We decided to go back to Aruba! I almost always prefer to go somewhere new than to go back to somewhere I have been before. BUT my friends family has a time share so the price was right and I was so sick the first time I went that I didn't get to explore the island much. This time I made the most of it!
Day 1: I set my alarm for 2:45am to catch my early flight out of Boston to Aruba with a connecting flight in Ft. Lauderdale. After sitting on the runway for 30 min we were informed that they couldn’t find the flight log. So we sat another 30 min before finally taking off almost an hour and a half late. We were told that we would be ok with our connection because this was the plane that was continuing on to Aruba. Well, with the delays, the airline changed plans and changed planes. First change meant we got in at gate E10 and had to make our way next door to gate E9. Not a big deal. But the second change had us going all the way to gate F10. We landed at FLL about 5 min before the doors were scheduled to close so I booked it across terminals and ran a bit over a mile in 15 min. Out of breath and sweaty, I got to my the gate only to realize they were already boarding the next flight. We missed it and there are no more flights out of FLL to Aruba. They put me up in a hotel and gave me some food vouchers and I’ll continue my southbound journey tomorrow morning. Good news is that the hotel has an outdoor pool!! Bad news is that in my rush to pack last night (because I ALWAYS wait until the very last possible second) I grabbed 2 left sandals.
Day 2: Destination Aruba: Part II - started out with another delay this morning. At this point I’ve been delayed a total of 25 hours (and counting?). I got to the airport and went to the original departure gate F2 and when I got there the board said it had been changed to E10 but right when I sat down my phone buzzed notifying me the gate had been changed again to F3. I’ve been at the airport now for 25 min just walking back and forth between terminals.
Day 3: Got my first dives in today!!! We went to Arashi Reef and saw 16 sea turtles (including the local sea turtle celebrity, Hank), 2 sting rays and a 3ft moray eel on our first dive! Our second dive was at the wreck site of the SS Pedernales, which was a WWII tanker that was torpedoed and sunk by the Germans. Can’t wait to go again tomorrow!!
Day 4: Second day of diving today! We started the morning at the SS Antilla Shipwreck, which was a German ship that was to be confiscated by the Dutch army during WWII. Rather than being captured, the German crew chose to sink the ship instead. At over 300ft long, it is one of the largest shipwrecks in the Caribbean. We found an air pocket in the bowels of the ship and when I lifted my head out of the water I could hear the tinkling of the old metal - it was so cool!! For our second dive we went back to Arashi Reef to see a ton more turtles and I got to get up close and personal with them!!
Day 5: Today’s adventure was renting a UTV and cruising around the island! We visited Natural Bridge Hill, Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, Ayo Indian Rock Formations, the natural pool Conchi, and Mangel Halto Beach. What an amazing day filled with lots of adrenaline, big laughs, and beautiful sites!
Day 6: Today was a beach day! We rented a car and trekked across the island to Baby Beach. It was windy but absolutely beautiful! Next we went back to Mangel Halto so Ashley could see how stunning it was! Topped the day off with some snorkeling, reading on the beach and a beautiful sunset
