The Bright Side of Life

I am so, so, so happy with my decision to meet my Aunt Cindi and Uncle Bill in Aruba for a long weekend. I wasn’t sure if I should get a plane ticket to visit just for three days, but it was definitely worth it. It came at the perfect time too. Last week was very stressful and a weekend at the beach was just what I needed. I left for the airport at 3:30 AM on Saturday for my 7 AM flight from Caracas to Orjenstad. I had arranged for one of the school drivers to take me since it was so early, and I knew he would be reliable. It turned out to be a smart choice as well. First we passed two accidents on the opposite side of the freeway blocking traffic. As were we discussing how thankfully they were on the other side of the road, we spotted an accident in front of us. Luckily, he was able to exit the freeway in time and take a side road and reenter the freeway later. Again being thankful for the crisis averted, we continued on our way. After making it through one of the three tunnels to get to the airport, we hit some traffic again. But this time it wasn’t an accident, it was a road block by the military. That portion of the freeway had been shut down for the night. I couldn’t understand the Spanish well enough to know why, but I understood that it was closed until morning and we would have to wait. This had never been a problem on my early flights before so I figured maybe it was for safety reasons or something. I was starting to get nervous. I was so looking forward to the weekend and it had been such a rough week, that if I were to miss my flight, I would have been depressed. Luckily, I was with the school driver who was determined to get me to the airport and he knew the “old” way to get there. Before the tunnels were constructed, there was a long, extremely windy road over the mountains to get to the airport and so that is the route we took. It was the first time I have really been inside a barrio. Not exactly the place you want to be in the middle of the night, but it was interesting all the same. After forty-five minutes of speeding around the narrow curves up the mountain, I was grateful when the sharp turns started to descend. Soon enough we were back at the freeway and at the airport in enough time. The rest of the travel went smoothly and shortly after, I was being picked up in Aruba by my family.

They took me to their resort and showed me around. The Playa Linda Beach Resort was great. It isn’t how I would personally choose to vacation at this time in life, but I can certainly see the appeal. Everything is so convenient; anything you would want/need on a relaxing beach vacation is right there at, or next to, the resort.

Mini Vacation!

We got some bagels and coffee and then went to the beach right outside the resort. It wasn’t a very wide beach, but it had beautiful white sand, baby blue water, and little chickee huts to provide some shade. Because most of the visitors at the resort are time-share owners, many of the people on the beach were friends with my aunt and uncle just from vacationing together over the years. Everyone was very friendly and they watch after each other’s stuff. I learned there are some unwritten rules on their beach. For example:

1. When you go out early to the beach, to claim your chickee hut or otherwise, it is not appropriate to start talking until about 5 AM.
2. Once you have claimed a chickee hut at the beginning of your stay, it is rightfully yours and people shouldn’t try to change the seating arrangement. (*Notice: If you are staying more than one week, the huts are free game again starting on Monday when the new visitors arrive, so plan accordingly.)
3. It is your duty as a Playa Linda guest to watch over other Playa Linda guest’s belongings they may leave in their hut during the day. You never know what those “Boat people” might take. (*Boat people are the cruise passengers that flood the beach for a couple of hours when the ship is at port. It seems they are generally unwelcome, but it has been proven that they are harmless.)

OHHHH YEAHHHH

So Saturday I enjoyed just laying on the beach, reading my book, sipping some adult beverages, people watching, and overall just resting and relaxing. Lunch was bought for me by one of the neighboring hut habitors. He heard I like to eat healthy and bought me a delicious açai fruit cup. MMMMM. He later also gave me two bags of coffee to take with me since he heard about the shortages in Venezuela. That night, we went to dinner with the neighboring hut at Azzurro, the Italian restaurant in between the pool and the beach at the resort. We were hoping to see a good sunset, but it was too cloudy. At least the food was delicious! 

Parmesan Spaghetti: They put the spaghetti in the
cheese wheel and light it on fire to melt the
cheese on the pasta right before it is served!

After dinner, we strolled over to the Holiday Inn Casino and I gambled for the first time in my life. After losing ten dollars in the quarter slot machines, I still don't see the appeal in gambling. It was kind of funny, we were drinking coffee instead of the free drinks since we were tired from being in the sun all day. Hard life.

Woo I won $2.50!

The next day was much of the same. Tanning and swimming and napping. I did get up and used the gym facility. It was so motivational to have actual gym equipment. I miss my old gym; it is so much harder to be motivated without it. Again, we didn’t have to leave the resort area all day. I had lunch out front at a fresh express and we had dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse across the street. Afterwards, we did some window shopping; there is an endless amount of jewelers there. Again, by ten o’clock I was exhausted.

Monday, we switched it up a bit. First we went to the pharmacy and grocery store so I could get some goodies to take back with me. I was even able to get a Venezuelan prescription filled for Walli without any issues. The only problem I almost had was paying with my credit card. The only forms of ID I brought with me were my passport (which I left at the hotel) and a copy of my Venezuelan ID. I am so used to being able to use the laminated copy of my ID, everywhere in Venezuela accepts it, which is sort of strange I suppose. For some reason, I didn't bring my Florida ID like I usually do if I'm going to be using my American credit card. They ended up letting me make my purchase with a warning that next time I need to bring a real identification.

Then we headed to the west side of the island to Malmok beach to go snorkeling. Those of you who know me, know that I am afraid of what's in the water. So it took me a while to gather the bravery to get in, but once I was in the water it was alright. There were so many fish; I kept squirming around when they got too close. There wasn't anything too colorful or exciting but I'm just thankful I didn't see any jellies or sharks!

A more natural Aruba

Then we went to see the California lighthouse, which was so crowded with buses of "boat people." The lighthouse isn't functioning anymore and you can't go inside it so I don't know what makes it a place of interest. I guess just because it's a light house and you can see a lot of the island from it. I got a freshly made cocada drink that was a perfect refreshment.

On the way back east we stopped at Arashi beach, which was my kind of beach. It was a long and sandy with clear water and small waves. And it had a great breeze so you didn't sweat while sitting in the sun. Our stomachs called us back to the resort for lunch and we made it back in time for one more happy hour before I had to get ready to leave.

Thank you Aunt Cindi and Uncle Bill for inviting me and taking such good care of me!!!!!

Everything went smoothly on my flight back to Caracas. I got in on time, but I got held up in customs for a while because I did not have my original Venezuelan ID. They've never asked for it before, usually my passport is all they need. I guess because of the changes to American requirements to enter the country they are being more strict now. I was starting to get really nervous, but luckily they let me through with a warning that next time I travel I need to bring my original.