My Aruba Experience

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Aruba for the week. I have been out of the country for a mission trip in the past, but never as a vacation. This was the first time out of the U.S for Shawn, so we were ecstatic. We traveled with two of our best friends Emely and Tesfaye. Tes had been to the island before and was able to be our built in tour guide.

We had a 7am flight and landed in country a little before noon Sunday. We all were running on less than 4 hours of sleep but decided to not waste the day and actually made it our most physically rigorous day. After unpacking and getting some food, we first hiked Hooiberg, this was previously an active volcano on the island, but was now, a hiking spot, no evidence of

lava or ash in site. There is a set of stairs that goes from the bottom to the top, of the

volcano, so you can hike up between the cacti and brush. The hike took us maybe about 15-20 minutes with a few rest breaks and left us all exhausted. But we were motivated by the beauty of the country we could see from the top and we continued to explore.

We drove around, walking up and around different rock formations and structures including an old gold mine, until we got to our final destination, the natural pool. This natural pool was not one you could simply walk to and sit in, it was down a very slippery ladder to, rocks which were made sharp by holes and divots created by the crashing waves. Tes, his second time advised us to bring water shoes which worked in our advantage. We carefully climbed to the first water area and climbed down to the pool, as I was proud of my trek and was ready to relax in the pool, they pointed to the next pool. Over rocks evidently more wet due to the closer crashing waves, there was a jump spot to get to the second pool. As we

started going there, Shawn hesitated, stating he was unsure of the safety of the spot. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, I continued carefully behind Tes and Emely, until a wave came in and crashed on the rock we were standing on, spraying us with water. In this moment I saw how close we were to being knocked down by the waves, and I immediately said “no” and started heading back. They followed even as I insisted they could go ahead, this spot was just not for me. My fear had drawn them back, not as much for fear themselves, but support for me to make it back to dry land.. We ended the first day at a beach side restaurant and quickly crashed once we got back to the Air Bnb exhausted by our eventful first day.

The second day we went on the Jolly Pirate Ship. This was a pirate ship, were you would sail to different spots and get out to snorkel. Unlimited drinks were provided while you enjoyed

the trip. Although hard to choose, this may have been one of my favorite days. The first place we snorkeled, was above the World War Two remains of a ship that had sank. When you looked down you could see the ship as well as scuba divers, that were down actually exploring the ship. Each stop we could see fish and the ocean life unfortunately no turtles. While we sailed, we sat in the sun, sipping drinks and enjoying the view of the crystal blue water. At the last stop we were able to jump off a swinging rope into

the water, many showing off their tricks, as I just did a simple cannon ball or jump each time. They also provided a delicious lunch, all for only $75. This was a great excursion, the only thing I would recommend is plenty of sunscreen. I thought I put on a lot, and ended up a tomato. Mostly my back as it was still above water when snorkeling. After our sailing we relaxed on the beach a while and went shopping and drinking near the resorts before heading back near our house for some local food and rest.

Tuesday was probably our most relaxed day, early morning we headed to Baby Beach. On our drive there we saw a group of wild donkeys who were so gentle and let us pet them before we went on our way. We spent the first part of our day laying on the on the beach (in the shade as we were very burnt from the previous day) and wadded in the water. This was a cove, so the water was only waist

deep at most and so clear you could see the bottom. Here we saw many turtles. They would pop up there heads to breath for a quick second, before disappearing into the water again, but you could still see their faint outline, through the light blue water. We got lunch at the restaurant on the beach, Big Mamas. After spending more time on the beach, we headed back to the house to relax and get ready for our dinner at The Flying Fishbone This was a restaurant right along side the water, where at the right time, your table became in the water table, your legs submerged in the upcoming tide. Unfortunately the high tide never came, but we we still enjoyed our dinner with a beautiful waterside view. Here I tried something new.. escargot or snails! The taste was not bad in a garlic butter, but it was a little difficult to get over the fact I was eating snails, I’m not sure if I would try them again. We then saw the sunset on a nearby pier, and went home for the night.

Wednesday was our day of mini trips. We went to a Dutch pancake house close to the resort and ate breakfast. To my surprise, Dutch pancakes are similar to crepes, very thin and fluffy and were delicious. After we were full from breakfast our first stop was the animal sanctuary. Here we saw animals, that were mostly not native to the country, but brought to the country illegally and then abandoned or surrendered. We were able to pet and feed some of the animals such as donkeys, horses, deer, camels etc. I saw one donkey who

appeared blind from this whitened eyes, and had a large bump on one side. He was not in a pen, so I am not sure if he was part of the zoo or had wandered in, but I spend a good amount of time with him, feeding him carrots and food and giving him love. He was grateful and began leaning on me as I pet him, accepting the attention. We then went to the ostrich farm, where we were brought on a tour and given the opportunity to feed ostrich’s out of a pail, me and my reluctant husband held the pail together and watched as the ostriches pecked the food. There was also a donkey sanctuary that we visited. This sanctuary held almost all of the donkeys on the island (roughly 130/160)

and gave them fresh water, food and shelter. We were able to pet and feed these donkeys and could enter based on donation. I also saw you are able to donate or adopt a donkey, to help support the cause as it is a non profit. Seeing an individual care this deeply for the donkeys of Aruba was beautiful. That night we went to a Mexican restaurant to eat, and I tried my first Long Island iced tea, definitely as strong as I have heard! We went back to relax the rest of the night

Thursday was the second longest day. We rented ATVs and spend 8 hours exploring the island along the coast, stopping at different views, beaches and landmarks on the way. We ventured the entire island during the day except the national park where ATVs were not allowed

and privately owned areas After an exhausting day of travel, we went to the Aqua Grill for dinner. We are were falling asleep waiting for our food and barely had the energy to eat it, although it was delicious. We had an early night in ready to sleep after our adventurous day.,

Friday morning we headed towards the resort.. to get matching tattoos! We had decided on a Debi tree as these were mostly found on the island and it would be a representation of our trip and the memories we had made together. This was Shawn’s first tattoo and although he lost sleep the night before anxious about getting it, he

left the shop planning out his next tattoo. We had a quick lunch at McDonald’s (they still have snack wraps in Aruba by the way!) and then headed to our last excursion, beach horseback riding at Notorious

Ranch. My dream growing up was to ride a horse and up until this point I had no been able to up except for being led around on a horse. So this was very exciting for me. Shawn, did not feel the same way as he has a fear of petting large animals and horses let alone, being on one. We were all proud as he went with us on the ride and even went into the water to take a photo on the horse. This was a beautiful ride to the beach, where you could see the sun setting on the

ride back. I would definitely ride horses again in the future, but Shawn adamantly insists horse riding was a once in a lifetime experience for him. It was a perfect way to end our trip. We spent a quiet night eating leftovers from the nights before and went to bed early, ready for our departure Saturday. Saturday was a slow day of cleaning and relaxing in the air bnb, shopping for last minute souvenirs and eating lunch before our flight.

Overall all there is not much I would change about the trip. The only things I wish we had a chance to do was see the national park and Renaissance island, where you can swim with flamingos. If Renaissance Island interests you I recommend booking far in advance as they were booked for the rest of the year. I would opt to stay at an airbnb as opposed to a resort again as we saw almost the whole island, ate at many restaurants and did numerous excursions for the same price or less than a resort. Pictures and descriptions do not do justice to how truly beautiful and tranquil the island is. We will definitely be back Aruba!

Have you guys been to Aruba? If so what was your favorite part of your trip? If anyone has any questions on any of the activities I mentioned please feel free to comment or message me!