In keeping with our vacation traditions, we made coffee and breakfast and took it out onto our 4th floor balcony. As we sipped on Aruba's generic brand coffee flavored with the ever-present Coffeemate, we discussed the day’s plans. It didn't take us long to plan, eat, and pack up for the day (sunscreen, towels, and snorkel gear). We were soon on our way, heading north in our little Chevy Aveo. Air conditioning cranked up!
Our first stop was the California Lighthouse, named for a passenger ship that sank off the coastline there. There are all sorts of stories relating to the lighthouse but they are all contradictory! So I will refrain from sharing any here... It was a fun sight to see since it's a lighthouse plunked down in a desert with stunning views of the ocean. We had heard that Aruba is "plagued" with constant wind. And it's true. But on this, our second day, it became very clear to us that without the incessant wind we would shrivel up under the blazing rays of sun. Though it was impossible to look "put-together" the wind was an evil necessity! Mike really enjoyed showing me how tiny his shadow was, another indication of how acute the sun was. All in all, it was a great place to snap some photos but since it's locked up and there's no shade in sight, we didn't linger for long.
Next stop: Alto Vista Chapel. I fiddled with the radio as we winded along the narrow road. Not too many offerings there: Spanish, Papiamento, Dutch, and a tiny handful of English stations available. We settled for some local tunes as we enjoyed the view. Before long we noticed a white cross on the side of the road. It was a stark contrast to the dull colors around us, we are in a desert, after all. I felt a tinge of sadness for the poor soul whose life on earth ended here until seconds later we rounded a corner and saw one, two, three more crosses. For a brief second I thought, "Geez, what kind of massacre happened here." Until Mike said, "It's the stations of the cross." Oh, sure enough, the crosses started having pictures as well as words (the rosary) on them. There must have been 30 or so crosses in all. A sudden howling and rabid barking filled the air and moments later a car careened around the corner. A little dog was in the backseat and a woman was driving. About 15 dogs, skinnier ones have only been seen on the National Geographic Channel, were sprinting like greyhounds behind it. "What in the world?" I muttered as Mike slowed down. As the other car continued to zip along, the dogs gave up chase, one had a piece of meat in his mouth as the others vied for it. I wondered if the dogs would be friendly as we passed the last cross and the chapel came into view. An oddity for sure, this quaint, well cared for church built on a gentle slope with views of the ocean. We ignored the dogs as best we could (I called them Aruban Dingos - and they did seem rather placid, raw meat aside) as they lingered in whatever shade they could find. 
Just like the lighthouse, the chapel is a 5 minute stop, unless you are Catholic and perhaps feel that you will receive some healing or a soothing balm from the place. We weren't sure of its importance. After we noticed several people with severe injuries loitering about the chapel, we began to wonder. So we left. As we were leaving we bought a coconut from a nice man selling various goodies from under the shade of a stand. For $3 we enjoyed the "healing and healthful coconut water". It was a refreshing treat. I wondered if he was the man who kept the "dingos" hydrated by filling up the randomly placed bowls that were around the grounds.
As we hunkered into the little Aveo, we cranked up the A/C to it’s max, ready to see what the next stop had to offer.
On to the Natural Bridge area. Unfortunately, it collapsed several back in 2005, but the site is still beautiful. Right near it is another bridge, Baby Bridge. Though it's tiny compared to what it's mother was it's still neat to see! We met a couple from Boston and chatted about the atrocious food prices. As we left the bridge area we noticed something large wrapped in black plastic. It hit me as we passed it what it actually was. My mouth worked to make a sound. "Yes, that was a leg." Mike said as I whipped around in my seat to catch one last glimpse of it. No, not human leg, this leg was much larger. It was the leg of a very large cow. As the plastic flapped in the wind, the hoof sticking out, I could see that the leg had been stripped of its skin. I half expect the dingos to come bounding out of the bushes to devour it. They would have been in heaven!
From there we headed the short distance to the Bushiribana Ruins. Of course, with my love of history I was sorely disappointed that there were no explanations of what this place used to be. Research on my own tells me that it used to be a gold smelter. Rumor has it that some 3 million pounds of gold were extracted from here. Too bad I didn’t know that at the time. I might have done some digging. Instead we met a young man who warned us of snakes, some poisonous. I was much more careful as we trekked out of the ruins from it’s backside where there happened to be a lot more brush and rocks that would provide needed shade for said serpents. I guess it’s best not to live in ignorance…
We headed to the Ayo Rock Formations and Indian drawings. The first drawing I saw, I mistook for graffiti. Oops. We took a little hike through the caves that was reminiscent of the path to the Baths of Gorda in the B.V.I. There were no amazing baths at the end, just lots of cacti and huge boulders for us to clamber over. By now our bodies were screaming at us to head back. Not so much from any physical exertion but from the heat. We just weren’t used to it even though we were drinking water continuously. We knew that the beach was waiting for us so we hurried back.
The white, powdery sand on Eagle Beach felt like flour on our feet. Even though it was well over 90 degrees the sand was still cool on our toes. As we slipped down into the lapping waves, the water was somewhat murky but yet unbelievably blue and refreshing. We noticed the resort’s volleyball court was hopping. After watching the level of play and noticing that there was room for two more, we jumped in. We played long enough for that group to leave, exhausted, and another group of locals to take their place. After sweating it up on the sand, we rinsed off in the water. Mike mentioned the fish swimming around us and I looked down to see myself in the midst of a very large school of very large fish! Two ladies sharing a floaty near us shrieked and laughed as the fish made there way to them. Bummer, no snorkel gear! We heard the bell at our resort’s pool for happy hour so we showered off the sea salt and headed for the chlorine. After reveling in some tasty daiquiris, meeting Ellie and Rosette, and witnessing a slightly disturbing, albeit very amusing, booty-shaking contest poolside, we decided to head into Oranjestad to the Old Fisherman for dinner. 
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