Is ARUBA dangerous? Exploring a Caribbean neighbourhood
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- Hi everyone! This is episode three of my Dutch Caribbean series in which I visit Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire.
In this vlog, I take you on a tour of a local residential area and other local areas in Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, to see how the locals live and whether it is safe to visit. Often when we read up about or do research on places, we only see the glossy bits. However, to fully appreciate a destination, one should always get a flavour of how and where the locals live, work and play. This also helps to form a more holistic view of a destination, including on topics such as safety.
The vlog starts with me giving a tour of my accommodation in Aruba, before venturing into residential neighbourhoods en route to the Down Town area. I give my impressions of the local areas throughout the vlog too.
I hope this video shows you a different part of Oranjestad from what you'd see in magazines and travel brochures and that it gives you a perspective and further insights on life outside the main tourist areas. Ultimately, only you can answer the question in the title of the video and decide whether you would feel safe walking in these parts of Aruba, but I hope this video helps you to make a more informed decision. Obviously you will need to take the usual precautions, as you would in any destination.
Hope you enjoy and happy exploring!
Willie
I'm from Aruba, we're a very safe island but as always you should take precaution when wandering in certain areas, especially at night. Also, although we can speak/know Dutch, almost all Arubans speak the local language Papiamento the most (which is a Portuguese creole). A lot of Arubans also know/speak English and Spanish quite well.
Aruba was historically a melting pot of people, cultures and languages. Most Arubans are of mixed European, Native and African descent. There's also some Asian influence, namely Chinese and Indonesian. We were (historically) heavily influenced by Venezuela and Colombia despite being part of NL (We share a lot of traditions, culture, music, food etc with VZ and CL. Spanish being quite common and Papiamento being similiar to Spanish). You also notice the Dutch influence as we were a former Dutch colony and now a country within the Dutch kingdom since 1986.
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! I had no problems communicating in English and some people even understood my native Afrikaans.
@@willieexplore Yea, it was really interesting when i saw and heard videos of Afrikaans, i could understand it quite well. Although not many, i have heard of a couple South-Africans who have moved and live here, mainly Cape Coloureds i believe who speak Afrikaans.
Arubans are often more fluent in English (and Spanish) than Dutch on average, although we can speak Dutch atleast decently. It's mainly due to American tourism and influence, which began when Aruba pushed hard into the North-American tourism industry in the 1980s after the local oil industry failed. We consume a lot of English-speaking media too, that is also partly why.
Awesome stuff man I'm liking orange town so far it definitely has a character keep up the good work bro 🔥🔥🙂👊👍
Cheers mate, glad you're enjoying this series so far! Really appreciate your support :)
Wow, that's great value for the kind of room you got! And thank you again for showing off areas outside of the resorts and main tourist spots. I agree, it is definitely important to go explore the less travelled areas of a city to see how the locals go about their day.
Hello mate! Yes indeed, I was very happy with the place I stayed at price-wise. Also the space and all the facilities were great. I guess the main point I tried to make is that if you are willing to stay outside the main touristy areas / town centre, you will get a lot more bang for your buck. I really think most tourists miss a trick by not seeing the wider part of a town or city. Cheers for watching, as always!
Another interesting walk Willie, Enjoyed seeing the houses and gardens, so different from what I am used to. I am a huge aloe vera fan, have always had a plant wherever I am. Mainly for medical purposes, great for sunburn and for healing a cut or graze. It looks very dry there. Thank you. Kiwi from Virginia
Thanks Swanoaks, the houses remind me a lot of South Africa actually. I did not expect to see so many fire places (or "braai" areas). Aloe vera is fantastic, definitely a fan too :)
Really nice guest house Willie, very spacious. Certainly a very relaxed and calm atmosphere in the neighbourhood, not many people around at the time you were out either. Hope you went back to get that meat pie!
I was very happy with my accommodation Sheila! Lots of space as you say and the facilities were great. It was amazing how few people there were when I walked around the area; I guess most people drive and I don't blame them as the heat is something else! I may or may not have got my Aruba pie in the end...watch out for the next video ;)
Wow that guy just explore to my school
Nice one Andrew! Thanks for checking out my videos on Aruba, really appreciate the support!
@@willieexplore btw I'm from aruba
@@Andrewkelly5O47 excellent!
That's exactly the kind of place I prefer to stay in, I've got no time (or budget!) for glitzy resort style hotels! As long as I've got a decent bed, my own bathroom with hot shower, and it's clean, I'm happy. 😊
Good to see the backstreets Willie, it helps to give an impression of what a place is really like, away from the tourist hotspots. Please keep doing that!
Interesting though that a lot of the signage seems to be in English rather than Papiamento or Dutch. I wonder if that's for the benefit of the American tourists. 🤔
Hi Andy! Nice to hear from you, as always. Yep, when you travel as regularly as I try to, all the pennies count and you need to be street smart when it comes to budgeting etc. I had a fabulous stay in Oranjestad. Glad you're enjoying the footage off the beaten track! I often find the less touristy bits very intriguing and it gives me a wider perspective of life in a particular area. Re the road signs - yes they are in English! They do speak English and Spanish on the island as well, but maybe there is some regulation / standard they need to adhere to. Or, it could just be like your guess - that it is for the benefit of the Americans :) Cheers for your continuous support for my channel, it is hugely appreciated!
@willieexplore I was on holiday in Istanbul a week ago, and Google Maps got me a bit lost! I ended up wandering through quite a run down residential area in the middle of the city, with chickens running free in the streets, elderly men enjoying a chat with their mates on their front doorsteps and just general everyday life. I was the only tourist there, and I loved it!!! You never really get to experience a place until you see it with a local's eye (or at least as close as you can get to that without actually living there!). This is what your channel provides that many, many others simply don't. Always happy to be supportive mate. 😊
@@andybaker2456 wow, and I bet you will always treasure that unique experience! Absolutely priceless experience. Everyone goes to the Topkapi Palace or the Blue Mosque, but you have other, magnificent stories to tell. Really pleased you enjoy my content mate, glad to have you along for the journey!
Willie very informative video especially suburbia settings!
Thank you Simon, glad you enjoyed it :)
❤❤❤Thanks Willie❤❤❤
Aruba looks like an interesting place to visit. Have you done Belize also?
It certainly is! I haven't been to Belize yet - I was all booked and ready to go in 2013 but had to cancel my trip. So hopefully one day I will get there!
Great stuff Willie, I used to spend a lot of time in the Caribbean with work, people always told me don't go into the towns it's dangerous (Bridgetown and St John's weren't, but for Kingston Jamaica they had a point lol) and when you see the difference between the rich people in the hotels living to excess (and still most of them looked miserable) and seeing the local poor people who were much happier, it kinda makes you reevaluate stuff. Good on yoh for going to explore the real areas.
Interesting they had so much written in Spanish, I guess that's due to the proximity to South America.
These guys take their religion seriously it seems 😅
Cheers Matt! It definitely puts things in perspective. I've travelled enough to understand that, often, the best experiences to be had are off the beaten track. I was also surprised at the prevalence of what appears to be Spanish writing, but it may well be Papiamento given that it does contain a lot of Spanish words? Not too sure. I was also surprised (in a good way) about the number of houses that have barbeque areas (in SA we call them "braai" areas). And yes many places of worship! Thanks a lot for watching, as always :)
Dankie Willie. Nou verstaan ek eers die woorde van die Beach Boys se lied, Kokamo! Ek het altyd gedink hulle was net hoog op dwelms en het "Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya" net opgemaak!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤦♂
Dankie Errol vir die saamkyk, Errol! Ek het vergeet Aruba is in daai liedjie se lirieke! Groete
As South Africans we proud of ur channel baie dankie
Ngiyabonga my friend! Really appreciate this comment! :)
I hope u enjoy my little island and drink our local beer balashi,hope u come again!!!
Thanks for the nice message, Jeandre! I hope I get a chance to visit the ABC islands again, it was a great trip :)
🇦🇼👍🏼
Cheers for watching!
Great video! I know the Area, but what is the name of the guest house you stayed at? Looks sublime and very worth the price!
Thanks for your kind words! Sero Blanco area. Courtesy Apartments
@@willieexploreThanks very much! Very quick answer too 🤩
Thanks for the video. Is living in Aruba good for the family or difficult to find work and children's expenses? Rent home expensive ?
Thanks for watching and your comment! Hopefully one of the locals can help us out with your query :)
No veo ciclistas.
There are not many! Thanks for watching
Tel me good price
Price for what?
boa tarde Igualzinho no brasil pobre igual. muito pobre
Thanks for watching!