Aruba's Hooiberg - Climbing the "Haystack"
Written: Jun 21 '00 (Updated Feb 19 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: rocks, cactus, the view
Cons: the cactus needles can be sharp
The Bottom Line: A definite must visit for anyone wanting to get a good feel for the whole island of Aruba. Nice view!
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| tortillaboy's Full Review: Hooiberg & Casibari |
I drove around this small island I got to know it fairly well. I saw Hooiberg first as I left the airport, on my way to San Nicholas where I was staying. One day, after work, I decided to get a closer look. Driving along the southern side of it, through some small neighborhood, I noticed what looked to be a trail leading to the top. I parked my car on the street and trekked through someone's yard in order to get to the "haystack" (Hooiberg means haystack in Papiamentu).
This "trail" turned out to be the remnants of a small rock slide. So I proceeded to make my way up this rocky slope. It took all of 15 minutes to get near the top of this "mountain", where I got a great view of the southern part of the island. Nice!
I am told that on a clear day you can see Venezuela from this spot. Aruba is a mere 17 miles off the coast. Unfortunately, it was not clear enough that day.
This hill seems to be made mostly of some kind of black rock that has streaks or veins of white in it...pretty cool, I had never seen anything like it. There were huge cactus growing right out of the rocks! As I sat at the top (well, about 20 feet from the top because the cactus gets thick and I was wearing shorts) I heard something behind me. I turned around and saw a goat watching me. Yes, that's right, a goat...was a strange experience for a city boy from America.
Now, this location isn't exactly something one would go to Aruba to see, but it was a fun experience for me. Since I was in Aruba alone for 3 weeks, I got to do many things the honeymooners probably don't.
Pictures of my trip (including Hooiberg) can be seen at:
http://www.tortillaboy.com/aruba
:^)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tortillaboy
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Member: Steve
Location: Pueblo, CO
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 93 members
About Me:
I was born, I grew up, and now I write at Epinions. :^)
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