It's been 24 years since I landed in Aruba. My maiden voyage here was aboard Carnival's Fascination ship in October of 1995.

Oranjestad (literally Orange Town in Dutch) is the capital and chief administrative center of Aruba, a Caribbeannation that is located in the West Indies which remains under the jurisdiction of Netherlands. The town had a population of 33,000 people in 2015. Oranjestad is located on the western coast of the island on an enclosed harbor which is large enough to handle modern cargo ships and oil fueling and drilling equipment. The town's major industries, besides tourism, are petroleum processing and trans-Atlantic shipping. Oranjestad is well known for its brightly colored buildings, admirable residential districts, and a modern sports area named Wilhelmina Stadium.

The history of Oranjestad began well before the first European arrived to colonize the land. The area that would later become Oranjestad was originally settled by Arawak Indians who had traveled north from their settlements on the South American mainland. The Arawaks flourished in the area for around 1,500 years.

Spanish explorers began to arrive in the area at the beginning of the 16th century. Alonso de Ojeda was the first Spaniard to reach the island and originally named it Oro Hubo, due to the gold that he had found there. After a short period of exploration the Spanish moved on to other Caribbean islands they felt contained more natural resources to exploit.

By the mid-17th century the Dutch arrived and colonized the area around modern Oranjestad. The area was initially called the Bay of Horses because settlers captured wild horses on the island and sold them to the larger and wealthier Dutch colony of Curacao. Fort Zoutman was built in 1796 partly to protect the Dutch settlement from nearby pirates as well as the British and French who were also active in the Caribbean. By the mid-1820s Dutch colonial leaders named the settlement Oranjestad after the first King Willem van Oranje-Nassau. Naming the town also reflected renewed interest in Aruba due to the second discovery of gold in the area. In the mid-20th century the discovery of oil brought a third economic boom to Oranjestad.

The people of Oranjestad, like Aruba, more generally, are mostly ethnically mixed. They are often of Arawak ancestry in combination with Dutch, Spanish, and African ancestry. Unlike most Caribbean islands, however, Aruba had few slave-based plantations and thus people of predominantly African descent form a small part of the population.

The sights and sounds around Oranjestad have been shaped by the town's culture and history.

Monuments to important colonial political leaders such as Jan Hendrik Albert Eman, Cornelis Albert Eman, and Betico Croes can be found near the Parliament building. Restored landmark buildings can be found throughout the city.

We started our day with a big breakfast. The ship docked at 8 A.M. and was cleared about 10 minutes late. We hurriedd through the gangway to board one of the FREE shuttles into downtown. I phoned Stephanie to make sure we wouldn't be left, but she had not arrived yet and told us to wait.

We had a great driver, though the bus was a bit rickety.

Our first stop was the Aruba Aloe Balm N.V.. The guide gave a presentation to our group on the original processing.

Founded in 1890, by Cornelis Eman, Aruba Aloe Balm N.V. is the oldest Aloe Company in the world and one of the first companies to formulate and manufacture aloe-based Skin, Hair & Sun Care products and growing the Aloes at the cosmetic production plant.

They pride themselves on creating products with a plant that is so prominent in the island's culture and heritage. Not to mention so unique in its countless benefits. Aruba's Code of Arms even features an aloe plant in one of its quadrants-nicknamed 'Island of Aloes' in the 1920s. Aloe Vera marked Aruba's first source of welfare and the quality of the Aruban Aloes have been the best in the World for more than 150 years already.

Aruba's desert-like environment intensifies the aloe plant's natural healing qualities and produces the earth's most potent Aloe Vera Gel.

They hand cut the leaf within hours of harvest to protect its rich and powerful nutrients. Their Aloe Vera Gel will help nurture and improve the overall health and well-being of your skin.

Aruba Aloe Balm N.V. opened up its first retail location in 2000; the shop is on the premises of Aruba Aloe's vast aloe fields in Hato, Aruba.

We toured the plant and sampled lots of products with lots of different fragrances.

I was amazed at the guide, as he spoke several languages.

After the tour, we ended up in the store. The store was fresh and there were lots of personal products to purchase. When you purchased a certain amount, they gave you a FREE bar of soap.

Afterwards, we loaded up and headed on to the old stone California lighthouse stands as a silent watchman in the area known as "Hudishibana," near the island's northwestern tip. It beckons visitors to the most spectacular views of the island.

The lighthouse was named after the S.S. California - which sunk previous to its construction in 1910. Perched on a high seaside elevation, the lighthouse has become one of Aruba's scenic trademarks and offers a picture perfect view of the island's western coastline of beaches and coral shorelines.

I wanted to go up. I walked over and the young man there had me to wait, because there were several people up there already and may have been a bit crowded. While we I was waiting, I asked the young man, "how long is your hair?" He proceeded to let his man bun down and OMG, his hair feel down to his waist. He then gave me lesson on how to brush hair. He said, "most people brush their hair the wrong way. You're supposed to start at the bottom and brush in rows, until you reach the top (roots). If you start at the roots and brush down, there may be tangles and you pull the hair out. We (Arubans) only use coconut oil on our hair. It's very good." This was pretty interesting, because I don't brush my hair that way.

After 4 or 5 people came down, I paid my $5 and headed up the 120+ steps. It was a steamy 86 degrees today, but I'm happy I did it, because the view was spectacular. I took a few photos and headed back down. The winding stairs were a bit scary. Several times, I had to sit in the window wells to let others coming up, pass. There was not enough room for two people to pass next to each other.

When I came on to the bus, I had applause from the entire bus. I was kinda stunned that that had happened, but I guess it was a feat, many don't attempt.

While driving, our driver/guide asked if we've ever had iguana soup. It's supposed to be both an aphrodisiac and hangover cure. I guess that's the generic viagra.

Our next stop was the Chapel of Our Lady of Alto Vista.

This is a very special place where your stress melts away, cacti is growing along the sides of the winding roads and you can hear the waves crashing far off in the distance in this halo of peacefulness stands a sacred building happy to greet you. Although this building represents Catholicism, it does wonders for those of other faiths or none at at all. If you are looking to relieve a bit of tension, then visit the Alto Vista Chapel and leave all of your worldly worries behind.

This bright yellow Catholic chapel stands above the hills on the island's north shore, near the town of Noord. Considered to be the birthplace of Catholicism in Aruba, this chapel was originally built in 1750 by Domingo Silvestre and Santa Ana de Coro, a Spanish pioneer and an Aruban native respectively.

Sadly, the present-day Alto Vista is a more recent version due to German submarine attacks on Aruba. The original cross from this chapel's altar was found and is now kept at Santa Anna Church in Noord. When this chapel was rebuilt, the Virgin Marie of Alto Vista was embellished with 78 gemstones and a golden crown at Wilhelmina Stadium in Stadionweg. The Aruban people also donated rings, money, and other gold valuables for this cause.

Outside of this church which is a key part to Aruba's national heritage are two graves. Although some believe that the native Aruban people were buried there, it is actually the graves of Miguel Enrique Albarez and Domingo Antonio Silvestre.

Tours to Alto Vista Chapel are made daily by tour operators using horses and jeeps, however you can also drive yourself to this chapel for some peace and tranquility. It is open daily for visitors, and mass is celebrated every Tuesday at 5pm with a priest from Santa Anna Church. In addition, every year Arubans make a pilgrimage to Alto Vista Chapel in October.

After picture taking, we walked along the parking lot, as there were lots of vendors selling alcohol, cool beverages and souveniers. One vendor even sold old license plates.

Again, we loaded up again and had several treats along the way to the Casibari Rock Formation: feeding goats, cemeteries and native people.

There were lots of people taking great photos from atop the formations. We took lots of photos.

This rock formation is are clusters of huge tonalite rocks sit together in an area just north of Hooiberg. This rock formation, unique to the more typical features of the area, inexplicably rises up from the desert soil to create an unusual setting. Some of the rocks weigh several tons and feature peculiar forms. The Government of Aruba has created walking trails and steps through the rocks, allowing hikers to reach the top to obtain breathtaking views of the island.

The hike to the top the formation was at your own risk and pretty hairy. You even had to bend down, so as to not bump your head on the rock. The railings heading down were so hot, from the sun, they burned the palms of our hands.

We made a bathroom stop via the FREE bathroom. The doors of the stalls were about 5" from the toilet. The place was pretty crusty and stinky. I had to stand to the side of the toilet to at least wipe it off twice, spray it and then put down a seat cover. All while sweat was pouring from my forehead.

We walked around a bit before loading up and heading towards the Natural Bridge.

This was one of Aruba's most popular attractions. The bridge was a formation of coral limestone cut out by years of pounding surf, and was one of the largest of these types of spans in the world. It standed some 23 feet (7 meters) above sea level and spans more than 100 feet (30 meters).
There is no admission fee or set hours for visiting, but you'll find a few refreshment stands nearby open daily.

Natural Bridge is till a very popular spot, and there is a smaller bridge (Baby Bridge) nearby.

After a bit of shopping and photo snapping we headed on to the old Bushiribana gold mill. w

The areas near the Gold mill, Kadushi, Matividiri, Sero Cristal, Wariruri, and Babijn was mostly excavated for gold. Including the more traditional and new regions like: rooi Fluit, Sabanilla, Piedra Cacho, Daimari, Tamarijn, Parca, s***a and Angochi. The longest mine tunnels were at: Sero Cristal, sero Gerard and Kadushi. But the work there was done in a primitive manner. With a heavy hammer and crowbar the rocks containing the precious gold were released. Then they would be put in a chest and were past from hand to hand to Bushiribana.

This company built the first pier/port of Aruba: Waf'i Compania at Forti Abou. They put up a 10 km long road to transport the machines. 25 Years after Bushiribana was built another mill was built at Balashi. There were probably steam engines, grind mills, water tanks and fern aces, just like the one in Bushiribana. The Gold mill was built of limestone. They chose Balashi, because of the better connection with the sea. The connections were provided by a system of 3 railway lines. The gold was mainly supplied from the area around Mira Lamar.

Of 252 tons ore the company achieved 556,6 Oz. Pure gold. Although between 1878 and 1880 2075 Oz. Fine gold was produced from 2938 ton ore. The capital was half a million sterling which was up in 1874 so they has to put another £ 10.000.

The machines at Bushiribana cost £ 21.000 not counting transport- and installation cost and the high wages. Furthermore all the required machinery had to be imported. Between 1880 and 1881 no gold digging had been done. The right was passed on to the Aruba Agency company, London in 1881.

In 1897 Edward Ibbotson, cousin of one the shareholders of the Aruba island gold mining company, Ltd, began working with the "cyanide" process. His uncle concluded with Ibbotson that this process proved to be more efficient and proved that the old process left more than half of the gold behind. No wonder the old process wasn't profitable. In 1881 there were only 6 men working in Calbas.

In 1895 came 2 engineers with a new method which was a little profitable. Although there were a lot of accidents. From 1908 the right was given to the Aruba Goudmaatschappij (Aruba Gold mining company). This local company obtained reasonable results. But because of the lack of materials to refine the ore during world war I, the gold digging was stopped in 1916 and was never resumed afterwards.

As the next stop was going to be Baby Beach, I asked the driver to call Stephanie, as she was going to pick us up and take us back downtown. We didn't want to get wet again, today.

After a great day of touring, we headed back to town, admiring all the blue horses.

You may discover all eight blue horse sculptures while exploring downtown. The outdoor art project began in 2015 as a Tribute to Paarden Baai. In English, this means Horses Bay. This was the city's original name in the 17th century when selling horses to Europeans became a major contributor to the economy. However, by the end of the 18th century, this trade suffered a significant decline at the hands of the French and English. Each horse represents a different strength. This mare, by artist Osaira Muyale, is named Sinforosa. She is called the martyr of the herd.

Everyone sort of split up into shopping groups. Sabrina and I headed over to check out all the colorful shoppes around the circle.

We then headed back to the ship to enjoy dinner!

Later, I discovered that I was really close to logging my 10K steps for the day. I didn't know what I was going to do. Hope said, "Well you could go up and get me some chocolate chip cookies." I headed up to the Garden Cafe to nab her some cookies, but the only thing that was left were double chocolate chip and cake.

She ate the cake and I logged my 10K steps and it all worked out.