We docked in Aruba around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
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| Aruba from the ship |
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| Down town Aruba |
After eating a good breakfast, we all went our separate ways to enjoy our chosen excursions. My cousin Nino and his wife Michele opted to explore the town on foot and do some shopping.
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| Michelle in downtown |
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| Cousin Nino chilling out |
Babs and my cousin John's wife chose horseback riding. Babs said that she had a blast because it wasn't a typical trail ride. The horses trotted, cantered and were actually under the riders control. She was surprised that the terrain is much like the American west with desert plants and cacti. The highlight of the ride was riding on the beach.
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| Babs and Sharron |
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| Desert meets the ocean in Aruba |
My cousins John, Frank and his wife Kitty, and I went on a catamaran snorkeling cruise. The catamaran was around 40' long and at least half as wide. There were over 30 of us onboard the sail and diesel powered boat. The trip to the reefs where we would snorkel was about a 45 minute ride. The water was calm and the weather a perfect 78 degrees. The group snorkeled in two spots, the first on a reef and the second over a 400 foot long wreck. I did the first one but not the one over the wreck because the current was a bit strong for me. The water here is crystal clear. There were colorful fish everywhere. Thankfully both Frank and John had waterproof cameras and got great shots.
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| Whale Ho! |
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| Cousin John |
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| Marine life (photos courtesy of John & Frank) |
As it was, my cousins shadowed me the entire time and kept me from drowning! So, I stayed aboard and consumed some rum punch went almost everyone snorkeled over the wreck. It turned out that it was a good plan because my cousins had to help several persons with a life ring.
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| Frank holding onto wreck 15' from surface |
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| All these folks snorkeling over the wreck |
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| Cousin Frank |
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| Cousin John |
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| John, Frank & Kitty enjoy rum punch |
On the ride back to our ship enjoyed many rum punch drinks. We passed by several resort hotels with beautiful beaches. I would definitely consider returning here again. Finally we reached our ship and walk back to the boat. I'm sure that it wasn't the rum punch that caused me to forget my bag with my towel, sun glasses, and camera on the boat!
Babs Says: Poor Charo (my horse) who had to carry all that weight over such rough terrain.
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