This island in the sun beckons
The enchanting Caribbean isle of Aruba has much to offer: rugged national parks, stellar accommodation, relaxing spas, shopping, and delicious food.
AS I bounced around in the front seat of a land rover – bones jarring, joints rattling and brains scrambling – Bette Davis’s famous line in the movie All About Eve flashed through my mind – “buckle your seat belts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride”.
Even trussed up like a prize turkey as I was, it was impossible to overstate the bumpiness of this ride. Six of us, plus our driver, Sherman, were traversing the rugged terrain in the Arikok National Park, an area of caves, sand dunes and limestone cliffs on Aruba’s eastern side.
Covering almost 20% of the island’s land surface, it’s an arid, harsh environment, more reminiscent of the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico than the lush tropics of the Caribbean.
Here, vegetation tends to be cactus plants rather than the signature divi-divi trees found on the rest of the island, while the dry desert conditions make it hospitable for wildlife such as rattlesnakes, iguanas and the beautiful Cododo, an iridescent turquoise lizard.
The park attracts numerous visitors who come – not just to marvel at the lunar-like landscape with its massive rock formations, but for attractions both natural (the serene Natural Pool, sandwiched in between the cliffs and accessible by a staircase of some 80 steps) and man-made (the remains of a once flourishing gold mine, cave paintings done by Arawak Indians and the surprising Alta Vista Chapel, a sunburst of bright yellow against the dun-colored surroundings).
A journey to Arikok National Park is a highlight of any visit to Aruba, and the Land Rover adventure will delight adrenalin junkies. However, those with bad backs or other medical conditions, as well as pregnant women, would probably be wise to avoid it. Instead, they can opt for a hike led by one of the park’s knowledgeable rangers.
Having never been to Aruba before (except to board a cruise ship), I was delighted by the excellence of the food at every place I tried.
Stop for breakfast at Linda’s Dutch Pancake House and you’ll likely never think of pancakes the same way again. At Linda’s, the Aruban version are pizza-sized and filled with some of the most delectable tidbits imaginable, both savoury and sweet.
While the bacon and apple pancake is the most popular, I opted for the brie, walnut and honey concoction. The walnuts were cooked inside the pancake, with the brie melted on top and local honey on the side. Had it not been for a case of self-inflicted pancake shaming, I honestly think I could have finished the entire thing.
That would have been a shame as lunch was a scant few hours later at Charlie’s, a place so oozing with local colour that Sloppy Joe’s in Key West or Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop in New Orleans seem sedate by comparison. Try the mouth-watering ribs with one of the local beers and you’ll be in heaven.
There must be something in the Aruban air because I was hungry again by dinner time. Luckily, the West Deck was a more than satisfactory spot in which to satisfy the hunger pangs. With a casual outdoor terrace overlooking the cruise ship terminal, it specialises in – what else – seafood.
On another day, I had a leisurely lunch at island favourite Zeerovers. Tables sprawl across a wooden deck overlooking the water, and fishermen pull up at the pier to unload their daily catches. This means you’ll get the freshest fish and shrimp possible, and the plantain puffs will melt in your mouth.
A real Dutch treat
Aruba is the “A” in the southern Caribbean’s chain of ABC Islands (B and C being Bonaire and Curacao) – each having a slightly different relationship with the Netherlands, which colonised them in the 17th century.
While technically an independent nation, Aruba remains a “constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.” When I asked what that meant, I was told that it was the governmental equivalent of a doting parent who continues to dole out money to a child who accepts it while loudly proclaiming his independence.
Whatever the ties, Aruba has many remnants of its Dutch past: windmills dot the countryside; the capital of Oranjestad boasts tidy white buildings with peach, mint green, lemon and orange trim – a sort of tropical Amsterdam, and the island has been influenced by the work ethic of the industrious Dutch.
The best place to get a sense of this is the Museum of Industry in San Nicolas. Don’t let