As you know I went to Aruba… Without A. I don’t know why she is complaining. She went to Hilton Head without me.

Okay, I know it’s slightly different.

I was lucky this year! I got to go to Aruba with my husband and his entire family, aunts and all! Some people may not love to go on a week-long vacation with their in-laws. But my in-laws are AMAZING! They got the short end of the stick with me.

I figured instead of telling you every little thing we did I would just tell you a few of my favorite things.

Snorkeling 

I had only been snorkeling once before, when I was little. I couldn’t quite figure it out then so I was a little worried about going this time. It took me a minute to get used to it.

I am a nose breather. I realize that is a weird statement. But stick with me. I would put the mask on and breathe fine. Put the snorkel on and still be fine… above water… Once I put my head underwater I would forget to breath out of my mouth. The mask would suck up to my face and I’d have to come up.

After a few minutes I finally got the hang of it. I LOVED every minute of it. It was an unforgettable experience and I would suggest going at least one in your life. If you are in Aruba there are a ton of places that will take you out to old shipwrecks. Take pictures there for me! I have heard they are amazing.

Riding ATVs

This is a perfect way to explore the island! You can see most of the coast line and have a blast doing it. You can actually explore any part of the island, we just chose the coast line.

There are tours that will take you around, but I would suggest going on your own (make sure you have a map). We went as a family. That included 5 ATVs and 1 UTV- with the cutest driver ever! It cost us about $100 per ATV (we got a discount for having so many).

This is not something you want to do if you are afraid of getting a little dirty. We were filthy by the end of it. I think you can rent a jeep for the day and see a lot of the same things.

Exploring Local Ruins

If you couldn’t guess by our other posts, this was one of the favorite things I did in Aruba. Some people may not understand. But for those of you who do… Go to Aruba. It’s beautiful!

I took a few different days to explore, but I wish I had more time. There is just so much to see! For one there is an abandoned water park. I mean does it get any more perfect?

Dinner on the Beach 

We turned a romantic dinner into a family outing… And it was a blast. I’m not sure how everyone else felt about all of us stuffed into two tables right on the beach, but we enjoyed our time together.

The dinner started as a romantic dinner for two for Js Aunt and her husband. It was a wedding present. Then it turned into a dinner for four when we gave Js mom the same thing for Mother’s Day. A few more people that said they would like to go, and the next thing you know 13 of us made our way past the lovey dovey couples enjoying their meals watching the sun set.

We ate dinner at a place named Passions. J’s mom couldn’t seem to get that name down and called it Pleasures a million times. The food was amazing though. Get the roasted pepper soup if they have it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Exploring the National Park

The day we rented ATVs we planned on going to the park. That was until someone told us it cost $10 per vehicle. We decided then we would all pile into our vans and come back another day. Unfortunately, no one made it to the park but J and I. And that was by accident.

It took J and I all day to find the park. We finally made it to the back entrance of the park around 3. I was really excited about exploring the caves, so we headed that way first.

The first cave was amazing. A sign gives you some history and the legend of the cave. Stone stairs lead you to the entrance. Take a light (but be respectful of the bats- we didn’t see any this trip), I fell once or twice not being able to see where I was going.

When we made it to Fontein Cave it was closed. The caves close around 3:30, but lucky for us a park ranger (I guess they are called that in Aruba) was nice enough to let us in and give us a tour. This cave had Indian drawings and other etchings (some from the 1800’s).

I completly forgot to take any pictures at the 2nd cave. I am used to A getting the perfect picture and I was also hanging on every word our new guide had to say.

I wish we had more time in the park. Most places you either have to hike to or have 4 wheel drive to get to.

-B

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