Sitting on the dock of the bay

Just returned from a dinner with Susan of Bucuti that I am absolutely certain will remain the highlight of my trip. When I stayed at the Tara Suites which she kindly offered me she was too busy for us to sit down for any length of time but this evening at Marandi we managed to have a great conversation in beautiful surroundings. Actually, that is not entirely correct as it started when I got in her car and ended only after she dropped me back at Amsterdam Manor. We are from very different backgrounds but share many similar thoughts on life and the planet. The fact we are what Dubya  would categorize as bleeding heart pinko liberals only helps matters and now that Obama is going to be president of the USA I believe we are on the A-OK list.

Susan has had a fascinating life and learning about her life process was anything but dull listening. You just know that anyone who has a story about falling afoul of Israeli border police in her youth will have me tuned in. I also realize now that being of a similar age can make a meaningful conversation much more relaxed as there are points of reference. I don’t have to explain who Nixon was and she didn’t have to explain to me what Thatcherite Economics was all about. Off the top of my head a few of the subjects covered were, the internet, DOS, US Politics, New York, London, Aruba politics, the hotel business, relationships, cutting dog toenails with a device that looks alarmingly like a vibrator and the environment. As to the details of any of those conversational topics..well..I am keeping those close to my puny chest. I am just glad that I came to Aruba a year ago and connected to someone who is truly a citizen of the world.

In other news…well…let’s see. I was up early and then surrounded by flies, mosquitoes and other airborne wildlife , in what seemed to be an outtake from The Exorcist as i waited to get on a horse. My request for an aged equine that had been tranquilized was turned down as was my request for a valium IV. The horse I was asked to mount ( and how decidedly vulgar those words look in type) was laughingly named Excalibur. What the snorting brown creature had to do with Arthurian legend I cannot tell you but it may have been some inside joke. I got on with little problem and shortly after the whole posse of 8 of us started off on a pee and manure peppered trek through the wilds of Aruba’s landscape. All I can say is that while I know the horse was instrumental in the development of the US West and of European civilization they must all have had sore asses. I can see now why they invented the car and I promise I will kiss my misbehaving Mondeo when I see her next.

We finished that ordeal adventure and proceeded to the Westin for lunch with Patrick Donovan the Marketing Guy. I managed a fair cleanup of the dust on my face thanks to my ever present St. Ives blemish fighting wipes .It was nice seeing him again and I have to say that I am impressed with the changes at the Westin Aruba. They inherited the current property from another hotel and they have finally succeded in de-Wyndhamizing it and making it their own. Patrick is a great conversationalist and along with my ATA pal Ricardo we had a lovely lunch at their Asian restaurant Blossoms. I loved my General Tso chicken but honest to Abe those portions could have fed a Vietnamese family for a week. I am not a fan of high-rise hotels but if I had to pick one on Aruba the Westin would be it.

Upon returning to my hotel I ran to the shower to wash off whatever horse and dust remained on me but as I proceeded to disrobe …and I apologize for the lack of delicacy here Dear Reader,…an insect lodged in my clothing bit me on the ass. It hurt about as much as a bee sting and I got an immediate welt. Susan told me in the car it was most likely a scorpion and she has survived being stung by one. The life of a Fodor’s writer is not as pretty as it seems I can assure you.

I also ventured to the local supermarket area with the ostensible aim of getting some extra coffee and maybe suntan lotion at non-hotel prices. I did eventually get those items but somewhere along the line I also got a lovely pair of deck shoes, a shoulder bag and a decidedly non-Vern pair of Puma Fluxion II training shoes. I hope this serves as a cautionary tale to all that it is never safe to think “Oh look a shoe shop I wonder if they have sports socks?” because the next words you say will be “Do you have these in a size 10?”.

Tomorrow I am on a submarine which should be most interesting and, at any rate, will not result in any scorpions in my underwear.

Just back in from a rather wonderful dinner at Passions Restaurant on the beach in front Amsterdam Manor my new hotel. It was fun sitting with my toes in the and i was pleasantly surprised with the excellent quality of the food. The watermelon salad with carambola, greens and a chili dressing was a great way to start and the Seven Seas Parade may not have been parading but the lobster, grouper, catch of the day and assorted accouterments were all certainly having a very good time. This is the third romantic dinner i have had and I regret that I was , once again, not able to cash in at all. Michelle from Amsterdam Manor was great company for me and Ricardo though.

 

Speaking of Amsterdam Manor..and I was..they have really upgraded the rooms. They now have that sleek Euro look favoured by a lot of the more fashionable hotels. I rather liked the old A M but I have to say thsi new look is quite cool as well. It is still one of the best mid sized hotels on the island.

Tomorrow is the much dreaded horseback riding through the bush. As I am not known to be one for either large smelly animals ( though I have dated a few) or bush this may be a challenge. The big question is will I rise to it? Ah well, at least if I live I will have something to laugh with Susan with over dinner.

Happy Hellos and sad farewells.

The many wonders of Aruba continue to unfold as i cover the island for Fodor’s Caribbean Guide 2010. I have just returned to the Bucuti/Tara Suites after a truly enjoyable evening at Pinchos with owners Anabela and Robbie. The food was great, the atmosphere on a lit pier in the ocean was unbeatable and I had a wonderful conversation. Anabela is something of a friend and I would call her the restaurant equivalent of Susan at Bucuti in that we tend to gab the night away if given half a chance. I arrived, and though we haven;t seen each other for a couple of years, it was like old times. We hugged and then got to eating, talking and drinking. The food is as delicious and simple as I remember and the conversation was as scintillating. I was somewhat gratified to learn from Annabella that my granting them a coveted Fodor’s Choice star has resulted in real sales for her and she was ecstatic. Who knew?

Tomorrow I must deal with the trauma of leaving Bucuti and the Tara Suites to head to Amsterdam Manor. I love Amsterdam Manor as it it is a great and intimate hotel but honestly…leaving Bucuti? They should offer trauma counseling. I toured other hotels today including the exceptionally bizarre Riu Palace ( where I had lunch) which , on the outside, looks like a wedding cake baked by a cocaine addict and on the inside looks like  Disney meets Byzantium. I really don’t know what to think about it as it is really not my taste but some readers may like it. The lunch was good – I will  give them that. I dunno…I guess being in the Caribbean I expect a hotel to reflect its location and the RIU adheres to an international look that its fans expect.

I am now going to consider two problems as I sign off. How do I smuggle the Tara Suites bed out in my hand luggage and how do I fit a steering wheel on a horse on Monday?