The Great Rich Bar and Restaurant is located in Paradera, Aruba. This is what you would call a local joint. On Sundays they offer a BBQ of smoked ribs, chicken, rice, coleslaw, and corn on the cob. Here’s how it works. You skip breakfast so that you’re good and hungry. Then you pull in and park at the Great Rich, shown below.
You go inside where you tell the nice lady behind the bar that you would like the Sunday BBQ. You pay her and get a ticket like the one in the photo here.
This ticket you take outside, past the smokers which are doing a great job of cooking up those chickens and ribs as you can see here.
The guys working the chow line speak Papiamento and Chinese, but not much Spanish. However, a few smiles, some hand gestures, and you’re good to go.
That guy there swings a Chinese cleaver the way Paul Bunyan swung and ax. He whacks a rack of ribs into three parts, a half chicken into four more and then puts them atop a pile of fried rice and cole slaw. A small piece of corn on the cob is added for color and good effect. At this point, most people tote their meal home for a feast. I prefer to dine at such establishments as the characters who appear are nothing short of incredible. Thus, I trot back into the bar, ask for utensils, and proceed to mow down everything you see here.
That’s right, all that food (1/2 a chicken, rack of ribs, about 3 cups of fried rice, 1/2 cup cole slaw and corn on the cob) cost 15 florins, call it an eight and a half dollar bill. Beverages are extra. I enjoy this kind of meal once in a while, especially in this setting. No franchise uniforms, no pre-programmed patter from the staff, no flavorless items found the world over. You’ll see various BBQ’s like this around Aruba, but each one is different. Give one a try; your heart surgeon will love you for it!
Bon dia from Aruba.
The park hosts some interesting wildlife, including the burrowing owls shown in an earlier post. There are trails to hike as well. Just take plenty of water, a good hat, and your walking stick. The fellow at the booth mentioned that the roads would be completed in “about a month,” which would mean around the first of April 2009.
That’s Kent holding the fish. One happy guy on one happy island eh? Judging by Kent’s reaction, I would say the fishing can be good in Aruba. There are a number of boats to be hired by the day or half day. They can be found in the main harbour at Oranjestaad as well as at several marinas around the island. Again, I’m not an expert on fishing but Kent has a smile, which has to count for something.
The Bent Page 
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