Aruba

"In the afternoon they came unto a land

In which it seeméd always afternoon."   

I expected Aruba to be much less interesting than Ramsgate, which does at least have a Pugin monastery, but in fact a sense of utter relaxation immediately descended on me.

And I had recommended to me by my landlord a really great local non-tourist bar/restaurant.  Cilla's Bar. Wonderful food, enormous helpings.

In my first few hours I met one  tourist, an 18 year old Canadian girl who had lived here three weeks here. I met lots of very friendly, intensely laid back, local mixed race people. They probably call themselves mullatoes, as Colombian ones do. I shall ask.

 

I suppose most visitors stay in so called resorts, meaning five star hotels where there is no call to leave the hotel. 

Oranjestad, the little capital, has no sights or any beauty, half a dozen houses excepted,  but that is what makes it relaxing. 

I should have bought a snorkelling tour and made friends. Instead I walked around and finally found a bar on the seaside called West Deck and an excellent chic Peruvian restaurant called Lima. 

Everywhere Christmas music tinkles from shops, but Arubans told me that they are a religious people. 

It's a very nice place to live if you come from here and don't love bookish conversations.