La Vista Restaurant at the Marriot Hotel and Resort, Aruba has been recently remodeled. We enjoyed the Sunday Breakfast Buffet a few weeks ago and here is a brief video showing the spread.
The view out over the beach is fantastic. You can see all the way to the ships at anchor. The price of this buffet is quite reasonable given all the food choices and omelets made to order. Guests of the hotel and visitors from other places come for the friendly service and quality cuisine.
Bon dia from Aruba.
This example of the Church of the Immaculate Conception is located in Santa Cruz, Aruba. The interior has been repainted a beautiful sky blue on the ceiling and around some of the niches. Take a look at the video.
The church is located in the center of Santa Cruz. The blue cross atop the bell tower is illuminated at night and can be seen for quite a distance. As the sun sets to the west, northwest, it is a striking backdrop for the bell tower and this cross. Another interesting sight is the adjacent cemetery were there are many examples of fine statuary and haunting photos of the deceased.
There are several more large churches in Aruba and I hope to make videos of every one. Bon dia from Aruba.
The New Pueblito Paisa Restaurant in San Nicolaas, Aruba, is a local favorite for Colombian food. I’ve had many good meals here at very reasonable prices. Here is a short video showing a recent lunch featuring the lomito dish.
Quite a plate of food and delicious, too! Best to go early for lunch, around 11:30 because the place fills up with workers from the nearby oil refinery. They serve lunch and supper until well into the night and do a steady take-out trade if you don’t want to eat in. As a side note, I used to spend a lot of time here, writing at the counter and learning Spanish from the wait staff and customers. It was a fun experience that continues to this day.
Bon dia from Aruba.
Aruba has several local newspapers, all written in Papiamento, the local language. Each paper has its own flavor. The Diario is my favorite. Jossy Mansur is the editor and he pulls no punches. He’s also written a few books, including a Papiamento-English dictionary, which I find very useful as I attempt to read (or should I say interpret) the newspaper. Here’s a look at the front page of a typical issue of the Diario:
And below you’ll see a photo of Mansur’s Papiamento/English dictionary:
Wherever you go, reading the local papers will put you in touch with the sensibility of the citizenry, what’s going on in their world, what they think is important. I find this makes my traveling experience more enriching. Instead of taking in the sights, sampling the food, and heading for home, I’ll take the time to peruse their papers and magazines, try to decipher the letters to the editor, and get a deeper understanding of the culture. It’s a challenge, but one well worth the effort.
The Bent Page 
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