My wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2010, and we decided to do something “BIG” for ourselves. After much deliberation, we decided to take a trip to Aruba, where we stayed at the Bucuti Beach Resort. So, we made the plans, and then went to Aruba and basically spent 8 days and 7 nights doing a whole lot of nothing, except lounging around on the beach. We had a wonderful time, and cannot wait to go back. However, we did decide to spend one day and tour around the island. We rented a jeep, and quite literally drove AROUND the island. For those of you who want to go to Aruba someday, if you want to see the “wild” side of the island, you will need a four-wheel drive vehicle. The entire northern side of the island is pretty much void of inhabitants, and the coastline is quite rough. The water is quite violent, resulting in some spectacular waves as seen in this picture.
Spectacular waves
As we traveled farther around the island, we saw many inlets and even natural stone bridges, formed by the pounding waves over time. The entire trip on the northern shore was quite rugged and violent, as there really isn’t even a “road”, rather just some ruts and trails to follow over very bumpy terrain. We definitely found out why we needed a 4×4 for the trip. We eventually came across the Alto Vista Chapel as we were heading back into the middle portion of the island (Aruba is roughly 20 miles/33 km in length). The whole area surrounding this chapel was quite serene, and with the clouds from some passing storms building in the background along with the blue sky and ocean, it made for quite the stunning scene.
The Alto Vista Chapel in Aruba
We ended our trek at the very south-eastern tip of the island, at a wonderful place called “Baby Beach”. Baby Beach is enclosed by man-made reefs, allowing for very calm water with lots of ocean life to view as you snorkel. We also found this wonderful Divi Divi Tree, a natural compass which always points southwest. According to is due to the trade winds. This one was beautiful, with the calm, secluded beach and swimming area.
Divi Divi Tree
If you ever get the desire to travel to a wonderful place internationally and relax, Aruba is definitely the place to go!!!
DanDàphotographier 