Aruba 2018- Part 1

We've been back for a week and a half, and now I have the hindsight (and pictures) to be able to share about our trip! It was a really odd thing to begin with. When I began planning my trip for Paris, my hubby was adamant that he did not ever need to leave American soil. The lake was his home away from home and he need not seek further. Then, of a sudden, he decided to get his passport. I waited to see if it would actually happen. Well, Dear Reader, it not only happened, he had it expedited so he could get it back all the quicker. And then he dropped the stunner- he was going to take me, just me, to Aruba.   ?????

Got to the airport at 3:00 am to take a 6:00 am flight...oh my!

I'm ashamed to admit that I had to look it up on the map. I'm not a tropical island kind of girl and so I never much considered them. Turns out it is a tiny island approximately 20 miles by 6 miles, and 17 miles off the coast of Venezuela. What made his decide on this spot is still a mystery. When I asked, he replied, "It is supposed to be the safest of the Caribbean islands, it is outside the hurricane belt, and there has only been one shark attack in 100 years." Hmmm, sounds like someone has been googling a bit too much. Whatever the trigger, I had less than a month to wrap my mind around things. 

The ocean, so clear you can see the bottom, even from above the clouds!

I know lots of you are saying, "You had a month. What's your problem? Throw a swimsuit in a bag and go!" Honey, I didn't even have a swimsuit. When we are at the creek I wade out in whatever sundress I happen to be in at the time. That wasn't happening on Aruba. I needed a modest swimsuit and my mask, snorkel, and my prescription ear plugs. (I may not have mentioned before, but I have large holes in both eardrums. Not only does that mean massive hearing loss, but excruciating pain if water gets in my ears.) If I was going to Aruba, then be assured, I was checking out all the wildlife, above water and below.

All of the other preparation was learning about the island's history, language, people, foods, and critters. I don't go somewhere without learning about the place I'm staying; it makes a trip so much more exciting. So here is some history for you-

It is believed the Caquetio Indians from the Arawak tribe in Venzuela were the first to visit Aruba. It was seized by the Spaniards, then later the Dutch. It is now a constituent of the Netherlands. The currency is the Aruban Florin. The two primary languages are Dutch, taught in the schools, and Papiamento. Paiamento is the native language and is a mingling of many different languages. Want to know a little Papiamento?
Bon Bini- this means welcome and you will see it in the airport, and on shop windows. If someone says it to you, reply-
Danki- thank you
Other greetings to give:
Bon Dia- good morning
Bon tardi- good afternoon
Bon nochi- Good evening
Can ta bai- How are you?
Mi ta bon- I am well.
But don't be disappointed if you try your great phrases and people just look at you strangely and go on speaking English. Our guide in the National Park was the first native Aruban that I met, and he was delighted that I tried Papiamento. But he also reminded me that many of the people on the island are from elsewhere. I heard more people with Italian and Asian accents than any other. But they are still fun phrases to know!

I went from history and language to researching the many beaches, and found the ones that were best for snorkeling. Luckily, the ones I liked were also the farthest from the tourist areas- Boca Catalina, Arashi, and Malmok.

Then I went to VRBO, where I have rented innumerable houses in the US for our family vacations. I found a great little flat (they called it an apartment) right down the street from my preferred beach, Malmok, and right near the other two.

The property is called La Dolce Vita ( the owner is a lovely Italian lady).

 Situated in a quiet residential neighborhood, it's a beautiful home, with a private pool surrounded by gorgeous garden. Ms Fulvia and her moma were our hosts and they were so kind. We even had housekeeping (I've never had that before!!) and they brought fresh flowers every day.

 And not one time did I walk outside, or sit at our outdoor table (see below) for breakfast and see another soul. Bliss!

This amazing cactus was in the courtyard.

It's flowers were as big as a child's head, and much beloved by honey bees.
 
On Monday we flew from Tulsa (leaving at 6:00 am) to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Aruba, and arrived on the island at 2:30 pm of the same day. I knew we would be tired and discombobulated that first day, so I made reservations at a restaurant near our house. The spot is called White Modern Cuisine. We were lucky to be there in the slow season and on a Monday. We were alone in the dining room.

October is Eat Local Month in Aruba, and this very fancy restaurant was offering three courses of traditional Aruban foods for $40. Below is the view out the window.

There were two choices each for appetizer, main, and dessert, so Duane and I each had one and were able to taste all the dishes at once. My appetizer was Keshi Yena- chicken braised with cashews, raisins. olives, caper, and tomatoes, with Gouda gratin, then topped with a light salad.

Duane's was Sopi Oester- Aruban style oyster soup with scallops, sour carrots, a pica di papaya mousse.

I didn't even get pictures of our main course! Too busy snarfing, I suppose. Well, Duane had the Komkomber Stoba- an Aruban stew with salt beef, spiny cucumbers, and potatoes, served with funchi and a salad tossed in salsa rosada. Funchi is like an Aruban polenta or cornmeal grits and here it was cut in slices and fried. 

My meal was Pisca Hasa- fried fish of the day served with arroz moro, fried plantains, siboyo, and creole sauce.

Our desserts were lovely, every single component was wonderful. Mine is above and it is Pan Bollo- pan bollo is Aruban bread pudding, and it was served with ponche crema, confited banana, banana creme, and a red berry sorbet. I asked about the ponche crema- was this a fruit, or...? The chef came out (we were the only ones there ;) and tried to explain it to me. It's almost like American egg nog, she said, but they use more milk and less egg. I love bread pudding and banana anything so I loved all of that- but the berry sorbet I could have eaten a whole bowl of!

 Duane's dessert was Quesillo- Aruban creme caramel with arequipe (a dulce de leche), mango compote, mango gel, mango custard, and mango sorbet. I am not crazy about creme caramel, but with every other thing on the plate it was a fight to see whose fork would get it first. I don't know what the restaurant's normal menu is like, but I felt particularly blessed to get to be there when we got to  sample Aruban food. So much fun and it was only our first night!

On our way home we stopped at a Dutch grocery. It was interesting to see the things that they had, and the prices were certainly eyeopening! Luckily the Aruban Florin is about 57 cents to our dollar, so we paid almost half of the amount. But still. When on a vacation we eat out one big meal a day, usually supper. I make a good breakfast and we snack for lunch. It not only saves lots of money, but I just can't eat out every meal. I leave home thinking what a treat it will be not to cook, and I return anxious to get back into my kitchen and not have restaurant food! We found wonderful items to make lunch buffets- cheeses, salami, breads, fruits. I was ridiculously delighted to find bacon and this pack of tiny dutch pancakes! We also got a small pot of honey for lovely breakfasts.

The next morning, Tuesday, was our first full day in Aruba. We were up and out the door in the dark, headed to the north end to catch the sunrise.

Then we set out for Arikok National Park. The park is 18% of the tiny island. In case you were envisioning a tropical island, Aruba is a DESERT island. The interior landscape looked very much like southern Texas or Mexico, right down to the aloe vera plantation and the sky-high cactus.

The island did not have any mammals until these were introduced- goats, donkeys, dogs. These animals escaped and became "wild" centuries ago. 
Below are some of the wild Cunucu dogs that inhabit the island. The most famous of these dogs was Laika, the first living creature to orbit the earth in Sputnik 2 in 1957.

 What the island does have is a plethora of lizards and birds. Below is a caracara attempting a majestic pose atop a very prickly perch.

We saw an amazing amount of the island while looking for the park. I say, looking for, because there are almost no roadsigns in Aruba. The lady who owned our house admitted to losing her way often because of the lack of signs. The great thing is that we saw places that tourists probably rarely venture into, and for me, that is the most fun of a trip. Seeing what life is really like in a place. We were certain we were lost again when our blacktop turned into a dirt road that would have been considered a 4x4 trail at home. Look at the washed out trench on the left side.

But we persevered and came to the sign that announced the park and led to a cobblestone road. 

Once in the park office, we met a young ranger named Carlos, who offered to show us around the park and take us through the two caves. He was an excellent and enthusiastic guide. I was excited because I was able to practice my Papiamento on him, and he was delighted that I had made an effort to learn it. He spoke halting, but very precise English. It made me grin, because we were called "family" at all times. As in, "Now following me, Family." His favorite expression was "wow", and spoken wow-wah. It was often used with our label, as in, "Wow-wah, Family, we are having some adventures!" After the hours we spent with him, we were fast friends, and had been invited to return to visit he and his 85 year old grandmother, and they would make us a special goat stew. 

The island was made by volcanic activity and the geological richness of the rock layers and types is staggering.

This is Dos Playa Beach .

We walked down a path to the water and the cliff wall was studded with fossilized coral.

The beach was covered in coral and the most gorgeous shells we saw on the whole island. Sea turtles nest here, and the water is too dangerous to swim. The ocean on the eastern side is full of rough waters, undertow, and rip-tides.

Just a sampling of the treasures beneath my feet.

And onward on our tour... at one point we could see the distant mountains of Venezuela across the water. Now why didn't I get a picture of that?? Instead more cactus.

Here is a Troupial bird. It is the size of our mockingbird and it sings just as beautifully. I tried several times to record one in full joyous song, but they seemed to sense it and would go into normal chirps and calls. He is colored just like our Baltimore Oriole.

This is Bocca Prins. The water is very dangerous here. Our guide said an entire family who tried to swim here were lost before the rangers could reach them.

Carlos is in the lead...

Near this point is where he likes to sit and fish for baracuda to eat.

 Look below- The upper rim is limestone, but at the base you can see what looks like dark bulges. That is black basalt, or lava that flowed out in waves toward the sea and solidified.

From there we drove on to Quadirikiri Cave.

I loved the outside of the cave, it looks like something Indiana Jones would explore.

Inside was a rock formation he called The Indian. Can you see? It is a reclining head, facing the ceiling.On the left is the topknot of hair, all the way to the right is the chin.

There were colonies of fruit bats flitting everywhere, and inside the cave was so bright you didn't need any lights.

There were two holes through the ceiling that bathed the inner chamber.

Carlos told us to stand in a certain place and put out hands together like a heart and he would show us a miracle.

When he lined the camera up just so, the hole formed a heart.

The exit is even wonderful, a jagged maw that opens to the sea.

The second cave, Fontein, was my favorite, because it was used ceremonially by the Caquetio Indians who first settled on the island. It has wonderful cave painting from over a 1000 years ago.

It was not as tall as the other cave so we had to watch our heads, and there was no natural light inside. The guide used the light on Duane's phone to show us the features.

The cave painting symbolize all kinds of things important to the native Indians lives. The one that looks like a shield is a turtle shell. They ate sea turtles and used their shells as bowls and containers.

There were even the markings of a honeycomb, something that figured largely in their daily life. 

This is a handprint, which made me think of ones in pictures of Aboriginal paintings in Australia.

Carlos was determined to get plenty of pictures of the "Family"!

Beside the cave is the island's only fresh water spring. 

Our guide insisted we sit on the bridge and cool our feet. Just so the fish would come and suck on our toes!

 It gave me shivers and made me laugh hysterically, but Duane loved it. He said he would come to have them "pedicure" him every day. Hmmm, maybe he has some fishy kind of foot fetish I don't know about- he he ;)

I had hoped to see the burrowing owl and the Aruban parakeet whilst on the island. However, the owl is nocturnal and the park is only open 8-4. When I asked our guide about the parakeets, he shook his head sadly. Boas have invaded Aruba and are wreaking havoc similar to that in our Everglades. He said that the parakeets build a large, bag-like nest and all ages of birds live inside. The boa would enter the hole and the birds and eggs would all be trapped to eat at it's leisure. So the parakeets have all but vanished. On a happier note, these sassy little lizards made my day ever time I saw one. Isn't she a beauty? The first one I saw, I got so excited that I hollered, "Lagadishi!" (lizard), and scared it away. But Carlos was proud of my Papiamento.

There are only two types of snake on the island, and I despaired of seeing the world's most rare rattlesnake, crotalus unicolor. Especially after being told that it rarely moved from it's small territory, and only at night. However, Duane spotted one dead on the highway and screeched to a halt so I could photograph it. It was minus a head (which makes me think someone killed it and tossed it into the road) but it was still interesting it see it's white and black markings. 

 We ate that night at Red Fish. It is a more tourist oriented place, but was recommended for the fresh seafood. We had the calimari, and it was done to perfection, no stringy chewy-ness there. And then we shared a platter with grilled shrimp, fries, slaw, rice, and lovely fried plantains. I'm kinda crazy about fried plantains. I kept trying to eat Duane's share while he wasn't looking...

They also have homemade sauces that are incredible. The waiter brought me several to try and I really liked the garlic one. But I loved the tartar sauce. At home I turn my nose up at it, but this was amazing- both tangy and sweet and much thinner than at home.

Siboyo den vinager- YUM!

And I officially became addicted to the local condiment- siboyo den vinager. It was a staple on tables to eat with everything. I slyly told our waiter that I adored it and wondered what might be in it. "Simple," he said, "red onions,vinegar, sugar, cloves." I determined to go home and make it for my own table.

 After the meal we drove to the beach and sat on a bench and watched the waves come in. A bit further down was a group of people singing in another language. I urged the hubby to creep closer so I could see if they were playing any traditional instruments. Sure enough, a young girl had cuffs lined with something that looked like shells and made a beautiful clicking sound. An older woman was playing what looked like a harp. I later found that music from Paraguay is often accompanied by harp. I didn't want to intrude, so I can only imagine...

On Wednesday we had breakfast and then went snorkeling at Malmok.

It is a stone beach and they have cut steps in the rock to enter the sea. It is beautiful to stand in the water and look up at the steps and the jutting rocks.

These pictures are pretty terrible, but they were taken with disposable underwater cameras from Walmart. There was a place where the water had worn into the rock so that a large wave would catch underneath and spray up and over you.

Lovely, but make sure your mask is on to enjoy it. I got a face full of salt and was snorting and teared up forever before I could see again. Sheesh.

There were several large stones and boulders in water just a little over my head (remember, I don't swim) and I was so happy to just float over them and watch all the fish eating on the algae and coral, cleaning each other, fighting, and in general doing fishy things. 

I saw a thin black line protruding from the sand near the rocks. I assumed it was a piece of whip coral and didn't touch it. Hubby thought it was a piece of fishing line and was going to get the trash out of the water. Instead, he pulled out a shark tooth necklace! He wore it all week and I haven't seen him without it since. I think it gives him some Aruban mojo ;)

We crawled out of the water heavy-limbed, the way that long periods in the water make you, and went back home. We cleaned up and headed south. We had to go through the capital city of Oranjestad to get to the point we desired. I did not care for it at all, but I am not a city person.

There were huge buildings on one side filled with ritzy shops like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. It made me think of the "Miracle Mile" in Chicago, and I hadn't wanted to go there either. On the other side were docks for massive cruise ships with enough layers to hold thousands of people. It all screamed money. I sadly remembered our friend Carlos telling us how little he made as a Park Ranger, and saying it was very hard for a native Aruban to live in Aruba...

Finally we left the city and headed down through neighborhoods of bright primary colored fences and houses to Savaneta. There we stopped at the fish market/restaurant that all the native Arubans kept mentioning to us- Zeerovers. 

The place is located on a dock and pier and you pay for your food by the kilo, or the piece. We ate at this table by the little old man on his boat. I couldn't understand why he stood there, staring down so long, until the person who had been under the water fixing the hull came to the surface!

I loved that the menu on the wall was in Papiamento and English. 

We had shrimp, mahi-mahi, and amber jack. The fish was cut in a way that I was not familiar with. It was a tail section, cut so that the spine went through the center like a ham steak. All around the bone were small rounds of meat like tenderloins. I am not a big fish eater, but this was absolutely delicious! The siboyo here (pickled red onions) was a bit different in flavor- more vinegar, less sweet. Definitely loving that stuff. 

And I got to have the traditional bread, Pan Bati, that Carlos told us he woke up and made each morning. It was like a light, airy pancake. Even with the slight sweetness. And for dessert, the lovely fried plantains that are always offered. I adore them!

With tummies full, we took a leisurely drive to the southern most tip of Sero Colorado.  There we went to a popular beach, Baby Beach. I didn't even take a picture, because it was just a writhing mass of humanity. It was the largest amount of people I saw, discounting the city. If you like to see and be seen, it was the place for you. I do not like to be seen, and looking out the window and seeing all the people made me wrinkle my nose and hiss like a cat. (Yes, that was the literal reaction) So we drove right next door to Rogers Beach.

It was much more to my liking. The local fishermen had their boats moored here. And when we stopped, there were only two other people in view and they were sitting quietly watching the water like we were.

 We roamed until we came to Grape Fields Beach. This was backed by a cliff, topped with a massive fenced penitentiary. There were strange little shacks thrown up on the sands and it started to feel a bit dodgy. We turned about and headed toward home.

In the distance you can see Hooiberg, the dormant volcano, and tallest point on the island. We could have climbed it for a 360 degree view of the ocean, but there are 561 steps to the top and no shade. Hubby was content to see it from this vantage point ;)

Because we were uncertain of another route, we had to go back through Oranjestad. It was awful. There are no stop lights, and masses of tourists coming and going, in car and on foot. Traffic was always at a crawl. At one point we were both thirsty and Duane suggested I run down the street to a shop and get a drink and wait for him there, because it would take him that long to go a block. I looked at the milling throngs and declined. The only good thing about that part of that drive was that I saw my second iguana. 

Who's a pretty boy? You are!! (and perhaps tasty as well..)

My first was seen in the heart of the city as well. I had asked Carlos about seeing them in the park and he said there were too few now. I thought it was perhaps the boas, but no, it was humans. Turns out people find them very tasty and eat them every chance they get. Carlos said, "The meat, it makes you strong!" I'm guessing these iguanas were hiding out among as many tourists as possible, so as not to be eaten. Good plan.

 We returned to the local Dutch grocer to resupply. These pictures are particularly terrible. I didn't want to be so obtrusive as to use my camera, but my phone takes awful pictures. And I was literally "shooting from the hip" while trying to look coyly the other way as if I was not taking really odd pictures...

 Carlos had told us that the Dutch love their bread and cheese. Well, yes, they do. When we walked in we were met with shelves, cabinets, and baskets of more varieties of bread than you could eat in a year. The cheese case was equalling inspiring. 

The meat case was filled with meat loaves, and slices, and bolognas, and salami, and whew! It was incredible and just as expansive as the cheese. I had to take this picture of Tongueworst for my boys. They would have tried it in an instant, but hubby was a no go. When I showed the picture to my family, I teased my daughter-in-law that it was made with cat tongues.

But it was the girl making fresh stroopwafel met salted caramel that had me mesmerized. She had a bowl of very thick batter that looked and smelled like gingersnaps. She would place small circles on the hot waffle press.

Then remove them when baked, and use a circle cutter to make them perfectly round. The little boy was as mesmerized as I was.

Then she spread them with soft caramel and sandwiched them together. Oh my heavens...they were just the best thing ever!!

Since we had eaten our big meal for lunch, I checked out the glorious cases of desserts. There were three more, one just of fancy chocolates.
And I got a trio of gorgeous little desserts for a treat after our supper at home. A chocolate mouse bomb, a key lime pie, and a Hazelnut meringue.

They were very well done. A step below Parisian patisserie, but worlds above American desserts. But as delicious as they were, I was wanting more stroopwafel...
And so to bed on the third day of our island adventure, Dear Reader.

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I'll continue with Thursday and Friday in a separate post: Aruba Part 2. Till then I'll leave you with a recipe for Siboyo. The day we came home I looked for similar recipes and found three. I made them all and hubby and I taste tested. One was blanched, two not. One was white vinegar, two apple vinegar, etc. So far this is the closest. It uses white vinegar, but I think a mix would be best. Until I play with it some more, you can try this one....with everything!

Siboyo den Vinager 
Pickled Red Onions

Large red onion
1 and 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
8 whole cloves

Slice the onion in half, and then cut into as thin a slices as possible. Separate into strands. Bring vinegar, sugar, and cloves to a boil and throw in the onions. Bring back to a boil and cook 1 minute. Pour mixture into heatproof jar. Let sit out until cool and then refrigerate. Keeps for 2-3 weeks. The flavor is best after a night's rest. You'll be perkier too...

Enjoy a little taste of Aruba!