Ahh, Aruba. White sand, turquoise water, and donkeys.

Donkeys?

Yes, lots of them, as I was lucky enough to be able to verify in person last week.

Before cars overtook the Dutch Caribbean island about 30km off the coast of Venezuela, donkeys were a major form of transportation. But when their usefulness was eclipsed by the auto, many of the long-eared equines were set loose to fend for themselves on the arid, rocky landscape.

So in 1997 the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary was formed. It's home now to about 60 animals.

I read about the sanctuary when I was researching things to do, and knew I had to see it. So on our one day with a rental car, we wandered along the northern coast and past the Ayo rock formation. Guided by small signs (and thank goodness for those, as the roads weren't otherwise marked), we actually found the place!

Sad thing was, they were closed for the afternoon. I hopped out and made some friends and took some pictures anyway. I suspect they frequently charm morsels out of visitors, as most were very eager to come up and say hello!

(Interestingly, we stopped at our favorite restaurant on the way back--per a certificate on the wall, they're the official sponsor of a donkey named Roland!)

We also went on a short ride on the beach. The Paso Fino stallion below was our guide's horse--isn't he lovely?

Sorry for my absence last week. We'll have weird news coming back up shortly!