005?

So, where to go for dinner? We took a risk and went to Kamini's, a very highly praised but simple local restaurant. David had chicken sate w/ excellent peanut sauce; Jean a marvelous red snapper (whole, eyes and all) with curry sauce. We are glad we went - they start a long vacation very soon.

En route home we stopped at the restaurant named Barefoot and booked a table in the sand for Wednesday night at 6. Tom and Amy then thought they'd check out the local casino, and we are crashing as soon as possible. After all, tomorrow's another day of adventures.

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