Tuesday, May 16, 1995 - Aruba

Slapped the computer again and eventually got it to work again, so I entered the events of yesterday. The weather looked threatening. I didn't really want to leave the boat, but Roy wanted to go to town, so we did. Walked around and got a lot of information. Found out where there's a laundromat and a super market. The Sonesta Hotel has laundries that we can use when we're at the marina, but they're not available to the public. We felt like having something different for lunch, so we had pizza. Roy ate two big slices plus two cups of coffee and a pineapple shake. I had one slice and a pineapple shake. We picked up Roy's photos from the developer's. They came out good this time. The previous two batches had scarcely come out at all, and Roy was afraid there was something wrong with his camera, but then he discovered it needed a new battery and he'd had it set wrong. It works fine now. A few days ago, the vegetable peeler disappeared, so we went to a big hardware store to try to get another. They didn't have one, but Roy bought some duct tape. Then we went to a grocery store and bought a peeler. When we came out, it was starting to sprinkle, so we made a bee-line for our Royaks and headed back to the boat. I told Roy not to wait for me but to zoom to the boat and start putting the rain in the tank, so he did. By the time I was halfway to the boat, the rain was coming down in buckets. Sometimes the rain was so heavy, I couldn't even see the boat, but I kept paddling in the general direction and eventually she reappeared. It was a relief to finally reach the boat. Of course, I was soaked, but I'd been wanting to wash my hair anyway, so I got out my shampoo and conditioner, stood on the deck, and let her rip. Roy helped me rinse by rigging up the shower jug and squirting water on my hair. We collected nearly half a tank of good rainwater, which we certainly needed. We really like Aruba. It's clean and prosperous, which isn't surprising, since it's part of the Netherlands, and the Dutch are noted for their cleanliness and industriousness. There are beautiful sandy beaches and a lot of interesting places to explore. The climate is delightful. Even though Aruba is only 750 miles north of the Equator, it isn't too hot or humid, because the Trade Winds blow all the time, cooling things off. The temperature stays in the low eighties all year round, which is very pleasant. The water temperature is about 80, so it's ideal for swimming, snorkeling, and SCUBA diving. There are a number of interesting wrecks and reefs to dive on. All our children and their families have an open invitation to fly down and vacation with us for a few weeks.