And Away We Go... Aruba Bound!

Let the celebrating begin and bring on the sun! Both equally exciting. T and I flew across the ocean to Aruba for a week of fun in the sun by simply doing nothing. The joy of doing nothing. Maybe that should be the title instead? Honestly, this season in life has been so full my cup runneth over enough already. We took cribbage and our swimsuits. We laughed, walked, enjoyed the pool and ocean, and just rested. 

 

 Local grocery store

 

We stayed at a Marriott on the beach and were able to bring in groceries. We love traveling this way cause it gives us more freedom. We had two choices for grocery stores... a traditional store or one mostly of food with a Dutch origin. We chose traditional. The food was priced in US dollars or their own currency. We found mostly what we would eat and it served us well poolside at the resort. We took taxis whenever we went farther than a mile or two and met some great locals doing so. We got some great information on life in Aruba, why people that leave for college come back to live, and why they call themselves The Happy Island. I learned about the educational system and the government. The people are genuinely content and happy.  They learn 4 languages sometimes 5 by the time they graduate from high school. Yes, really. This island feels safe. The weather is the same and no fear of hurricanes. That would make me happy too.

After unpacking and putting my feet in the ocean, we quickly changed and headed pool side. Only time we weren't hanging out here during the day was for our evening walk to dinner in town or the day we went to the Labor Day celebration in Oranjestad.

We walked along the beach path to Palm Beach almost every night for dinner. They had outdoor vendors and food choices from Italian to BBQ. We even enjoyed a delicious Chinese meal one night. We came home 5 pounds heavier even after walking everywhere but the food was good!

One night at dinner eating at Smokey Joes, we sat so close to a couple we were basically eating together. Good thing I'm social. After sparking up conversation they shared some of their favorite food joints on the island.  Some of the people we met go back to Aruba every year and sometimes twice a year.  So one they shared was Linda's pancakes. We woke up one morning, put on our workout clothes and walked to find this place. It was a good mile and half or two miles from our resort but the food was sooo good, I would do it again. We were able to see some of the "normal" areas of the island too which was an added bonus. Some of Aruba reminded me of my time in Guatemala with their colors, styles, and architecture.