WorldTravelReynolds

ABC, it’s easy as 1, 2, 3…. yep, that’s where we’ve arrived, the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, also known as the ABC Islands, and where we’ll spend the next three days exploring. The first of these is Aruba, the smallest one, whose capital Oranjestad, is on the southern coast of the island. The town was originally known as just “Bay of Horses town” because it was where they bred and raised horses for Curaçao. It was officially given its current name, after the first king of the Netherlands, William of Orange, in the 1820s. Here on this isle of beautiful beaches the trade winds constantly blow from the Atlantic which helps the island sustain an almost constant temperature of 27 C (81 F). Would it surprise you to learn that rather than a tropical island this riverless one is more of a desert, receiving only about 20″ of rain each year, which is apparently plenty for the aloe vera plants that cover two-thirds of the landscape, Aruba happens to be the world’s largest aloe exporter.

I so appreciate the fact Laurie did so much work on her research! Saving me a lot time especially if we don’t do any tours set up for the day. Our slow days will soon stop after we get out of the Caribbean. We have LOTS of tours along the way.

We walked around a few miles in the sweltering humid air. Drenched by the time we got back to the ship. Aruba is as beautiful as always.

In the evening our entertainment was local. We were told we would be having local entertainment at many ports. Such a nice surprise.

We had a presentation on the big screen about their culture and dance in between great performances by the local performers.

The best thing about this whole experience was that Royal Caribbean invited this group onboard to have dinner in the buffet. Many things we take for granted, this group was so excited about being on board and being treated to dinner. They were giddy with excitement and many told us how grateful they were.

Our next stop will be Curaçao and then to Bonaire.

Bon nochi – good night

May God bless you always

Chuck and Lea Ann