Day 6: Friday, February 24
In contrast with most other Caribbean Islands, much of Aruba is desert, with an average rainfall of only 17 inches. Just 15 miles from Venexuela, the coast can be seen only on a rainy day. (Polution obstructs the view on clear days.)
Aruba is an independent state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the official languages are Dutch and Papiomento (a combination of Dutch, Spanish, French and English).

We docked in Oranjestad, the capital. The extinct volcano is the source of the island, which has sunk into the ocean and risen many times long ago. As a result, it consists of many layers of alternating igneous rock and coral.

A six-hour tour showed us most of the island.

We saw iguanas sunning themselves on huge rocks.

Ron and others climbed Casibari Rock. (I wasn't sure if my hip would allow me.) In the top corner is a view from the top of the rock. Ron took almost identical photos.

A glass-bottom boat took us inside an old shipwreck where we saw stunning coral and many strange fish.

Cacti on the island were as tall as 40 feet!

On the north coast, waves pounded the tall cliffs, sending a huge spray right over the top. They had even carved a "natural bridge" into the rock.

Day Five, Thursday, Feb. 23
"A Fun Day at Sea"
(Ok, so my computer is fixed but scanner won't work so I'll go with plan B for this post.)
The trip from Barbados to Aruba tool a day and a half, some time to relax on board.
"Destiny" is Carnival Cruise Line's largest ship. Built in 1996, it received a multi-milliion dollar refurbishment in 2005. It has three pools (one with a spiral waterslide), two dining rooms and a variety of eateries, nine lounges and nightclubs, a big casino, duty-free shopping and a spa.
A Rotunda atrium (right) rises nine decks through a dazzling lobby to a glass skylight.

Total Staterooms - 1,321
Private Balcony Staterooms - 480
Passenger capacity - 3,360
Total crew - 1,040
Officers nationality - Italian
Tonnage - 101,353
Ship length - 892 feet

Meals, coffee, tea and refreshments were all included in the cruise package and you could eat all day long in the many buffet-style cafeterias. The many options included pizza, hamburgers, Chinese food, ribs and much more.
For supper, we preferred to go to the dining room (left photo) where we were treated royally. The menus were like you'd find in the finest restaurants and always included at least one seafood dish.



At first, there were four couples at our table but we soon missed the two pleasant black couples: it seems the husbands didn't care for the fancy dishes and preferred cafeteria food.
We thoroughly enjoyed the company of Gerald and Sandra from Winnipeg.
Our maitre d' was a sweet girl from Nepal who left her husband and children for months, to work on the ship.


We spent very little time in our room!

I had the best intentions, today, of telling you about our ship and a "Day at Sea." But my computer and my scanner aren't cooperating. I guess I need to get our technician cuz I've tried everything I know. Hopefully I'll have more for you to read about by next weekend.