Back to blogging in Aruba

So after all this time back in the USA, about 18 months, the kids have asked for the blog to resume.  Originally we started this to share our adventures while living outside of the US, but both kids agreed that for them living in the US WAS an adventure, with festivals, weird food, trips to other countries, and other things.  Since I am trying to sort of pick up where we left off, and also to tell the story of us, I have to back track to this past summer, and our trip to Aruba.  I'm starting there because that is where the photos really start on my phone.  I have some others from prior to that, but nothing that tells a cohesive story.  So, Aruba.

Waiting at the airport to head to Aruba and passing the time with filters.  I think I am the only one really making a mouse face. 

We picked Aruba because Pepere joined us on this trip and he had been wanting to head back there.  We had gone when we were kids so there were A LOT of memories.    Here we have just arrived and started on the pina coladas. 

We started our vacation with a snorkeling trip, the three Vikings, leaving our pirate and pepere at home.  

One of the best things about Aruba is that it is 82 degrees F and breezy pretty much all the time.  We were there in July and it was 82 and breezy, and I check the weather app daily, and it is still 82 and breezy now that it is December.  This snorkeling trip was three stops, first at a shallow lagoon for us to practice.  Of course, we went off course and were in deeper water where we kept trying to touch the bottom.  The second stop was a sunken ship, the SS Antilla, one of the Caribbean’s largest shipwrecks, and the third stop was a great sandy beach with tons of coral and fish.  

After a bunch of snorkeling, it is fun just to jump into the ocean over and over again. 

Each night the sunset was just beautiful.  What a great way to spend happy hour. 

Who's on vacation?  We are! 

After a few days of being on vacation, we decided to do a jeep tour of the island, and our first stop was the California Lighthouse, named after a British ship that wrecked just offshore. 

The lighthouse is at the top of a hill so that it can be seen further, so it has a great view of the island, which is mainly flat and desert-like.  There is no natural fresh water on Aruba, all of the usable water comes from desalinization plants.   

We then drove to the Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins which are the remnants of a long-abandoned gold mill that processed gold ore during the Aruban gold rush. Gold was discovered in Aruba in 1824, and the Bushiribana smelter was built by the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company a year later to extract gold from the nearby hills.

It was right near the south shore of the island, which they say has a huge drop-off and strong current.  This is as close as we got. 

Next is a stop at the Arikok National Park and the natural bridge.  

The park has the oldest Arawak paintings, which are located in this cave.  There is also a lot of old graffiti from people scratching their names into the coral.  

Here you can see some of the Arawak painting. 

The path in the cave.

A hand print.

Here we are driving through the national park, heading to the beach.  You can see these incredible wind turbines.  They stretch along the road and just collect energy.  

To get an idea of how big they are you can compare to the jeep in front of us.  

After a hard day, sunset. 

Who's so cute?  We are! 

This is the view of the pool and ocean.  Pepere's favorite spot was right here. 

As we neared the end of our trip the kids and I decided to take one more snorkeling trip.  This time we went for the glamour cruise that had an amazing lunch and rope swing!  

The weather on this day was not as nice as every other day, with some rain and lightning, but you know what we say,  Anyone can go on a boat tour when the weather is nice!  Only Vikings go no matter what the weather.  Of course, there were other people on the boat, but they were there mainly for the open bar!   This boat also had an aqualung, which is kind of like a combo of snorkeling and scuba.  The air tank stays on the boat, and you stay attached via a long tube, but you can swim down deep and stay down by breathing through the tube.  Of course, we all had to try that! 

Nothing will stop these two from having fun!