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Welcome to the
Visit Aruba Newsletter!
This section will be updated regularly, so keep coming back...
News Briefs for February 1- 28, 2002
- AHATA's new
offices unveiled
AHATA members, government officials and invited guests celebrated the unveiling of AHATA's
recently renovated offices in Eagle. Most of the work on the building was done by a
contractor under the leadership of local architect Orlando Hoevertz, however finishing
touches such as landscaping and painting were volunteered by members of the Aruba Hotel
& Tourism Association themselves, with Divi Resorts & Allegro leading the pack.
- Charity is a way
of life
Four of the island’s nicest gift and souvenir stores have quietly earmarked a
percentage of their sales to charity. The Juggling Fish at Playa Linda dedicates some of
its proceeds during the winter season to Fundashon Pa Hende Muher Den Dificultad,
operating a local shelter for women in abusive relationships.
- The Sunday
Morning concerts raise money for musical education
The Manchebo's French Steakhouse serves as a concert hall once a month when the famed
Sunday Morning series, takes place. The 2002 season was launched with an impressive line
up of local talent. The program was put together by journalist Donny Lacle and included
performances of a new group, Angelique, followed by Carlos Bislip
and his Quintet. The morning concluded with Doedel Sophia, a legend on Cuarta, a typical
four string guitar.
- The De Palm Tours
Heroes
A short ceremony on board the Fun Factory acknowledged the resourceful and professional
conduct of De Palm Tours Watersports employees who are credited for saving a swimmer from
sure death, on February 8th. Thank you for saving a man's life, said Jerusha
Brokke-Rasmijn, on behalf of the Aruba Tourism Authority, you are model Arubans citizens
and your country is proud of you.
- A Memoriam for
Bob
I feel this is fitting to have this posted in Aruba, your most favorite place on earth.
Thank you for the 30 years we spent together. You are in my thoughts each and every day.
Stacy and I miss you dearly...
- Sbarro opening on
Palm Beach
The Hacienda Mall is now home to the third Sbarro outlet on the island, the other two may
be found at the Seaport Marketplace and upon leaving Aruba at Reina Beatrix Airport. To
mark the opening, Sbarro, a popular eat-in cafeteria-style Italian restaurant invited the
press for an early bite to eat, and a group of 50 kids from Children's Home Imeldahof, for
a late leisurely afternoon lunch.
- New menu at the
Turtle's Nest
Executive Chef John van Hoven recently completed the new menu for the Turtle's Nest, Costa
Linda Beach Resort. It offers many attractive features among them a nice variety of
specials. Guests find out "What's Cooking" by consulting the blackboard. Chef
John carefully prepares two seafood signature dishes every day, one starring shrimp, the
other highlighting fresh fish.
- Happy Hour with
the Donkey
The Aruban donkey is said to have had a great partnership with his local master in the old
day. Widely used as the island’s most important means of transportation the
donkey’s star naturally dimmed with the arrival of the automobile. Yet, families of
Buricos continued to wander in the wild undisturbed. Their natural habitat? Vast and
untouched, undeveloped cunucu wilderness. Then prosperity and progress arrived at our door
step.
- The New Santa
Cruz Thing - Huchada
The new Santa Cruz thing has a strange name. Why make it easy, if it can be complicated,
right?! Huchada, I was told was made up of the first two letters in each of the
owner-names: Humphrey, Charles & David. Apparently, it’s a Santa Cruz tradition
to label businesses with inventive names!
- What Women Love,
by Paul van Driel
Paul van Driel arrived here seven years ago as a result of a lucrative offer to open a
professional photo lab for a successful one-hour
operation that wished to expand its services...
- $AVE in
Aruba with the VisitAruba Plus card!
Your VisitAruba Plus card is a convenient and
effective way to get the most out of your Aruba vacation with significant discounts and
special offers on hotel accommodations, car rental, watersports, sailing and party
cruises, spa treatments, entertainment, casinos, shopping and more!
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AHATA's NEW OFFICES
UNVEILED
AHATA members, government officials and
invited guests celebrated the unveiling of AHATA's recently renovated offices in Eagle.
Most of the work on the building was done by a contractor under the leadership of local
architect Orlando Hoevertz, however finishing touches such as landscaping and painting
were volunteered by members of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association
themselves, with Divi Resorts & Allegro leading the pack. Interim office space was
volunteered by Meta Corp. The event was catered by some the island's best restaurants
among them Amazonia Churrascaria. Horace Hord, AHATA CEO was the proud ceremony emcee,
while Eduardo de veer, the outgoing association president and the Minister of Tourism
Edison Briesen unveiled the new office sign. The renovated building was blessed by pastor
Andre Domacasse who spoke about change and improvement in a broad spiritual sense, quite
forcefully. Special guest was the Caribbean Hotel Association director John Bell.
 
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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CHARITY IS A WAY OF
LIFE
Four of the island’s nicest gift and
souvenir stores have quietly earmarked a percentage of their sales to charity. The
Juggling Fish at Playa Linda dedicates some of its proceeds during the winter season to
Fundashon Pa Hende Muher Den Dificultad, operating a local shelter for women in abusive
relationships. The Juggling Fish at the Aruba Beach Club has some cash earmarked in
support of Stichting Funari, aiding handicapped Arubans, in memory of Dick Nierop, a
foundation volunteer who passed away. Coconut Trading Company, at the Marriott Vacation
Club - pictured here, is working in support of the Fellowship Foundation, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to
drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education. And a percentage of sales at the Juggling
Fish, adjacent to the Mill Restaurant, is destined to improve Imeldahof Children's Home.
You will be lending local underprivileged kids a hand, by shopping at the Juggling Fish
stores; they offer an outstanding collection of handcrafted gifts picked by owner Jodi
Tobman-Hagedoorn, a native Bostonian and a long time island resident.
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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THE SUNDAY MORNING
CONCERTS RAISE MONEY FOR MUSICAL EDUCATION
The Manchebo's French Steakhouse serves as a
concert hall once a month when the famed Sunday Morning series, takes place. The
2002 season was launched with an impressive line up of local talent. The program was put
together by journalist Donny Lacle and included performances of a new group, Angelique,
followed by Carlos Bislip and his Quintet. The morning concluded with Doedel Sophia, a
legend on Cuarta, a typical four string guitar.
Angelique was received very enthusiastically.
The group formed in October of 2001. The singers and musicians are young and they play
different instruments under the guidance of Tirsio Labasti, a dedicated music teacher.
The Quintet of Carlos Bislip is made up of the
island's top musicians. After work they get together to play a Latin Jazz fusion that is
both refreshingly innovative and very appealing. Among stars in Carlos' combo, Delbert
Bernabella, Franklin Granadillo, Johnny Croes, Erwin Broertje, Regina - he played with
ERA, a regional favorite in Curacao and Ivan Quandus.
Doedel Sofia, delighted the audience with some compositions by Padu del Caribe, the father
of Aruba's culture. He also jammed with Carlos Bislip and Dennis Henriquez interpreting
some pieces of Venezuelan folklore.
The Sunday Morning series are free, yet
patrons are asked to leave a donation behind at the end of each concert. The money is
earmarked for a musical scholarship. Ike Cohen, Aruba's senior hotelier contributed the
first large amount, then a panel of experts will each year decide which talented Aruban
teen deserves to go abroad to further his musical education, sponsored by the Sunday
Morning series.
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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THE DE PALM TOURS
HEROES
A short ceremony on board the Fun Factory
acknowledged the resourceful and professional conduct of De Palm Tours Watersports
employees who are credited for saving a swimmer from sure death, on February 8th. Thank
you for saving a man's  life, said Jerusha Brokke-Rasmijn, on behalf of the Aruba Tourism
Authority, you are model Arubans citizens and your country is proud of you. Captain Nymrod
Mcfarland and his crew Cesar Maduro, Stuart Thornhill and Emil Harms were cruising
leisurely in the area of the German shipwreck when Cesar noticed a pair of flailing hands
in the water. He notified the Captain who immediately rushed his boat to the site. What
revealed itself to a boatload of passengers and the small crew was a major potential
disaster: An exhausted swimmer trying to keep his drowning friend above water, both of
their faces partly submerged.
It took five men to pull the swimmers in
distress out safely. One of them, Mr. Bean, his face bluish, while still  breathing,
seemed to be motionless. The crew went to work. Stuart & Cesar pumped his chest and
stomach, they managed to get quite some seawater out of his lungs, then they gave him
oxygen, readily available on all de Palm Tours boats. The results were very good. The
man's color improved, still he showed very little signs of life. The Fun Factory sped to
shore, and in just few minutes met the ambulance it requested on the shores of the Palm
Beach.
Additional help was given to the men by a
Doctor and Nurse tourists who happened to be on hand. As the two were taken to the
hospital, the Fun Factory resumed its afternoon snorkeling trip. Cesar reports visiting
the guys in the hospital three times. Apparently the friends, very athletic, senior Dutch
military
personnel on vacation at Eagle Beach, decided to swim to the shipwreck and back. Distance
are very deceiving on the water, say Cesar. While it is relatively easy with the current
on the way out, it is practically impossible to swim against the current and the wind on
the way back. That's how Mr. Bean started swallowing water. His friend, equally fit but
tired kept him from going under. It was only a question of a few more minutes. Then the de
Palm Tours angels appeared, well trained and nicely equipped.
General Manager David Page, restated the
company's  commitment to CPR training and training in the use of oxygen on all crafts. He
thanked the trainer Vince Schenker for keeping his people up to date. I congratulated you
on your fast responses Page said. It must make you feel very good to know, you were
heaven-sent saviors for two Dutch visitors. Nymrod, Cesar, Stuart & Emil
received certificates from de Palm Tours and special pins of the island's emblem from the
Aruba Tourism Authority. Also present at the ceremony Ricardo Malmberg of behalf of the
Malmberg family and other key de Palm personnel.
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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A MEMORIAM FOR BOB
I feel this is fitting to have this posted in
Aruba, your most favorite place on earth. Thank you for the 30 years we spent together.
You are in my thoughts each and every day. Stacy and I miss you dearly. You left our lives
way too soon but we know you are watching over us. I also thank you for giving me the gift
of returning to Aruba each year. I will never forget the "birthday gift for the rest
of my life". I return to Aruba each year in your memory with your love. Although you
are not here with me in body, your spirit is always with me. I will miss you forever but I
know you'll always be there. All my love always, Cush
Linda, on the middle is pictured with friends from her Paradise Beach Villas timeshare
resort, who knew Bob too.
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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SBARRO OPENING ON
PALM BEACH
The Hacienda Mall is now home to the third
Sbarro outlet on the island, the other two may be found at the Seaport Marketplace and upon
leaving Aruba at Reina Beatrix Airport. To mark the opening, Sbarro, a popular eat-in
cafeteria-style Italian restaurant invited the press for an early bite to eat, and a group
of 50 kids from Children's Home Imeldahof, for a late leisurely afternoon lunch.
The new restaurant, just in front of Playa Linda Beach Resort is run by Managing
Partner Gerrit Koolman, also known in this community as the owner of Koolman Jewelers, now
run by his wife. Koolman dedicates much of his time to assure good quality and good
service at the restaurants. His partner, Martin van Romondt, Managing Director Deloitte
& Touche, takes an operational backseat yet is nevertheless involved in planning and
development. Sbarro, established in 1956 started as a family  business by
Gennaro & Carmela Sbarro, immigrants from Napoli, Italy. They branched out of Brooklyn
NY, importing genuine Italian ingredients and spun their small empire into three stores,
then into over one-thousand in forty-eight states and twenty-six countries around the
world. The Hacienda Mall locale serves at least 6 kinds of pizza each day. It also serves
Sbarro's signature lasagna, and spaghetti with meat balls. Once the classics are offered
the chefs also come up with daily specials to please regular customers. Pictured here the
press, also Koolman and his kids Gerrit & Raquel, with Mark, Martin's son.
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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NEW MENU AT THE
TURTLE'S NEST
 Executive Chef John van Hoven recently completed
the new menu for the Turtle's Nest, Costa Linda Beach Resort. It offers many attractive
features among them a nice variety of specials. Guests find out "What's Cooking"
by consulting the blackboard. Chef John carefully prepares two seafood signature dishes
every day, one starring shrimp, the other highlighting fresh fish. The past few months,
says owner Roger Coster have given us a new sense of reality. We welcome time-share owners
home now, with an even greater appreciation, as they stood by Aruba through the tough fall
months. I am confident, he continues, member will find the new food & beverage
concepts at The Turtle's Nest refreshing and reflective of their special needs, wishes and
desires.
The Turtle's Nest ever-so popular breakfast, continues to be based on the idea that
patrons want to eat a la carte and that they enjoy the option of having just a simple. 99
cents breakfast or a more elaborate one from the available menu. One of the major
requests from members was their desire to have the option of eating an inexpensive light
meal at night, in other words, make the lunch menu into an all-day dining one. At the
Turtle's Nest, wishes have been answered. The restaurant created a great lunch menu which
is served without interruption from 12.00 noon to 10.00 pm. This also allows families with
small children to feed them at any convenient time, Coster adds. The Turtle's Nest kid
menu lists only most popular items, from chicken fingers to hot dogs, spaghetti and
ravioli, to burgers and fries. And the restaurant continue to deliver Pizzas to rooms,
made to order, fresh.
 While the all-day-dining selection includes
American favorites such as Cobb Salad, Grilled Chicken and Fish Caesar, Chopped Sirloin
Burgers, Pita Wraps and a
deliciously sinful Grilled Steak Sandwich, those with heartier appetites are invited to
indulge their taste buds with Escargot, Fried Squid and Baked Eggplant as appetizers,
Seafood Linguini Fra Diabolo, Alaskan Crabmeat Ravioli, Rib Eye Steaks, Filet Mignon and
BBQ Ribs and Chicken as main courses. Naturally the members' discount applies, Coster
concludes and as a special bonus, bar prices have been modified to Happy Hour plus level,
which allow members to visit the bar all day, every day. The Turtle's Nest at Costa Linda
offers al fresco dining under the stars or seating under the giant thatch straw palapa.
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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HAPPY HOUR WITH THE
DONKEY
 The Aruban donkey is said to have had a great
partnership with his local master in the old day. Widely used as the island’s most
important means of transportation the donkey’s star naturally dimmed with the arrival
of the automobile. Yet, families of Buricos continued to wander in the wild undisturbed.
Their natural habitat? Vast and untouched, undeveloped cunucu wilderness. Then prosperity
and progress arrived at our door step.
The issue of ‘Where can the donkeys go?’ first surfaced with the construction of
Tierra del Sol. West Point’s donkey population, usually about one dozen per flock -
an alpha male, a few females and a handful of young ones, pressed their noses against the
construction fence wondering what had happened there. The talk about the donkey’s
dilemma brought out the best in this community. The Paris family, in possession of a large
plot of land in Santa Cruz, donated it for the donkeys’ eternal use. A foundation was
started spearheaded by a fervent donkey advocate, donations were solicited and received.
In a much publicized irreverent move, the donkeys accepted into the sanctuary were all
named after local politicians and I know companies who fought over the privilege of
sponsoring a four-legged namesake of their favorite unpopular official. To this day the
donkey sanctuary operates on donations. It provides water basins and nutritious horse
feed, on occasion even fruit treats. The place is kept immaculately clean by volunteers
and the sanctuaried aristocrats sleep in spacious sheds. Yet living in a luxurious
community they had to give up some of the freedoms associated with the wild. Males are
castrated to avoid aggressive, territorial behavior; they can only see visitors through
the wire fence; roaming has been somewhat restricted, limited by the property’s
boundaries.
Yet quite some other donkey families abound in the wild, around the Natural Bridge, in
Savaneta and around Grape Field. They regularly turn over trash cans and feed off
food left out by Aruba’s nature-loving residents.
An extraordinary couple living in Cashero, Inge and Rudy Milan, have for the past 9 years
been feeding the donkeys at dusk. Inge calls it happy hour, and loves to interact from
afar with her bunch. The head of her family is Bart, an assertive male who has consistency
banished all young, up and coming males from his flock. Bart heads a family of seven
females and one young male. Some of the females look unusually large. A new generation is
certainly on its way. En route from the Bushiribana gold mines to their resting spot among
boulders and cacti in Cashero, the donkeys stop in at the side of the road, Chez Milan,
for water, horse feed and hay. They all have different feeding pattern, some take turns,
and others feed alone. They love carrots, but bananas are their ultimate favorites.
Rudy works for the government maintaining computers and Inge is on the staff at Wolfsan
and Wolfsan on the main street. They are of modest means yet three of their
friends/sponsors, help pay  about Afls 50 each, to foot the bill, dinner for nine grey guests
every night. Inge has entertaining stories to tell about the ‘kids.’ Some of
them sad, as Bart has been trying to force the young male away, biting his backside and
kicking his hind legs. Tolerance and the willingness to share resources is obviously not
an innate instinct. It is but learned human behavior. One of the donkey stepped into a
can, donkey years away. It is now rusted and almost broken off. Inge is opposed to any
handling and touching. These donkeys are wild, she declares, and I’d like to keep
them this way. Traffic in the area is sparse, thus their safety is guaranteed, unlike
Savaneta, she adds, where the traffic is heavy and road kill is a reoccurring phenomenon.
You might find deer crossing in certain areas
in the US, in Aruba beware of donkey crossing!
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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THE NEW SANTA CRUZ
THING - HUCHADA
The new Santa Cruz thing has a strange name.
Why make it easy, if it can be complicated, right?! Huchada, I was told was made up of the
first two letters in each of the owner-names: Humphrey, Charles & David. Apparently,
it’s a Santa Cruz tradition to label businesses with inventive names!
 I
visited Santa Cruz 328 yesterday and watched how bustling this place is. So what is it?
It’s a state-of-the-art bakery! When the last bakery finally folded in Santa Cruz -
the old baker was unable to continue servicing his community, we started working on this
project, says Jane Smith. In conjunction with her brothers Humphrey & Charles, the
siblings put their heads together. David, Jane’s husband, was also a valuable asset
to the partnership.
The three off-springs of the Ras family, born in Santa Cruz, moved away as adults. They
now live in Bushiri, Balashi and Seroe Colorado, respectively. But Mom still lives in the
same house where her grandmother was born, where he mom was born and where she was born,
five houses down from the new Santa Cruz thing!
Humphrey a master baker by profession had planned on becoming a teacher of culinary arts. As
life sometimes has it, he found himself managing the Kong Hing Supercenter bakery.
Charles, a Coastal lab technician and David, a top executive with the refinery, started
toying with the bakery idea, one year ago.
Last night between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. the successful entrepreneurs sold 750 petit pains
out, besides a complete selection of pastries and breads.
The German-technology equipment hails from
south-Africa. The oven is so big it had to be entered before the kitchen walls were built!
Coffee is available in the sitting corner and preservatives are a definite no-no.
 We offer excellent quality bread, says Humphrey.
Among them a Pro-Heart variety, a nutritious compact braided loaf made with multi grains;
a 10 seed country-bread, egg and milk breads, corn bread, rolls made of wheat and just
plain flour , French baguettes. We only have three rules the siblings declare, no fat, no
sugar, and no preservatives. We keep it healthy and nutritious, they add - except for the
beautiful pastries, heaped with cream and chocolate. While the soft opening took place on
February 1st, the official one is set for March. The terra-cotta exterior and the soft
yellow interior with Scandinavian blue accents, is beautiful. Jane, who worked for the
Jungle for many years has very good taste. We find out fun things about our family, from
the neighbors, they gush. People come in with stories from the past, about us as kids and
about the family’s history. We were very well received here. We’re back in the
fold. This is more amazing than we could ever have imagined.
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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WHAT WOMEN LOVE, BY
PAUL VAN DRIEL
 Paul van Driel arrived here seven years
ago as a result of a lucrative offer to open a professional photo lab for a successful
one-hour operation that wished to expand its services. Hailing from the south of Holland
he was practically raised in the dark room. His father owned one and Paul learned how to
print pretty black & white images at an early age. The Royal Academy of Arts in den
Haag gave him a glossy finish and allowed him to launch his career as a fashion
photographer.
Naturally, when the Aruba offer came along, he wanted to try his luck on the islands. Yet
the relationship with the commercial giant didn't work out and after just one year, Paul
found himself jobless in Aruba. His rise to fame as a bartender at Mambo Jambo was
meteoric. Even yours truly liked to buy drinks from the quirky one with squinty eyes who
occasionally took such beautiful artistic pictures. With enough money saved for a good
camera, Paul started Luz production with girlfriend Carmen, a popular make-up artist. They
participated in art shows and belonged to the young a restless, barhopping Dutch crowd,
then Paul found himself more involved in every-day photography. Suddenly he was no longer
a specialist, he was an all around shutterbug doing interiors, weddings, ad photography
besides an enormous number of other projects.
To make a long story short. Girlfriend is no longer in his life and he moved from Alto
Vista to Ayo. He  now
lives in an old most-charming cunucu house with 10.000 square meters of wilderness around.
His cacti are tree-tall. On the night of the full moon, Paul hosted an art show hanging
from divi tree limbs and from thorny green pipes. He called it "What Women
Love." Shooting a series of beautiful women in composition with the objects of their
infatuation: A dog, diving goggles, a beaded hand bag, a child, the full moon, the
wilderness. Each woman’s portrait was assembled in the lab with her favorite thing;
one of them even picked her own picture.
Paul's house in Ayo is a challenge to find, tucked away between boulders and rocks. So,
here we were completely chilled, surrounded by eerie landscapes in the blazing moon,
sipping Chilean red wine and watching our steps - the snakes and  scorpions were sleeping,
eyeing the most unbelievable images; poetic, enigmatic, exploring the intricate
relationships we have with beauty and our physical world of things.
Paul reports he wanted to document ordinary Arubans in an ordinary Aruba setting, yet it
was magic, mixed with the elements in pale white light. You are invited; mark your
calendar to the next expo, on the occasion of the full moon, February 12. P.S. Paul is 36
and single, no kids, just too much photographic equipment. It’s a non-profit thing,
he says, no pressure to buy, no blaring music, it's a reminder that our surrounding have
mysterious possibilities... y.
[courtesy of Rona Coster]
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