Category Archives: Vacations

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2011 Maurice 4 Comments

Merry Christmas everyone! Santa seems to have missed us here in the Caribbean! haha Luckily he left the cold and snow in the north! Our thoughts are with you guys, and the people we lost this year. Hope you all had a wonderful day.

We spent Christmas morning swimming in the ocean, and a great swim it was! The ocean was very clear today, and we saw piles of cool fish. We saw a HUGE triggerfish, the biggest we’ve ever seen – at least 3 or 4 feet! She was pretty shy and swam away from us, and try as we might to chase her down, we got only blurry shots of her.

We’ve kind of settled into a little routine, swimming in the ocean in the morning, then spending time in the swimming pool and hot tub in the afternoon, while catching a few rays. There have been some brief rain storms, but mostly it’s been sunny. The locals have complained bitterly about the amount of rain in November and December and they are hoping for an improvement. It’s been pretty good by our standards, but not as nice as some years we’ve been here.

Here is a picture of Pam in front of our rental car, an Atos Prime. She is pointing at the license plate because it is V-1925 – her father Vern was born in 1925! How cool is that?

I should point out that I don’t reference all the pictures we’ve taken in the blog posts. There are other pics available by clicking on the Galleries link in the menu bar. So if you aren’t sick of seeing fish pics you might want to take a look.

I’m adding a brief movie to the end here of a Queen Triggerfish. This was taken in fairly shallow water, which is kind of unusual since this fish prefers to be in slightly deeper water.

Aruba, Vacations

Thursday 22 December

December 23, 2011 Maurice 2 Comments

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!

Aruba, Vacations

Sunny Aruba

December 20, 2011 Maurice 2 Comments

We talked with some people who have been in Aruba since the beginning of November and they said the weather has not been very good – still warm, but overcast a lot, and rainy. Well, it’s been great since we got here! Today was sunny and clear and warm. I have to admit the ocean is a little cooler than we usually expect, but it’s still pretty easy getting in.

We returned to Boca Catalina today, since the waves at Arashi seemed to be too rough. It was another fun day of snorkeling, that’s for sure. There were, of course, lots of fish to see. First thing we saw upon getting in was a big barracuda. He quickly scooted off as soon we pointed a camera at him… for a big guy, he sure was shy!

We saw a couple of large schools of squid – always fun to follow them and watch them change color and contort themselves into strange shapes. We saw quite a few Queen Triggerfish, which is one my all time favorite fish.

We saw a small moray, but moving lightning quick across the ocean floor. And wow, did we see a large flounder, the biggest we’ve ever seen. We saw a couple of lobsters too! One was quite large, and we thought it would just perfect for dinner! Too bad we were too chicken to grab him!

Dinner was courtesy of Cafe Maurice once again, so no restaurant review today! Our suite has a nice kitchen, with non-stick pans, so it’s been great. We did breakfast, lunch and dinner all at home here. The one complaint I have about Aruba – the beer – the bottles are these little tiny things, about 5 or 6 ounces. And it’s quite pricey – it’s much cheaper to drink rum!

Here is a little movie we took outside the Aruban Parliament Buildings, showing their Christmas Display.

Aruba, Vacations

Arrived in Aruba, safe and sound

December 18, 2011 Maurice 6 Comments

We got into Aruba safe and sound. Our flight out of Seattle was a bit late in leaving, but since we had a three hour layover in New York, was no big deal. The flight out of NY left on time, and both flights were PACKED and I do mean PACKED! They were asking people to check some carry on luggage, since the overhead bins were too full, but of course, not many did. Boggles the mind how much they allow people to bring aboard the cabin!

Pam’s leg was quite swollen, after being stuffed on those planes, especially the one into Aruba. It was an older Boeing, and very cramped. Definitely thought it was supposed to be an Airbus, since I try to book only the Airbus now, but must have gotten switched. We arrived in Aruba on time, and rented a smallish car! Pretty funny really. Makes a Smart Car look BIG!

We got in the ocean for the first time today (Sunday). We drove up to Arashi Beach, on the north end of the island, but the waves looked a little heavy, so we went slightly south to Boca Catalina. They have improved access to the nice sandy entrance, by putting in some pretty good stairs. Pam was a little nervous about how things would go, but she came through like a trooper. She thoroughly enjoyed being in the water, and getting out was easy and painless. We were a little worried how that would go, since sometimes a big wave can whack you hard, but we managed it very well.

In the water was surprising! We saw an octopus almost immediately! I first saw him on top of a pile of coral/rocks and wondered what the heck is that! Getting a bit closer we saw it was an octopus, and he quickly got off the top and slithered down a crack. We saw scrawled filefish, orange filefish, polka dot filefish and regular brown filefish! And we saw LOTS of each – it’s quite unusual to see so many – the polka dot one is one I’ve seen VERY rarely.

There were tons of BIG barjacks. Usually they cruise through the area, in groups of three, and quickly swim off… not today. They hung around, in quite shallow water, and a triggerfish was swimming with them! Then we saw a school of little barjacks, 30 or more in a school – never seen that at all.

There were lots of French Angels, and we saw juvenile ones too, and a couple of Queen Angels too. There was one moray eel, who moved across the bottom so quickly I was astonished. I knew they could go fast when they wanted, but never dreamed they could move THAT fast! There were a bunch of coneys, and they swam around with a French Angel too.

We saw puffer fish, flounder, lots of grouper – most grouper I’ve seen in one dive actually… So all in all, a pretty amazing first day in the ocean.

We ate at home today – bought groceries at Super Foods – so no restaurant review. They had a big tent out front, making and selling freshly cooked beignets, dusted with sugar. They were AWESOME! They had huge cookers and they were just popping them out! People were lining up for ’em.

Curacao, Vacations

Back to Caracasbaii

October 28, 2011 Maurice 3 Comments

It’s getting to be old hat, but we jumped back into Caracasbaii again today. The ocean was too rough to head out to the Royal Sea Aquarium, so this has kind of been our “go-to” beach. The water was not that choppy, but definitely gave us some motion. We checked out the wreck, and spotted our first lion fish, hiding under a chunk of metal. Try as we might, we could not get a decent shot of him! All of them turned out blurry, or “white.” If you move the camera too quickly after pressing the button, you get this white streak. And since we had to dive down to get the pic, we just didn’t get one.

We swam toward the fort, a considerable distance and discovered a whole different look. There are a number of large pylons, 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet and towering at least a hundred feet. There were tons of fish around them, and we saw triggerfish (our first on this vacation) a large barracuda, French angels, flounders, and eels. There was a long swim across beautiful white sand, and we spotted this rather unusual fish. I’d never seen him before. Not sure what he is. They were situated around the the open sand, about six to eight feet from others of their kind. It was a tad strange.

We stayed in the water a long, long time… probably too long. But it was going to be our last long snorkel, if not our last period, so we just didn’t want to get out.

For dinner we decided to go to the Argentinean steakhouse El Gauchos which is on a hilltop overlooking the city. They have a shuttle from the hotel, so it was nice to just hop in and let them do the driving. The road up to the restaurant is not great, and I’m glad it wasn’t me driving! Prices are about you’d expect for a steakhouse, but include a salad bar, and a fresh daily soup.

Pam and I have had dinner here before and totally enjoyed it. This time, not so much. My steak was not good. I order their “Famous El Gaucho” and it was rather pedestrian. They do not serve it with a potato or vegetable, so we ordered the “grilled vegetables” which turned out to be steamed, in some kind of sauce. Not very good.

Our first waiter was a nice fellow, but difficult to understand. Half way through the meal, he was replaced by a woman, who for some reason had a chip on her shoulder. I said to Mike, what did we say that offended her?? It made the rest of the meal very uncomfortable. Desert was something called Pyramide, a cake of some sort, served with ice cream and whip cream. It was nice. Mike had the tiramisu, but it was merely ok, and he said he’d had better on this vacation. I would not return to El Gauchos based on this experience. From the poor food, to the horrific service, it was simply too much money, too much effort.
This movie is of a flounder, that I saw as I was about to get out of the water. It was in about 8 inches of water, and I think it gives a pretty cool view of his eyes swiveling, and his cool color, and how it changes as he moves across the bottom.

Curacao, Vacations

Playa Porto Mari

October 27, 2011 Maurice Leave a comment

Thursday we went to Playa Porto Mari. This is a beach Pam and I have been to a couple of times in previous vacations, and it’s one of Pam’s favorites. It’s a very nice beach. As Mike said, it’s what he thinks of when he thinks of the Caribbean – a long white sandy beach with lots of girls in bikinis! It is definitely the busiest beach, by far, that we’ve seen. Lots of people, but not so many you feel crowded.

There is a large parking lot, and you walk down a road into the beach, past the restaurant and dive shop. There is a board walk running the length of the beach, so you don’t burn you toes on the hot sand. There are lots of lounge chairs and umbrellas on either side of the boardwalk. Just drop your stuff on the chair you want and hop in the water. A lady walks up and down the beach, and eventually she finds you and charges you 2.50 for the car park, and 4.50 for the chair and umbrella.

Snorkeling was interesting. There were lots of places to snorkel, and lots of fish to see.Whether you go to the right, or the left, you’ll see some fun stuff. The coral is not as good as it has been, apparently because, according to our hotel concierge, there was a “localized storm” that really battered Porto Mari. You can see the damage, but there is still some coral hanging on, and they’ve put in a number of reef balls in an attempt to encourage regrowth.

We stayed in the water a long time, sliding from one side of the bay to the other and back again! We had lunch in the restaurant, and it was, well, it was lunch! Just what you needed after a long swim. Service is fine, but it’s tough to get them to bring you the bill. They are very attentive taking your order, bringing the food, refreshing your drinks, but as soon as you ask for the bill, you wonder what happened! Overall, it was a nice day. Not the best snorkeling on the island, but certainly fun. You can’t go wrong checking out Porto Mari.
We had dinner at the Rose Garden Chinese Restaurant. Very expensive. VERY expensive. Service was good, but we were the only people in the restaurant so that’s understandable. The reason there were so few people, I’m sure, is because of the prices! Some dishes were over 30 US dollars! For Chinese food! The food was ok, nothing special, but not offensive. The portions were not large, and certainly not worth the type of money they charged. Don’t get me wrong, the food was fine, just that 20 US dollars for a garlic chicken dish, with a few vegetables (a few slices of pepper, a few slices of onion) was a bit much. The dish was not big enough for four people, and barely enough for two servings. The restaurant had some fine green jade carvings that were really lovely.

Here is a brief movie, taken by Mike. It’s of a parrotfish, crunching away on some coral. They are a fairly large fish, but they are quite skittish, and take off very easily. If you have your sound turned up, you can hear the crunch as his teeth hit the coral.

Curacao, Vacations

Grote Knip, Playa Lagun, Caracasbaii

October 26, 2011 Maurice 2 Comments

Today, Wednesday, we headed up to Westpunt, and tried out Grote Knip. It’s a lovely beach, apparently used quite often for postcards of Curacao. It is a long beach, with beautiful white sand. There are palapas and tables and it’s very popular with locals. There is a large parking lot, so you know it gets busy on the weekends! There were not many people when we were there, only about ten.

It looked like there would be very good snorkeling along the sides, although in the middle we knew there would little to see, since most fish don’t hang around the white sand. The water looked very inviting indeed! It’s easy to get in, as the sand slopes gently down in the water. The water was a bit “cloudy” from the sandy bottom. Heading to the left, I saw a rather large barracuda riding shotgun on a school of fish. The visibility was not great, and the snorkeling was mediocre.

This is a great beach for swimming.

I’ve had a couple of people wonder how you say “Curacao” so I’ll try to explain it phonetically. Most Europeans say it “Cure-A-Sow” and that’s acceptable. Far better than the women at the New Jersey airport who announced our flight to “Crack-Cow”. The second “c” is never hard, always like an “s’. However, the locals spell their island Korsou and they say the name of their island Cur-sew. It’s done quickly with no rolling of the “r”. So there you go. If you want to appear like an in-the-know local, go with the two syllable version Cur-sew, but if you want to be spotted as a tourist, or a European, say it in the three syllable version “Cure-A-Sow”. (Note the local way is Cur – like a dog…. the Euro way is Cure like in medicine.)

We headed back towards Willemstad, the capital city, and stopped at Playa Lagun. It’s a small cove, with an easy entrance to the water. We saw some neat fish, but most of the best fish viewing is down too far for snorkelers. The visibility was fine, just that the fish were 20-30 feet down for the most part. When we entered the water, we headed to the right and saw some fun things – the usual suspects.

We had a brief lunch then headed to Caracasbaii, where we’ve been before and can expect lots of fun things. It didn’t disappoint. The wreck is so easy to swim to, and there is always plenty of action to see.

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We had dinner at the Rib Factory. It’s a small eatery, that is full of locals, for lunch and dinner. It does a booming take out service as well. They have a small deck that has ten tables or so, and a few more inside, with air conditioning. We sat out on the deck in warm evening air. I had the chicken fajitas – not a big rib fan – and they were excellent. Mike had the ribs and he said they were very good. Fall off the bone tender, with a great sauce – you could choose from three different kinds. Service was fun and good. Prices were reasonable. Would definitely eat here again.