(click any picture to get enlargement)
Aruba is a small island in the southern Caribbean Sea just 24 kilometers from Venezuela.
As part of the Netherland's Antilles, Aruba was virtually undiscovered by the tourist industry until a few years ago.
Aruba has miles of magnificent beaches & a desert-like landscape.
The main town is Orangestad, which is also the
capital.
The center of town is where the harbor is located.
The waterfront area was nice, but VERY touristy. It felt like a Dutch version of San Francisco, except it was hot & humid!
The buildings were quaint and looked quite
old.
The shops catered to the people from the cruise ships.
There were also many refreshing restaurants & bars.
The iguanas were the first locals who didn't try to sell us jewelry, or sign us
for a tour package.
The iguanas were everywhere... on the rocks, the walkways, in the trees and on the grass. They didn't seem dangerous and they didn't seem to care about us.
We took a boat excursion that started in a
hotel lobby ...
... and went out into the harbor. While looking at some yachts ...
... we could envision a life of sailing around the world.
We entered the calm ocean and saw our first
beach-front hotel.
Then we saw our goal...
... Renaissance Island.
The island is a wildlife sanctuary and it
contained ...
.... many different species of beautiful birds ...
... as well as other natural beauties; I think they were real!
We had the goal to meet up with some friends who flew in from the United States.
We said that we would meet on this island, but it turned out to be a little bigger than we thought.
Unfortunately the iguanas on this island were of no help in giving directions.
They didn't seem as friendly as the ones on Aruba, so we decided not to bother them.
Aha! We were looking for them at the bar.... not in a hammock!
Welcome from Bill & Elena, currently living in Florida.
We swam, found that snorkeling was no good, and then decided to check out the island.
so I hung around with some flamingos and got my first up-close experience with them.
On the way back to the main island, we got a better look at the harbor hotel. Since all hotels and beaches are public, we decided to check it out.
We had some food & had a good swim, but only in the pool...
... as the beach was too rocky, but the water looked pretty!
During the next day we got to see other parts of Aruba...
... and the clean, sandy beaches that they are known for.
We also went to the best snorkeling site, which was nice.
The purpose of being in Aruba at the beginning of this trip wasn't really to see all of Aruba. We just wanted to get a taste of it, so we knew what to expect when we returned from our cruise.
Cruise? Of course... so let's get on with meeting our ship!
Satellite Picture with ship.
It looks like the ship is ready...
what, not this one?
Ah, is this our tall ship?
We boarded the ship & sipped our welcome drinks... rum swizzles... which would become our daily happy hour drink.
Nicole & Elena were not sure what to expect from the cruise; as it was their first. Jay & Bill were 'old salts' on the Poly.
The back of the ship was closed off ... they didn't want anyone 'mooning' the other ship.
The mid-section offered us a supply of snacks & swizzles.
From the front of the ship we could see Renaissance Island.
The last of the provisions were loaded &
we were ready to go!
The captain said 'shove off'
& we said goodbye to 'big boy'.
We motored along the coast and out to the open sea.
The passengers got the feel of the ship & began to relax.
The bumpy shoreline was visible for quite a while.
At the eastern tip was a refinery; big business for Aruba!
The Captain then ordered:
'raise the sails!'
One by one, the sails were raised and majestically filled with air.
The sails were up and the engines no longer needed!
Many passengers were worried about getting 'seasick'. Luckily, once we were under sail, the ship cut through the waves instead of floating over them.
The only stomach ailments on the trip were due to spending too much time at the bar!
The next web page will offer more detail about the S.V. Polynesia and what she had to offer.
For today though, most people relaxed on top
deck and then went down to get ready for dinner.
I came up to top deck and saw a strange hue on the sails.
I went towards the rear of the ship and saw...
... one of the nicest sunsets that I have ever seen.
I was somewhat sad to not have anyone around to enjoy the sunset with; luckily Bill and Elena came around shortly afterward... with a refill of my drink. With this beginning, how could the trip go wrong!
This concludes the initial page of our Trip to the ABCs.
To continue with the trip, and to see details of the 'Poly', click here
To return back to the main ABC Trip page, click here
