After a day at sea, our next port-of-call was Aruba – which has proclaimed itself One Happy Island. Indeed it is, as it should be – in the Caribbean, sunny with clear blue skies – and a multitude of tourists to fill its pockets.
The ship pulled into the dock – or was pulled in with the aid of tugboats and we disembarked

after I took a photo of part of the village from the veranda,

and the lamp post with its shadows

as well as the banana bus.

As we entered the terminal we were greeting by Aruban dancers in their finest feathers.

We walked past more colorful buses

to the inlet where we would meet the tender which had not yet arrived. The shopping areas were across this bay and were Arubian colorful



The tender arrived

which took us to the mini-submarine

a small island within view of the submarine caught my fancy as we waited to board

Once boarded, the submarine began its descent

140 feet down

where we saw a sea turtle

a stingray

and a shipwreck, with fish swimming in groups and alone.

Each of us had our own porthole through which we viewed the underwater life.
Returned to the dock, we headed into the shopping area to look in at Diamonds International – to look and drool. And drool. But not to buy.
Next on the agenda, our sunset cruise aboard a catamaran.
Where we cruised past many resorts with beautiful white sand beaches
and some new construction
as well as another catamaran
and an old wooden sailing boat headed to shore.
Sitting outside looking up, the moon appeared between the sails
and the sun lowered in the sky
Fortuitously, another catamaran appeared on the horizon
passing the sun before it descended into the sea.
We arrived back at the dock in the dark.
We returned to the ship to quickly change clothes and head down for a late dinner, then the evening’s entertainment and a fairly early bedtime. Tomorrow is Curacao, another busy day.
The vivid colors. The clear skies. The lack of snow. It all points to heaven! 🙂
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Loving these pics and posts! What an adventure! 🙂
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What incredible sunsets! And ditto what Laurie said!
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What a great trip! Loved the lamp post photo…plus loved that you got to go in a submarine!!
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It looks like a lovely day, Carol. I love the colorful buses and buildings of Aruba (an island to which I’ve never been, sadly), the cool shipwreck you saw on the submarine, and the views from the catamaran, especially the moon between the sails. Your sunset pictures are marvelous. It looks like it was peaceful and serene. 🙂
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Gorgeous photos of the sunset! It has been a long time since I was in Aruba. Maybe one day I’ll return for avisit. In the meantime I’m enjoying hearing about yours.
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That sunset shot with the sailboat is most definitely fame worthy!! And I love the lamppost shadow pic and, oddly, the banana bus! Aruba is now on my bucket list. 🙂 xo
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All those saturated, bright colors! Aruba does indeed look like one happy island.
It’s sunny and warm here today, though tempered by the ever-present snow that just won’t melt. Wishing for a catamaran of my own on which to sunset.
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Beautiful sunsets, Carol! The one with the sailboat is stunning!
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