We had a lovely visit today to a tropical butterfly garden, aloe factory, and natural bridge ruins. We boarded our bus and realized immediately that we had a VERY energetic, enthusiastic tour guide. He was a nice young man who was very new to the tourist industry. He told us he has been looking for a more interesting job where he could talk all day and develop his comedy routine in preparation for a career as a comedian. After listening to some of his standup I would suggest that he keep his day job for a while longer! I noticed the fellow sitting across the aisle from me putting in his earplugs!!!
The guide did share some interesting facts about Aruba. He told us it was just slightly smaller in size that Washington D.C. It is the most "Americanized" of all the Dutch islands in the Caribbean. Residents pay 58.8% in taxes and $5.25/gallon for gasoline at the present time. Tourism is critical to the development of Aruba. He told us that 75% of people are employed in tourism. Finally, he told us about higher education on the island. Most of the physicians go to Holland or the U.S. for their training while dentists frequently go to Cuba for their training. After watching movies about people being tortured by dentists when the government wants information from them, I'm not sure how comfortable I would be going to a dentist trained in Cuba!!!
Our first stop was at the butterfly gardens. Bob was not nearly as excited about seeing these delightful creatures as I was but he was a good sport to come with me to see them. As we entered the enclosed gardens we were greeted by hundreds of magnificently colored butterflies. Although there were many monarchs which are also found in the U.S. their coloring is a bit different due to the weather in the Caribbean. The heat of the sun's rays cause the orange to fade so they are much lighter. Otherwise, the other butterflies had brilliant coloring. There were black ones with fire engine red underneath the wings, neon blue and green, sunshine yellow, orange, some with graceful patterns of black and white lace, and even one which was cocoa brown. Some of the butterflies we saw were long wings (thin, extended wings), owls (which have a large eye on each of their wings to scare off predators), and atlas moths. These moths are considered the largest ones in the world. They are called atlas because their beautiful wings look like a map. Their wings have triangular transparent windows, with an unknown purpose. In addition to the butterflies there were streams filled with koi, and an iguana creeping on the top of the overhead netting. The entire garden was filled with spectacular tropical plants and flowers such as red ginger, red pineapple, anthuriums, bougainvilleas, and plumeria. There were many more but unfortunately I couldn't identify them.
After a quiet, peaceful visit to the gardens we continued our day with a drive through the countryside to an aloe factory. Along the way our guide pointed out the resort where Sammy Davis, Jr. used to frequent. He also told us that two famous American actors bought homes here and it dramatically drove up home prices in that area. He was not allowed to tell us who they were but we guessed one of them, since the large Church of Scientology yacht was docked in the harbor. Tom Cruise was one of them, but not sure who bought the other home.
I was surprised at how dry and desert-like this side of the island was. Our guide told us that there were four species of cacti here that are found only in Aruba and Arizona. The one we saw most frequently was the organ pipe cactus.
Our next stop was at an aloe factory where they grow the aloe plants, process, bottle, and sell a variety of skin care products. We took a quick tour of the plant to see how they extracted the aloe from the leaves. We finished with a stop at the retail shop (of course) where some of our passengers bought products. I decided to keep my money in my wallet since a small bottle of lotion was $75.00. Not quite sure who the aloe factory paid off to get us to stop here on our tour. It was not very interesting, and extremely expensive for their products! Bob and I were anxious to move on to the next point of interest.
Our final stop was at the Natural Bridge Park where we had an opportunity to walk over the natural rock bridge created from coral and limestone. This bridge was a piece of a larger one that broke apart a few years ago due to the constant pounding of the surf. The beach was full of black volcanic rock, which was spectacular against the backdrop of aqua blue seas and crashing waves. The landscape was quite sparse, except for the cactus. We were told that seven veins of gold run through this national park. It continues to be mined today.
Bob was busy running around taking photos and exploring the area while I decided to walk on the bridge by myself. Below it there were powerful ocean waves continually crashing into the rock, and the wind was quite strong. Our guide kept warning us to be very careful while walking in the area since the waves will sometimes crash and catch people off guard and drench them, or something much worse. I got about halfway out on the bridge until the rocks became quite rugged and uneven. Since I don't have a good sense of balance I suddenly felt like a cat stuck in a tree. I looked around for Bob to come and hold my hand for stability so I wouldn't become a permanent resident of this site. However, he was nowhere to be found. So, I just said a prayer, took a deep breath, and began to walk very slowly, considering each step before I planted my foot. I finally made it, but at the end there was a bit of a leap over a deep crevice which I REALLY didn't want to attempt by myself so I noticed a couple of young men just ahead of me. I actually asked one of them if he would lend me a hand while I jumped. He was so nice and seemed happy to help. I was very glad to be safely back on more even ground again, and near to the bus.
We left this lovely coastal area to return to the ship. Along the way we noticed that in the cemeteries, the mausoleums were painted in bright colors. Our guide explained that they were painted the same color as the deceased person's family home. Quite unique, but perhaps a bit strange! He told us that the island is finally getting back to work after the end of Carnival which lasts six weeks on this island, starting in January. That's the longest Carnival we have heard of so far on this entire trip!!! Islanders must be exhausted by the time it is over!!!! Late tonight we sail to Bonaire, which is the last one of the Dutch Antilles for us to visit. The trip is winding down quickly now.
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