Aruba

Saturday 8th August – Not an early start this morning as we did not berth in Oranjestad, Aruba until 1pm. We stayed in bed a little later and both Mason & I were in the gym at 8pm. Glen was better than us and was there by 7.30pm. After breakfast time for a shower then I organised to get a couple of photos printed – I have two I have to decide between as my entry in the next competition – the subject this sector is “People, family or friends”. Stopped and talked to a lady doing some handcraft, on the way to my cabin, then it was time for lunch after which we got organised to go on shore. Once there we hopped a bus for a tour of the island – it was great and we had a hard case driver/guide. We have found that to organise the tours ourselves is about a third of the price of tours the ship offers, with smaller groups and we seem to see a lot more. Glen & Alice got off just before town for a swim while Mason & I went into town for a look around and to buy some toothpaste, wine and some beer to take onboard. Aruba used to be a member of the Netherlands Antilles but now stands independently, having gained autonomy in 1986. All the kids are taught and learn English, Dutch, Spanish and Papiamento (a combination of Spanish,French,Portuguese, Dutch, African and English),at school. We were surprised by the number of large hotels and resorts – tourism is their main source of income. We had to be back onboard by 6.30pm as we were leaving at 7pm however, in the event we had a problem with an engine so did not get away till 9.30pm. Dinner tonight was in the buffet after a few wines in our cabin. Hope to talk to Karyn & Carl and kids tonight then to bed. Have two days at sea to look forward to – may learn to play bridge – then Bermuda.