Waiting in Aruba

Waiting in Aruba

We arrived in Aruba to stay at the Renaissance Marina with no idea of how long we might have to wait for calm weather to continue west.  Fortunately, this rather small facility in the heart of Orangestad is an easy and friendly place to hang out. Checking in and out in Aruba requires a stop at the official dock in Baracardo -  before we could proceed to the marina.  We had left Curacao at dawn to allow for the extra time in daylight to clear in with the officials and still get to the marina before dark.  With the swift westerly current in the area between Aruba and Venezuela we made excellent time and even completed the customs & immigration dance in short order. A flock of fast fishing boats returning from a tournament in Bonaire kindly assisted us with our lines and we were soon on our way to the marina in record time. (Aruba has a reputation for not being very cruiser friendly, but we found the officials very helpful and no less efficient than any other islands.) Since the marina office is not open on Sundays – when we arrived, we were also lucky that our neighbor, Kas, jumped out to catch our lines and get us into our slip -  assigned via e-mail.  Hans, in the office, was a wealth of information on everything from local hardware stores to the best car rentals. The Market Place next to the docks had a convenient bar set to show the Super Bowl game on a giant screen so we were able to relax and watched the game in comfort. 

working to get the power on

super bowl party 2020

Our stay in Aruba was extended to nearly 3 weeks as we waited for some calm weather to make the jump over to Columbia – Santa Marta. While we waited, Steve got in a dive – although it was less than spectacular it did get him more exercise than our car tour!

Tourist Tours

famous but underwhelming

The Renaissance maintains an “island” get away with exclusive beaches and a short nature walk.  We had a “pirate” breakfast there before walking the beach paths. This area is heavily popular with time-share visitors and northern tourists seeking relief from winter weather.  The island ferries are packed from early in the morning and the beaches are teeming with happy sun worshipers.  

launch to island from lagoon inside mall/hotel

people were as interesting as the birds

extra fee to rent a private cabana on the water

The streets of Orangestad were also busy – especially when the cruise ships were in town – it was a rare day that no ships were on the dock and most days there were two or more.  This influx lasted from early morning until late afternoon or some days into the evening. Perhaps the crowds account for the American style restaurants which proliferated – everything from McDonalds to Starbucks peaked out among the crenelated old Dutch style malls. In contrast to the tourist stalls along the beach front the Renaissance Mall sprouted every high-end brand from Gucci to Louis V.  The show at the Museum gave us a glimpse of the local culture through music and dances, plus great food to munch while we were entertained. People watching was a popular pastime!

                                      

A favorite tiny restaurant

Steve managed to get in!

a bargain at $750

As it turned out we had prime opportunities to see the action with several of the major Carnival Parades taking place just opposite our dock.  The most spectacular was the Lighting Parade which was held at night – the elaborate costumes were lit with hundreds of tiny lights. (sorry few photos turned out)  The parade supposedly began about 7 or 8 but it did not reach our location (which Steve staked out with chairs earlier in the day) until after midnight. The parade included relief stations (porta-potties on trailers) and rolling refreshments – some on trailers and others in shopping carts - even a pizza delivery cart.  Clearly most of the participants had been keeping well hydrated during their long walk.   The marchers and floats continued for over an hour and a half – although we had retreated well before the end. The ear-splitting music finally faded about 2AM.  

saving a space to wait and watch

The children’s parade was more civilized and was held during the day – although it also took more than 4 hours to reach our viewing spot. While carnival may not be as elaborate here as places east and south, the significance cannot be minimized – schools are closed and there is a national holiday “hangover day” declared for the day after the final parade.

Parent Powered

refreshment station upscale

comfort station on wheels

and these are the CHILDREN's costumes!

Using all our resources – several weather apps, emails, and experienced friends, we had our eye on a weather window which fortunately held, giving us the 48 hours needed to cross into Colombian waters. It was worth the wait as the only unpleasant “minutes” were fairly mild – and shortly before we pulled into the marina at Santa Marta 44ish hours after leaving Aruba.

nice tasty tuna

dolphin escort

no stress for Teddy a true boat cat