Murals of San Nicolaas
The next day was a busy one. We boarded the shuttle at 8 AM for an excursion to the city of San Nicolaas (or San Nicolas). This city was known for its oil refinery; however, after the industry shut down on the island, the city kind of dried up. Recently, there has been a revitalization project that seems to be working. The city has been transformed into an art and cultural attraction.
Our excursion began at a small art studio where the founder of the city's art scene gave us descriptions of the beautiful artwork displayed in the studio. We were then led outside for an hour-long walking tour of the city during which time our guide gave outstanding commentary of the city's colorful murals. Artists from around the world were commissioned to create the murals. They delivered! There are large extravagant and sometime eclectic murals everywhere you look in the city. There are some that are optical illusions. There is one where our guide loaned us 3-D glasses so that we could see the mind-blowing effect of one of the murals. San Nicolaas is like an outdoor art museum. I was really impressed by what I saw and learned during the tour.
We were given some time to stroll the streets of San Nicolaas and check out the souvenir shops before lunch. Our group had lunch at O'Neil Caribbean Kitchen which is located just across the street from the art studio where our tour began. Judging by the line of locals and tourists waiting to get into the restaurant at noon, I would say that the restaurant is in high demand. Our travel agent had made reservations for our group of 23; therefore, there was no wait for us. In fact, we had already chosen our courses from the prix fixe menu before arriving in Aruba. This allowed the staff to serve our group efficiently. The food was delicious!
After lunch, our group boarded the shuttle and were taken to Baby Beach. We were given 2-hours to hang out there. Baby Beach is rather remote and does not have that classic postcard-worthy view. There is a large oil refinery next to beach. The remoteness of the beach means that you are a captive audience when you are there. There is a $2 charge to use the restrooms. There are a few first-come, first-serve palapas. Otherwise, you need to pay for shade. Your food options are limited the Big Mama Grill that has a Flintstones theme. On a positive note, the water was really calm and felt great. It looks like the island is in the process of building a resort near the beach. This place will probably be bustling in a few years.
Upon returning to the Embassy Suites, we only had an hour to get cleaned up before we needed to board the shuttle again to be taken to dinner. Our dinner spot for our group that evening was at a beautiful restaurant in Oranjestad called Pinchos Bar and Grill. It is situated on a boardwalk-like structure over the water. I could see fish swimming below us. All the lights and water made the place gorgeous. It is the type of place where you take someone that you want to impress. We had a great time there. The food was delicious and we had great conversations with our classmates as we had gotten to know most of them by this time.
Despite all of the dinner conversation, the short ride back to the Embassy Suites was relatively quiet. It had been a long but fun day. We were tired. It was close to 11 PM when we got back to the resort.
Traci and I were not signed up for the excursion the next day. It was a catamaran cruise. Instead, Traci and I used the complimentary bicycles provided by the Embassy Suites to do a leisurely bike ride. We got started before 8 AM to avoid the heat of the day. We rode along the paved bicycle path that was across the street from our resort. It was a very leisurely ride on the flat path. This was made even easier given we were on e-bikes (electric bikes) that make pedaling really easy. We rode past Eagle Beach and into Oranjestad. The path intermingles with the sidewalk in Oranjestad. This was not a problem since it was early Sunday morning. The businesses were closed and there were very few pedestrians. Traci and I eventually made it to the airport and then decided to turn around so that we could return the bicycles before our 2-hour limit was up. It was an enjoyable bike ride.
complimentary e-bikes for 2 hours
Eagle Beach
Eagle Beach
Now that's a throwback!
Oranjestad
Oranjestad
We had the rest of the morning and afternoon to relax and enjoy the resort. We took a nap and then participated in the 2 PM pool-side bingo activity. I finally won one of the games. My prize was $15 of room credit.
By the time bingo ended, our classmates were returning from the catamaran excursion. We chilled with some of them around the pool. They told us that the excursion was awesome.
It was hard to believe that tonight would be our Farewell Dinner already. We made this a theme event in which everyone wore white. It was a really tight fit on the shuttle since I believe all 34 of us attended the Farewell Dinner. Fortunately, it was a short ride. The driver turned right when exiting the Embassy Suites. This is a direction I had not seen since we arrived at the resort. I was kicking myself when I saw all the shops, restaurants, and hotels just a short distance from where we were staying. This lively area is Aruba's Palm Beach area. It was here that the driver turned into the entrance of the Marriott where our Farewell Dinner would take place.
Being a group of people dressed in white, we drew attention as we walked through the lobby and out the back to the beach. Several people asked if we were part of a wedding. Upon reaching the beach, I saw tables setup in the sand. I did not realize that we would literally be dining on the beach! We removed our shoes in preparation for the dinner, but first, we took part in a photo session. Professional photographers took several photos of our group and subgroups (fraternities, sororities, gender, majors, etc...) with the sunset in the background. I took a picture with three of my former electrical engineering classmates. Traci took a picture with her Delta Sigma Theta sorors. Us seven men took a picture together. The women took photos together. It was a fun time.
We were served three courses. It was no surprise by now that the food was delicious. I took a chance and ordered the octopus for my appetizer. I enjoyed it much more than the first time I tried it in Brazil. The octopus in Aruba tasted more like fresh calamari.
We had a great time eating, laughing, talking, and even singing. Like the other dinners we had on this trip, there was a musician playing quietly along with backing tracks. There was a guitarist for this dinner. When he started playing instrumental versions of Donna Summer songs and Lionel Richie songs, our group began to sing. This caught the attention of the guitarist who stood closer to us while playing with a huge grin on his face. Some of the waiters began taking videos of us on their phones. It was a memorable Farewell Dinner and an awesome vacation with our Hampton University family.
photo shoot
The next day was the last full day in Aruba for Traci and me. There were also a few classmates who still had another day like us. Traci, Jeff, and Tiffany began the day with a morning 3-mile jog/walk. They joined me for breakfast afterwards where we said goodbye to many of our classmates who were leaving that day.
The rest of our day was spent enjoying the resort's amenities and our free time. We took a nap. Traci and some of our classmates participated in a water aerobics class.
We made dinner reservations at a restaurant called Gianni's. We would be celebrating the birthday of our classmate Kim. The restaurant said that the earliest they could seat us was 9 PM but they told us that we could come earlier in case something opened up. Around 7:30 PM, eight of us made the 3-block walk to the restaurant - at least I thought that was the destination. As soon as we got close to the restaurant, it seemed like the draw of all the shops in the lively area was just too strong for our group to resist. Everyone went in separate directions. I stood there by myself thinking that everyone would come back in a few minutes but that was not the case. After about 20 minutes of standing there alone, I whipped out my phone, connected to the public Wi-Fi, and began surfing the web. Yes, I know that was pathetic, but I am just not into shopping.
Finally, everyone regrouped. It was amazing that we found each other in the crowd of people. We put our name on the waitlist of Gianni's. I was given a buzzer and told to stay close to the restaurant. Two members of our group waited with me. The rest went off to continue shopping. It only took about 15 minutes before my buzzer buzzed and illuminated. The three of us were shown to our table for eight and then I was given the task of rounding up the rest of our group. They had really dispersed. Some were in the immediate vicinity. Others were at a night market like area around the corner. Some were on a different block. The only person I could not find was Traci. I tried texting and calling but got no answer. Finally, I decided to walk back to the restaurant. I ended up running into Traci who was entering at the same time. She said that she was at the Pandora store several blocks away.
At last, our entire group was together. Everyone enjoyed their meal at this Italian restaurant. The waiters came out and sang Happy Birthday to our friend Kim. Afterwards, one of our friends treated our entire group to gelatos from the popular gelato stand across the square from the restaurant. I had a really good lemon gelato that was served inside a hollowed-out lemon. Wow! That was good!
Just like that, our Aruba vacation had come to an end. The next morning, Traci took a yoga class and then we checked out after our final breakfast. The De Palm Tours shuttle that we booked online before the trip arrived on-time for our 12:25 PM ride to the airport. It was recommended that guests returning to the U.S.A. arrive at the airport four hours before their flight. Guests going to other destinations were recommended to arrive three hours in advance. It was Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day. Traci and I were hoping that the crowds would have died down after the holiday but that was not the case. There were very long lines at the airport. It took us an hour and forty-five minutes from the time we arrived at the airport to make it to our departure gate. As a convenience, U.S. immigration and security officers are on the island to process you. This allows you to arrive at your U.S. destination as if you had done a domestic flight. On the flip side, we had to go through Aruba customs and security and then go through U.S. customs and security. Fortunately, Traci and I use the MPC app which greatly decreased the amount of time we spent in line at U.S. immigration. We waited only ten minutes. Our friends who did not have the app waited almost an hour.
The 4-hour flight home was uneventful. We flew basic economy class on United in which you do not get to pick your seats. I ended up with a window seat near the front of the plane. Yay! Traci was seated at the back of the plane.
We arrived at an extremely crowded Dulles Airport. I have never seen the airport that busy. There were long lines waiting to take the people mover vehicles to the main terminal. When we finally made it through all the busyness and stepped outside the airport, we were quickly reminded that we were no longer in Aruba. It was an uncharacteristic cold and rainy night in May.
This Aruba vacation with our Hampton University classmates was truly amazing. The next week, I definitely had a severe case of the "This time last week"'s. As I reflected on this trip and other trips Traci and I have done, I began to realize that I really enjoy traveling with a group. The best experiences seem to be the ones in which there is a good mix of group activities and free time. This vacation had the right mix. Aruba was the right choice for a group vacation. Main Page...
