It
is fascinating to see how history of nations can be changed by scientific
discoveries and engineering inventions that happen far on the other side of the
world.
Internal
combustion engine is invented and all of a sudden barren lands of Arabian
deserts become a goldmine: gardens grow in fruitless desert, palaces rise and
yesterday nomads turn into the richest people in the world. Or opposite. Chemists
discover how to make red dye and the entire economy of Canary Islands that used to depend on cochineal
insect export is about to collapse.
Destiny
of Aruba is one example of how scientific discoveries changed the island fate several
times to better or to worse.
When
Spaniards came to the New World the gold was what interested them most.
Disappointed not to find gold they named island 'oro hubo' – 'gold was here'
(well, there are other versions including combination of Indian words 'ora' – seashell – and 'oubao' – island or 'uru' – canoe – and 'oubao' – but we like the first version)
– and left. Before they left they also doomed the entire group of islands 'Islas Inutiles' – useless islands –
which probably later transformed into the name Antilles.
The
item that was next in value after gold in XVI-XVII century was sugarcane. Sugar
production determined the destiny of the entire Caribbean region for centuries
so no wonder this was the plan B for the island. Unfortunately for Spaniards
arid desert-like climate of Aruba (just like its neighbor Curaçao) deemed unfit for sugarcane
cultivation so they abandoned the island until the Dutch came across it and
organized a sort of ranch. Only horses and goats felt at ease here so soon
Aruba was called 'geiteneiland' –
Goat Island. The Dutch also produced so called 'Brazielhout' – brazilwood – that was exported to The Netherlands
as one of the main components for red dye. Then – same like in The Canaries –
the chemists invented other ways so the island was again useless.
Next
discovery that propelled island economy was again connected to the invention of
automobiles. Aloe that was growing here was used to make special kind of rubber
that was then exported to New York, Hamburg & London. Even though at the
time it was called 'Curaçao rubber' 90% of it was produced on Aruba. It was
considered the highest-quality and the most expensive one in the world and
became the main source of income for the island until its golden days that came
in the beginning of the XX century.
Finally
the good days came to the island in 1924 when an oil processing refinery – then
biggest in the world – was built here. Seemed like the island could finally
bloom and prosper and the Arubans started strive for independence. The first
proposal for 'status aparte' – autonomy – was presented in 1947. Then national
flag and anthem were introduced, then constitution was drafted and approved and
the first parliamentary election took place.
But
the very first Aruba Prime Minister faced new problems: in 1985 the refinery
was closed, unemployment level reached 20% and the economy was again taking a
dive. And finally dry, desert-like climate of Aruba became its advantage: the
tourists were guaranteed to have sunny weather any time of the year and so its cactus-strewn
landscape became appealing to Northerners. New hotels were built, the roulette
wheels of 11 casinos started spinning, 10,000 work places were created.
By
the way Aruba never obtained full independence: it was 'postponed indefinitely'
at the request of its Prime Minister (at that time the majority in the
parliament was already against the full independence) thus being a rare example
of a country that was offered independence but declined to take it.
Today tourists flock here to sunbathe and snorkel in crystal clear
water, take advantage of duty free shopping and burn some money in the local
casinos. Nowadays half a million tourists ensure 80,000 Arubans live up to its
new nickname – 'One Happy Island'.
I
must admit: we did not have opportunity to explore the island. After all, we
are not on vacation so the following notes will be helpful to those who want to
stay in the city yet explore a little more than boutiques.
First
we headed towards Renaissance hotel hoping to use its beach and while
approaching were greeted by iguanas. Around them cabbage leaves were laying in
abundance so we figured the hotel employees must have organized this feeding
spot: this way you keep iguanas away from the main hotel grounds and those who
want to see the local 'celebrities' know exactly where to go.
One of the iguanas impressed us with
its bifurcated tail. And even though we have seen (and fed) many iguanas, in Saint Thomas, for example, we have not seen such
tales before.
Closer
to the sea from the hotel grounds you can see the ship docked in Oranjestad
harbor.
The beach looked good from a distance: all nine yards you would expect –
palm trees, yellow sand, blue sunbeds…
But
a closer look revealed that it was organized on the shores of a man-made lagoon
so the water seemed kind of stagnant and we wanted to swim in the sea, not
salt-water pond so we moved on.
From Plaza 18 Maart we saw another beach at a distance and decided to
head there. The beautiful promenade is taking you to the beach. We first saw a
wooden hut at the end of the pier and a nearby marina it turned to be Pinchos
Bar & Grill but it was closed so we continued the walk and soon ended up on
a big empty parking lot. The renovation seemed to be ongoing there as well but
the huge building of Barefoot night club together with Nikky’s Beach Club seemed to make a
good draw for the projected dozens of cars. But for us the main advantage was
that it is located on a walking distance – just like Carlisle Bay in Barbados.
Nikky’s
also had beach with sunbeds and umbrellas, nice pool with a shallow part for
the kids and float-in bar for the adults, tables around the pool, decent – even
though not exactly cheap – menu, free wi-fi was promised but that day there were some
technical difficulties (or so we were told). Overall, if you are not a shopper
or gambler and want to spend a nice relaxing day without leaving the city Nikky’s
seemed like a good option.
Soon
it was time to go back, we stopped to snap a few pictures of marina & port…
…promenading
tourists…
…and
local fauna.
Right
next to the port – an open market selling pretty much the same merchandise we
have seen on Saint Thomas, Antigua, Barbados – t-shirts, beach dresses, pareos,
fridge magnets… Seems to be everyone's favorite, even though most things are
made in China.
Last
picture from 'One Happy island' was that of 'one happy bus'.
And
again, just like in Curaçao we could not explore the entire
island so there is something left for the next time. And again some of the
ideas from these cruisers (in Russian). Most taxi drivers offered the
standard island tour for $20-$25 either by bus with other tourists or an
individual tour but without beach time, but they were able to find a taxi
driver who agreed to take only 4 of them on a 2 hour tour around the island
plus 2 hours on the beach and charged $20 per person.
Their
first stop was Casibari Rock Formation with conglomeration of giant boulders
from where you can see 75% of the island as well as Hooiberg Hill from where
you can view already 95% of Aruba. If you want to enjoy these 95% keep in mind
that there are 562 concrete steps that lead to the top of the Hooiberg so you
might consider Casibari instead. Next stop – Alta Vista chapel famous as the
place where conversion of Aruban Indians to Christianity started and the
religious history of Aruba began but also for its views with boulders, cacti
and the sea. Next stop – picturesque California Lighthouse with breathtaking
view of the island and then there was beach time. Palm Beach was doomed as
over-crowded. Eagle Beach that was highly praised by many received a ‘plus’ –
wide and not many people, but their taxi driver promised to take them to the
most beautiful beach on the island – and apparently did not lie. He took them
to the beach of Manchebo Beach Resort & SPA: not many people and very
photogenic with palm trees and iguanas. Sounds like thei got a good value for
their money. Among other places to visit were mentioned Arikok National Park
with famous caves (one of them with Arawak paintings – even though some believe
them to be fake) – good place for hiking but not when you only have a few hours
to explore an entire island. The visit to Arikok could be combined with Natural
Pool – lagoons in the rock formations by the sea side. One of the former
attractions – Natural Bridge – collapsed in 2005. They also recommended Aruba
as one island where it is a good idea to rent a car: it is relatively small,
roads are in perfect condition. It is also relatively flat so unlike in Saint
Thomas, Tortola or Dominica there are no winding mountain roads with blind
bents. The only downside they mentioned is the lack of road signs so make sure
to have a map or GPS navigator. Even though it will most likely be more
expensive than the tour they took it will definitely give you more flexibility.
We
hope someone will find these suggestions useful and then let us know what the
rest of the island is like.
