Aruba is an island in the mid-south Caribbean Sea, about 18 miles north of Venezuela. It’s a small island that is about 10 miles long and 6 miles across its widest point. Aruba is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. I have been visiting Aruba for the past 7 years. It’s a time for relaxation with a group of friends from around the country, where we catch up and spend some quality time together. Aruba’s motto is “One Happy Island” and their hospitality lives up to their motto. While I live in Florida, four miles from the beach, I rarely go. When in Aruba, I spend plenty of time in the water and on the beach.
Dutch, Spanish and English are commonly spoken throughout the island. Being from the USA, I have never encountered problem with an Aruban not speaking english. The main industry is tourism and over the past seven years of visiting Aruba, they have spent time investing in their infrastructure by improving roads, tourist areas and adding a bike walkway called Linear Park that goes from the airport and stretches along the sea to the downtown Oranjestad area. There are plenty of spots to stop and take a break with refreshment opportunities. It’s a smooth paved trail perfect for walking, jogging or biking. There are several stations along the trail where you can rent bikes with various rental plans from “Green Bike”.
My First Flight Experience-Post Pandemic
Realizing that I travel frequently, I got vaccinated thinking it would help with traveling. Set aside personal protection, outside of me, nobody cared if I was vaccinated. I still needed to get a COVID test (PCR) to get on the flight to Aruba and a rapid antigen test to get back into the USA. In the states, the tests were free but in Aruba, I had to pay $30 for COVID insurance and $40 for a rapid COVID test. Prior to boarding the JetBlue flight to Aruba, you needed to fill out an online Embarkation/Debarkation form and present that form along with your COVID Test results to the gate agent.
On the flight, passengers two years and older were required to wear a mask whenever they were not actively eating and drinking. Many people actively drank and ate throughout the flight! The JetBlue crew was great and used common sense with regard to wearing the mask.
Upon arriving in Aruba, and collecting your luggage, you had to again present your negative COVID test results. At the time of this trip (June 20, 2021,), Aruba did not accept the rapid test. If you didn’t have the test results, you had to pay for a COVID test and then quarantine at your final destination until your results came back. If you had your COVID test results, they gave you a card that you had to present at your hotel or resort indicating that you have been cleared as negative and did not need to quarantine.
My Aruba Adventures
For the most part, when I go to Aruba, my main goal is to relax. However, I always have my camera and venture out in a rental car to find some great photographs. During this trip, I had a few images in mind that I wanted to capture and I succeeded with getting what I visualized. One of the first stops was the California Lighthouse. I like lighthouses and never pass an opportunity to photograph them. The lighthouse was named after the SS California which sunk off the Northwest coast of Aruba in 1891 when sailing from England to the Americas. This ship is often confused with the S.S. Californian which famously declined to assist the SS Titanic when it was sinking.
The lighthouse was recently restored and you can climb up the Lighthouse for a small fee and get some great views of Aruba. However, it doesn’t cost anything to visit the lighthouse grounds. Located on the grounds is an Italian restaurant, Faro Blanco with amazing views and atmosphere. While I have never had any complaints with my trusty Italian standby dish of chicken parmigiana, some in my group were not happy with their meal choice. Personally, I would recommend dining there and having a few drinks while you enjoy the sunset. The staff is very friendly and will invite people visiting the lighthouse (during the daytime) to come in and take some scenic pictures from their patio overlooking the ocean.
My next visit was to the Natural Bridge on the North coast of Aruba. While the bridge collapsed in 2005, a smaller bridge still exists. This desert terrain area is great for some amazing views of high waves crashing into the cliffs. This is also a popular area for some ATV tours (group or self-guided) along the ocean. In the same general area, you can find the Bushiribana Gold Mill ruins that once processed ore from mines in the nearby hills during Aruba’s gold rush of the nineteenth century. You can climb the rocks of these ruins and get some great views.
While spending some time in this area, my goal was to get an abstract image of the many high blue waves crashing into the cliffs and shoreline.
My next mission was to photograph a Fofoti tree on one of Aruba’s beaches. The Fofoti tree is often confused with a Divi-Divi tree which grows inland, while the Fofoti tree grows on the beach. If you want to also capture a photo like this, don’t wait until late in the morning or early afternoon unless you want to photograph people sitting under the trees with their chairs and enjoying the beach and ocean.
My final photograph that I tried was right at my resort. When I spotted these algae covered rocks jetting into the ocean, I knew that a long exposure picture was just what I wanted! In previous years, I never noticed the rocks covered with algae but I am glad I noticed this time. I call this photo “On the Rocks”.
While my adventures always tend to focus around photography, there are many different things in Aruba to keep you entertained and active. There are many great restaurant and shopping choices along with casinos, golf courses, hiking, scuba and snorkeling among many other things. While you always need to be careful when traveling, I find it a very safe and friendly travel destination. Despite the international coverage of a young American High School student disappearing in 2005, Aruba is a very safe and developed country but just like in any city or country, bad things can happen if you are not vigilant of your surroundings or responsible in your decisions.
When Heading Back To The USA
When your vacation ends and it’s time to fly back to the USA, it’s important to know that the process in Aruba is probably different from what most people are accustomed to when traveling. The first thing to know is get there early! Especially if you are leaving on the weekends. Many people vacationing in Aruba have timeshares and arrive on a Saturday and leave on a Saturday, so that will most likely be the busiest day. On this trip, I was heading out on a Sunday. While I have been told it is quieter on Sundays, that was not the case for this trip. Possibly because of checking on COVID tests and clearing people for boarding passes. I arrived 3 hours early and I only had about 45 minutes to spare before my flight left.
Once you have checked your bags in, that is not the last time you will have to deal with your bags. In Aruba, there are US Customs officers stationed in Aruba so when you first check your bags in, they go through Aruba Customs and security. Then you will arrive at a location where you will reclaim your bags and drop them again with US Customs for screening. Additionally, you will go through security checkpoints twice requiring you to take off your shoes, belts and other typical items along with the re-screening of your carry-on luggage. There is no TSA Pre-Check in Aruba. However, when you reach US Customs, they do have the Global Entry program, so if you are enrolled in that program, it will save you some time waiting on lines. The advantage of clearing customs in Aruba is that you will not have to deal with it when you land at your final USA destination.
The Next Aruba Trip
When I return to Aruba (presumably in 2022), I will just be taking my travel camera that can fit into my carry-on luggage. I won’t need to lug around all of my pro-gear because I have photographed the main things I have been wanting over the past few years. A few travel tips if you are planning a trip to Aruba:
- No need to switch out currency. US dollars are taken everywhere. Occasionally you will get some Aruban coins back with your change but you will mostly get US currency.
- It’s very windy in Aruba. Most people bring “towel clips” that allow you to attach your towel to your chair or chaise lounge when you are beach or poolside.
- Sunscreen!! Being from Florida, that is second nature along with swim shirts and hats. If you don’t protect yourself, you will be buying some Aruba Aloe Gel for some burn relief.
- The drinking age is 18. So if traveling with young adults under 21, just know they can get served. I have seen many 18-year-olds getting sick with their ability to buy alcohol legally.
- Unless specifically stated on a restaurant’s website, the dress is pretty casual. My typical dress-up attire is a pair of shorts with a collared polo shirt.
- Purchasing bottles of alcohol is expensive in Aruba. I was paying between $45-$60 for a typical bottle of gin that I pay $18-$20 for in the States. So if you are going to check-in luggage, you may wish to put your favorite alcohol in your suitcase.