Waiter would welcome family and friends

We would like to introduce Waiter to you, one of the donkeys that has found a home at the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary. Named after the Kellner family (kelner in Dutch translates into waiter), who was instrumental in catching this donkey. Unfortunately this kind animal has a broken leg and the future will tell whether he can still be operated. When a donkey has had a broken leg for too long, the bone grows back crookedly. And because nobody knows how long Waiter has been limping along before coming to the Sanctuary, x-rays will tell us what needs to be done to be able to give this donkey a good life within a protected environment. Until then the volunteers give him extra attention and treats and he is lapping it up!

Dive Adventure: Aruba

Aruba hosts a fleet of 8 underwater shipwrecks and an array of diving sites.

Weather Report di Aruba memey den New York

Santa is welcoming friends and family members

We would like to introduce Santa to you, one of the donkeys that has found a home at the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary. It took us a long while before we could capture this beautiful animal: our volunteers tried to catch him 80 times in 2.5 years’ time. No such luck. And there was a reason to catch Santa, as he had been in an accident and was limping along on a broken front leg. Finally the volunteers were able to lure him into a garden and take him to the Donkey Sanctuary. The future will tell whether the vet will be able to do something about his leg, as the fracture has more or less healed already, of course. But Santa is in little or no pain and is having the time of his life among his donkey colleagues and friends.

Aruba Donkey Sanctuary Video

Why Return to Aruba Year After Year?

After having traveled to Aruba over 20 times now, people ask why we return to Aruba year after year. "Why do you go back to the same old thing?", "Why not try something new?", "Where is your sense of adventure?"

For us it is difficult to go elsewhere, after having traveled all over the Caribbean, Aruba is an island which pretty much fits the bill for what we are looking for. Ever been rained out on a week long Caribbean vacation? I have, first week of January 1971. That is how well I remember it. AND it was my parents, not myself, who were paying the big $$$ to sit in a hotel room and watch kiddie cartoons in Spanish and play cards. This past Christmas while our family was lounging on the beach in Aruba families elsewhere in the Caribbean were losing their homes to flooding and some people even lost their lives in mudslides. Torrential rains as the result of a slow moving low pressure system brought torrential rains to the Eastern Caribbean.

How to Pick the Best Seat in Economy

2015 Delta SkyMiles Award Charts

Delta has released details on SkyMiles redemptions.

For awards booked on or after January 1, 2015 Delta will offer a new program offering five levels of rewards.

For economy from the US to the Caribbean, round-trip, the new levels are-
Level 1 (former Saver)- 35,000 miles
Level 2 (New level)- 45,000 miles
Level 3 (former Standard)- 55,000 miles
Level 4 (New level)- 65,000 miles
Level 5 (former Peak)- 75,000 miles

For Business/First from the US to the Caribbean award levels are-
Level 1- 60,000
Level 2- 75,000
Level 3- 95,000
Level 4- 110,000
Level 5- 125,000

Click on the chart above for Delta's full Award chart.

Ninja is on the look-out for friends and family members

We would like to introduce Ninja to you, one of the donkeys that has found a home at the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary. Ninja was captured at Rooi Master and taken to the sanctuary in a trailer. He is a good-looking 20-year-old white donkey, who is nice and quiet. He has a grey spot on top of his buttocks and he’s always in the company of his friend Aramis. Both are shy and modest, but they don’t need to worry: they are well-respected by the rest of the herd.

This beautiful donkey has been provided with a chip, just like all the other donkeys. On the chip is information about the donkey and its medical history. The donkeys at the sanctuary have a lot of friends with whom they can play all day long. And they love living there: they are well-cared for, they are fed and watered and when they are sick the vet is called. Yes, they are expensive customers for the sanctuary.

Delta's 2015 SkyMiles Program

There has been much discussion online this week since Delta announced in a press release, Delta Introduces 2015 SkyMiles Program with New Mileage Earning Structure and More Redemption Options, that they were updating their 2015 SkyMiles Program. You can see Delta's FAQ about the program here.

With this move, on January 1, 2015, Delta will begin basing their frequent flyer program on ticket prices. Their frequent fliers will in turn have a bit more flexibility and expand on ways to use miles. Some tickets will require fewer miles, there will be one way awards and

Gismo is on the look-out for friends and family members

We would like to introduce Gismo to you, one of the donkeys that has found a home at the Aruban Donkey Sanctuary. His mother was found wandering on a busy street two days before Gismo was born: a hazardous stunt that could have been fatal for the donkey as well as for drivers. After he was born Gismo has spent his days in the company of his mother and sister Cymbi. By now he is a big boy, who is strutting conceitedly among the rest of the group. In a few months’ time, when he is one year old to be exact, this donkey will be castrated. That is necessary, unfortunately, to prevent inbreeding; another thing is that the donkey population should not grow out of bounds.