We were scheduled to be there November of '95 but because of the damage, and the fact that our trip was an AA package trip 'after thought' trip in addition to our usual April trip, the only place they could book us was into a high-rise in Aruba, which may be part of why Aruba just doesn't do it for me to this very day. Sad memories and just not where our hearts wanted to be. I don't remember how long it took for the island to reopen to visitors but it was the airline that cancelled/changed this trip due to all the island's problems at the time.

We did return to the Towers in April of '96 for our regular timeshare time and the devastation across the island was unbelievable.

Most of the damaged units of Mullet Bay were still standing (and IMHO still salvageable had the property owners wanted to....) but the cliff side units including the convention center and original casino area and pool were totally destroyed. We were still able to walk the area and see remnants of what used to be. Heartbreaking to see the sand rising atop the pool chairs in what little was left of the cliff side pool.

The walk along Simpson Bay was equally heart breaking to see - so many damaged and destroyed homes and small hotels with their pools ripped out and standing on end. And I'm not sure if it was this storm or another that beached the huge working boat on the end of Simpson Bay Beach, but I know it sat there for ages. We weren't aware of the Beachside Villas at the time as being a popular rental spot but we did see their pool ripped out and about standing on edge, what portions of it still existed.

And Orient Beach, particularly in the Club O area, had pretty much returned to its natural state of sand and sea grape and not much more. Rumor had it that most of the original Club O wooden cottages had washed away and were floating throughout the Caribbean waters.

I think we may have seen as many tossed and torn boats thrown up onto dry land as we saw unscathed boats in the water and there were still countless boats semi submerged all across the island, where ever we went.

What used to be the Food Center was a pile of rubble and the real heartache was to see the homes of so many reduced to trash piles. Those that were able to salvage portions of their homes and cover them with the countless blue tarps were the lucky ones.......so hard to believe.

And so very sad to remember. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sad.gif" alt="" />

But the truly incredible and amazing thing was the will of the people of the island. Their strength and heart was amazing to see and if you took the time to engage them, their belief in their island and their faith in God that he would bring them back to be even better and stronger was amazing. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />