Other states, other lives, other souls

You probably think that Aruba is all high-rise hotels on the beach, kite-surfing, pina coladas, casinos, and crowded bars, looking at this fridge magnet.  Google Aruba images and that’s what you will see. It is that, minus the ALL and minus COVID.  I and my family pod were recently here escaping winter and coronavirus isolation for four weeks and we have learned that Aruba has a wild nature side and a quiet side that are plenty of fun, especially during a pandemic (hence the portmanteau quild).

1. Lodging:  We rented an Airbnb in Oranjestad, 10 minutes away from the most popular beaches and downtown. Hidden Garden has 3 separate villas, 1,2, and 3 bedrooms, around a pool that is perfect for families with young children.  Until this week, we were the only ones there, so it was our pool, our gas grill, our palapa dining room.   Because of this pool our six year old grandson learned to swim without a life jacket. Before we left Minneapolis he told me he would never have to learn to swim because he would always have his lifejacket. 
2. Food: The villa has nice kitchens and there is a wonderful grocery store, Superfoods, that caters to tourists and has all the fresh produce, booze, meats, and fresh seafood that a foodie could want.  Mostly we cooked our own yummy, and Michael Pollen-compliant, meals and ate under the palapa with our pod. We found restaurants to be high priced and short on non-fried vegetables.  Near the end of our stay, for a splurge, we went to eat gourmet fresh fish next to the beach with our feet in the receded tide: Flying Fish Bone  The night before we were the only guests at a Colombian outdoor resto near a very fun boulder climbing structure called Casibari.  It’s still a mystery how the huge pile of boulders got there.  An all ages climbing challenge. 
3. Safety: There are no cruise ships running right now, so we are happily missing the 3000 to 4000 tourists disgorged into downtown for an hour of wild consuming.  Masks are universal indoors and the beaches are very uncrowded right now. A tourist can not enter the country without a negative COVID test within 72 hours of entry or upon entry, followed by quarantine until negative results are received.
4. Wild: The east side of the island faces the prevailing winds and the raging surf of the full-on Caribbean.  It is empty of tourist lodging and private homes.  The big national park—Arikok—takes up one third of the shoreline.  What to do? Walk along the shore, find hidden quiet beaches, explore ancient dead coral moonscapes, and crawl over boulders into a large natural wave-fed pool. One day after arrival my husband and I went for a hike out from the park visitors’ center. I was feeling great after several successful bouts of PT because of various weaknesses my legs and hips during 2020.  About 20 minutes in we stopped in a shady spot on the trail for water. I looked down at my foot and saw to my horror a 10 inch long giant armored centipede crawling on my shoe.  I did a sudden karate kick to get it off and realized I had pulled a muscle where my hamstring attaches to my glutes. I limped back to the car, careful not to activate the injury.  It was depressing, so soon after arrival, but after identifying the creature and its toxicity, it had been a necessary manoeuver.  I was scared that my four week trip was ruined (other than warmth and water and outside time, of course), but after a week of light exercise, a therapeutic massage, and a lot of reading, it had mostly repaired itself. And by the last few days I could walk up the 600 stairs of Mount Hooiberg.    
5. Quild: In Aruba walking seems to be a lost art. Native Arubans were genuinely surprised that we walked to get somewhere. Yes, it’s hot, but now is “winter”, so for those of us used to real windless, humid hotness in Minnesota in July, it’s just fine. Wear a hat with a strap and lots of sunscreen. Take water shoes, as many beaches and the natural pool are rocky. Most people choose to go by 4×4 on this side and make roads where none were before.  They were so destructive to Arikok Park that they were finally banned except as transport. A few days ago, as my sister and I walked north along the shore from the Gold Mine ruins, we saw half a dozen 4x4s getting ready to go somewhere. I guess they went south, because we never saw them out on the road.  If you would rather not walk in the heat, horseback riding is another option.  Note, this is not horse-throwing.  You might be confused because downtown Oranjestad is full of life-sized blue-painted horse statues.  I was puzzled, although appreciative that they were much more elegant than the cartoonish Snoopys all over the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Peanuts’ creator Charles Schultz was a native son.  I found a sign near one and read it.  Truth is stranger than fiction.  The horses commemorate the hundreds of horses that the Dutch colonists brought over for their horse and cattle trading business in the 1700s.  When the ships got as close to shore as possible, brawny men lifted the horses up and threw them overboard. A lead horse was stationed on the beach, beckoning them to swim to shore.
6. Beaches: We also visited plenty of beaches on the west side during our stay. There is a beach for everyone and every purpose.  Baby beach is safe for preschoolers; Mangel Halto has nice snorkling and scuba and intimate sandy mangrove enclaves; Arashi also has snorkling, bigger waves, and a nice beach resto. We signed up for a sunset glass bottom kayak tour at Arashi and luckily for us, if not for the tour business, we were the only ones: sunset on one side and full moon on the other side. Bushiri is on the edge of downtown, quiet and very swimmable for people like me who are afraid of big waves. Finally, hotel-row beaches are lovely with fine sand so deep it’s a bit scary. You don’t have to be staying at a hotel to use the beach.  We skipped those because they were the most crowded, but if you still want loud or thrilling water sports after reading this, that is where you will find them. 

But be sure to take a walk on the quild side.