Aruba (updated 09/29/16)
08/01/16
So our flight to Aruba went just fine. We arrived around 12:30 and Joop (he and his wife, Gaby, own the Iguana Dog Resort) was there waiting for us.
We got to the resort and met all the wonderful dogs they have here. Some dogs are here because the owners are on vacation, some were placed here from dog rescue organizations. Joop and Gaby have done a great job giving the dogs a wonderful environment. They are both dog trainers, so they understand how to work with scared and/or neglected dogs. (pictures will follow in a few days).
Joop and Gaby took us around the island later in the day and showed us the beautiful beaches here in Aruba. We will definitely be visiting them (and some of the bars) on our days off. We ended the tour with some ice cream, yum.
It is very hot and humid in the day, but there is usually 15+ mph trade wind (still hot). At night the temperature goes down. As some of you know, we are sleeping in a shipping container, but the 2 fans we were provided seem to keep us reasonably cool. Mike will have a bit harder time adjusting to the heat at night than I will. I found I had to put sheets over me around 3:00 a.m. because I was a little cool. Truth be told, Mike had the sheets on him when I got up this morning.
We get up at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast and at 8:00 a.m. we start do some of the daily chores such as sweep the porch, clean out the 6 dog runs, water the plants, etc . At around 9:30, we start to do whatever project Joop and Gaby have decided on for the day. At 1:00 we have lunch which is the big meal of the day, clean up the dishes and are done for the day. On Saturday and Sunday, we just help with the dog areas for 1 hour and the rest of the time is for us.
I will be taking some pictures of the resort, dogs, and our sleeping accommodations a little later in the week.
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08/05/16
Well we have finished our first work week here in Aruba. As I mentioned above, we are living in a shipping container. I didn’t mention that we have a sliding door on the container. It is really a wood pallet to keep the dogs out (not the mosquitos).
We work really hard in the heat. We are putting in plants along the front of the resort. Almost done, but it looks great. Something we didn’t know about Aruba is that the dirt is so hard you have to use a small jack hammer to break through it.
It is hard work, so Mike decided to let Gaby cut his hair. (Now he REALLY knows how thin his hair is).
The dogs are really great. Each has their own personality.
We have gone to the “tourist” area in Aruba. We found it very crowded and all Americanized. Joop and Gaby have been nice enough to drive us to a few beaches. We went out last night with them to a true Dutch restaurant and ice cream shop for Gaby’s birthday. Food was great and so is Gaby’s cooking. We eat very well.
Sunday they are taking us for a tour of the island. Should be great and we will note the places we want to return to later in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned!
(I will be also posting some more pics)
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08/14/16
Some of you may be thinking – What do you do at a dog resort for fun on a Friday night. My answer… Kill poisonous frogs of course. These lovely “little” frogs decided to live in the dogs pond. We were afraid that the dogs would try to catch them, so we hunted them down and wacked them with a shovel.
And the dogs do love their pond, especially Midas. He is the one doing the graceful dive.
When we are not killing annoying pests, Gaby and Joop are showing us how to train dogs. Since some of these dogs learn bad habits from home or just from being out on the street, we have to teach them not to jump, come when called, sit for dinner, etc. It is really interesting. Just last night I sat with one of the rescue dogs, “Trusty”. She is a wonderful dog, but scared of everything. I just sat in the suite with her and told her the three bears bedtime story. Hey, I couldn’t very well tell her about the 3 little kittens.
Speaking of the dog suites, I never did post any pictures. They are quite nice. They have partially thatched roofs, a small indoor house with a kind of couch, and their own small pond for drinking. There is a total of 6 suites ( 3 sets of 2 suites with a fruit garden in between them). Many precautions are taken to ensure the dogs are not out playing together until they are ready, such as multiple gates separating the area around the suites, just in case someone gets out and tries to get to another one,
We had an incident last night where two dogs got into a fight. Joop was bitten pretty good in the leg. Mike and I have now learnt how to help to break up a fight. It was pretty scaring, but Joop is ok and both dogs were not hurt.
So here are some of the wonderful dogs that live here..
Midas (king of the hill)
Rosie (the defeated challenge)
George (sweet and still learning how to play)
Dibbit ( had 2 strokes, and is now a cute goofy 12 year old – she looses her balance and just has a carefree look ALL the time)
A few pictures of the grounds where the dogs are allowed to run free (not all at once – but groups at a time).
Here is a picture of our living room (outside, just the way locals like it)..
Besides taking care of the dogs, Mike and I finished planting the garden on the outside of the resort. It is now called the ‘Marion Garden’. Looks pretty good right! Sometimes we didn’t even have to water the plants we were putting in because Mike of all the sweat had pouring off his hat. LOL
Our next project is to add windows and a door to the shipping container. Should be fun. You won’t want to miss our adventures of that.
We really like Gaby and Joop. They did take us to see many of the sights on the island on Sunday. We ended the tour with a great meal at the local fish restaurant. You pick out the fish you want and watch them cook it on the outside grill. It is right on the water and no I did not have fish, but the fried bananas were awesome.
We have rented a car so we can return to some of the sights and beaches. Joop is willing to drive us anywhere, but he is busy and we didn’t want to impose.
Gaby has invited me to join her on Monday for some painting lessons, and I am also taking a one night cooking class with her. We were invited to a barbeque on the beach next Tuesday by some of their friends. Should be so much fun. The following Tuesday we are going into town for a welcome to the island get together. Everyone is welcome and we hear there is a lot of local island cooking going on. On September 2nd all four of us are going to a “couples dinner”, hosted by a local.
We also have an art festival, dinner sunset cruise, and drag race event scheduled in the next few weeks. We are so glad that we are getting to know the “real” Aruba.
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I added an Iguana Dog Resort Gallery (still have more pictures to post – should be posted Monday night)
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Updated 08/15/16
I added a few more pics in Iguana Dog Resort Gallery.
So enough about the dog resort, except to say we now have a window in the shipping container. It is always open , since it is just a hole right now, but it did drop the temperature inside the container during the day by about 20 degrees. We may have to put up curtains with little frogs on it, just so we don’t look like we hate frogs (hahaha).
I have added a gallery called Aruba Gallery. I will be putting different pics in there that have nothing to do with the dog resort, or dogs for that matter.
A little about Aruba…
Aruba has a style of home that starts out as a box and then people add porches and LOTS of color. Funny as you drive around the island you can tell the old neighborhoods from the new.
We took a ride to the rocky beach side of the island. We saw some beautiful shore lines. Here in Aruba no one, including hotels, owns the beaches. They are all public. But some people build small “huts” and use them as a little vacation spot. Others can come along and use then also. People are very respectful of the huts and keep them clean for the next person (try that in the states).
Along the beach we came to a very quant little chapel called Alto Vista. It was built in the mid 1700’s and mass is till heard here every Sunday. Because it is so small, most of the pews are outside and the stations of the cross are along the road leading to the chapel. Really awe inspiring.
Most of us are used to small park to sit or walk our animals (I said I wouldn’t mention dogs – oops). Well in Aruba they have rocks parks. Rocks are so large that they can’t move them, so they build parks around them.
(need a better picture of the rock parks- next time)
We also visited an old gold mining refinery. I had no idea they did that years ago in Aruba, but there is was. No one is quite sure what the remains are of. You know it was a refinery but there are no building plans, etc. to show you exactly what parts of the refinery are what. It was fun talking with Joop and trying to figure out how it must have looked so long ago.
People in Aruba who have dogs (OH NO, I mentioned them again), really love them. The dog cemetery along the rocky beach says it all…
And YES, Aruba has beautiful beaches with gorgeous warm water (so many colors of blue)..
As you can see we don’t always work. Check out the cabana, sunset, and my own Captain Morgan look alike.
Till next update … stay cool and watch out for droppings on the ground in front of you (WE DO)!!!!!
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update 08/24/2016
As I stated before, I went to a cooking class and a painting class. I was hoping to at least be able to sit in some air conditioning, but NO. Not sure what is wrong on this island but people love to sit in their own sweat most of the day. Oh well, when in Rome…
Anyway, we made some Spanish dishes and I made the tiramisu. It was yummy despite me sweating my %#% off. There were 5 of us cooking, not including the one teaching the class. We all help make something and then enjoy eating our hard work out on the porch with wine. Not too shabby! I am taking another class at the end of September, “different ways to cook vegetables”. Mike is coming to this one with me (probably just for the wine).
I have been to 2 painting classes so far. I decided to paint my beloved bearded dragon, Mojito. I had to give her to a friend when we decided to travel. She is well loved, but I do miss her. I am reminded of her every time I see a lizard or iguana here and believe me that is ALOT, but I digress. Here is my finished painting of Mojito. Not too bad considering that at one point it looked like the head of a frog and had whiskers instead of little spikes (hahaha). Gaby was painting a flamingo. She is quick.
I am going to attempt another painting next week on canvas. Watch out Picaso!
We managed to piss off a few lizards and some birds 2 days ago. One of the cactuses grew a small fruit which they love to munch on, but I pulled it out of the top of the cactus and Mike and I shared it. It was very small (1/2 the size of your pinky finger), however it was very sweet. I hope they will forgive us and not poop in our bed for revenge. It came from this cactus and looked like this
Ok, so I forgot to take a picture of the thing BEFORE we ate it. I had to get a picture from the internet. Must be the heat!
So what is happening with the dogs, the real animals in charge around here. Lily and Lola came to stay with us for a few weeks. Mom went back to Holland for a visit.
It didn’t take us long to learn that Lola thinks she is a submarine. You see in the night, she decided she didn’t want to stay in the suite (lovely as it is), so she decided to go under the fence via the drinking pond. How she fit her body in there I don’t know (Lola is the larger of the two). There is now a wooden pallet in her way. These pallets are good for all kinds of things, remember our sliding door on the container, yup a pallet.
But these two dogs have won Mike’s heart for some reason. I think it is because they love to run and play so hard and when they wag their tails, their entire body shakes.
A sad but good thing happened today. Salsa, one of the rescue dogs left for her new home in New Hampshire. For a week now, we have been training her to go in and out of the shipping crate and walking on a leash. Her new mom and dad have been here every morning for the last few days to get to know her. We are so glad she has a good home, but you can really get attached to some of these lovable guys. She was found 8 months ago at a building site and was so weak, she couldn’t even walk. Gaby and Joop have done so much for her and now she is a lovable and fun loving little girl. We will miss her.
On going projects…
Joop cut a window in the shipping container (forgive me if I repeat – heat thing again). He started to build the wall but there are so many other pressing things to do here, it will be some time before it is done.
Gaby and Joop are trying to get some of the algae out of the pool, so they got some water lilies this week. To our surprise, water lilies are hard to get here. Not much in the way of fresh water. They are beautiful and if the dogs don’t use them as chew toys, they may survive.
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As for us, we have been working on finishing the fire pit area. Yes, you read that correctly, a fire pit. We don’t get it either, but ours is not to question why, just to do what they ask. We had to dig up the oh so lovely Aruba cement (they call it dirt) for landscape edging, shovel tons of gray stone into place, dig the pit itself, find and move rocks to outline the actual pit, etc. In all, it took us 8 days, but it looks real nice. More heat anyone!
The final outcome…
ent
The poles near the fire pit are for a security gate that still needs to be installed. This will NOT be installed by us. Anyone who knows Mike knows he doesn’t do electrical projects. Our electrician back in Connecticut had a few choice words for Mike’s “electrical” skills. The gate is needed so the dog can’t get out. When you enter the resort there is one set of gates you must open. If the dogs are out running around, which they usually are, they can escape. But with a second gate, we can drive the car in the first gate, close it, then open the second gate and WHALA, people can get in and dogs can’t get out.
If you are paying attention to where we are and where we will be, we just added a new destination – Jamaica. I know I tol some of you I had been to Jamaica enough times, but this workaway job sounded great. We will be helping with a new small hotel in Falmouth and right now they are in need of help (“mature” help – as they put it). We like this area, it is close to the airport and cruise ship area, so is not too rural.
New schedule…
August and September – Aruba
October – Boca del Toro, Panama
November and most of December – Falmouth Jamaica
Next year – we don’t know yet, that’s the fun of it!!!
Well that is it for now. Planning to go to the drag races this weekend and also to visit an Ostrich farm. Weird I know, but hey, it is small island and you gotta do something else then just go to the beach. They also have a donkey farm, butterfly house, and an intersection know as “goat intersection” because you usually see 30 or so goats grazing there. LOL
Life in Aruba. Gotta love it!!
I almost forgot, this is Mike’s office (he does contract at his old job a few hours a day, so I can spend it).
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09/08/16
Lots of things to write about today. We have been very busy and time got away from me. Where to begin… lets start with the dogs.
We got 2 dogs named Talla and Tubba about 10 days ago. Their mom is on holiday in Holland and left them here with us for a total of 3 weeks. Talla is a rescue and Tubba is an 8 year old black dog. Tubba LOVES Mike. Whenever she sees him, she brings him a toy and begs him to throw it. She has a one track mind, throw it, throw it, throw it. If you don’t throw it, she will go and get ANYTHING (stick, piece of wood) and again she thinks, will you throw this, will you throw this, and on and on. Mike complains but he is a big softy. He even went out and bought a Frisbee for the two of them to play with.
We also got two rescue dogs, a brother and sister named que and queie. We thought the names were dumb so we changed them to Betty and Barney. They also have a last name given to them by me. Remember, my job each morning is to clean out the suites. These are 2 little dogs (will add picture soon) but the poop in their suite suggests there is at LEAST 6 dogs in the there. You laugh, but I have to clean it up. So they are now known as Betty and Barney Dumpsalot. (they earned it)
Yul and Eup (or as Mike calls them, brown dog and big brown dog) will be going home tomorrow after being here 3 months. Their dad will be flying them to Holland, where they just finished building a house. We will miss them.
We are getting 2 new dogs tomorrow (Monster and Storm). Their family will be on holiday for a few weeks.
Then there is Quincy. Quincy has WON my heart. He was an abused dog and rescued by police. We have a special bond, him and I. I told Mike we were going to have to buy a house somewhere just so I could adopt Quincy (if I had a house, I would have already adopted him). But goods news, one of the people who worked with him at the rescue place has officially adopted him. He will be leaving for Holland in a few weeks. I am so relieved that he will be leaving soon – for his sake. Mike is relieved for Mikes sake – now he doesn’t have to buy a house for me and Quincy. I’ll add a pic of Quincy soon (he is very shy).
Lily and Lola went home last week. Mike will miss them. Here is a picture of Mike and the girls just having a good time (Lily is the one on top, Mike is the one in the shirt, and Lola is the one with her tongue hanging out)…
So work wise…
We have dug yet another ditch (Mike swinging the pick and me shoveling the dirt – kinda like shoveling the sh*#). This is for a cement ground border along the road in the resort. Mike and Joop have made forms and are making and pouring cement every day. They should be done next week.
Gaby has been really ill, so I have been given the task of making the afternoon meal. As most of you know I am no cook. Add the fact that all the food here is for Dutch cooking (including all package, etc are in Dutch) and we have one heck of a combination. I have cooked 4 meals so far with no incidents like vomiting, diarrhea, or even too much whining. I’ll take that as a job well done.
I am still stealing the cactus fruit from the birds and lizards (I figure I earned it)…
Also managed to snap a photo (long distance) of a local iguana and a common bird that eats from the little coconut feeder here. His beak is full of sugar.
Tuesday we had a little rain (about 15 minutes) at around 1 in the morning. You may think, oh nice rain sound to put you to sleep. Now image sleeping in a shipping container and having it rain REAL hard. There was NO sleeping. The next morning it was even more humid then normal (I didn’t think that was possible), because the rain didn’t have time to sink into the ground, so it was all evaporating around us. Did I mention our slogan here “Gotta LOVE Aruba”
There was a beautiful rainbow in the afternoon, and the sunset here at the resort are breathtaking…
more pics in the Iguana Dog Resort Gallery
Speaking of beautiful sunsets, when we are not working…
We go to the beach. It is true what they say, Aruba has beautiful beaches. White sand, amazing turquoise waters that go on for miles..
We have also done a few other things here on the island.
We went to the drag races. They were suppose to start at 4, then 5, then maybe 6 (it is the islands after all). When the kids started races their small drag cars, the stands were packed…
(crickets chirping)
We asked if there were people who come to this and were told, “Oh the Arubans don’t like the heat and sun, so they don’t show up till around 8:00”. WHAT… hello, you live in Aruba.
Anyway, they did start coming in after the sun set and it was packed. Here are a few of the cars..
The red one says “You just got passed by a girl”. I liked that one!
If you have ever seen the movie or read the book called ‘Christine’, you will like this next car (and if you haven’t you should at least see the movie). The ending leaves you wondering what really happened to Christine. Well now we know, she is drag racing in Aruba. It was really cool…
We had a nice time watching the races.
We also went to an Ostrich Farm. Don’t ask me why they have an Ostrich farm on Aruba, but they do. We heard a little (very little) about ostrichs and got to feed them. One thought Mike’s arm tasted pretty good.
They looked sooo happy to see us.
Every Tuesday night here on the happy little island of Aruba, they have a Bon Bini festival. It is really just a few locals who dance a little, sing a little, tell some poems, etc. about the island. It is for tourist and it shows. But it was kinda nice and we did get to see some of the costumes they wear during Carnival (which is held in February I think).
I started a new painting. I’ll let you know what it is and show pictures, when it starts to resemble what I thought I was painting.
Well that’s it for now. I finish with this thought and picture… Mike works hard and is getting quite a figure
No, you can’t ‘unsee’ it.
Till next time, watch the puddles, they are not all rain water.
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9/28/15
Ok, internet seems to be fixed. So…
