Aruba continued (Day #2)

Dave and I had so much fun in the casino last night that a large portion of today was spent in bed sleeping! We made our way to the pool after noon today and spent just a few hours poolside enjoying the ocean breezes. After a late lunch and shower, we made our way into the capitol city; Oranjestad or in English; "orange" town. Oranjestad is located on the southern coast.
Harbor view

Statue of "Henny" Eman (Jan Hendrick Albert; Head of Government (Prime Minister 1986-1989; 1994-2001)

We went to town today specifically to attend tonight's Bon Bini Festival at Fort Zoutman. The Bon Bini Festival is a year-round folkloric event which means "welcome" in Papiamento. Fort Zoutman was built in 1796 and played an important role in skirmishes between British and Curacao troops in 1803. The Wilhelm III Tower, named for the Dutch monarch of that time, was added in 1868 to serve as a lighthouse. Over time, the fort has been used as a government office building, a police station, and a prison. Now its historical museum displays Aruban artifacts in an 18th-century house. We walked through Oranjestad which has many malls with boutiques and shops. We then made our way over to Seaport Village and watched the fisherman and boats.
Fort Zoutman

After a light supper at a Dutch influenced restaurant (Dave ate the appetizer of Dutch snacks and me a goat cheese salad) we made our way to the festival. As we are exposed to numerous types of festivals in San Antonio; this wasn't your average festival. It fell along the lines of a cultural music and dance recital. Here's a photo of one of the many performances we viewed.
Festival dancers

Tomorrow we're celebrating Dave's birthday with a round of golf at the only 18-hole course in Aruba; Tierra del Sol Resort, Spa and Country club. p.s. don't be deceived by the ocean breezes here; we got pretty burned today! Thankfully Aruba is known for its mass production of aloe. http://www.arubaaloe.com Pin It Now!