Day 4 (November 13, 2022): Oranjestad

We were up at 6:30AM this morning, hoping to squeeze as much out of the day as possible. By 8, we had finished breakfast and, just after 8:30, we left for some exploration of Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba. The town was surprisingly quiet, despite a cruise ship being in port, but it was nice to be able to wander round in peace. They say that the town becomes overrun when 3,000+ cruise ship passengers disembark, and sometimes there are two ships in port simultaneously.

Having seen the sights of the capital, we headed back to Eagle Beach (where we walked yesterday) to see the famous fofoti tree on the north end of Eagle..

From there, it was back to the hotel by 10:45 to spend the bulk of the day under a palapa. A brief shower blew in, but passed in minutes. Apart from that, it was a beautiful day.

At 3:30, we left to find the Alto Vista Chapel near the eastern shore of the island. It is one of those iconic spots or Aruba. The cacti forests enroute were simply overwhelming with hillsides as far as the eye could see covered in saguaro cacti. We have never seen anything as extensive, even in Arizona.

Our last activity of the day was a snorkel at a beach between Arashi Beach and Boca Catalina Beach. We saw a good variety of fish there.

It was then back to the hotel for our last dinner in Aruba: tonight we dined at Krystal Restaurant, the Riu’s fusion restaurant. And what a meal! It was definitely the best of the trip.

We hope to be up at 6AM to squeeze as much as we can out of the last morning, before heading to the airport for the trip home.

First, let’s get a few things out of the way. And we’ll start with the weather: consistency sums it up, as you can see above!

And this is the flag of Aruba. it often flies alongside the flag of the Netherlands.

A typical street-name sign. The isand’s slogan, “One Happy Island” is always found at the top, and the municipality is found at the bottom.

We started our walking tour of Oranjestad at Governor’s Beach, next to Wilhelmina Park. A pelican had taken charge of this fisherman’s boat.

This is the Queen Wilhelmina Monument in Oranjestad. She lived only 50 years, 1898-1948.

Also in Wilhelmina Park is this statue to Ann Frank.

The Parliament of Aruba.

Oranjestad’s central business district has several blue horses - a very interesting and appealing modern art installation.

The very Dutch building style present in Oranjestad.

A tram runs though the core of Oranjestad. This shows the tram line running through the central business district.

More examples of Oranjestad’s colourful buildings. The yellowish building above is the Embassy of Colombia.

Built in 1922, Dr. Eloy Arends’ home in the center of Oranjestad is now part of the City Council Complex.

This is the Willem III Tower, which was added to the 18th century Fort Zoutman, built to protect the island from pirates.

This is 18 March Plaza, which commemorates Aruba’s “Status Apart” from the Netherlands.

San Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oranjestad.

A Holland America cruise ship came into port this morning.

Oranjestad’s “I (love) Aruba” sign adjacent to the s cruise ship terminal.

These are the iconic fofoti trees of Eagle Beach. Similar to the divi divi tree found all over Aruba, the fofoti tree points southwest, which is the direction of the predominant trade wind that blows across Aruba. These two trees are among the most photographed entities on Aruba.

The Caribbean in Aruba is so easy to slip into.

The view of the hotel (Riu Palace) from the water.

Pam, enjoying our daily 3PM treat here for the last three days: a chocolate milkshake.

Enroute to find the Alto Vista Chapel, the thick, cacti-covered hills were amazing to behold.

The final stretch of road to Alto Vista Chapel is lined with the 12 stations of the cross, among the cactus trees.

This is Alto Vista Chapel, one of the most iconic sites on Aruba.

Iguanas and lizards are prolific in Aruba, although this little guy was all we were able to spot! In yesterday’s blog entry, I mentioned the island also has rattlesnakes. Well, add tarantulas and scorpions to that, please!