Unique Places in Aruba

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The dividivi (Caesalpinia coriaria) from the Fabaceae family (Leguminosae) is a tree that is common in the Caribbean.

The copies are known by the trade winds are formed. A tree that grows as in one direction is sometimes called fan beam.

In Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, this tree often.

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We walked over to Fort Zoutman, Willem III Tower, and Museo Arubano. The Museo Arubano is supposed to be a museum with information on Aruba’s history. It was established by the CCA - Cultureel Centrum van Aruba - (Cultural Center Aruba Foundation) in 1983 and I thought it might be interesting. But it was not open, even though it was within the hours that were listed for it to be open (Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:15pm). There were no signs to indicated that it was a museum or to show why it was not open. I am guessing that it was closed because of Christmas week. The second time we visited it was not open either. Admission is $6 if you find it open.

So we walked around the fort. This is the oldest bit of Dutch architecture on the island and dates from 1796. It was named after Dutch Rear Admiral Zoutman who outwitted a British convoy on the North Sea during the 4th British War. It is situated on what was then the shoreline and is armed with four cannons. For almost a century, government offices were housed in Fort Zoutman, with a police department and a prison making use of the building at other times.

Although I would have been interested in the museums, my primary interest was the Willem III Tower because that originally served as a lighthouse when it was added to the fort in 1868. It had Aruba's first public clock and was also used to sight pirates.

This beach, along a large shallow lagoon in San Nicholas, is a popular destination for locals and since it is at the opposite end of the island from the resorts, it's often not very crowded and great place to interact with locals. The only downside to the beach is it's location. San Nicholas is not a bad town itself, but it is dominated by one of the largest oil refineries in the world, as seen in the background of this picture from Baby Beach. If you drive northward from this area, you'll discover what seems to be a modern ghost town. A decent looking suburban development where everything has been abandoned. Apparently, hundreds of people flocked and where shipped into San Nicholas to work at the oil refinery which was eventually shut down. All those people left, leaving behind these now abandoned homes, parks, and playgrounds, a rather eerie area to drive through.

The lagoon itself at Baby Beach is never more than 5 feet deep with a soft sandy bottom. A rocky waterbreak keeps the water in the lagoon calm enough for even the most inexperienced of swimmers. There aren't much in the way of amenities here so plan to bring your own picnic, towels, and snorkel gear. And don't worry about the oil refinery. The constant trade winds blow all the smoke away from the beach and out to sea.

Head towards the lighthouse on the western tip of the island. The last beach on the south before the lighthouse on the western tip is much more quiet then anything you'll find in the over populated hotel row.

A donkey sanctuary has been set up on the island and is run on a voluntary basis. There were lots of ill treated and hungry donkeys wandering the island and most of these have now been rescued. I did see one fine healthy specimen still wandering wild, but it turned out that was in the National Park and this is one place where the donkeys are still safe and well fed.

I visited the sanctuary and although it's a little small it's a place where the animals and obviously well taken care of. You can feed them, but be careful what you give them.

There's no charge to enter but contributions are gratefully accepted.

The donkey sanctuary is situated very close to the Turtle Rock.

Everywhere you go in Aruba you will find amazingly coloured buildings. The locals love to paint their houses in the most amazing shades, and on one occasion our taxi driver entertained us with a tale of how he painted a house for two English men but hated the colour.

The colour of the moment in Aruba appears to be a sort of lime green.

If you drive around the island you will see some greatly colourful buildings, but for now I'll leave you with some pics of those I spotted, starting with that lime green.....

I'm putting this tip under "Off the Beaten Track" because I hope that when you're on holiday you don't have to come here.

I ended up at Accident & Emergency with my Mum as she had an accident and broke a couple of bones.

The hospital looks shabby from the outside and A&E does nothing to inspire confidence as it's painfully (pardon the pun) slow, like most A&E's and equally shabby. However there's a nice enough waiting room with a TV and outside there's a soda machine. Bring plenty of coins with you as you're going to be thirsty waiting in that heat.

Before anyone saw Mum she had to register with the hospital and pay a cash deposit of just under $90. This was set against her eventual bill.

Once we got beyond the waiting area the hospital inside is modern and cool, well equipped, and with helpful and knowledgeable staff. They all seem to speak English and several other languages, too. We left after four hours feeling well looked after. The total bill for examination, X rays and consultant's opinion was about $400 which you must pay on the spot.

The hospital is the only one on the island and is situated in the low rise hotel area. Within a stone's throw of this there's a whole road of private clinics, all recently built and very swish looking.

Natural Bridge - (collapsed on September 2, 2005)
This was one of Aruba's most popular attractions. The bridge was a formation of coral limestone cut out by years of pounding surf, and was one of the largest of these types of spans in the world. It standed some 23 feet (7 meters) above sea level and spans more than 100 feet (30 meters).
There is no admission fee or set hours for visiting, but you'll find a few refreshment stands nearby open daily.