In Wisconsin, great memories come to mind when we say we’re going “up north.” I think of a cabin or pop-up camper in the woods and some time gazing out at an inland lake – or the two Great ones. There is definitely a campfire in this picture with pudgy pies, foil dinners and margaritas dispensed from our Barrel of Fun. Of course spring and summer are great months in this scenario, but I especially love the fall when trees are turning all of my favorite colors.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit Dodging the Deep Freeze 2020.

Winter Can Be Fun?

I know that plenty of Wisconsinites love Februarys up north with “the more snow the better” so their snow toys can come out of storage and all twelve months of the year can be fun. Me? I’d prefer to spend this February day up north… in Aruba!

This post will start just north of the Palm Beach area at Arashi Beach and end at Charlie’s Bar in San Nicolas, with miles of beautiful coastline in between. The area past the California Lighthouse is totally different from what we’ve seen so far on Aruba, and the beautiful day (and the people that we spent it with) made this area very enjoyable.

On one trip to Arashi Beach, we took the bus and got out for a while to take it all in. Since all beaches on Aruba are public, we were free to walk or sit on the white sands. At La Cabana we show them our wristbands and they grab us a lounge chair – at the other beaches we show them the money and they grab us a lounge chair. We were told this was a great swimming and snorkeling beach, but we decided today we would just gaze out at the Caribbean from a different vantage point and take in the sea air for a while. It was glorious!

End of the Line (for the bus)

Views to the north looked pretty tempting, but the bus doesn’t go any further up the coast. Since it looked like quite a hike, we decided we would just be patient until our friends arrived for the second week of our visit. The plan was to rent a Jeep for one day and explore the entire north side of the island.

California Lighthouse and Beyond

Fast Forward to the second week when we have our rental Jeep. Built in the three years between 1914 and 1916, the California Lighthouse has become a landmark that stands near the northwestern tip of Aruba. This point of land is called California – named after the ship that crashed into the island on its journey from Liverpool to Central America many years ago. Standing 100 feet tall on this high point of land, this old stone lighthouse offers picture-perfect 360° views of the island from its lantern room – up 123 steps.

Also at this point, the old lighthouse keeper’s dwelling has been transformed into a fabulous restaurant. Faro Blanco offers “The best of Italy surrounded by a century of Aruban Antiquity.”

“For over 20 years Faro Blanco Restaurant has been offering guests the best of Italy in Aruba. Renowned for our unsurpassed culinary masterpieces, years of experience in authentic Italian cuisine, a reputation of excellence, breathtaking views and the utmost warm Aruban service. Our charming restaurant is truly a hidden gem atop of the hill of Hudishibana at the foot of Aruba’s famous California Lighthouse Landmark.” – READ MORE

Although we didn’t eat here on the day we rented the jeep, we returned by cab several days later. The views are truly spectacular, and the food and service are just as good. Be sure to check sunset time and make your reservation a little earlier so you can be all settled in by the time the sun starts its descent. You won’t regret it.

The North Shore

As we continue along the north shore, the landscape changes dramatically. The fabulous white sand beaches of the west side of the island are replaced by washed up seaweed, what looks like lava, and rocks of all shapes and sizes. Bring sturdy shoes because it gets a little treacherous at some points. The sea is less turquoise on this side, more of a radiant blue but equally as beautiful. If it weren’t for that radiant blue water, we may have thought that we landed on Mars!

Smoothie Time!

Along the way, there are huts serving refreshments like smoothies (would you like that spiked?), fresh fruit and bottled water. Multi-colored school buses are all the rage here, offering tours of the island and bar-hopping party tours. We’ll talk more about that in the next post.

“The present Chapel of Alto Vista was completed in 1952 and stands in the same location as the original chapel, which was built by Domingo Silvestre, the Venezuelan missionary from Santa Ana de Coro, Venezuela, in 1750. The Alto Vista Chapel was stated to be the location where conversion of Aruban Indians to Christianity started.” – READ MORE

So Beautiful

This would have been a beautiful area with our bag chairs and the afore-mentioned Barrel of Fun-full of ritas. The volcanic rock was in stark contrast to the spray of the gorgeous sea water.

In case you’re wondering where some Arubans go to vacation, this side of the island has small dwellings dotted along the shore that are free for the locals to use for getaways. Although pretty primitive, you can’t beat the view. The osprey seems to like it too.

Lots of Room to Play

Up north in Aurba has one thing in common with up north in Wisconsin – lots of room to play. Jeeps, four-wheelers and horses are just a few of the ways to explore the island. Riders wear bandanas over their noses and mouths to protect from the dusty conditions and they come away caked with dirt. We rolled up our windows at one point as the cloud of dust swept over our Jeep. They were sure having fun, but I was comfortable watching from the sidelines.

Fabulous Finds

We picked up lots of unique and beautiful shells, which makes any trip to the beach complete. The heart-shaped rock below was unique and well-placed, where it should be protected from the elements. Most rocks were smooth from years of being tumbled in the sea and lapped by the waves. Another similarity to Wisconsin? Rock stacking seems to be a pastime here too. In Wisconsin it’s meant to wish visitors safe travels.

Baby Bridge

After Aruba’s larger Natural Bridge collapsed, this smaller one – Baby Bridge – moved up the list of great things to see. There are more bridges along Aruba’s northeastern shore, but we didn’t explore that far east. Maybe next time!

“On the northern coast sits the abandoned Bushiribana gold mill that once processed ore from mines in the nearby hills during Aruba’s gold rush of the nineteenth century.” – READ MORE

Love this View!

The photo below shows the area near the original Natural Bridge and is one of my favorite photos of the trip.

“The Aruba Natural Bridge was a tourist attraction in Aruba that was formed naturally out of coral limestone. It collapsed on September 2, 2005 due to extensive damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The natural arch, measuring approximately 25 feet high and 100 feet long, was the remnant of an ancient cave.” – READ MORE

Baby Beach

As we made our way southeast, we arrived at Baby Beach. Donkeys greeted us, and folks with kites were enjoying another gorgeous day. Click on the link below for an aerial photo of the beach that is fantastic! We were not that impressed by Baby Beach, but then we are staying right across the street from Eagle Beach, so it’s all relative I guess.

“Take in spectacular ocean views and indulge in shallow, crystal clear water at this magnificent paradise, Baby Beach. Famous Baby Beach in the southern part of Aruba, close to San Nicolas, is a true Caribbean beach paradise. This gorgeous half-moon sandy expanse in a calm lagoon is ideal for families with small kids.

The shallow waters make it a prime beach destination for swimmers who like to wade out for a long distance and still touch the sea bottom. Where the bay opens out to the ocean, Baby Beach also offers the perfect location for snorkeling; for your safety please stay within the marked snorkel area.” – READ MORE

I’ve heard that Big Mama Grill is a great place to eat but since our plan was to eat at our next stop, we didn’t partake.

Interesting Town

We made our way down to Sint Nicolaas. We had heard stories that this area was the “other side of the tracks”, but those stories made us want to visit it more. We were told that there was a restaurant/bar that should not be missed, so we set out to give it a try. On our way there, we had an “incident” that we laugh about every time we talk about Aruba with our friends who were with us.

On our first pass to find the restaurant, we missed it so we went up an alley to give it another go. We had to pause a bit for some reason and a man came over to speak to Jim and John in the front seat. He pointed to a woman who was sitting on a step and said she was available if they were so inclined. After Jim’s refusal, the man said a few vulgar words meaning they didn’t know what they were missing. Then he noticed Laurie and I in the backseat. Needless to say, he said his goodbyes.

It was broad daylight and we didn’t feel unsafe in any way, but that’s just not a common occurrence where we come from – not that it is in most places. Here in the oil refining town of Sint Nicolaas, prostitution has been legal since the 1920s, has been regulated by the government since 1928, and now under careful scrutiny of the public health department. So I guess it has that going for it.

Charlies Bar and Restaurant turned out to be a great place, with license plates from all over the world, and many from the U.S. We had a great lunch and a beer and headed on our way back to La Cabana. Well, that was an experience!

This turned out to be a fantastic day, with lots of scenery, a few laughs and a mouthful of dust! Gosh I love Aruba!

Up next: It’s Party Time!

Happy trails,
Barb