One Happy Island

"Visual surprise is natural in the Caribbean; it comes with the landscape, and faced with its beauty, the sigh of History dissolves." - Derek Walcott

Aruba was spectacular. The rugged beauty of the desert juxtaposed with the aqua sea was breathtaking. It is an easy place to vacation. Everyone speaks English, you can drink the water from the tap and the weather is guaranteed to be perfect.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon, in time to enjoy an hour of sun on the beach, a delicious meal in the beach-side restaurant and still watch the much awaited Canada-U.S. hockey game that ended the Olympics. The resort was filled with Americans and Canadians wearing their team colours. A large number of people gathered in the resort's sports bar to watch the NBC broadcast of the game. Merv and I retreated to the comfort of our room to watch. It was a great game with a fairy tale ending. People were whopping and hollering in the halls of the hotel. Even at dinner, there were excited Canadians waving flags and celebrating. It was all good natured revelry and a wonderful start to our vacation.

The RIU Palace is a very pretty resort. Our suite was substantial in size and afforded us a view of the ocean. I've never quite seen water the colour of the sea in Aruba. Even standing at the shore and looking at the water as it broke over my feet, I was astounded at the depth of it's colour. The sand is white powder and almost free of shells, rocks and weeds. The water is warm and shallow for twenty feet at the shore. While many people at the resort chose to spend their time at the very beautiful swimming pool, Merv and I found our place at the beach. For six of our seven days there, we enjoyed the sound of the waves, the constant breeze (which at times were more like strong winds) and the warm sun. The seventh day was spent on an island tour that included the California lighthouse, Alto Vista church, natural bridge, lunch at a barbeque restaurant and snorkeling at Baby Beach. It was a great day.

Many martinis, much champagne and a buffet of meals later, we are home - tanned, rested and in my case, a few pounds heavier. I need to start my diet again. I almost had to lay on the bed to zip up my jeans to come home yesterday. The week promises to be busy. I need to get back to Willow, prepare a plan for my Calgary client visit in a couple of weeks and do a little work for another client. At some point this week, I will also take a drive to Guelph and enjoy a couple of hours catching up with Jacob. Today the sun is shining and the air is warm. It's good to be home.