Aruba

Aruba is a small island that was colonized by the Dutch.

We docked at the cruise ship terminal in Oranjestad.

We took a snorkeling tour in the morning on a big catamaran.

The first site was near the beach on the northwest side of the island near the lighthouse and we saw lots of fish.

The water was warm, around 81 F, very pleasant for snorkeling.

The second site was further offshore and was the wreck of the Antilla, a German cargo ship scuttled by its crew near the beginning of World War II. Not as many fish here.

In the afternoon, we walked along the coast looking for wildlife.

The pelicans were out fishing. We saw them dive into the water numerous times. As large as they are, they make a pretty big splash and don’t go very far under, unlike the boobies that can go 6 feet horizontally under the water chasing a fish.

We followed the canal away from the ocean and heard a number of birds up in the trees, but it took a while for us to see them. We first found the troupial.

Listening some more, the Merlin ID app identified a bananaquit by sound, so we kept looking. They are small and move quickly.

The tropical Mockingbird is common here.

Along the shore we saw these small colorful lizards.

In Manaus, the ship brought on an amateur astronomer that is a NASA ambassador. He gave a number of interesting talks. He also was out on the back deck with the lights off on clear nights to show and talk about the stars. Here is a moon photo I took. The ship vibrates and is moving, so it’s hard to get a clear photo.