I Heart Aruba

This sign really speaks for itself.  There’s not much to dislike about Aruba or any of the Dutch Caribbean islands for that matter.  It’s a very tiny island that you can drive around in a few hours but it truly is “one happy island” as their slogan goes.

Breaking into new territory, a few friends and I began our discover scuba dive.  This gave us a taste for this awesome experience and very expensive new hobby of mine.  We’ve taken our online courses, passed our tests and are now scuba certified (months later).  Like the real deal.  As if we were responsible adults or something.

Took a great tour of Aruba’s butterfly farm.  A pretty magical place you could sit in for hours.  It’s enclosed with netting and you can walk around with the butterflies floating around your head or sit down and really try to find those blended with their environment.  This cute little butterfly has a shiny blue inside but on the outside its neutral tones allow it to blend in with the banana tree.  The circles on the outside of the wing are to mimic owl eyes because the butterfly’s predators are the owl’s prey.

Next on the tour with hit the coastline and because of Aruba’s heavy, heavy winds the waves crash so hard on the rocks.  These photos were near the national park.  We trekked over to the Ayo rock formations for a little exploration as well.

On one of our visits we decided to rent a jeep and take it to the park for an off road adventure.  I just might be willing to do that again.  What an incredible experience. Don’t worry I wasn’t driving.  After touring through the national park which hits the southern tip of the island we drove along the coast on the rocky shores all the way to the northern tip of the island to a very uneventful lighthouse.  The real beauty was being in the sun with friends, hanging out of the jeep, drinking coconut waters, driving the coast, and playing California Girls on the ipod.

We made it all the way around the island and then back to the beach in time for a dip and maybe a few mojitos with the lizards who like to eat the french fries that fall onto the bar floor.