Aruba: Pre-packaged Fun

So... Aruba is not all it's cracked up to be. We went to Oranjestad, the capital, which I expected to be a sort of cultural center of the island: lively, fun, delicious... No such thing. Even the government-sponsored tourist info center was NON-EXISTENT. Like, there's a little 'i' in a circle on the map between the Renaissance Hotel and the Parliament building-- we get there-- no information center. Everyone we ask looks at us like we're stupid. Considering tourism is their main source of income you'd think they would try a little harder to be helpful. The capital consists of 2 blocks of sketchy jewelry stores, a shopping center that looks like Dutch Cake Fairyland (Royal Plaza), a giant bus hub which was actually really useful, a Valero gas station, and a ton of sketchy alleys and construction.

Confused Licious in Oranjestad, in front of the
Norse Frosting Plaza, or whatever.

So there's a sign but no information center.
I don't <3 you right now, Aruba!

Apparently anything worth seeing has been moved to the high-rise part of the island where all of the main resorts are, around Palm beach and the northwestern end. This leaves Oranjestad pathetically lackluster. Even the touted Bon Bini cultural festival every Tuesday night seemed like a government-induced waste of effort. We didn't spend the $5 to go in because the whole 'city' was so run down and uncomfortable, and the official tourism website where I got a lot of other information had already proved unreliable.

The high-rise area is known to local people as Little Miami and that's exactly what it is. Yes, the beaches are covered with white sand and the water is nice and calm, but all of the areas that are a little nicer or more relaxing are fully manufactured. Giant shopping centers filled with the finest American retailers and average American restaurants, fancy all-inclusive resorts with their own expensive and thoroughly-advertised restaurants and pools and spas, it's anything you can get at any other resort in the world. All of the activites that are available are what I refer to as pre-packaged or manufactured fun. Like Disneyland, but with less thought and creativity and engineering efforts. Things like guided RV tours, glass-bottom boats, and sitting on a floaty thing while being dragged around in a circle by a small motorboat just aren't fun to me. Oh, but there are casinos here too. No thanks. Also, the beaches are nice but honestly nothing special enough to merit a visit here. (Hawaii)

I did enjoy riding the bus away from Oranjestad to Palm Beach, lounging there, and then walking back south through all the beaches and along all of the hotels and resorts. All of the beaches here are public so the resorts can't block them off for private use only. That's nice. Unless you're paying $500/night to stay there. I still say that public transport and walking around are the best way to see a new place, even if it takes a lot more time and energy. Obviously this isn't true wherever you go, but I think this is generally how I get the best sense of a new place. (Sydney)

A nice part of Eagle beach, just south of Palm beach.

Wandering. The beach in this segment was tiny and rocky
and therefore there were no establishments in sight.

One redeeming part of Aruba is the little place where we're staying. It's in Savaneta, on the opposite side of the island that's meant for tourists, but it's a lovely, cozy little family-run place that has about 7 rooms total and a unique array of really friendly, outgoing people. Of course, it takes a specific kind of person to turn down the resort vacation that Aruba is known for and instead opt for a tiny, out-of-the-way place that's surrounded by dirt roads and is a 10 minute walk from the nearest bus stop. So yes, nice place, friendly travelers, really great owners, but the inconvenience and inaccessibility of everything is a major downside. Even so, we managed a pretty nice dinner the first night. We walked to a local fish market down the street and bought some fresh mahi mahi and shrimp and grilled it. There was also a teeny little bakery with fresh breads and snacks. Slightly disappointed with the lack of local food readily available for purchase. Maybe it's just because they don't grow anything here and import almost all fruits and vegetables... I just thought that with Dutch affiliation and Caribbean location there would be something more unique. (Taiwan)

At least the scenery was really nice on our walk.

The teeny little snack shop. Even my head almost hit the awning.
Charming in its own way but not a reliable resource.

The view from our room really is gorgeous.

Dinner, night 1! Fresh grilled mahi mahi and shrimp.

This guy was ginormo. And a shrimp. Ginormo shrimp. Haha.

 You might be wondering-- why the hell would I come to a vacation destination in the Caribbean and not stay in a nicer place with more accessible amenities? That's not how I do. If you are new to reading this blog or are too dense to tell, I like experiencing things for their true value and identity and all-inclusive resorts just aren't enjoyable to me. Yes, I've stayed at them and yes, it's nice to be waited on and served at your every whisper but I don't enjoy it as much as others might so really it's not worth it for me. I like wandering around and exploring local life and culture and seeing and learning about how things and people and cultures differ so widely in various places. There's really just not much here.

A nice tree on the northern bit of Eagle beach. Really serene.

A DIY swing. Hilarious and surprisingly sturdy.

Maybe I'm being unfair and maybe I'm spoiled to have so many other amazing adventures to compare this to but really, if you aren't into spending a million dollars for a completely manufactured and less-than-distinct island experience, maybe Aruba shouldn't be at the top of your list.

Hopefully the next few days will have more interesting things in store, but really if they don't I'm ok just lounging around the mini-hotel's nice patio furniture. Though the beach here is really small and rocky, the water is still nice, the sun shines, and the island breeze carries away any worry.

Other quick updates:
I got a car! Black Toyota Corolla. I'll have in LA when I'm back in a few weeks! My brother suggested getting the license plate to say 'Lish'. Thoughts?

Also, I got to see that same little bro win a doubles tourney the day before leaving for Aruba.

BIG first serve. Too fast for me to capture the contact point.

SHO PROUD, LITTLE BRO!!