Farewell, Aruba.

Today we ventured to a beach where kite surfers fly (Boca Grandi). Watching them, they spent as much time in the air as they did on the water. The water was as perfect as it looks - felt like a turquoise bed to float in with some pretty good surf.



The beach was totally remote. Not counting those two kite surfers, we saw two other people. Part of the reason is that the beach is not maintained for one of the resorts and is remote on the island...so no one cleans it up. It is not a case of people coming and leaving their trash, it is what rolls in from the ocean. Hard to believe. In the ocean, there are floating islands of trash that periodically dispose their goods on beaches like this one. I remember when I lived on the north shore of Oahu, there were certain months where trash would appear on beaches that were otherwise pristine. It was a result of tides and currents. I guess that is what was happening here.

At some point, I got out of the water and walked over to where Xavier was hanging out on the beach and found that he had done some cleanup/arranging. He asked me, "what conclusion can we draw from this line of footwear?" I was speechless. "A far greater number of women than men or children lose their shoes at sea."



And for some reason, beaches inspire Xavier to be in character: La Poule.



Here, la Poule is combing the coconut's wild hair with a pretty blue comb he found among the plastic.



People (Xavier included) do fascinating things with the debris. Build beach houses. Xavier was just doing the maintenance and some bricolage. He can't help himself. (And, yes, the construction hat was one of his finds here on the beach).



Other beach huts.





Full disclosure, I'd like to live in it.





A coral branch I found. I'm going to hang necklaces and rings on it.

In a Day.

So what have we found in Aruba so far? Sun ✓. White sand beaches ✓. Tourist traps with obscene resorts and lots of exposed belly fat and men in yellow speedos ✓. Blessedly remote beaches ✓. Delicious 85 degrees while snowflakes fall on New York City ✓. A dog cemetery on the beach ✓. Reptiles (including serpents) ✓. Aeolian power ✓. Exploded vehicles ✓. Cacti ✓. Donkeys ✓. Chocolate mousse ✓.


Pets must be highly loved here in Aruba - dead and alive. Shuddered only a little - the nearby beach was somehow comforting.




Poor snowflake.














When we saw the aeolian windmills from afar, we decided we had to go stand underneath them, which required taking a cacti-laden trail and turning a blind eye to a "forbidden zone sign." We were, apparently, entering a military practice firing zone. We decided to chance it.








Please note Xavier hugging the windmill from below.








Exploded vehicles. They must have been using some serious machinery.




Although we were a little nervous about being made moving targets, we were even more nervous about these bees.






Visiting friends. We hoped that despite where they live, they are never used as the stuff for the target practice.


We finished such an adventure at The Flying Fishbone - a must if you venture to Aruba.


This is where your feet abide while you partake in fresh red snapper.