Monday, August 7, 1995 - Aruba

We paddled into town this morning to get our exit papers, mail the letters I wrote yesterday, and buy a few things. We went to Immigration first and of course had to wait a while for the official. When we left there, we headed towards the Post Office, but we were passing a bunch of stores, so we went in. Roy was looking for a pair of shorts and swim trunks but couldn't find any he liked in the right size. By the time we got to the Post Office, it had closed for siesta even though it was only ten to twelve. We wanted to get a fluorescent tube to replace one that had burned out, so I phoned every marine supply store in town, but none had it. (While Roy was in California, I found a telephone card with 23 units left on it, so I got to make all these calls for free. Now it's down to 3 units.) A couple of places said we could get it at the General Store, so we decided to try there later. Some clothing stores were still open, so we shopped some more. Roy found a nice pair of shorts and a pair of swim trunks that he liked, so he bought them. He also wanted a net shirt, but the only ones he could find had writing all over them, which he hates. Also, they were extra, extra, extra colossal. By then, we were hungry, so we went to Wendy's for a delicious lunch. Then we went to the Customs building, but they said we had to go to the Customs office near the Port Authority, so we walked over there but found out we were in the wrong building. Eventually we found the right place, and the official made out our clearance papers. We gave up on the shirt and went to the General Store, but they didn't have the tube we wanted. They suggested Wimco, so we went there. The clerk was very nice, but they didn't have the tube. He phoned a lot of places and finally told us to go to Brenchie's, so we went there. Brenchie's was the largest hardware/housewares store we'd seen yet. It was so big, it was in three or four separate buildings. Guess what -- they didn't have the tube either. Well, maybe we can get it in Cura‡ao. We returned to the boat. Roy put his SCUBA gear back on and continued scrubbing the bottom of the hull until he was nearly out of air in his tank. I paddled to Sonesta Island for a refreshing swim, shower, and shampoo. Tomorrow afternoon, we plan on taking the boat down to Eddie's place, which was our original purpose in coming to Aruba. The two- mile trip will give Roy a chance to check out the engine before we take off for Cura‡ao. Incidentally, the TV reception here in the anchorage is excellent. At the marina, it was miserable. Both the picture and sound kept fading out. But now that we have good reception, the TV is starting to freak out.