Aruba

That girl and I are in Miami, Florida, this morning.  Later this afternoon, we will collect at the Miami airport with three other couples and fly off to the island of Aruba.  The island is not all that far from the equator and resides in constant summer weather.

Aruba was called the “the island of giants” by the Spanish explorers who first struck its shores in 1499.  The natives inhabiting the island at that time were notably larger than the European explorers.  The Spanish considered the island “valueless” because they did not find gold there.

Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636 and today remains an independent part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  The island lies something a bit under 20 miles off the coast of Venezuela in the southern extent of the Caribbean.  Today, the island thrives by catering to tourists from both North America and Europe.

The island is small: 20 miles long and a mere 6 miles wide at the widest point.  The landmass is fairly flat and without a river.   The climate is dry and enjoys a fairly low humidity.  Most importantly, the island sits outside the hurricane belt.  Aruba only rarely sees the weaker tails of hurricane events and was spared entirely from the storms that devastated many northerly Caribbean islands earlier this year.

The temperature on Aruba, thanks to the presence of constant trade winds, remains at a near constant 82 degrees.  A variety of cactus flourish on the island and the divi-divi trees there grow leaning away from the trade winds.  Mostly, the island is known for expansive beaches of white sand, aquamarine oceans, and the good fortune of being home to four species of sea turtles.   

We hope to be swimming with the turtles soon!

-- Mitchell Hegman

Photo: Aruba.com