A Taste of Paradise - Monday January 19, 2015

Bon nochi from Curacao!
Good Evening from Curacao!

Well, the daylight dawned with absolutely no disappointment to the eyes, ears or senses.  There IS indeed a resort, and our surroundings are lush and picturesque. I wish I could compare this paradise to something many could relate to, but I struggle as my experiences are so limited.  By those in our group who have travelled, I have heard our surroundings are very similar to Aruba.

My roommate and I intended to rise in time for the sunrise this morning, and even though we were up and out of the room by 7 am, we missed it.  Go easy on us, I will remind you we are ahead of our hometowns by an hour, and even without the hour advancement, I was still up and dressed about 1.25 hours earlier than the "normal" workday Monday!

I opted to sit down at the boardwalk café and just experience the peacefulness of the morning. Even at 7, the air was still with a slight hint of humidity, but still quite comfortable. Once joined by cousins Bev & Jen, we enjoyed our casual breakfast on the patio.  Jen was the first to spot an iguana.  She was awarded the task of naming our friend, who we fondly referred to as Frankenmuth after our Aunt Linda's love for shopping.

The resort has 1 fresh water infinity pool, and 1 salt water (piped in from the ocean) infinity beach,

which are side be side each other on the 2nd floor of the hotel - that's right, the second floor.  Once a week the salt water beach is completely drained, cleaned and refilled - today was bath day for the beach. So the beach was closed until around noon today.  The beach is complete with sand, and if you look over the infinity wall, there's a handful of feet drop to large rocks and the ocean.  On the rocks it is not unusual to find crabs and iguanas sunning themselves.  Here's a picture of many from our group looking over the beaches infinity edge to the ocean below.

For the most part, many of us relaxed around the water for most of the day.  In the afternoon, Jen and Bev arranged with a Curacao Street Musician to serenade Aunt Linda.  This guy, introduced to us as "Michael Brown" was AWESOME, which in itself is an understatement!  Even though the event was for Aunt Linda, we ALL benefited from this entertainment.  His serenade went on for a great deal of time, but here is snippet of the entertainment he provided.  Thanks Bev & Jen! 

After the serenade we returned back to the beach, enjoyed a few beverages and snacks then retired to our rooms to prepare for a late dinner at the Cru Restaurant, a lovely steak and wine restaurant just a stone throw away from the hotel.  The small, quaint ambiance accommodated our entire group.  By now, our friendships with each member of our group have evolved, and many moments of utter chaos, unrelenting laughter and memories have occurred.

Upon our return some group members headed for the casino, others for the bar, and others to bed.  Any guesses which way I headed? 

Tomorrow a tour of the island by bus is planned for our group.  Tonight after spending the day in the sun and shade, sharing many jokes, meeting lots a wonderful staff and visitors, I retire to bed relaxed fully anticipating yet another awesome day tomorrow!