Aruba

All I knew of Aruba was that it was an exotic place with beautiful beaches. That was the sum total of my knowledge, and I couldn’t even locate it on a map. Then, suddenly, in 2005, that all changed. That was when the death of Natalee Holloway (on May 30th) put Aruba on everyone’s map because of the media sensation her disappearance caused. As an American student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, she was on a high school graduation trip to Aruba,

Scheduled to fly home on May 30th, Holloway failed to appear for her flight and was last seen by her classmates outside Carlos'n Charlie's, a Caribbean chain restaurant and nightclub in Oranjestad — the same city at which our ship docked when we visited Aruba on our Southern Caribbean trip in March, 2009. This essay is not about Holloway, however, that is the most recent time I heard of it, and that incident left deep scars on the island.

Aruba is a very small island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea. It is 21 miles long with a total land area of only 75 square miles. It is just 17 miles north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela, and together with Bonaire and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles — probably more geography than you care or need to know!

It is an autonomous region within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and has no administrative subdivisions. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, Aruba has a dry climate, an arid, cactus-strewn landscape that, in the early years, was thought inhospitable and provoked little colonial enthusiasm. It lies outside the hurricane belt.

Aruba has a clear history. It was discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499 and acquired by the Dutch in 1636. It seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. Talk of achieving full independence has never become anything more than mere talk.

Three main industries have dominated its economy. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery designed to refine Venezuelan crude oil. The last decades of the 20th century, however, saw a boom in the tourism industry.

As I wrote this essay from the 18th deck of the Grand Princess, I had a full panoramic view of the main capital town of Oranjestad. From this high point (higher than anything on the island), I could look across this flat land to see the horizon in every direction. Less than ten small hills offered some gentle undulation — like going over a series of overpasses but not much more.

Along the west coast, from this high perspective, I could see the two low-rise hotels at Eagle Beach, and just beyond them, between five and ten larger hotels located at Palm Beach — the prettiest beach on the island. If you go farther north along the west coast, you will come to the California Lighthouse, named for the U.S. ship — the California — which sank about two years previous to its construction in 1910. Perched on a high seaside elevation, the lighthouse has become one of Aruba's scenic trademarks and offers a view of the island's western coastline of sandy beaches, rolling sand dunes, and rocky coral shorelines.

From this high vantage point as well, you can see the smoke stacks of the large oil refinery that occupies the southeastern end of Aruba and dominates the blue-collar town of San Nicolas. Jobs at the plant contributed to the development of a local middle class, but automation meant workers had to look elsewhere, and the island has successfully transferred its economy from dependence on refining oil to relaxing tourists.

There are two things truly unique about Aruba. The first is its language — a language shared by no other countries besides the Dutch “ABC” islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. It is called Papiamento, and it is a combination of Portugese, Spanish, Dutch, English, African, and Indian words.

The other unique thing about Aruba is its aloe production. It is the world’s leading aloe producer.  This plant has antibacterial, antifungicide, and antiviral properties. Aruba aloe is tremendously rich in vitamins (A, C ,F, B (thiamine), niacin, vitamin B2 and others), enzymes and minerals As I visited the shops in Oranjestad I hoped to find a variety of aloe products; however, they are available only in select stores and rather highly priced. Aruba is the world's top exporter of raw aloe and other aloe vera products for the world wide market.

The town of Oranjestad looks prosperous. It is a clean place of decorative buildings, many shops for tourists, restaurants, and casinos. Close to the dock are three large shopping malls.

It is clear why people often talk of visiting or living in Aruba for the temperature is a constant 80-degrees or so with an ocean breeze that keeps it comfortable for most of the year. Walking through the village of Oranjestad belies the arid interior which is dotted with cactus and windswept divi-divi trees.

When we disembarked, we walked through the new ship terminal, turned right onto L.G. Smith Boulevard, and first visited the Royal Plaza Mall, where we found a small outside shop, located in a kiosk, where aloe products were sold. Then we walked to the Renaissance Mall and, finally, the Renaissance Market. Most of the shops were the standard ones you find in Caribbean ports that cater to tourists: jewelry, clothing, and numerous places to buy souvenirs. Many of the shops in the malls here were slightly more upscale — meaning simply they sell many of the same goods for higher prices.

Along the parking lot on L.G. Smith Boulevard there are 20-25 shops that sell local products — although if you examine them closely you will find that “local” products tend to be manufactured elsewhere. For example, walking canes come from Cartahenga, Columbia., and many products are manufactured in China. Remember, however, that there are only 30,600 people in Oranjestad and just 105,600 on the entire island.

Although we didn’t take an excursion, did not visit the interior or the beaches, and ended up simply walking the shops and malls of Oranjestad, we found the slogan, “one happy island” (emblazoned on each license plate) to be true. The people are friendly and respectful, and not the least bit pushy or aggressive. Aruba is a small but delightful speck in the southern Caribbean Sea.

-----

The official website for Aruba has much to offer tourists or readers interested in more information or photographs of the island.

The Wikiipedia website on “Aruba,” includes information on its history. Information on politics, law, education, geography, economy, demographics, towns, country, language, infrastructure, places of interest, etc. are all contained here — a wealth of information on the island.

-----

Copyright March 2010 by And Then Some Publishing, LLC