The 5th anniversary of Radisson Blu Aruba

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-5th-anniversary-of-radisson-blu-aruba/

How GOA Benefits from the Fuel Increases

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/how-goa-benefits-from-the-fuel-increases/

Pile of Junk, written with the help of a reader.

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/pile-of-junk-written-with-the-help-of-a-reader/

How GOA benefits even more from Increases

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/how-goa-benefits-even-more-from-increases/

Collected Moments at the Biblioteca Nacional

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/collected-moments-at-the-biblioteca-nacional/

The Jazz Trip, at Caribbean Bar, San Nicolas

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-jazz-trip-at-caribbean-bar-san-nicolas/

We ordinarily just stop at the Caribbean Bar on J’ouvert Morning for a beer and a tinkle, but this time the bar was dressed up with red string lights, and flickering candles as it transformed into a dark, cozy, underground jazz club.

The Jazz Trip, with Ali Hector in its 35th edition is back, after a long pause. The rhythmic energy of jazz was brought back to San Nicolas by guitarist Serghio Jansen, jazz vocalist Syreeta Grace, bass player Roy Croes and percussionist/drummer Jeremy Bonarriba.

We understand that Caribbean Bar will host monthly gatherings, from now on, where guests get a chance to unwind and listen to Aruba’s jazz greats alongside exciting up-and-coming musicians.

For the 35th edition, guitarist Serghio Jansen led two sets of iconic songs from the 40s and 50s. Vocalist Syreeta, while new to me is not new to Aruba. She has deep roots on the island. He mom comes from San Nicolas, and she even went to school with Serghio’s father – now the kids play together says Ivan, a well-known classical jazz guitarist himself.

Syreeta’s voice is sweet, soulful. Her performance is emotionally packed, but restrained and warm. Her song selection is slow tempo-ed, relaxed, and romantic.

Serghio, Roy and Jeremy take turns at playing solos. I asked Jeremy how many drum sets he destroys each year, and he said none, in fact the set he was playing on, producing fireworks, belonged to his father. He did admit breaking drumsticks, quite often!

We arrived at 7:30pm, got seated, ordered a drink, the music started at 8pm. Caribbean Bar had a wide selection of wines, beer, and cocktails, and they accepted both cash and debit cards.

A delicious surprise? The food, delivered in attractive boxes by Moi, of Moi Sandwiches, a gourmet sandwich truck coming soon into Santa Cruz. I ordered the Serio Krillin, slow cooked pork ribs, serio barbecue sauce, pickled onions, spicy mayo, onion crunch, on a buttery brioche bun. The crispy chicken, creamy garlic sauce, Parmesan, fresh lettuce, and pickles, on a buttery brioche bun was also very tasty.

I went to SN before for several Jazz Trip helpings. The first one brought me to the New Pueblito Paisa, where a combo of musicians with Serghio Jansen, Reno Steba and Richard Holmond entertained over dinner. Then the Jazz Trip moved into the Astoria hotel patio, with Gwen Croes welcoming us at the gate making sure we had a fun time over snacks, chased by cocktails. Vocalist Watra was the featured singer, with guitarist Kit and drummer Pierre Koolman, on the Valentine’s Day edition.

This time at the Caribbean Bar, it felt like a real night club, I will be back.

The gallery at the public library is a popular spot hosting events of interest to the community among them lectures, art exhibits, book launches — the place is a hub of culture.

On Thursday, Collected Moments, an art show opened with an enthusiastic, supportive audience in attendance.

The art show, by a group of hobbyists, Love4Art Studio, is worth a visit. This local creative group practices art at leisure, once a week, congregating at Checkpoint Color, and spending a few hours of inspiration, together.

They have no teacher, they use each other for support and guidance when stuck, and they spend the hours painting. I imagine they also have a drink or two for added stimulation. They paint and develop their own skills — they are part of a grassroot art movement in Aruba.

Checkpoint Color is a friendly locale with excellent photography on the walls and a retro vibe, in Oranjestad.

The hobbyists in the show Alice Dorff, Ann Angela, Diana Hopman, Dina Legger, Frea Snijders, Genevieve Wientjes, Jacob de Greff, Marianne Beijderwellen, Roelie Groenewegen and Sandra Wijngaarde.

Some of the artists already participated in community shows, Faces of Art, in 2024 and Primary Colors, in 2022, Expressions, same year. Their colorful, imaginative canvases are all different, there is no theme, these are all individual expressions in acrylic, mixed media, and collage.

Local artist Elvis Tromp dropped in for a class, and in his footsteps, the show presents several charming Aruba landscapes inspired by the unique, idealistic style of the teacher.

Alice Dorff painted a sweet innocent girl, young, the perfect kid we all want — the child is in meditation. The painting shows great understanding of light and shadow, and the picture is very realistic. I know Alice well — she is a woman with a great heart and the goodness shows in her paintings.

Ann Angela, we all know Ann Angela. She has over the years become a powerful expressive painter, she presents portraits of Frida Kahlo and Grace Jones among others, interpreting their powerful personalities in a dramatic, impressive style. Her Betico Croes is an elder statesman. Not a revolutionary. Her Vermeer, Woman with Pearl Earrings, romantic.

Diana Hopman has been doing collages for a lifetime. She cut out nautical charts, discarded by the Tranquillo captain, salvaged by a mate into a tempting, oversize Caribbean beachscape. Diana’s work is perfect, nicely finished and always super-appealing.

Dina Legger, the mother of Steph, proves that inspiration comes at all age, and that art belongs to everyone. Her bird id quirky and fun.

Frea Snijders delivers architectural drawings, evoking urban landscapes. I think I recognized the Hilton Aruba Caribbean in one of her works, she is a minimal colorist and uses black & white as colors.

Genevieve Weintjes painted a sixties Janis Joplin with the hair on the forehead and the oversize round glasses, vibrant and colorful, she also showed a fantasy, a flat chested gender-ambiguous dancer with feathers. She is a strong colorist.

Jacob de Greff delivered a trio of canvases, studying the same towering vertical walls at different hours of the day. He started with a photograph, then added birds to one and clouds, and a sunset to the others. The study highlights how the same place looks totally different, inspiring an alternative mood, projecting a changed character.

Marianne Beijderwellen is a prolific artist, she showed nine canvases, all incredibly colorful and captivating. She deconstructs her subjects, investigating their parts, and one or two of her works, reminded me of the work of similar modernistic, deconstructionists. Marianne is a self-assure painter, a colorist, she can carry a show on her own.

Roelie Groenewegen, a kind of surrealist and Sandra Wijngaarde, a versatile experienced artist, wrap up the show. I remember Sandra’s work from an expo in 2019, Journey. It has been a long time.

From April 2 to June 30, 2026, Garage Centraal is offering customers something beyond the keys to a new car — a chance to step into a moment of elegance and confidence.

Eligible female customers who purchase and take delivery of a new vehicle during the promotional period will be automatically entered into a monthly raffle to win an exclusive Flying Dress Experience.

This experience combines a stunning location, a flowing gala dress, professional hair and makeup, and a fully produced photo and video shoot. It’s designed to capture a powerful moment — celebrating not just a new vehicle, but a new chapter.

Three winners will be selected in total — one at the end of each month (April, May, and June 2026). To qualify, the purchased vehicle must be delivered within the same month as the raffle entry. Entries are valid only for that specific month and do not carry over.

Each winner will receive:

The experience will be scheduled by Garage Centraal and its partners, with the location and timing determined based on availability and weather conditions. The prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or other services.

By participating, entrants agree to allow Garage Centraal to use photos and videos from the experience for promotional purposes.

Winners will be contacted directly and must respond within five calendar days to claim their prize. If no response is received, an alternate winner may be selected.

Garage Centraal reserves the right to modify or cancel the promotion if necessary. Full terms and conditions apply.

A new car is a milestone. This experience turns it into a memory worth capturing.

I published a blog not long ago, how Goa Benefits from Fuel Increases in which I explained GOA charges a percentage and makes more money when fuel prices increase. One of my readers corrected me. I was right in principle, but the details were incorrect, and once he spelled it out, the facts were even more infuriating:

A little correction, he says, excise is a fixed amount. BBO, twice, is a percentage. Then he goes on to explain, the fuel price of Aruba is based on the PLATTS monthly average based on the daily average of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel and conventional gasoline in the USGC, U.S. Golf Coast. A small amount per liter is added for transport to Aruba. Here the margin of the refinery is added (it is about 8 cents per liter), then the excise tax is added. Then BBO is charged, that price is the wholesale mandated price to the gas stations. On the gas station price another 14 cent per liter is added and then AGAIN BBO.

As I said even more infuriating.

We recently also heard about increased Bunker surcharges on cargo shipment to the ABC islands, which translates to about 25 percent increase in total freight costs. This increase will affect everything we consume, and as importers pay more, we pay more. (More about the subject Blog Lincoln Gomez)

In his blog, Gomez says: When freight costs rise, government revenue rises with it. In Aruba, import duties and the BBO tax at the border are calculated based on the CIF value of goods – Cost, Insurance and Freight. This means taxes are applied not only to the value of the product itself, but also to the cost of transporting and insuring that product. As a local logistics businessman recently pointed out, when shipping costs increase, the taxable base increases as well. This is simple math. The result is unavoidable: the government automatically collects additional tax revenue that was never originally budgeted – not because of growth, not because of policy, but simply because costs increased.

End of quote.

And when the new merchandize comes in at a higher price tag, the existing stock gets an increase price tag, because the store cannot allow the same product to be sold at two different prices.

The following is a communication received from CUA, Comerciantenan Uni Aruba, the local merchant association: We would like to inform you that the Government of Aruba has announced an increase in international fuel prices.…. As a result of its decision, the increase passed on to consumers will be reduced to approximately 24.57 cents for gasoline and 45.20 cents for diesel. We recognize that fuel price increases have a direct effect on transportation, logistics, operating expenses, and the overall cost of doing business. CUA will continue to monitor these developments closely and remain attentive to the impact on our members and the wider business community.

LUCKY for me, I did not go to the concert last month. I saved the cost of the ticket and the expenses on hair, makeup, shoes, a dress some food & beverage. But many of our low-income demographics went, they had a fantastic time, and will find it tough to stretch their pennies to the end of the month.

And…. we have not heard from WEB and/or ELMAR yet. Since the increases on fuel affects their HFO, heavy fuel oil, and Diesel, used to generate electricity and desalinate water. I am not sure they hedged enough, and/or if hedging is at all possible.