This post is a continuation of Aruba Revisted Pt. 1 which was posted earlier today.

During our honeymoon we stayed at the Tara Beach Suites in Buciti Beach resort, which is situated on the exquisite Eagle Beach. I can almost make out the shape of the “Pirate’s Nest”, Bucuti’s pirate ship restaurant, but you can usually see the mast of the restaurant on Bucuti’s Live Webcam. You can also see the warm golden sand and that crystal clear blue sea…

A sight we didn’t manage to see is the California Lighthouse at the Northern tip of the island. Apparently the lighthouse is pretty run down these days.

There are a few examples of Natural bridges, where the sea erodes the limestone rock to create an arch over the water, around Aruba. The largest of these, in fact the largest example in the whole Caribbean, was referred to as the Natural Bridge but sadly collapsed at the beginning of September last year (just a few weeks before we arrived!).

The satellite photo is out of date so you can see the bridge as it once stood. There is a smaller natural bridge just to the north, which is still quite impressive.

The island of Aruba is, as the locals say, “One Happy Place”. Situated just off the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea it actually forms part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

I visited Aruba with my beautiful new wife on our honeymoon in September last year and as it’s our sixth month anniversary today I thought I’d revisit Aruba and find all the sights we saw (and those we missed).

The Antilla is a German transport vessel which was intentionally sunk in the shallow waters during WWII to prevent it falling into the hands of the Dutch Navy. You can visit the wreck on catamarans (like those in the picture) and it was without a doubt the best snorkelling experience I’ve ever had.

The Pirate’s Hideout is the crumbling remains of what the tour guides claim to be a genuine hideout for Pirates of the Caribbean. Just in front of the hideout is a wee stall selling Hawaiian shirts.

All of Aruba’s water comes from the Aruba Water Plant, the world’s second largest desalinisation plant, which pumps 11 million gallons of drinking water a day to the homes and hotels around Aruba. The water is very tasty, but is pretty warm by the time it reaches the taps.

More later…

This is the 341-year-old Kastellet in Copenhagen, Denmark – one of the best preserved fortifications in Northern Europe. King Christian IV originally had the star-shaped island built to house a castle for him to hide in (should the need arise), but due to “economic constraints” the castle was never built.

Today the island functions as a military area and has a museum, park, its own church and even a windmill… this is Denmark after all!

There’s some more info at Wikipedia.

Incidentally, this is also the site of the Little Mermaid, but it’s too small to see anything much. Is it any better on Google Earth? (Roll-on the final Mac version…!)

Thanks to Troy Fuqua, Corey

A 30 mile chain of limestone shoals connect the islands of Mannar, near Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the coast of India. The bridge is known as Rama’s bridge in Hindu mythology and Adam’s bridge in Christian mythology.

Some archaeologists have claimed to prove the bridge is man-made, although not all are convinced. It does look like a very convenient connection and it is agreed that as late as the 15th century it was possible to pass the bridge on foot.

More about the bridge, as ever, at wikipedia.

Thanks: Jane Turnbull (my mum!)

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, then you’ll have heard all about everyone’s favourite show, ‘Lost‘. And if you’re a fan, then you’ll know that the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 are of great significance.

So what happens if you use the numbers as latitude and longitude co-ordinates? Obviously you could use them in several different ways, but if you stick to the rough area where the survivors believe flight 815 crashed, then you’ll find this tiny little island…

For those of you less intrigued by the mystery of the numbers, here’s Mokule’ia beach in Hawaii where they film the show.

Thanks to Andrew and Charles Davison.