Aruba

First of all I would like to say that I wrote this blog last week while I was at work, saved it in drafts and was going to add pictures when I got home before posting.  However, today when I logged in my blog could not be found.  So as I had to write it again, it may not be as detailed as the first but I'll try.

I would also like to apologize for the late post on my trip.  I know it's been a week since we have been back.  Raju managed to catch a cold at the end of our trip and then I caught it so I've been trying to rest as much as I can to get rid of it.

July 10
Departure day.  I wasn't quite sure we were going to get away as Raju's Mom has been sick and we were taking it day by day to see if her condition would improve.  She was not getting worse and there wasn't anything more Raju could do while here so we decided to go away.  I think it was a good forced break for Raju, even though he probably didn't relax as much as he could have at least he wasn't travelling back and forth from downtown to Ajax every day.
Our flight left at 12:00noon which is later that we normally travel.  This allowed us time to do some stuff around the house and get some last minute packing in before the airport limo came to pick us up at 9:00a.m.  There was no traffic (I was afraid there might be with the Indy) and we got to the airport nice and early to get seats together.  We had a lot of time so had breakfast at Fionn McCool's.  I hoped this would tide us over on the plane as their food is not great.
We did our usual stop to pick up the gossip magazines and I even picked up a book (which I have not started reading yet).  It didn't seem that the wait was too much longer before we boarded the plane and took off on time.
The flight was fine and I was happy that they served Coca Cola products (as opposed to Pepsi) but didn't even have a coke on the way down.  I started watching Knocked Up but then we lost our satellite so I tried to sleep for a bit.

Ahhh...Coke!!!

We landed safely, got our luggage and boarded the bus for our resort (RIP Palace).  Fortunately it was just a 20 minute drive and not 2 hours like we normally have when we visit an island.  At check-in we were informed that although we paid for a standard room we had been upgraded to a Jr. Suite.  This was courtesy of my parents as they know they had put a request on our file.
We unpacked and settled in.  I was happy to open the mini-bar and see it stocked with Coke.  Then it was time for dinner.  We were both starving at this point as it was 6:30p.m. and we really hadn't had much since breakfast.  Just a cheese and cracker plate on the plane.  We headed to the buffet where there was a great selection of food.  I can't remember exactly what I ate but it was delicious.
After dinner we went for a short walk on the beach and then headed back to the resort where Raju got his night cap drink and then it was back to the room.  We watched one of the Harry Potter movies and fell asleep.

July 11

Enjoying the ocean

Our first full day.  We slept in until 8:00a.m.  That's kind of late for us as we are normally early risers.  I guess we both needed the sleep.  We took our time getting up and headed down to the buffet for breakfast.  It was nice to sit and eat in the open air.  After breakfast we stopped by the lobby to check e-mails and make dinner reservations and then popped back to the room to get our stuff for the beach.  Of course as we had taken our time there were not shaded areas left.  That was ok because it was just our first day, so we pulled some loungers out and put them on the beach.  Although it was hot, there was a nice breeze (ok, sometimes it was a strong wind that whipped sand on us) so we didn't feel it much.  I'm normally a pool person but I have to say the ocean was quite nice and I did not mind going in there.
I also attended orientation but had a feeling that this trip was more about relaxing than taking and tours.

My new white hat

We had a late lunch at 1:00 at the buffet close to the beach and then headed next door the the Westin to get a phone card and call Raju's parents to check in.  I also needed to buy a hat because I had left mine at home (and right by the front door too).  We hung out at the beach for a tiny bit longer and then decided to back to the room for a nap.  It was a bit difficult as we kept getting interrupted.  The first knock was housekeeping asking if we wanted more towels and the second was hotel management dropping off a souvenir (again courtesy of my parents).
We watched another Harry Potter movie (I guess it's the countdown to the last one) and then got ready for dinner.
We decided to eat at Krystal this night.  It was their fusiony type restaurant and pretty delicious.  We were greeted with champagne which I was unable to partake in but that was ok.
We started with:
Watermelon, tomato, basil soup (in a shot glass)
Parmesan cheese in pastry
Salmon, avocado thingy

I then had Pumpkin Soup with seared scallop.  I was a little confused because when they brought the bowl out, it just had a scallop in the middle with dots of sauce around it.  I thought maybe this was how they made soup in Aruba, but it really didn't look like pumpkin at all.  A few minutes later the waiter arrived with the soup and poured it on.  I guess it's in the presentation.  Raju's starter was red tuna on a chick pea puree.
For the main course I tried the beef fillet with mushroom foam and a potato side.  Unfortunately the potatoes had bacon in them so I couldn't eat it, but they were nice enough to make me mashed potatoes instead.  Raju had the sea bass with some tomato side dish.  For dessert we both had the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice-cream.  The perfect end to a lovely dinner.
We stopped at the lobby so Raju could check his e-mail/twitter etc. and then decided to check out the casino.  It turned out to just be a walk about as it was very smoky in there and I didn't think that was good for me.
We found the sports bar which serves snacks 24 hours a day just in case we need it and then Raju got his nightcap (watermelon martini) and back to the room for the night.









July 12
A day of nothing....well for me at least.  Raju had some work to do and he spent most of the morning working on his article.  I sat by the beach for the most part, but took a break at one point to check on him.  I thought I would do a lot of reading but I found it nice to just look out at the blue waters of the ocean.
Finally Raju finished up at lunch time.  We ate and then had a dip in the ocean.  After drying off for a bit we decided that we'd had enough sun and returned to the room.  We were both a bit burnt so just wanted to relax in the cool room.  We wandered down to the buffet at 7:00p.m. for dinner and then were back in the room by 9:00p.m. in time to watch White Collar.
And that was it....lights out!

July 13
We decided that we needed to take a break from the sun today as we were both a bit red and tender.  We had breakfast around 9:00a.m., checked e-mails and made dinner reservations.  We stayed in the room reading for a bit and then decided to head off the resort and walk up the road where there were supposed to be some shops.  We found them, but didn't find anything to buy.  We sat at a bar/restaurant so Raju could have some beers (he wasn't enjoying the local one - Balashi) and also to ask about the movies.  It turns out that the last Harry Potter was opening on the 14th.  Definitely something to consider.
We headed back to the hotel for lunch and to rest in the room for the afternoon.  Unfortunately our room was still being cleaned after lunch so we headed to the pool bar where it was shaded to wait.  After about 1/2 hour we headed back and took a nap.  We got up and got ready for dinner.  Tonight we decided to try Nautilus (the grill house) that was located near the beach.
For starters we had chicken Caesar salad and some chilled seafood (crab, shrimp, salmon, calamari ceviche)
I decided to have chicken while Raju had the surf and turf (steak and lobster).  Our meals came with grilled veggies and different sauces (BBQ, Pepper, and Garlic) we could try with our meals.  For dessert we tried the 3 chocolate cake.  It was made up of Chocolate Mousse, white chocolate mousse and chocolate cake.  It was good but not as good as the chocolate lava cake.
We were very full so I suggested we walk along the boardwalk on the beach.  That definitely helped digest dinner and also tired me out so after our walk, we quickly checked e-mails and then back to the room for the evening.

July 14
I was getting very used to waking up late and was not looking forward to when we returned home and having to get up early to go to work.
After breakfast we decided we would try sitting near the pool today, unfortunately as we didn't get up early enough all the chairs had been taken.  We found a shaded spot on the beach though and hung out there for the morning.  After lunch we headed back to the cinemas and watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 3D.  It was only $6.  Although the screen was probably not as big as they are here, it was big enough.  I enjoyed it, but Raju thought it was just ok.
We returned to the hotel and Raju decided to take a dip in the pool while I checked e-mails.  We had a leisurely dinner at the buffet and called it a night.

July 15
Raju was really nice and woke up early this morning to save us some chairs by the pool.  He got us one with a table, umbrella and near the bathrooms.  I had, had a restless night and wasn't feeling great so it took me a while to get out of bed.  I finally managed to drag myself out and we headed to the buffet for breakfast, made dinner reservations and then to the pool for the morning.  It was nice and the water was not bad either.  There is definitely more action around the pool (water aerobics etc.) but I have to say I much preferred the view at the beach.
After lunch neither of us was feeling very well so we went back to the room for a nice long nap.  I think we may have been getting too much sun.  We had thought we would take the bus into town but by the time we got up it was too close to dinner and we didn't want to be rushed.  I was a bit hungry though so we went to the sports bar for a snack before dinner.
We read for a bit and then got ready for dinner.  Tonight we went to Sayuri (Japanese restaurant).  I remember in Jamaica not being entirely sure about it and then really liking it.  I believe we had the same experience here.
We started with mixed sushi (California rolls, dynamite rolls, salmon roll, shrimp rolls, etc.). I then had tempura veggies and shrimp in tamarind sauce while Raju tried the Sumishi (seafood miso soup) and the beef fillet.  I finished my meal with tempura ice-cream and Raju had the banana spring rolls.
Being very full again we took another walk on the boardwalk in the opposite direction. We passed a bunch of other hotels that looked very nice as well.
When we returned Raju got his standard night cap from the bar and then it was back to the room for the night.

July 16
Neither of us slept well.  We were both awoken by a loud truck in the morning.  After breakfast we returned to the room where Raju read for a bit and I rested my eyes (note this is different than sleeping....I did not fall asleep just need to lie down for a bit).  Around 10:30/11:00 we headed out and got on the local bus (think TTC, just blue and yellow) to check out downtown Aruba (Oranjestad).  We found the Renaissance Mall that had many brand name stores but also Starbucks where Raju got a tea.  There was then some streets behind the mall that had some stores as well.  We found a United Colours of Benetton.  Raju bought a couple of T-Shirts and I bought a maternity skirt.

For a change we decided to have lunch downtown and stopped at Iguana Joe's.  While the food was just ok, at least it was different than the buffet and the view wasn't too bad either.  We hopped on the bus back and once we returned we decided to hang out at the beach for a few hours.  They were setting up for a wedding but we left before it actually took place.  It reminded me of Fariena and Russ' wedding 10 years ago.
Back at the room we relaxed for a bit and then headed to the buffet for our last supper.  I had then developed a bad headache so we returned to the room soon after we ate.  I managed to start packing but then just had to get in bed where Raju rubbed my head for me for a bit.

July 17
Time to leave.  This was our last day in Aruba.  We called to ask about the possibility of late check out as our flight was not until 5:50p.m. but that wasn't possible.  After breakfast we headed to the beach for a couple of hours and then returned to the room for a shower and finish packing.  We checked out at 12:00noon and then hung out in the lobby reading and checking e-mails.  At 1:00p.m. we wandered down for lunch and then hung out in the lobby again until the bus picked us up at 3:15p.m.

At the airport we fortunate again to be near the front of the line and get seats together.  Raju had picked up some chicken salad sandwiches from the sports bar before we left the resort and I had one at this point as I was hungry again.  We passed the duty free store and I decided I wanted peanut M&M's so bought a big bag.  Funnily I didn't even eat them on the plane and we are working are way through them now that we are home.
The flight home was pretty uneventful with just a bit of turbulence but nothing major.  We landed around 11:00p.m. and by the time we got through customs, picked up our luggage and got an airport limo home it was midnight.
We hadn't left the air conditioning on when we left so our home was pretty hot.  We jacked up the air-conditioning but also had the fan on as it was very hot.

All in all we had a good time.  I would definitely return to this island one day.

Sorry I don't have more pictures posted, but I'm having a hard time with the blog for some reason.