Aruba - March 19 (Part 2)

 I'll start where I left off on the last post, on our drive to the Natural Bridge in the Arikok National Park. The highway ends part way into the park, when it turns into a gravel road. I recall our driver telling us the reason for this, but have forgotten.

The vistas outside the bus windows were simply amazing. As the next few photos were taken from the moving bus, they likely are little fuzzy.

The original natural bridge in the park collapsed in 2005. According to Wikipedia, it was 25 feet (7.6 meters) high, and 100 feet (30.5 meters) in length and a remnant of a cave.  The natural bridge we saw is called the Baby Bridge, for obvious reasons, with a span of 25 feet (7.6 meters) and only 3 feet (.9 meters) above sea level.

I walked onto the bridge and took photos from that vantage point.

Looking out towards the Atlantic ocean on my left

Watching the waves crash against the shore to my right.

I turned to take a photo of the ocean again, just as a wave crashed into the bridge.

I got sprayed and tasted the salt of the ocean.

Smaller waves hit the formation on my right, with the sea water from the higher waves pouring off the shelf that was hidden.

I have many photos (too many to share) of this particular spot as I was fascinated by the height of the waves and the force with which they reached the shore.

One last photo of the pool under the bridge.

Then it was time to board the bus for one more stop at a discontinued gold mine/smelting plant.

This was a stop I could have done without as it was very hot, overrun with tour groups, and frankly, not that interesting (at least to me).

The interior was full of debris, and while others attempted the climb to the top floor, I stayed on the ground. I'm a klutz and climbing over and on rocks and stones is a sure way for me to sprain an ankle.

On the ocean side, there was a rather desolate looking series of rocks piled up, I suspect by other tourists.

The lighting wasn't great for photos, and there seemed to be haze in the air that was obvious even as we walked around the site.

Our drive back to the port was long, as traffic was backed up for some time. I was happy to get back to the ship to shower and change for our solo meet-up that evening. 

Sail-away that evening was late, about 9 p.m. I wandered down to Deck 7, just to watch for any last minute pier runners. While everyone arrived in time, there were a couple who squeaked in while the crew were starting to dismantle the ramps and barriers. 

Next up - Bonaire

 

Aruba - March 19 (Part 1)

 I was awake by 5:30, discovering we were about to dock in Oranjestad. Off to deck 16 for a few photos.

It was overcast and gloomy but the streams of sunlight assured me that it would be another pleasant day.

I always find the architecture of the ABC islands; Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao so interesting. It's clear that the Dutch influence is strong here.

After breakfast on Deck 15, I had a bit of time before my excursion so relaxed and read by the pool until it got too hot for me. Down to deck 7 for more reading before I had a quick bite to eat at the International cafe. I was even able to catch a quick 30 minute nap in my stateroom before I packed up and went to meet my tour group at the terminal.

Today's tour was the sights, sounds, and scenes of Aruba. There were so many guests in attendance we needed to fill two buses. Our bus driver, Marvin, was also our guide and he did a wonderful job of telling us what we were seeing while on the bus , all while navigating the large bus. 

From this point, I'll let the photos tell much of the story.

This was one of the many beach scenes from the bus window. If memory serves, this is Eagle beach home to many resorts as well as a public beach. 

At a round-about on Eagle beach is this two-ton Leatherback sea turtle. The beach is a nesting ground for the turtle.

This was the largest resort we saw - a Palace by Riu. I'm not a fan of resorts at all and this one, frankly looked out of place among the others. In the islands there is often a height restriction and this definitely surpasses what I would expect to see.

Aruba is a dry, desert island with a number of varieties of cactus. I'm sure my readers who spend time in Arizona in the winter will recognize the type, far better than I.

Our first stop was the California lighthouse. The structure is the tallest, at 90 feet tall, on the island.

Built between 1914 and 1916 of stone, lime, and cement. The tower was built after the S.S. California crashed on the north-west shore of Aruba, hence the name. It took until 1919 for the light to be installed because of WWI.

The lighthouse was automated in 2007, and taken out of operation in 2015. Today it is open to public tours, and there is a restaurant across the parking lot. The day we were there, a food truck set up offering cold drinks and snacks. 

While my fellow passengers and other tourists were climbing the tower, or partaking in the beverages, I went for a bit of a wander.

Beyond the restaurant looking out to sea.

I believe we were given about 20 minutes at this stop before we headed off to our next stop, Chapel of Our Lady Alto Vista.

I could not get a decent photo of the chapel while everyone was wandering about, so this was taken from my bus window. The original chapel was built in 1750. This building was built in 1952, but not made any larger than the orginal. Those cement pews you see outside the church as used for the overflow. 

There was some vegetation outside of the chapel inlcuding these cactus. The other plants did not seem to be flourishing in the dry heat.

Our next stop on the tour was the Natural Bridge (baby bridge) in Arikok National Park. As this post is quite lengthy already, I'll do another post in the next few days. But, here's a hint of what is to come.