The hot sun melting at my back while my feet get absorbed into the sand. A cool breeze brushes against my skin. The smell is fresh and thick and all I can see ahead of me are waves crashing into the sand, and water as far as the eye can see. I can feel the water dripping off the cold smoothie in my hand, as the taste fills my mouth with exploding flavors.  Aruba: the perfect place to be. 

It doesn’t get much better than daytime in Aruba; however, the best view in the world is the sunset around 6:00. Grab your beach chair, towel, or patch of sand sit down and enjoy the best collogue of colors you’ll ever see in your life. Red, orange, and yellows, lighting up the sky like a giant rainbow flashlight. The pictures are amazing but seeing them in person is something straight out of a movie. Everyone stops what they are doing to take in the view.  

The nightlife there is nothing to sleep on either. That's when the fun begins and drinks get passed around: margaritas, diaries, “rum and more rum” everything you can desire (the drinking age in Aruba is 18). The music is blasting Caribbean tunes, the steel pan drum forces your body to move, and everyone is singing and dancing. The streets are popping with people of all walks of life enjoying one Caribbean culture. The people there are the nicest you’ll ever meet probably because they want your money; nonetheless, it's what makes it such a pristine vacation destination. 

While the above water views are enough to bring people to love the island what really vacuums the people in is the amazing ocean life. I go scuba diving yearly in Aruba and the views are worth every penny. The first thing you'll notice is the salty smell completely clearing out your sinuses. Then when you dive in, you dive into a whole new world. Lively coral reefs buzzing with wildlife: octopus, crabs, urchins, and all sorts of other little colorful critters. And that’s not even the best part, the thousands of species of fish are what make it other worldly, with vibrant colors, and all sorts of shapes and sizes. It’s hard to put words to the amazing colorful torpedoes you will find gliding down there. 

          Bathing in the hot sun, feet absorbed into the sand, cold smoothie in your hand. Nightlife filled with the smells and sounds of another culture. A whole other world of pretty little creatures. Aruba is a place you will never forget.