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Our flight from Bonaire took us back to Curacao for a scheduled short layover before boarding another plane to Aruba. Landing immediately after us at the Curacao airport was a Boeing 747 ... not an unusual occurrence except this 747 was plain white ... any markings it had were not visible with the naked eye at a reasonable distance. Alongside the runway were a number of U.S. gun-barrel grey military planes including a E-3 Sentry AWAC communications aircraft. For nearly ten years the U.S. has stationed military planes at the Willemstad airport for multinational counter-drug missions in the Caribbean. For Curacao it boosts their local economy by $25 million a year. Venezuela also has long ties with Curacao; Venezuela's state-owned oil company runs Curacao's Isla oil refinery and is the island's largest employer. Venezuelans rank 2nd in Curacao tourist visits (between Netherland in first place and U.S. in third). |
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Tension between the U.S. and Venezuela has risen in recent years with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who called President Bush the "devil", accusing the Bush administration of covert activity and strong-arming United Nations members to protest its bid for a seat on the U.N. Security Council. In May 2008 there was a kerfuffle between the two countries when a U.S. anti-drug aircraft strayed into Venezuelan airspace. Our short layover turn out to be much longer than expected. We struck up a conversation with a nice couple. He is from Venezuela. They met in her hometown of Edmonton, Alberta where they both currently work. He was taking her to Venezuela for Christmas and to meet his family. Again we had to face the fact that Christmas was now only days away. Perhaps when we reached cold, snowy Nova Scotia the reality of it would set in. It was dark by the time we landed on Aruba and finding information at the airport was difficult. We stumbled our way across the parking lot and a highway median to wait at a bus stop not knowing when a bus might come ... if it might come. Our wait was pleasantly short. |
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| The bus got us into the
capital, Oranjestad and, with guidance from a helpful local, we secured a taxi
for a 15 minute ride north to the Arubiana Inn. The Arubiana Inn's shutter style door was closed and locked. A piece of paper had been taped to the door telling us they had expected us earlier and if we arrived, to give them a phone call as no staff were on site through the night. That would be great ... if we had a phone. A couple of fellows had watched our arrival from their car and when they saw our reaction to the note they got out and used their cell phone to call for us; explaining they were also guests and had had the same thing happen to them. The pleasant owners arrived in a matter of minutes. We settled in quickly and asked directions to a local restaurant. It was only a couple of blocks along a the dark road to Yami Yami Asian restaurant. We sat in the dining area ... next to the take-out area with it's own 'in tables'. People were ordering take-out and then eating at the 'in tables' ... at much lower prices than we were paying. Lesson learned. The food was good. Dec 15 - a day totally dedicated to 'limin'. |
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| One rock breakwater near
the south end of Palm Beach had been claimed by pelicans. The tide was high; for two fellows that meant good fishing opportunities as the ocean surged up into a small stream and brought with it dinner possibilities; for us it meant we had to turn inland to the road before returning to the beach. On the road a billboard showed an artist's rendering of the "newest beachfront timeshare". We walked around the building site and back onto the beach. We soon arrived where the rich play in luxury on Aruba ... The Westin starting at $449 US per night; the stunningly beautiful RIU Palace starting at $816 per night(inclusive); and the Radisson offering a hot winter rate of merely $374 per night (or $504 for an ocean view). Admittedly the sand was powdery white and the ocean a wonderful shade of turquoise; particularly when viewed from the shade of a grass roofed bar on stilts. |
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| Dec 17 It was still dark and pre-bus service time when the prearranged taxi picked us up and drove to the airport (about 20 minutes at that time of the morning). The air was warm and the promise of another bathing-suit-kind-of-day rose with the sun. It was a little odd carrying our fleeces, gloves and raingear but we weren't alone with such apparel as others waited for planes to northern destinations. |
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