We'll just ignore the fact that I haven't written a single blog post in six months and get right on into it!
The first trip of the summer was to Aruba, which I had never been before. At first, I was a little skeptical since I had grown so used to Jamaica, but Aruba did not disappoint! The food, surprisingly, was far better than anything I'd had in Jamaica. (That red-velvet cheesecake was heaven-sent, I can guarantee you.) The most surprising thing, however, was that we could walk into town and be unbothered about safety concerns. This leads us to the facts of the day!
1. Aruba has several restaurants that you would find in the US! We got off the resort one night and walked to a TGI Fridays (Note to self: Refills are not free), and to a Baskin-Robbins for ice cream.
2. The schools in Aruba require everybody to take swimming lessons, which is why there are no lifeguards. Everyone also learns the native language Papiamento, English, Spanish and Dutch.
3. Locals think gold still lies in multiple local ruins.
4. Aruba had an 100 foot long natural bridge that you could walk across, but it colla[sed in September of 2005.
5. There is a smaller natural bridge that you can view today that is called "The Son of a Bridge." Not kidding. That's the actual name.
6. The crime rate in Aruba is very low because everyone is employed. Also, in the words of our ATV tour guide, "Aruba is a small island. If you steal my car, where are you going to go?"
7. I got to pet a blind donkey on the ATV excursion.
8. There is an animal sanctuary with animals ranging from camels to snakes (also where I pet the donkey.)
9. Aruba is outside the Hurricane Belt (although it is constantly windy), so there is no bad time to visit!
10. Their slogan is "One Happy Island."
11. Aruba has over a million tourists visit each year, which is ten times the local population.
12. It is home to the Aruban Rattlesnake. There are only 230 left in the world.
13. Finally, there are 90 different nationalities living in harmony on one little island.
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