1/6 - 1/13 brief report

[s0mopo]

1/6- got in late and went to the Black hog BBQ. $45 bucks all you can eat ribs/ chicken and all you can drink beer. Sounded good until they ran out of food after 2 helpings Drank plenty of beer to make up for. Not worth $45 though

1/7- Woke up late, thanks to the beer from night before. Hung out by pool and enjoyed weather. Absolutely amazing!!! I see what all the fuss is about. Made plans for excursions through out week and went to dinner at Amazonia (sp) brazillian steak house. Food was amazing! Best food of week. Dinner was only $45 for meal (does not include drinks or dessert) but was well worht it. Gambled over at Hyatt afterwards. Great day in Aruba

1/8- Dive trip with Carlos at mermaids. Great trip. The guys on the boat are a blast and very experienced. Heck of a deal also compared to some of the other dive charters. Only thing I would recommend is to bring your own gear if you are a serious diver. Hung out by the pool some more in the afternoon and then off to Senor Frogs. After that it was a bit of a blur!!! But according to friends and pictures, it looks like we had a blast. Great day in Aruba

1/9- You guessed it. Got up a little late. Went to Palm Beach and enjoyed the sun and sites. Water is absolutely amazing. Went on Party Bus that evening. Had a good time. Just make sure to bring some extra cash. Another great day in Aruba

1/10- Ooops I did it again. Another late morning out of bed. Starting to get used to this cycle though (haha). 1:00 tomcat tour island. Tomcats are these all terain vehicles that sit 2 people and look alot like a dune buggy. $89 for a guided tour with a stop for snorkeling. What a blast!!! Tour guides where great and let us get a little out of control with cars. Went to Old Fisherman by the Sea for Dinner. Great food. Very friendly waitresses. After that first night of carnival so we went to see parades. These people love to party!!! Great day in Aruba

1/11- Hung out by pool and watched American football (had to, its the playoffs). Went to casinos afterwards. Great day in Aruba

1/12- Another dive trip with Carlos from Mermaids. Water is amazing down here, a little chilly but great dives. Gift shopping in afternoon with a trip down to San Nicholas to see what this side of island was like. Charlies Bar seems to be the only thing worth going down there for unless you want a pro. Charlies was great though. Cheap drinks and great atmosphere. Worth the bus ride (not taxi) down there to go see charlies. Another great day in Aruba

1/13- time to leave hung out by pool in morning and then off to airport. Stopped and took one last look and realized that this was one GREAT WEEK IN ARUBA!!!!

[Arubalisa]

I see what all the fuss is about.

Sounds like you KNOW how to have a good time AND you did!

[arubamark]

Nice report thanks!

Why do you recommend bringing your own dive gear if you are a serious diver? Is it in bad condition? I used to travel with all my gear but it became to cumbersome with all my other stuff. Now I will just bring my regs/computer. That is the equip I need to trust the most. Bcd, fins, mask give me any ol crab I will make due.

[Cosmo]

I feel hungover just reading you trip report, glad you had a great trip. Six days a counting for me.

[kthy66]

Thanks for the report.. Sounds like you had a blast!

[CandyC55]

Sounds like you had a great time!! 55 days and counting to sun and sand ...

[s0mopo]

As far as the gear. It is nice having your own equipment. I only brought mask/ fin and relied on them for weights, bc, reg, wetsuit. First dive had to get used to equipment. Would have been easier using my own in hind sight. Had a blast though. Definitly will be back.