There’s a reason why Ireland is located at a latitude of 53, 20N' and a longitude of 6, 15W'. It’s not that us Irish don’t like the sun. It’s that the sun doesn’t like us. When my plane touched down in Oranjestad, Aruba, I should have had visions of carefree sun-frolicking dancing in my head like every other person on the plane. Instead, I had flashbacks to a trip to Hawaii where I fainted five times from sun poisoning and each finger and toe resembled the kind of red only found on burn victims. Carribbean vacations for an Irish/Lithuanian girl should be taken with caution…and a sunblock holster that complements the bikini of choice.
After one week, I am happy to say that I am responsibly tan. My lips got the worst of it this trip and are currently covered with a couple sun blisters. Sexy, right? It’s about as sexy as my dad lathering my back with sunscreen each day. A small con for a single girl. The light aqua water surrounding Aruba’s shores were so inviting that I drank quite a bit of it while learning how to kitesurf on days 4 and 6. The wind was extremely powerful and the sport itself was very humbling. Here are some other highlights:
1) Snorkeling on Arashi Reef- We got up close and person with hundreds of colorful fish who seemed to like Ritz crackers. I have no idea what those preservatives will do to a fish’s metabolism. Mind the sodium.
2) Volleyball at the Rui- The 10 year old inside me went up to strangers asking if I could join their game. They asked if I was good and I said yes so they would let me play. It was my first lie of the trip- I was scrappy at best.
3) Crashed a Canadian corporate party at the Hyatt- Quickly got kicked out but was asked back in by the only single guy at the resort. Jonathan Champagne (no I didn’t change his name to protect his identity) and his Canadian coworkers surprisingly loved to boogie!
4) Becoming a local tourist- I scored some free boat rides with some locals that took tourists tubing and snorkeling. I learned about their lives on the island while diving for starfish and disobeying every boating law that exists in the States. One was confident enough to let me drive the boat after I asked if the trim was up enough- a little knowledge goes a long way. They called me ‘Snow White’ on day 1, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ on day 3, and ‘Local Tourist’ on day 7.
Lowlights:
1) Being outlasted at the bar- My parents and their 6 friends (mean age of 61) drank, ate, drank, ate, drank and drank some more. My teeth felt like they would fall out from those sugary drinks yet the threat of diabetes stopped none of them.
2) Telling people I was on vacation with my parents- I’m a little old to be on vaca alone with my parents. It gave me a newfound appreciate for all of my siblings. The role of the only child is tough!!
4) Saying goodbye to my parents- No surprise here. It was a tearful goodbye at the airport as it would be the last time I would see them before I leave for NZ and OZ.
No comments:
Post a Comment