LOOKING FOR BARTENDERS. The Taste of Belgium Restaurant will be in charge of five different bars in the harbor area during Aruba Sail, May 1st, 2nd & 3rd and they are looking for fun, personable bartenders who can do two things at the same time, mix a mean cocktail and be friendly to guests. Sail Aruba 2015 is the largest event planned around the festivities commemorating the 200-year existence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, to be held at the Port of Oranjestad. Visitors will be offered a seafood festival, a sail-in cinema, the Sail Aruba Races, miniature boat races, a walking tour in Oranjestad, live music, food and refreshment tents, a BBQ cook-off, and to top it all off, a final night of international music. Check it out on www.facebook.com/sailaruba
IN THE NAME OF TOLERANCE. I followed, together with the rest of the country the story about a mosque construction in a mid-island residential neighborhood. My first thought went back to Morocco where on a not-so-long-ago vacation we were awakened every morning at 4am by the muezzin call to prayer broadcast over loudspeakers of the mosque next door, and thought to myself that Morgenster will soon be changing its name to Morgenstern, in view of the fact that residents will be up every day, in time to watch the Morning Star, Venus, visible in the east, just before sunrise. I wondered if the design, including minarets, was approved. It would not have surprised me, after all they approved the design of the Riu Palace on Palm Beach, so that a monumental building with elaborate domes, minarets and prayer halls, could have slipped by the diligent crew at the land department. I know from reading about the subject that for a place of worship to be considered a mosque, it has to meet strict requirements, because of its holy status, it has to be imposing, rich and grandiose. Otherwise it’s just a congregational place, which by the nature of our society, is welcomed anywhere. And talking about tolerance, Switzerland for example banned the construction of new mosque minarets following a federal popular initiative that was voted upon in a 2009 referendum. So then, I visited the foundation on Facebook, and found it has been busy with a fairly large construction site since the end of October, 2014. Lots of cement blocks, lots of pictures, not a single image tagged. And the content of the FB posts is saccharin sweet and so-called spiritual. Following construction suspension in compliance with Aruba’s zoning laws, and the regulations governing land use and development as residential (R), commercial (C) and manufacturing (M), we all received a detailed press release which was carried on page 1 in the Diario. It was signed by the Aruba Islamic Foundation. No individual signature. I e-mailed them asking for a name, and got a one liner response: Sorry for the late reply. My name is Shafeek Karmoeddien and I am the president of Aruba Islamic Foundation. I can sometimes be tireless, and relentless. Visiting Shafeek Karmoeddien on FB, I found out he is a young-looking cricket player and soccer fan with a hey-chu-ku-cha sexy video birthday greeting on his page. Just not what you’d expect from the profile of the foundation president. Life is full of surprises. To conclude: I usually, I have no problem coming up with my own column materials, and also quoting other people, without always giving them credit. But this time I have to credit a certain Jiggs McDonald, and NHL Hall of Fame broadcaster speaking in Ontario, and he says: “I am truly perplexed that so many of my friends are against another mosque being built in Toronto. I think it should be the goal of every Canadian to be tolerant regardless of their religious beliefs. Thus the mosque should be allowed, in an effort to promote tolerance.” “That is why I also propose that two nightclubs be opened next door to the mosque; thereby promoting tolerance from within the mosque. We could call one of the clubs, which would be gay, “The Turbaned Cowboy,” and the other, a topless bar, would be called “You Mecca Me Hot.” “Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork, and adjacent to that an open-pit barbecue pork restaurant, called “Iraq of Ribs.” “Across the street there could be a lingerie store called “Victoria Keeps Nothing Secret,” with sexy mannequins in the window modeling the goods.”, and on the other side a liquor store called “Morehammered.” “All of this would encourage Muslims to demonstrate the tolerance they demand of us.” Yes we should promote tolerance, and you can do your part by passing this on.” And if you are not laughing or smiling at this point… It is either past your bedtime, or it’s midnight at the oasis and time to put your camel to bed! Sorry if I offended anyone, Mi Ta Charlie!
GREAT SUSHI. We always greatly enjoy sushi at Tatami and I think I never mentioned how tasty and pleasant that dining experience is. On a recent Sunday evening Omar Contrera pampered us with a mini tiradito, magic sake, a katsumoto roll and a new sensation roll, some nicely chilled wine, at great value for money! Also on another occasion we shared the Tatami sashimi platter which was delicious! They are open for lunch and dinner, so you can check things out yourself.
BEACH MANAGEMENT. I was privileged to attend a Beach Management meeting this week, with a presentation by Theo Oord who is the consultant to the committee responsible for implementing the proposed new regulations regarding the management of our beaches, the single most important aspect of any Aruba vacation experience. Poor Theo he must have been recovering from a cold, and his nasal-sounding voice, did not contribute to the level of dynamism in the room. True to his Dutch constitution Theo would love to tackle the challenges in their totality, from watersports to lounges, to palapas and boat slips, finding a once-and-for-all-solution, as if such animal exists, instead of taking it one step at the time, and doing what’s important first. The most urgent aspect of our beach experience is the creation of a designated cruise ship passenger beach, with toilets and changing facilities. The Bushiri Beach would be ideal. If you just do that Theo, you will accomplished a lot. But leave the palapas and shade management to the hotels, we don’t recommend fixing something which ain’t broke. During the meeting the new General Manager of the Hyatt Regency, Joel Bunde voiced his opinion and thereby introduced himself as a straight-shooter and a down-to-earth personality with a common sense. Later I found out he was born into a farming family somewhere in the mid-west. We like him already. Welcome to Aruba!
LACK OF BEACH MANAGEMENT. Immediately after the meeting, I drove past the lovely strip of beach between Divi and Tamarijn all inclusive and to my utter surprise found a brown box, like an oversize tiger-transport-cage, smack in the middle of that pristine beach. Guess what. It’s a spa. How did New Image Spa receive a permit to build such ugliness, mid such beauty?? Did you have to place it in the middle, ruining the best uninterrupted vista on the island. If indeed you have a building permit, couldn’t it be placed on the side, in respect of the beach and its worshipers?? [email protected].
