After a couple of days at sea, we arrived on Day 7 in Oranjestad, Aruba. We made plans to do a 4×4 Jeep Tour at 1:30pm so after breakfast on the ship, we headed into town to do a little exploring.
Our first impressions were that the island potentially had not bounced back successfully after COVID. Many stores and restaurants were shuttered and in disrepair. The area around the cruise terminal had many high-end stores and expensive restaurants. The sun was very hot on this arid island so we decided to get some relief by returning to the terminal to await our tour departure.
I did a little shopping at the local Aruba Aloe Company as I had heard really great things about their products. The products can be purchased online and ship to Canada so I bought a sample pack of smaller bottles to try various items. Luckily some new friends that we met at the pre-cruise gala, ironically from Port Dover, Ontario, were heading back the ship and offered to take them back onboard from me,
We were picked up at the terminal at 1:30pm by our tour operator, Fofoti Tours. We boarded the 4×4 open air jeeps with the clouds gathering and some rumors of incoming rain. Aruba is a very dry island and the comment I have heard over and over from visitors is that it is very windy. Rain was not something I would have expected and certainly not like what we encountered.
Our first stop was the Ayo Rock Formations. We did not spend a lot of time exploring but we did see some crave paintings and very unique rock formations in our quick visit. As we viewed the highlights a light, warm rain was starting to fall.
After leaving the park, our off-road portion of the tour began and so did the very heavy rain. Pouring off the roof and coming in sideways, there was no way to escape getting wet, if not soaked. And it was a little difficult to even see where we were going. Our drivers were in a dry cab up front so their visibility was better, thank goodness. As we drove off-road through rocky hillsides, the red soil was generating massive run-off in a vibrant orange colour. I continued to take some pictures but did not venture out as the rain continued to pour.
I did my best to snap a few shots of the stunning natural beauty but it was not easy as I could barely see and was worried about my phone not working so early in this adventure. My hands were so saturated, they were dishpan…. My clothes could not have possibly taken on any more water. It was a crazy experience — and as our guides said, it almost never rains in Aruba. We probably experienced more than the annual total in one hour.
After the off-roading experience, we headed to the Bushiribana Gold Smelter Ruins that were built in 1872 by the Aruba Island Gold-mining Company Ltd. It was a cool site and we were visited by a herd of goats while we explored the area. The guides said it made them hungry as we get closer to Christmas where goat is a featured menu item.
We headed to a small public beach where we continued to try to dry off. There was a small local bar serving 2 types of local beer. Our preference was the lighter “Chill” beer. We chatted with the guides who were very personable and fun. We also got to know several of our fellow world cruisers. It was a nice way to finish an eventful afternoon before heading back to the ship just before sunset.
