The airport is an amazing place. It is the start and finish of so many wonderful vacations on this island. Planes land with tons of visitors and within hours an equal mass of humanity gets back on those same planes to head back home. Interesting place - Airports.

In all of this, you look for similarities amongst those arriving. Be it the sweaters wrapped around the necks of New York winter birds flying South or, the boots on the feet of the "Lone State visitors. In any case, the tendency is to look for identifying similarities. I see smiles.

Smiles for having landed safely or for having found something that was theirs to begin with (luggage) or smiles for the sun that warms faces and the wind that pushes back hair and anything else that isn't tied to the body. There are taxi (found one!)smiles and bus (wow that's big) smiles. Not too many non-smiling faces hit the tarmac. It is the way it is with smiles and airports in particular.

Departing smiles are there but a bit different. These smiles show the satisfaction of having been here and the longing to actually get back to the grind. As we all know, vacations are best kept to a time limit - beyond that magical limit, they can become drudgery. Departing smiles ate at the steak houses after having read all the reviews on this and other buletin boards. These same smiles have seen Aruba from a different point of view - perhaps hanging in a parasail underwater or across the green table covering at a casino. All are individual and equally as delightful.

Be they what they are and be the origin what it is, it is the smiles that count. It is this massive amount of smiles that we cannot forget to look at and to recognize as the the end product of most vacations on our island.

Are we perfect? Nope - we aint but then what is? I just simply love this place. I like what it offers and why it offers it. It grows on me day by day and I live here. The airport smiles grow on me. The departing ones will come back and smile some more and I hope to be a participating on looker and have them grow on me as well. Smiles and Aruba both grow on my skin and it feels good.

Simply said - if Aruba were warts, I would be honored to be a toad. Perhaps am closer to that realization than I suspect. Who knows?

RIBBIT (or whatever smiling toad sounds are)

charles
arubafastphones.com

That was interesting, Charles. We'll be arriving there on July 9th and can't wait. We already have smiles on our faces in anticipation. We have been to Aruba before so we know what we're smiling about!!!

Bucuti here we come!!

Charles I have never met you and I will never rent a phone from you (because I dont need one)but you sound like an ok guy! Hopefully on my next visit I will get a chance to meet, the man. See you in Sept?

Thank you Charles. There is a smile on my face right now!

Charles,great to see your post again,yes you put a smile on our faces when we read your stories..AGAIN THANKS AS ALWAYS...

Charles, smiling to read your posts. Missed them. As usual the same varmits are roaming through here still being arsonist's, setting fires and sitting back and gloating over the heat they generate to the non-aware posters here.
All the fake names they use havent fooled the daily readers and writers here at all.
You have conditioned yourself and your livelyhood very well with insult insulation that cannot be penetrated by these ever present happiness deprived derelicts.

Hope you and your family have been and continue to stay well. Cordialy, j.h.

Charles, thanks for making me smile today! Just thinking about Aruba ALWAYS puts a smile on my face and brings back some great memories! I will be down there for 10 days beginning July 29 for the third time in a year....I just love everything Aruba has to offer....sun, sand, friendly people, and bartenders who really know how to make a drink!!!! Looking forward to making some new friends and even more memories to last a lifetime.....I might just have to look you up when I'm down there this time!!

Charles you are the man. When ever I see a post from you I know that I am going to walk away from my computer with a smile and another step smarter. We just booked our trip for Feb., 2006 and I can't wait to get back to all of my friends.

Charles - I agree it is great to read your posts again - I always look forward to reading what you write. I look forward to meeting you when we pick up our phone on July 18th - see you soon

Charles, your one sly guy. Your percieved as a compassionate person with your frequent posts about day to day joviality but lets still keep in mind that your a BUSINESSMAN.