“A” is for Aruba

Orajestad Panorama

We left Curaçao late Saturday for a short sail to the “A” in the ABC Islands — Aruba and the town of Oranjestad.  Aruba is just as deserty as it’s more famous cousin, and perhaps not quite as picturesque, but it still has it’s moments.  The shopping bargains are perhaps a bit better here, however.  We found prices on Tanzanite comparable to what we would expect to pay in St. Thomas (which we’ll visit later this voyage), and that rather surprised us.  We’ve grown to expect the best deals in jewelry in the U.S. Virgin Islands in general, and St. Thomas in particular.

Oranjestad, Aruba

Search around and you’ll find a nice restaurant/bar on the second floor of a building directly across the street from Oranjestad’s main shopping area — a rather bizarre U-shaped pink structure framing large round building with a gold-colored dome.  From here you can snag a pretty good panorama of this rather unique structure and all the hustle and bustle going on nearby.