Kerstboom, Aruba

You’re in the Caribbean, palm trees waving in the breeze, clear water gleaming in the sun, and along comes… evergreens? That’s right, of all the zany things you’ll see in Aruba are fresh Christmas trees, known as kerstboom locally, for sale to celebrate the holiday. Here’s a photo:

Having come from a part of the world where these trees are grown, I was impressed at the selection. Many high quality trees were for sale. They arrive via refrigerated containers, which is a tremendous effort considering how far they have to travel to arrive in Aruba. Well, Christmas is a big deal here on the island. Stay tuned for photos and videos of the light displays. Increible!

Published in: on November 28, 2011 at 3:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Atlantic City Boardwalk

The Atlantic City Boardwalk was the place to be today. Bright sunshine, cool temps, and lots of blue sky overhead. There was a charity walk going on, but the boardwalk was plenty wide for everyone. I stayed out of the casinos and took in the fresh air and fun. Here’s a timelapse video showing a good part of the walk from the Taj Mahal down to Bally’s. Don’t miss the pizza and sausage at the shop in the middle of the tape.

The only thing that could have made this day better was a flight in a small airplane. That’s on for tomorrow. By the way, the video you watched was made from still images captured by the little GoPro camera I reviewed a few days ago.

Published in: on October 23, 2011 at 9:48 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Savaneta Water Tank

At the eastern edge of the area in Aruba known as Savaneta, there is a large water tank high up on the hill. When visitors ask me to give them a tour around the island, we drive up there for a beautiful panoramic view. Here’s a photo of the tank in the distance, as seen from a helicopter over the more populated area of the borough.

Just follow the winding road up to the silver tank in the middle of the frame. This location is a little tricky to find. In a couple of months I’ll be making one of those Aruba driving videos of mine that will show exactly how to get there. One note of caution: park with your car facing to the east, into the wind because when you open the door, the wind can catch it and kink the hinges. Hold tight to your hats as well.

Published in: on October 10, 2011 at 11:38 am  Leave a Comment  
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Iguana Hatchery

Aruba is well known for its many iguanas. If you like to observe large numbers of these creatures in action, head over to the Seaport Marina, out by the ocean. You’ll find herds of them in various sizes like this one:

It seems he’s guarding his post there by the sea. He wasn’t alone, either. I counted at least another ten, and after a short walk toward the Renaissance timeshare building, there were probably another ten. If you have your kids along for a visit to Aruba it would be good material for a little science report. I once read that iguanas can become addicted to lettuce and end up killing themselves by not eating other matter with more nutritional value. Incredible. Bon dia.

Published in: on October 9, 2011 at 11:08 am  Leave a Comment  
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