Skip to main content

Aruba

,,
I would explain how I loaded this picture today, but I would be too exhausted to blog.  This shot is from umbrella 63 at the Holiday Inn Resort and Casino in Aruba in the Palm Beach area.    We are spending the week and having a very relaxing stay.
This is our first trip to Aruba, and probably not our last.   The weather is very warm with very intense sun and brisk winds all day.  The wind is from your back as you look at the water and ranges from 20 to 40 mph in a rather steady manner.  You must keep your stuff nailed down or it is gone! The wind is a blessing for keeping bugs and mosquitoes away, but it annoying because you cannot leave anything lay around.  The beach is clean and well kept with blue water that is warm enough to swim and cool off.  It also an open beach so there is a steady stream of walkers and running coming by all day.  Something for everyone to watch.

The resort is full of East Coast folks with families, couples -young and old-- mostly American but with a few European couples.  Everyone is quite friendly and the staff actually speaks to you and is glad to chat you up.   That is refreshing!  Most of the locals speak 4 or 5 languages, English, Spanish, Dutch, a local dialect and French.
For activities, there is food on the beach, at the hotel or across the street at some very good family run restaurants.  We have sampled them all and really enjoyed the fresh fish.   We have not done any boating, with the high winds, it can pound you pretty hard and that is not what we are after.  There is a little sports bar on the beach close by, that is open from 10 to 10, with Happy Hour from 10 to 9.  Happy Hour is 2 for 1.  It is a good place to visit around sunset.  I have sampled the local Balashi beer with good success.  It is similar to Yengling that is brewed in the US.  The bottles or cans are all 22 cl or 7.5 ounces.
I have run on the beach twice and I am resting today.  The hips get sore from the soft sand and uneven surfaces.  But I had two really good workouts and will do some weights today at the hotel gym.  I ran the first day at midday and survived, but it kicked my butt.This close to the equator (12 degrees) the sun is really strong and it will beat you down.  I ran the next day much earlier and recovered much better.   There are a lot of runners and triathletes here.
Speaking of the sun.  I stay in the shade at our little umbrella made from palms.  I have not laid in the sun as such.  Walking around and swimming is plenty of exposure.  I have had all the fry jobs I ever wanted. Keep covered and use the sunscreen.

Aruba is great spot to visit and compared to Mexico, it wins out on many counts.  1)You are left alone- big deal for us-no vendors are hounding you.  2) Money is not a problem, US dollars work fine. 3) The plumbing is done right and you do not smell sewage  4)  Security is very good.  We have not seen any police and have no need.   5)  Southwest Airlines flies here.  6) There is shopping for those   that want that.  They really advertise watches for some reason...7)  I can walk to 2 different Dunkin Donuts in 5 minutes!!!   It is relatively expensive and you will need quite a bit of cash.  Many of the small places do not take anything but cash.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Setbacks

Setbacks are part of life and we generally have no choice but to accept them in style.  I was in Wisconsin this week presenting some material to a large group of tissue makers.  Normally, you are subjected to hotel food and eating in groups.    I try as much as I can to be strict on my diet due to my garlic allergy and restrictions from gout when traveling.  I must have either goofed up or had something slip by, but I got a major case of food poisoning Monday night.  As I get older, the food poisoning symptoms and reaction becomes more severe and lingers much longer.   I got sick--the messy part- Monday night late and was finished with that deal by Tuesday morning.  But all day Tuesday and into Wednesday my body was trashed.  Tuesday was stay in bed basically all day.  I did leave the hotel twice for visits to the local store for some food and liquids.  Getting out of bed and to the car was a major task and quite le...
2 comments
Read more

District Qualifier

Last Saturday the Greater Nashville Senior Games District Qualifier was ran at Brentwood High School Track.  I ran in the 4 sprints and took three gold and a silver medal.  Overall it was great event for me.  I ran in a new class, the 60 to 64 year old class.  I am actually 58, but in Olympian years I am 59 and next year, when they run the state meet for which we qualified, I will be 60 in Olympian years--confused, that is OK.  Kinda messy to figure your Olympian age.   I wore pinks sleeves the first three races because I was chilly after I got sweaty warming up around 8:30 AM.  I also wore the pink sleeves to celebrate those who have battled breast cancer and won.  Breast cancer has got to be an absolutely horrible way to be tortured by cancer.  I posted the picture of my sleeve and medals on Facebook and one of my high school class mates responded that she had been a 10 year survivor--- I nearly cried.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Race Day Again

Finally, we get to race again! As many of you know, I was injured last April 4, 2024. I had a disk at L4 vertebra collapse and pinch a nerve in my back that caused over half of my lower leg strenth to disappear. I had a lot of atrophy in my right leg quad and I have been recovering ever since. I am close to 100% on strength and the right leg looks like it is very close to normal size again, but it has been a battle. I have been working in the gym, doing pilates again and also running. All of these things must be done in balance so you can get the proper rest and recover. I still do full body massages every two weeks and I also have been working with a Cox Technique Chiro since the injury on a weekly or biweekly basis. The chiro has gotten me stretched back out and the pressure off the nerve, that treatment has been the real source of healing in my opinion. MY normal doctor was not any help, but this is not what normal doctors do--naturally healing. The first meet of 202...
Post a Comment
Read more