Wednesday was a rainy day – unlike any rainy day we’ve experienced in Aruba. Last year after Hurricane Tomas, we got some rain, but it never seemed to last very long. Wednesday the rain fell pretty much all day. We didn’t even try to get in the ocean. We drove around and saw a few things. The rain has certainly made the island far more lush that usual. There are tons of flowers blooming everywhere.

Thursday was nice and sunny, so we went into the ocean for some snorkeling. We saw a few new things, and of course all the usual stuff. The coolest thing was seeing a big porcupine fish. He was in quite shallow waters, swimming freely. Most we’ve seen have been in small caves, or hiding under rocks. The only other place we’ve seem them swimming freely like this was in St. Maarten, but in very deep waters. He didn’t seem too worried about us and just casually drifted along with the current. I’ve included a video at the end of this post.

The ocean was quite cloudy today, due to the rain I guess, so it wasn’t really great for taking pictures. We got lucky with the video really. I know it’s not the best quality, but considering the conditions, we’re pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant called Café Rembrandt. It is in the South Beach Area, near a lot of other restaurants and shops. As we were walking in, the waiter informed us because we arrived before 6:30 pm, we would be getting a 20% discount on our food. And who loves a deal more than Pam?? The food was outstanding! I ordered a spicy shrimp appetizer, served in a light cream sauce. Pam had “Mushrooms Provincial” served with ham, in a light curry broth. Both came with delicious fresh bread. Both were very good. Pam had ribs for the entree. It was a double rack, with lots of french fries and the typical Dutch red cabbage. I had the chicken schnitzel served with pan fries. Both entrees were very well done. We had so much food we didn’t need desert, but trust me, the apple pie is homemade and delicious! The service was absolutely wonderful, friendly, attentive and efficient. The prices were MORE than reasonable – the ribs were $15 – and then 20% off that – an outstanding deal. This restaurant is a keeper!