The story told in An Island Away, takes place in Aruba, Dutch Caribbean. I have the good fortune to live on the island six months of the year, and thus, meet many people interested in the book. Here are some photos from a book signing event at the Tamarijn Resort.
It’s a true pleasure to meet people who have read the book or heard about it and want to know more. I’m surprised at the questions asked, which actually serve as inspiration to keep writing. After all, if a reader wants to know more or found something particularly interesting, it is a cue to include it in the next story.
Of course, hearing people’s stories about Aruba is also fascinating. There are many visitors who have been going to the island for 20 or 30 consecutive years. That’s quite a few frequent flier miles. Aruba is a wonderful island full of nice people, good restaurants, and fringed by beautiful beach. However, I don’t write much about that part of Aruba.
I write mostly about the refinery boomtown of San Nicolaas. It was here that I came in 1994, when I first visited the island. It’s a strange place, full of characters and stories, all of which are incredible when understood in the context of the Caribbean.
My thanks go out to all the people who have bought and read An Island Away. Similarly, I would like to express my gratitude to the staff of the Tamarijn Resort as well as all the retailers on the island who have helped make it the best selling book in Aruba for 2008.
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.
This is quite a good resource. For example: If you’re looking for your friend’s house, especially that friend who has invited you to visit his home in Aruba but told you it was EASY to find. He might have said, turn left at the Divi tree, right at the big rock, go about half a mile then turn right again by the third cactus on the left. If this is the case, you definitely want this book.
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