Category Archives: Vacations

Turtle Tuesday – a day early!

December 17, 2012 Maurice Leave a comment

Today was another calm, lovely day in Aruba. We slept in again, and got to the ocean around noonish. We checked to see if the green moray was in his home, and he was, but he didn’t come out at all, hiding under his shelf of rock.

We decided to go and see if we could see some more of the flying gurnards, and instead we saw the first of many turtles. That’s right, we saw an amazing six turtles today! It was absolutely unbelievable. We saw two really enormous turtles, one with a strange shell, with a ridge down the middle, and a concave shell, sloping away from the central ridge.

We did see lots of flying gurnards too, but this is easily the biggest we’ve ever seen. It had to be twice the size of the ones we saw yesterday. I’d say his wingspan was well over two feet. He was located a lot further south too, way down by the bait ball. The movie shows him under the fish first, then coming out from under (you’ll love this Karen!)

Another cool thing we saw was a strange bird hanging out with the pelicans along ridge overlooking Hadicurari. Not sure what the name is, but he was totally unconcerned about us. Maybe a cormorant? I dunno. The closer we got, the less it bothered him! The pelicans all hopped away, but he just stood there, kind of daring us to do something. So I splashed him with water! That finally got him to move.

While swimming along the wall, we saw lots of great fish of course. Pam got a great shot of the Night Sergeant, a fish who hangs around rocks, and like to get pushed around by crashing waves. He’s hard to get a shot of, because the water is usually so turbulent. But today was pretty calm, and she nailed him. Here is a video of a spotted moray eel, climbing up the wall. The video came out pretty nicely, so we decided to include it here.

We went to dinner at JH Yees, billed as an Asian fusion restaurant. It combined Japanese sushi and tempura with Chinese Szechuan and Mandarin dishes. The restaurant is on the second floor of a group of building close to the high rise hotels. It has a nice interior, highlighted with replicas of the Chinese warriors discovered in a tomb. There was a modern twist with unique architectural highlights, private rooms separated with curtains, and outdoor area and a unique central courtyard. Service was very nice, attentive and prompt, provided by Chiko, our Philippino waiter.

We started with Peking Dumplings ($6.25) for four plump juicy dumplings with a spicy pork filling. We split two mains, Orange Chicken ($19.95) and Szechuan Beef ($20.95). The white chicken chunks were deep fried, with a nice orange sauce, and served with fresh orange slices. Pam liked the flavour, but thought the chicken was a little dry. The beef was served with fresh vegetables, and was tasty. Singapore Noodles ($17.95) rounded out the dinner. They were very nice, tasty with lots of pork, shrimp and vegetables in a spicy sauce. I liked it a lot, but it could have had a few more noodles! With two Balashi, a Coke and 15% service charge, the total was $87.65. It was about on a par for what we’ve paid for Chinese food in other Aruban spots, but the ambiance was very very nice. I’d go there again.

Aruba, Vacations

Easy Sunday

December 16, 2012 Maurice Leave a comment

We slept in, after a hard week of partying with Mike. haha We didn’t get mobile until nearly noon. It was another day with very calm winds, and lots of sunshine. We took to the water at Boca Catalina and just puttered around. The water was so calm again, and the fish were all relaxed.

I went to a spot where we normally can find a Queen Triggerfish, and instead we found a rather large green moray making himself at home! I had quite the surprise to dive down to take a picture of a highhat and have the menacing jaws and about two feet of a green moray pop out from under a ledge, weaving back and forth, as if to protect his space! He was certainly a big one, in the six to seven feet length in total.

Today though, was octopus and squid day – seemed every few feet we saw one or the other. We saw a group of squid that was easily the largest group we’ve ever seen. It went on as far as the eye could see! And visibility was great!

Spotting octopus is not easy. They can blend in so amazingly well, it’s easy to simply swim right over them. Sometimes they look so much like coral, you can’t tell the difference, unless they move. Check out the picture of him: you can hardly tell he’s there, unless you look very closely right near where his tentacles are attached to the rock.

I’ve got two movies to show today featuring the same octopus. He was really active, hopping from rock to rock, cycling through colors, and just amazing us.

This next video could have been a thing of beauty, but it’s certainly worth watching even though it’s not perfect. It shows him virtually hidden, then when I zoom in on him, he’s goes a deep black, with yellow “feet,” hops off a rock, hops onto another, walking a little, then compressing himself into a tiny hole!

This picture is especially for Mike… all these Sgt Majors kept coming around, and we’re certain they were upset you never said “See you next year!” Seemed like there were more than ever today.

Pam has been experimenting with different modes on her new camera, an Olympus Tough. We’ve had them in the past, and really liked them. We got her an expensive Nikon last year, but the pictures just never turned out very well. It’s funny, sometimes paying more doesn’t necessarily get you better results. Check out this picture of a gold moray eel, you can literally see the flecks of gold dappling his body. A prize winning shot!

The sunset picture is taken from the balcony of our unit at La Cabana. We’re on the fourth floor, the top floor, the penthouse as Pam calls it. We sat on the balcony having a drink, getting a little sun, watching it drop into the ocean. Some sailboats came by as it was going down… very nice. I’m adding a little movie of some sailboats drifting past the setting sun. You can hear the music in the background – a live band in the poolside bar of La Cabana.

Aruba, Vacations

Saturday leavings

December 15, 2012 Maurice Leave a comment

Today was Mike’s last day, of a too short vacation. It’s a real shame he had trouble getting here. He kind of got gypped with the weather too, with a couple bad snorkeling days. Ah well… Mangel Halto made up for a lot of deficiencies in the holiday! It was so calm today, that we could easily have done it again!

Mike’s flight was at 6 PM, but we had to switch to our new resort, La Cabana, by 11 AM, so the day was pretty much a write-off. We looked for a t-shirt for Mike – he wanted one with a Balashi logo, but no one had his size. Unreal! It wasn’t a total waste though, as I managed to find an Hawaiian shirt that is not in my collection!

Pam and I dropped Mike at the airport, and headed straight to the ocean. It was super super calm, and the visibility was awesome. We stayed in the water til sunset. It was fun to be in the water when it’s that calm, since you don’t need to use your flippers much, and the fish seemed a lot more relaxed as a result. Some fish who are super shy didn’t mind us hovering over them, and Pam took some really great shots.

This grouper just lazed about the sand, hardly moving. Usually they take off the minute they see us, but today was special. Pam took a really nice video of him just hanging about the bottom, not running to hide.

And here is a movie of a Queen Angelfish bumping the same grouper around a bit… quite funny. The queen angelfish is a very active fish, flitting from one rock to another. I love the super colorful body on this fish – it easily catches the eye when you’re snorkeling!

Just a couple words about our new resort – we’ve never stayed here before, but it’s very near the Paradise Beach resort where we stayed last year. It’s right on Palm Beach, a long white sand beach, that is perfect for swimming and relaxing. The room is ok, a little small, but we have a nice view over the ocean from our fourth floor balcony. The bed is only a queen, but comfortable. WIFI is $35 for the week, using Setar, the same guys the Paradise Beach used. It’s a super fast system, and far superior to what we had at Caribbean Palm Village. Well worth the money. It also has a very nice lobby, really posh, with a huge stained glass window. There is a casino just off the lobby, so I know where I’ll find Pam. 🙂

Aruba, Vacations

Mangel Halto, finally!

December 14, 2012 Maurice 2 Comments

Friday dawned with next to no wind, so we quickly loaded up the car and headed south to Mangel Halto. It’s a wonderful snorkel site, but only when the wind is calm, and today was absolutely dynamite! It’s a lovely location, right near a group of mangrove trees. We entered the ocean right off of a pier, so it was super easy to get in. We easily managed to get to the “good stuff” and beyond!

We actually got outside the reef, where the ocean was crystal clear, and calm. It required a bit of hard swimming to get over the shallow reef water, but once opposite the shallows, we were rewarded with some of the best coral and reef fish we’ve ever seen, anywhere, any island!

The coral rivals that near the Royal Sea Aquarium, with the large elkhorn formations, but I think the Mangel Halto coral is more diverse. Lots of different types to see and explore, that’s for sure! Lots of different colors, shapes, and sizes. The ones that sort of wave in the water are very cool, and lots of little fish hang around them, hiding from the predators.

One of the coolest fish is called the Midnight Parrotfish. He’s a dark blue/black fish with bright blue markings around his face. We saw not one, not two, but FOUR of these beauties. They are kind of shy, and take off when you point the camera at them. This one was kind of far away, hence the fuzzy nature of the shot, but it gives you an idea how lovely he looks.

We saw a big ocean triggerfish, first one this year on Aruba. He was out near the dropoff, and the pictures are not as clear out there. We saw lots of big porgys too. They would lead us a merry chase. We’d try to get a shot, and they’d quickly turn, so we have a lot of great shots of their bums! This one got caught too close to us, and we managed to nail him.

Pam took a great movie of some Caribbean Reef Squid. They were really close to her, and didn’t seem too shy about her taking the movie. They are certainly fun to watch, waving, and oscillating, varying their color at will. Very neat indeed. This movie was taken with the Olympus Tough camera.

For dinner we went to El Gaucho’s. It’s an Argentine steakhouse that we’ve gone to every time we’re here. Everything was terrific, as usual. The hostess, the waiters, the food – all first rate.

Aruba, Vacations

Wednesday and Thursday

December 13, 2012 Maurice 1 Comment

The weather has been quite windy the last couple of days, so snorkeling has been less than stellar. The water has had pretty big waves, and the visibility has not been great. It’s kind of disappointing for Mike, with his abbreviated vacation as it is, the not so great conditions are almost not fair!

Wednesday was rainy to start, and we never really got going to do anything. We spent a while in the water at Malmok Beach, but it was pretty cloudy for most pictures. We ate dinner in, so it was a pretty quiet day. We wandered around the Paseo Harencia, the local mall that’s open late for tourists, but surprise! We didn’t buy anything – no watches, no jewelry, no masks! Amazing.

Thursday we decided to check out the museum housed in Fort Zoutman in downtown Oranjestad. It’s a smallish museum, but quite interesting. They have displays of early Aruban life, when the Arawark Indians lived here. They follow it up with the Spanish conquest and elimination of the native population, through the slave cultures of both the Spanish and Dutch. There are displays of early tools, fishing implements, and music instruments. It’s a nice way to pass an hour or two.
We decided to try Mangel Halto again, the tricky snorkel site, but it was very rough. So, on down to Baby Beach, and it was just as rough. On the way back, we took Mike the “back” route through to Casabari rock, sometimes called Aruba’s Stonehenge. It seems to have been some sort of meeting place, perhaps a religious site. It’s origins are really unknown, but it’s very old.

We snorkeled a bit more at Malmok Beach, but the water clarity was not great great. We did see a turtle, but basically it was just a swim in the ocean!

For dinner, we went back to Barney’s for their All You Can Eat Rib dinner. We were here a few days ago, and the hostess, bartender, and waitresses all welcomed us back! It was nice to be recognized. Service was again impeccable. And the first serving of ribs was impressive and large! It was served with vegetables, coleslaw, and fries. None of us could order any more ribs! The one plate was enough.

As we were leaving, the hostess (and partner to the bartender/owner) came over and shook our hand, and said, “Thanks very much for coming back. I hope everything was good.” A very nice touch.

Aruba, Vacations

On the Wall

December 11, 2012 Maurice 2 Comments

Today (Tuesday) the three of us went over to Boca Catalina, and swam south, towards Oranjestad, and the area we call the Wall, rather than north towards the Lighthouse, and Malmok Beach like we usually do. It’s a rather long swim to the Wall, but it was a different swim. We saw a turtle within five minutes of hitting the water, so it seemed a good sign.

There was lots to see, of course, the most unusual being the flying gurnard. It looks like a sand diver, but it has “wings” which it spreads when it wants to take off in a hurry. There were quite a lot of them in this one particular area. It was fun diving down trying to get them to spread their wings so we could get a shot.

We saw an eel, a type we hadn’t seen before. He was rather small, only about a foot, but he had perfectly shaped yellow polka dots on him. We were not able to identify it with our fish bible! I’ve talked of the Wall before, so I won’t bore you with talking of the bait ball, and it’s amazing contortions. There seemed to be a lot more birds today. I guess word is getting out that lunch is plentiful!

There were a number of porcupine fish. We never get tired of checking this guy out. He’s like a balloon under the water, with a big smile. I watched him by these rocks, and he kept his eye on me. The waves kind of push you around a little, and because he’s so buoyant he gets sloshed about too. As he was watching me, a wave washed in, and it made him crack his head on the rock! First time I’ve ever seen a fish get bonked!

Another interesting fish we got a shot of was the black margate. He’s a pretty shy fish, and we rarely get a decent shot of him, but today he seemed to be more interested in checking us out. Not a bad shot of him…

Aruba, Vacations

Everywhere Monday

December 10, 2012 Maurice Leave a comment

Monday we got started late, since some guy from Vancouver slept late… real late. Pam decided to have a suntan day laying by the pool, so Mike and I headed to Mangel Halto. It’s a pretty tricky snorkel, since it’s basically in the open ocean. You want to do it when the current is nice and calm. Well today was not that day! We arrived to the beach to find it very rough so we decided to give Baby Beach a go.

We jumped in but the current was really bad here too! We spent maybe twenty minutes in the water and decided to head north again. Mike has never snorkeled “the wall” before, and it’s a spot Pam doesn’t really like to go, so we jumped in. It was really terrific.

I’ve already talked about the amazing bait ball and the enormous number of fish that make it up, so I won’t belabor that point. Suffice to say, it’s a remarkable thing! We got a couple decent shots of some big barjacks and ceros that kind of patrol up and down the edges. There were lots of coronet fish too. And a good sized barracuda. I messed with the image of the barracuda a bit, kind of making a “painterly” effect – not sure that’s effective, but it’s different anyway.

We stayed in water quite a long time. There was lots to see, and it never gets old watching the movement of the big bait ball. There are three large ceros that lead a big group of big barjacks up and down the outside of the fish which is really quite neat to see. I’ve never seen a cero that large before. Now we’ve seen big barjacks, bigger than here, but I don’t think I’ve seen such a large grouping of barjacks this size before!

For dinner we continued the hunt for good ribs. We headed over to Iguana Joe’s. It’s in the highrise hotel area, so a little more touristy. The service is quick…. it’s a high traffic area so they try to get you in and out in a hurry. We all had ribs. Mike and Pam had the “original ribs” and I had the dry rub ribs. The ribs were very meaty, and tender. They liked the sauce a lot. You had your choice of sides – all nice, but nothing spectacular. It was a decent meal. But I just had the impression you could have the same experience just about anywhere, not just on Aruba. But, it was nice to sit outside in the warm weather and watch all the people go by.