I initially booked this trip with my parents Ambit rewards points as a two night stay. However it turned into a 10 night stay because a friend came along and added 3 nights and I decided to arrive 5 nights early coming from New Orleans. I didn’t know what to expect from this little island, but I was open to explore.
Aruba is known as the Happy Island and the locals seemed to agree. I had a long chat with the front desk manager and a receptionist at the resort about the island being virtually free of crime. There seems to be work available to those who want it because there was a lot of construction across the island and the tourism industry is thriving. One evening I went to the grocery store near the resort and it was sheer pandemonium. My first thought was that the locals have to hate all these people coming and making a mess of their life. So on my ride to the airport I asked the taxi driver did the locals like all the tourist coming in and crowding their space. Her reply was we love it! They apparently had a refinery close down on the island that took a lot of jobs but the tourism industry makes up for the loss.
This was the most interesting customs exit that I have ever had.