salsa, snorkeling, & sinking

Byron and I kayaked to De Palm Island on our first day in Aruba.  I have never seen such stunningly blue water.  It was incredible.  The trip to the island wasn’t too challenging and we both enjoyed it a lot.  Our guide, named Coco, led us out of the lagoon, along the southern coast, then back in the direction of our starting point towards the island.  They say on a clear day you can see Venezuela from De Palm Island [it’s only 14 miles away]. 

Once on the island, we spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach, snorkeling [Byron was bit by a fish!], riding banana boats, playing basketball with some locals, taking salsa dance lessons [so much fun!], and enjoying the food and drinks.

Love him.

The fish were such vibrant colors!

After a few hours, it was time to kayak back to Aruba.  Going against the wind, we knew it would be more difficult than the trip over.  Byron, who’d had a lot more to drinks than I, was zooming ahead of me.  Not to sound all high and mighty, but I’m a more experienced kayaker than him, and couldn’t help but thinking, How is this so much easier for him? 

No doubt that the wind and current had picked up quite a bit, but I felt like I wasn’t moving forward at all.  I looked to buildings on the island to gauge my movement and discovered, in fact, my ferocious paddling wasn’t getting me anywhere!  All the while Byron paddled ahead, stopped, and let the wind drift him back to me [twice].

Hands, arms, and back burning in pain, I paddled even harder and finally reached Byron at the point leading into the lagoon.  The water was shallow and he suggested we take a rest.  I agreed, and as I went to slide out of my kayak it dumped me into the water and flipped upside-down.  Even standing in the water it was quite difficult to turn it right side up.  After a minute we decided to head to the dock.  I jumped in my kayak, only to be thrown off the other side.  Another attempted resulted in the same. 

Seeing my frustration, Byron asked to switch kayaks.  I hopped on his without a problem and was ready to go.  His first attempt getting situated in mine left him back in the water.  He briefly sat in the kayak on his second try . . . then the kayak sank!!! Literally.

I had been paddling for over an hour in a kayak that was taking in water the entire time!  No wonder it was such a struggle.  Thankfully another guide saw what was happening and towed us another kayak so we could make it to the dock.  It was quite the excursion and work out.  My hands have never been so sore and I am so thankful I did not fall out of my kayak any sooner!

balashi and a constant breeze

Instead of flying out on Sunday, Byron scheduled our flights to Aruba for Monday morning.  I am so thankful he planned it that way; we were able to spend Sunday relaxing, playing in the pool, and eating all the delicious food [3 meals worth!] TBM packed for us.  It was wonderful to enjoy our first day together as husband and wife without the commotion of the Atlanta airport.  We woke up before the sun on Monday, though, to travel to Aruba for our honeymoon!  Byron had planned our entire trip without telling me a single detail -- everything was a surprise!     

Aruba is awesome.  The weather was perfect the entire time we were there: temperatures in the 90’s, not a cloud in the sky, and a breeze without cease.  I was expecting waves similar to that of the Gulf of Mexico, but there was hardly a tide at all on the sandy beaches!  The first person we met in Aruba was a nice islander that drove us to our hotel, giving us 2 pieces of advice along the way:

           1. “Dehydration is a fact.  Drink lots of fluid.”

           2. "Do you have sun block?  Good.  Use it.  If you don’t you will look like overcooked bacon.”

We stayed in a locally owned hotel.  It was awesome.  I really enjoyed experiencing the little touches of local hospitality (example: whenever we left the room, we came back and it had been straightened, the dirty towels were replaced, and there were treats for us, like apples, oranges, and chocolate!). 

For breakfast we walked to the outdoor cafe downstairs to sit by the street and sip on our morning coffee and fresh orange juice.

All of the food and drinks were incredible.  We began the week at a café enjoying a variety of tapas and Sangria, and returned later in the week for more Sangria and dessert.  

We had the freshest mojitos, with so many mint leaves it was almost hard to drink!  

For lunch on the beach we ate at little restaurants established at the ends of piers.  One night we drank German beers and wine while dining at a Bavarian restaurant.   

The local beer in Aruba is Balashi.  It’s a pilsner and very good -- Byron really enjoyed it, and I tried new mixed drinks [some were tasty and others were not].  Almost every restaurant has happy hour in the afternoon, so it was fun to stop at the pier restaurants to take a break from the sun and cool down [it was also a prime time to people watch].

happy @ happy hour

We took an incredible kayaking trip to a small island [more on that in a later post]. 

Another day we rode horses through cactus forests and along the north shore of the island to a small chapel.  The north shore has incredibly rough water.  We galloped along the water’s edge watching the waves crash into the rocky cliffs.  My 14 year-old horse’s name was Pinto, and he had the temperament of Bridget.  Byron’s horse, Ali Baba, was 10 and much more spunky.

Byron learned to windsurf one afternoon!  Because the wind is so strong, but the water is so calm, it's a perfect place for windsurfing.   

After dinner each night we walked, browsing the items vendors tried to sell and discussing what exactly we should buy.  One evening we stopped for ice cream, and I kid you not, had the best strawberry ice cream I have ever had.  We went out dancing one night and met some very interesting Dutch bartenders.   

My husband planned the most perfect honeymoon for us.  We were sad to leave but excited to start living life.  I couldn’t have asked for more perfect way to begin our lives together than experiencing such a beautiful country together. I am blessed.

Surprise Honeymoon!

I can't believe my wedding is in 2 days. I never ever want to plan another one! Good thing I won't have to! Growing up, I didn't think about my 'dream wedding' or what my perfect dress would be. Quite honestly, I'd never even looked at rings until Byron and I went [and I immediately learned his opinions about what I should wear were stronger than my own -- which is why he chose it . . . and I could not be happier with my ring!!]. Needless to say, wedding planning has been quite a bear considering I had no clue what I wanted! Instead of dreaming about my wedding, like most girls, I thought about the honeymoon! Unfortunately, though, in the midst of all the wedding planning it's difficult to get excited about planning a honeymoon, too. My sweet hubby-to-be quickly realized this and took the reigns.

Byron has planned the entire honeymoon for us . . . and he'd kept it a secret! [He's been practicing some serious will power because he doesn't usually keep secrets well!] Unfortunately, my soon-to-be father-in-law wasn't aware it was a secret, and spilled the beans on Sunday!! Although I do know where we'll be going, I know nothing more than that, so it really still is a surprise! I know not the city, where we're staying, what we'll be eating, or how we'll spend our days. I'm impressed with Byron's decision and proud of him for not telling me!

The items on my packing list and knowing that I'll need a passport gave clues to our unknown destination; my guess was that we're going to an island somewhere in the Caribbean, which hardly narrows down the possibility of places. I have complete faith in Byron and I know that it is going to be fantastic. Iam thrilled to see how he's planned for us to spend our first week as 'Mr. and Mrs. Livermore' . . . in ARUBA!!