Panama Cruise 2025, Day 14, Nov ,10 Aruba

 

So we started off the day with a great breakfast as usual and then we waited for them to get secured in at the port as we had docked on the Island of Aruba.  Len's stomach was doing flip flops so he decided to stay on the ship so it was just me who went ashore. 

Aruba is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea 18 mi north of the Venezuelan and 50 mi northwest of Curaçao.

Aruba has an area of 69 sq mi. Aruba measures 20 mi in length and is 6 mi across at its widest point. Alongside Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms part of an island group referred to as the ABC islands. In contrast to much of the Caribbean, which experiences humid tropical climates, Aruba has a dry climate with an arid xeric landscape. The relatively warm and sunny weather persists throughout the year.

With a population of 108,880, Aruba is home to about one-third of the total population of the Dutch Caribbean. As one of the four countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, alongside the Netherlands, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, Aruba shares Dutch nationality with its citizens.

The economy is dominated by four main industries: tourism, aloe export, petroleum refining, and offshore banking. Aloe was introduced in 1840 but did not become a big export until 1890. Cornelius Eman founded Aruba Aloe Balm, and over time the industry became very important to the economy. At one point, two-thirds of the island was covered in aloe vera fields, and Aruba became the largest exporter of aloe in the world. The industry continues today, though on a smaller scale.

Historically, Dutch was not widely spoken on the island, but now all children are taught Dutch, Spanish, English and Papiamento.

While exploring the capital Oranjestad, I came across an art exhibition of blue horse statues. In 2015  visual artist Osaira Muyale  designed eight vibrant blue horses each unique, showcasing its own name and personality. These sculptures are part of a project titled “Paarden Baai,” which translates to “Horses Bay.” This name also refers to the bay in front of the city, near the cruise terminals.

The blue color of the statues symbolizes the ocean they crossed, representing a crucial part of Aruba’s heritage. The eight sculptures embody “Strength, Nobility, Grace, Beauty, and Freedom,” while also reflecting Aruba’s collaboration with local and international communities and its trade relationships with Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean.

These horses thrived in the ranches (ranchos) of Aruba, where they had ample space to roam and breed. By the 1800s, international horse exports had become a vital source of livelihood for Aruba, particularly in relation to the sugar-producing countries.

The blue horse statues not only honor this rich history but also serve as a symbol of Aruba’s cultural legacy and its interconnectedness with the world.

Each Statue has a plaque explaining the statues meanings, this is the beautiful mare Rosalinda, a gentle creature, able to transform difficulties into opportunities. Livestock trade and especially horses remained a source of commerce and trade for Aruba for over three centuries. 

One of the most remarkable firsthand accounts of this occurrence is relayed by the Dutch preacher, Gerard B. Bosch, whose book the Travels in West Indies is an incredible document of the early Dutch Colonial period. Through his eloquent writing we revisit Oranjestad around 1824 and learn how shiploads of horses were still being brought in, only to be flung overboard by strong seamen. Once in the bay, a strategically placed horse would incite the others to swim to shore.

Dutch Colonial architecture can be seen all over town. The buildings are very brightly coloured and stand out amongst the more modern buildings. They were just starting to decorate for Christmas as well.

I walked along the main road and found a couple of parks and numerous jewelry stores and high end shops like Gucci, Prada etc. If you want to shop for designer goods then this is the spot. This is a statue of Anne Frank, symbolizing hope, tolerance, and the fight against prejudice, featuring diary excerpts on its base. Anne Frank and her family lived in Amsterdam during the German occupation

I found the local museum which was housed in the home of a prominent business man from the area who help to build most of the capital.

While exploring the museum I took the advice of the fellow who did our enrichment talk on museums and made sure to take in my surrounding while I was exploring.

Hand laid floor tile 

 Stained Glass Windows

I did a bit more exploring around town and decided to take the local trolley bus. They offer a free trolley that takes you the length of the town and back. It was hot day so the lineup was a bit long, the advantage of being on my own I was able to jump the que as a single. The bus wasn't quite as scenic as I hoped because it takes your behind most of the buildings.

At the end of the trip the bus stops and lets people off to explore for about 20 minutes, there is a beer store and ice cream shop as well as a pharmacy. There was also a shop that sold Pastechi pastries, which are Aruba's version of an empanada

This store had over 200 brands of beer. the criteria for purchasing a beer and bringing it on the trolley was we had to take the beer bottles off when we disembarked.

One of Aruba's main industries is off shore banking

 This horse was drinking out of the fountain

This horse was in front of the museum

I finished off my day at the market getting a key chain for our Christmas tree and taking a picture of this sign. It only took me about 10 minutes to get a picture of just the sign. There was two girls, wanna be influencers taking pictures of each other posing along side the sign.  I tried to get a picture of it when I first got off the ship but there was a women who just came and sat of the sign right in front of it even though people were trying to take pictures. I have learned that some people just are oblivious to people around them.

It was a very humid day so when I got back to the ship I got rid of all my sweaty clothes and used my medallion to find Len who was up on the sun deck by the pool. I got my swim suit on and went and joined him. After a refreshing dip in the pool and a soft ice cream cone we made our way back to the room to have a shower and get ready for dinner.

The show in the theatre tonight was a collaboration of the ships band, the fiddlers and a duo who have been performing throughout the ship. They were all very talented musicians and the show was excellent.