The Islands - Romantic Escapes in the Caribbean: Lovetripper Guide - page 86

Information: Contact the Antigua and Barbuda Department
of Tourism, 610 Fifth Avenue, Suite 311, New York, NY 10020 or
call 212-541-4117. In Canada: the Antigua and Barbuda

Dept. of Tourism and Trade, 60 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite
304, Toronto, Ontario MT4 1N5,

416-961-3085. In the UK,
Antigua House, 15 Thayer Street, London, W1M 5LD or

0171-486-7073. Website: www.antigua-barbuda.org.

Aruba
A ruba has its own special beauty. Don't look for mountains
covered with tall palms, walkways lined with flowering bou-
gainvillea, or roads shaded by willowy casuarina trees.

Instead, you'll have to dig a little deeper for the beauty of
Aruba. Venture to the rugged Atlantic shore and watch the tu-
multuous waves carving the natural bridge, continually chang-
ing the demarcation line where the land meets the sea. Or you
can hike to some of Aruba's highest hills, curious bumps on the
landscape, and look out at the cunucu , or countryside, for tra-
ditional Dutch-style houses with their sun-baked, orange tile
roofs.

But perhaps the best way to see the beauty of Aruba is to look
into the faces of the Aruban people, the island's greatest asset.
This tiny island, a mere 70 square miles, is truly a melting pot
of cultures. Over 43 nationalities are represented here, and
with them a mélange of languages. Arubans learn from an early
age the benefits and necessity of working with other nations.
Learning different languages is a skill that most young
Arubans master. The language of the Aruban home is
Papiamento, a mixture of Spanish, Portuguese, French,
Dutch, Indian, English, and even some African dialects. When
youngsters head to school, they receive instruction in Dutch,
because of Aruba's continuing ties to the Kingdom of Holland.
Once they reach third or fourth grade, instruction in English
begins. Spanish is introduced during the junior high years, and
in high school students select either French or German to study.