Aruba Beach House Palm/Eagle Beach

Day 11: Aruba<br><br>Ahhhhh were FINALLY here. After all that traveling, we made it. I'm kissing the ground I&#8217;m standing on right now. I kid I kid. But seriously its so nice to finally be here. Its absolutely gorgeous. We anchored and put our dinghy in the water and headed to town about 5 minute dinghy ride ...

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... br><br>There is a legend that says if you build a little statue made out of rocks one of top of the other one, make a wish, and if the wind blows it down, your wish will come true. Off I went building my dream as well as Mi. I wonder if it is still standing at the moment! <br><br>Next stop was the Aruba's Aloe Factory. No photos were allowed inside. As we followed the guide inside the building, she explained to us how the plant was ...

... more sense since the sting....so may have been a good thing. The rain has brought out all the critters, mosquitos the size of birds. Managed a day out in Arikok NP which is always worth seeing, but was challenging in a YARIS due to the roads being partly washed away and very bumpy, we did get to see the wild goats &amp; donkeys but most of the caves were closed due to flooding. The car has gone back now so walking most places with the odd bus &amp ...

... 4 languages - Papiamento, English, Spanish and Dutch, so it's fun to try to figure out if we know what they're saying. I don't think I've heard any Dutch yet. I know it sounds like we've explored a lot already, but I don't feel like we've done a single thing!! I imagined everything would be along the beach, but you have to take a taxi or bus to most places. Nothing's THAT far considering the island is only 6 miles long.

... exactly what we planned, but at least we got to see what we wanted to see. Once back in Orenjstad, we went to the Belgian chocolatier for iced cappuccinos. Then we walked out to the breakwater to see the (many, many) iguanas. One was sitting atop of bougainvillea bush. We walked past the few yachts -- only to spot the Gran Finale -- last seen in Bora Bora this summer! Next door was her little sister, the ...

Today, we go and sniffle north. See Aruba.jpg. We drive to the California light house: 2464-66-69 and come back down. The whole north east side is in dust road: 2470, for which we do not have the right car! Our second stop is the Wish Rock Garden, featuring bizarre little stone towers that have been erected by visitors. We, too, build a tower and then make a wish. There ...

... ourselves tremendously. It is a great island known not only for it's beaches, but also its' people's hospitality. I really loved talking to the locals and knowing they are made up of all walks of life. It's a safe island [I think with the lowest crime rate and the highest employment rate]. The island is infused with so much flavor stemming from its rich past of various inhabitants, that it truly is an island paradise worth visiting over and over.

Waking up this morning was a bit of a shock to the system. The pool was open, the ocean was crashing against the sand and low and behold there was no snow! It was wonderful. (Sorry Uncle Brian but I will get the sun and ocean to you as soon as possible!) We decided to do nothing today except rest. All four of us were a little stressed and tired from the lack of sleep the nights before. So... We got up, got dressed went for breakfast ...

Today, I woke up pretty early. Still on the work schedule, I guess. I went running on the beach. so soft and quiet, it was nice. The humidity here is pretty high which is weird so maybe I'm making **** up but it's a good workout in steamy weather. I was drenched by the time I was done. Then, I hit the hotel gym. Crazy nice gym. Showered, prepped and ready... next, it was strategy meetings till 1pm. Very productive and lots of good ...