St.Particks Day Party, raving on the beaches of Aruba.

The event was organised by Senor Frogs on Aruba.

Awesome stage for the DJs.

Oh what a night, and day as well. The event opened at 12 noon and partied well past midnight, as is custom in the Caribbean. The main act was ‘Fat Boy Slim’, who is also a Brit!

We got a lovely bunch of coconuts!

Tarzan and Jayn with our coconuts in Aruba.

Four or five bunches, actually.

Coconuts and the Caribbean go hand in hand. In our front garden we have a medium-sized coconut tree that is producing a lot of coconuts this summer. So many that the gardener, Lynn, offered to cut some open for us so that we could try the lovely juice inside. Machete in hand, Lynn stated to chop at a green coconut. A bit scary, I thought, but she has probably been doing this for years.

We like to PARTY……..

Tarzan and Jayn on the Kukoo Kunuku Party Bus.

Yes, we do.

Tarzan and I are a traveling, fun-loving couple and whilst here on Aruba we love to PARTY! One of our favourite nights is to go out on the Kukoo Kunuku Party Bus. What a great idea, a bus that picks you up and drops you off at the end of the night, no designated driver or taxi needed.

Michael Jackson lives on!!

Tarzan with Michael Jackson (Alex).

His lookalike and dance-a-like, Alex, lives on Aruba.

Tarzan and I have been visiting Aruba for quite a few years now. One of our favourite things to do is to go to more local bars and hangouts, to get the real vibe of the island. On occasion, we have come across this very talented young man, Alex, who is the image of the young Michael Jackson (think “Thriller”). He performs a dance show to a medley of Michael Jackson songs, wearing brilliant outfits, so there is no mistaking who he is imitating.

Summer time on Aruba is just what you are looking for in a beach get-away.

Tarzan getting hot under the collar in Aruba.

Aruba, hot and sunny, dry and arid, you chose.

The summer time in Aruba is hot, warm, dry, breezy…..I can go on……. Just what you want for a beach get-away. The island lies just off the coast of Venezuela and hundreds of years ago had loads of trees covering the land. Unfortunately, in the name of progress, the trees were cut down, as they made great lumber for building houses and boats. This left the landscape to be what it is today, cactus, Divi Divi Trees, brush and sand. Still the climate is still the same.

Leatherback Turtle nest hatches on Eagle Beach, Aruba.

Tarzan watching leatherback turtles hatch on Aruba.

79 turtles make it to the ocean from the nest.

Finally, Tarzan and I watched a nest of Leatherback Turtles hatching. There are 42 nest this year on the beaches of Aruba and they started to hatch over 2 weeks ago. Apparently about 8 female turtles laid all of these nests and they hatch between 60 – 70 days. This nest was at 66 days. When we arrived there was a small group of people gathered around the fenced-off nest. As we approached we could see something! Yes, a small head, or 2! It was beginning to happen. WOW…..

Snake in the grass, tree, garden…..whatever……

Tarzan and the snake.

Boa to be correct, and a pretty nice one too.

OK, so snakes are not my favourite animal, but they are pretty impressive when you come across one in the wild. Tarzan and I love the animal kingdom, or course, and we love to have wildlife around wherever we are staying. When we where in Costa Rica there were creatures everywhere. Aruba, however, is not the same. The snakes on the island were introduced to keep the rats under control that had arrived on the ships of years gone by.

“Hi-Winds Aruba”, our Man comes 9th in the Kiteboarding Lond Distance Race.

Tarzan and Maki, our kiteboarder in the race.

Beautiful day, great result!

Sunday was a big day for the “Hi-Winds Aruba” Kiteboarding Competition. The weather was just perfect for the event. There were kites everywhere on the beach, looking a bit like butterflies sitting on flowers. The colours were spectacular. Everyone was in the party mood, with the DJs playing some great tunes and the drinks were flowing freely. There was plenty of flesh on show, being a beach venue, and there where beautiful people everywhere. The professional photographers were making the most of the pretty girls in skimpy bikinis!

“Aruba Hi-Winds” is here, Windsurfing and Kite Surfing competion, now on!

Tarzan and the Windsurfers of Aruba.

3rd July till 9th July, the 26th Annual Hi-Winds event.

These sports are just great to watch, Windsurfing and Kite Surfing, especially as there is never any shortage of wind on Aruba. This event is held at the Fishermen’s Huts at  Malmok Beach in Aruba. It is so impressive to see all of the tricks that the riders can do with their equipment. Tarzan was quite good at Windsurfing in his twenties, but these guys and girls are simply impressive (sorry Tarzan). There is a whole week of competitions and events. There are categories for everyone, even the smallest children (know as Barracuda class).

Leatherback Turtles nests are due to hatch any day now!

Tarzan and a turtle nesting site.

Waiting for the new arrivals.

Aruba has four types for turtles that come to its beaches to lay their eggs. At the moment, along the beaches of the Low Rise Hotels (Eagle Beach), there are 42 nesting sites. Last week, on Thursday, the first nest hatched and made the headlines in the local newspaper. Great! Tarzan phoned the “Turtle Hotline” to find out which nests would be hatching soon.