Our first visit to Aruba came on our Southern Caribbean cruise with Princess.  We docked in Ojanjestad and prepared to go exploring.  The world famous sugar sand beaches on the North coast beckoned, so we found a taxi and headed out. We arrived at Palm Beach and were impressed by the high rise hotels.  The white sand beaches were all that were advertised.  The warm sand felt good between our toes and I wheeled Debi up to the water and she got to feel the soothing waters around her feet.  A paved path followed the shoreline and we were able to wander up the coast for over a mile.  We checked out the restaurants along the beach and stopped for lunch. I went for a quick swim, while Debi sipped on a Chocolate Monkey.  We caught a taxi at the hotel and made it back in time to sample some of the shops in downtown Ojanjestad.  We captivated by the charm of the Dutch influenced town and found some excellent shops.

    We visited Aruba again on our Panama Canal cruise.  We didn't have very much time so we decided to explore the downtown area some more.  Three other cruise ships were in town and the shops were crowded so we decided to go for a stroll south of town. We found a path that led toward a wooded area and  discovered a beautiful secluded beach.  We felt the stress ooze out of us as we relaxed in the sun and I went for a quick swim.  We watched a local man fishing  out on a reef  with some type of balloon rig. We strolled along  the beach on a boardwalk for about a mile and even encountered a Gila Monster lurking in the bushes. It wasn't as crowded when we returned so we  hit the shops in Ojanjestad again.  Our ship passed by our secret beach on the way out to sea and we had one more chance to enjoy the memories we made.