Aruba - Day One

We arrived in Aruba on Sunday morning. The weather is absolutely beautiful. The trade winds are always blowing and help cool you off from the heat. We stay the first night in the Renaissance which is in downtown Oranjestad (the Capital city) and by the port where the cruise ships dock. Sunday was the final day of their week of Carnivale. There was a six hour parade of music and dancing that passed by in front of the hotel.

There is a stark contrast in wealth between the tourist areas and the places where the locals live. You travel through these areas on the short ride from the airport.


We watched this guy kite surf for about a half an hour. While everyone else struggled to get up on their board, this guy ripped up and down the beach and occasionally got some pretty good air.



With the exception of a private island beach at the Renaissance, all of the beaches in Aruba are public. These local girls saw me taking pictures and started giggling and posing for this shot.