It feels a little weird blogging about our final few days of the trip in Aruba; as it suddenly doesn't feel like we are travelling any more, more like we are just on holiday. It's a really welcome chance to completely relax and unwind before we hop on a plane back to reality.
The escape from Venezuela went well, plenty of time left for delays and trouble on the way to the airport that never materialised meant lots of time to eat and spend our remaining bolivars. Thanks to some flight changes we had a glamorous overnight in Curacao airport; which wasn't half as bad as it sounds with bathrooms, showers, drinking water and comfy chairs all available. The only downside was the cheesy American voice telling you not to leave bags unattended every 15 minutes, for 7 hours.
Our early morning flight out was only 20 minutes long and on a propellor plane, we catch a cab out to our lovely boutique hotel in orangestad and have to remind ourselves not to talk Spanish to the driver. He's keen to tell us about the island and we quiz him on best beaches and best restaurants. Matt asks him if it's safe to walk around; he gives us a funny look then asks is where we have travelled from. When we say Caracas his eyebrows shoot up and he politely explains that yes, of course the island is perfectly safe. You have no idea how that simple sentence can make you feel so much more relaxed!
Somehow we still can't get out of the habit of taking only what we need out with us (cash for the day and maybe one camera), we watch our stuff like hawks whilst in the sea and are still accidentally putting toilet paper in the bathroom bin (much to the cleaners disgust no doubt). It's positively bizarre to be able to drink water that comes out of a tap...!
We've picked a lovely small boutique hotel a few blocks back from the beach with a beautiful garden and pool, friendly dog and amazing breakfasts. They treat us to free champers too :)
Aruba itself is a joyous place, very happy friendly people and wonderful beaches.
The sea is clear, blue and calm (on the west coast), perfect for swimming. There are lots of water sports on offer from the beach but we settle for eating fresh fish lunch and sampling the local beer and cocktails.
The bars, restaurants and beaches are full of tourists, mostly from the US as it's so close and off lots of cruise ships. We our accents raise eyebrows and attract attention. I am also trying to follow the local language as parts of it sound Spanish. Turns out it's a mix of Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, original local Indian dialect and a mix of African languages. Everyone speaks English though; which almost feels weird!
It's also a destination for shopping apparently; people hop off their cruise ship and splash the cash on tax free expensive watches, clothes etc. People are well dressed; meaning I feel slightly out of place with my rucksack, hair that's clearly in desperate need of a cut, only a handful of clean clothes and legs covered in bites from spending the last view weeks in jungles. Not that the locals care; and after so much time exploring it's the locals places we want to find and try.
The beach bars serve small local snacks, in a similar way to how you would order tapas. All fresh fish themed and oh so fresh and tasty. The Dutch influence is felt too with dishes served wrapped in Gouda cheese. Balashi, the local beer brewed on the island, washes things down nicely. The island doesn't have its own rum, as it was gold not sugar that was the way to make money here and the Dutch that eventually took it over, as the Spanish decided not to bother.
In the evening we head to a local fish restaurant, with dish of the day caught fresh that morning by the owner. Some of the best fish I have ever tasted!
We catch a ride to the north of the island with a lighthouse overlooking the wrecks on the coast
And more beautiful beaches, but emptier here away from all the resorts.
The sea is crystal clear blue with great reefs for snorkelling and the water is teeming with fish and pelicans and other sea birds trying to catch them
It's Easter weekend and the locals take the opportunity to camp on the beach for a week long holiday / party
The island has such a relaxed friendly vibe that I'll definitely come back to the Carribean. It's very overrun with tourists but it's doesn't take much to escape that a little and find the real beauty.
Sadly the end of our time in Aruba means the end of our time on this trip. We are now flying home, via Caracas so the fun may not be over yet.
So this is the end of Matt and Alexa's South American Adventure; the question is... Where next?!
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