Okay, so this tale is really no longer “The Origin of My Wanderlust,” it now just seems to be “What I Did On My Summer Vacation.”  And I swear, y’all, there is an ending to all of this vacation regurgitation!  But not today.  Today, let’s travel to Aruba, shall we?  It’s One Happy Island, don’t ya know?!

In 2001, GR and I were dreaming of going somewhere tropical.  Hawaii was still fresh in our minds, but a 10-hour flight was just too much for GR to bear again.  And God knows that he was such a bear on that flight, that I had to trade seats with my cousin just to keep myself from strangling him with the oxygen mask strings.  So, for my sanity, our thoughts turned a short skip and a hop south toward the Caribbean. 

We wanted to go somewhere just as beautiful as Hawaii, but I just wasn’t sure which island in the Caribbean to choose.  I had never been to any of the islands, so I started to hound co-workers and acquaintances with questions about their travels and experiences in the islands.  And of course, I bought the always trusty Frommer’s Caribbean guide.  However, the foremost determining factor in my decision was brought about by a personal web site that I stumbled across—Aruba Bound!

Way before blogging was in vogue (or at least I think before it was in vogue…hell, what do I know? I just found out about blogging less than a year ago!), Jerry and Lisa created a travel site dedicated to Aruba because

a.  they love Aruba more than the normal, reasonable person, and

b.  to inform and educate other would-be travelers about traveling to the beautiful island.

This local Atlanta couple lists their own travel tips, restaurant and hotel critiques, guide to activities, and even their own personal trip reports and photos from their many visits to Aruba.  Jerry and Lisa—I say MOVE THERE ALREADY!  It’s truly a well put together site, so if Aruba is even a blip in your brain, I suggest taking a gander.  I swear, you’ll be booking your flight the next day.

Anyhow, enough about them…back to me, Me, ME!  Because it’s all about Lulu, right?  That’s what I thought.  So, GR and I jet off on our short 4-hour flight to Aruba, and we end up here…

On the damned windiest island imaginable.  Hence the stylish black baseball cap.

We stayed on the lovely, windy Palm Beach…

Where we drank sand tropical drinks and soaked up the sand sun…

We also mingled with the flesh-eating raptors local wild life…

And experienced the local horticulture…

And otherwise enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Seriously, y’all, I could go on and on about the beauty of the island, where you can go in a 4×4, what not to eat, and how to avoid the random, wandering goats.  But why when Jerry and Lisa have cornered the market on this topic?  And to be honest with you, I gotta go to bed, people.

So, I’ll just leave you with a picture that I posted previously here (along with a couple of others).  When I think of Aruba, this is what I remember the most…GR peeing wading through the water at dusk with the sunset on his back and his arms raised in jubilation…

Update:  I just realized that I’m an idiot. “Fell” should have been spelled “feel” in that photo.  See?  I was sleepy… 

And now that I’ve had all of the Aruban sand particles surgically removed from my corneas, I do believe that I hear London calling, y’all…

To be continued next Friday…