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local Monday 31 July 2023

Prohibited by law: leaving the island with seashells, white sand or corals

(Oranjestad)—Often times, na, it is absolutely prohib- is unacceptable. modate our visitors, let’s all
the customs department at ited to take any seashell, Upon confiscation at the give nature the respect it
the airport intercepts many sand and coral outside airport, you can also face deserves by protecting our
tourists leaving the island of Aruba. This is to protect a fine that they have to environment. Stop collect-
with seashells, white sand our environment. The high pay before leaving. This is ing seashells, white sand
and/or corals as souvenirs. number of seashells, coral surely not a pleasant ex- and corals from our shores
and amount of sand con- perience for the tourist. This and stop buying or ac-
Conforming to the inter- fiscated is very strange and also leads to a negative re- cepting these from local
national treaty of CITES it is suspected that our own action which can put our sellers or companies.
and our local law which locals are the ones selling tourism in a negative light.
protects our Flora & Fau- these to the tourists, which Though we love to accom- We want our future gener-
ations and visitors to enjoy
Helpful tips for your stay on Aruba the beauty of our beaches,
shells and corals in a sus-
tainable way, without de-
(Oranjestad)—When traveling to another stroying or disrupting the
country, especially for the first time, it is Aruban ecosystem. Help us
always better to be over-prepared than protect what is ours!q
under-prepared. That is why we have a list
of basic—but important—information that
we think may come in handy to Aruba’s
visitors.

Emergency services
Even though most people don’t even want
to think about having to contact emer- ternational standards for water quality, so
gency services—especially not while on there is no need to buy bottled water from
their vacation, it is still important to know the store.
what number to dial in case of the unlikely
event of an accident or severe incident. Supermarket hours
Supermarket hours may vary depending
Police: 100 on where you are staying on the island.
Police Tipline: 11141 Generally though, most supermarkets are
Ambulance: 911 open from 8am to 9 or 10pm, Monday
Fire Dept: 115 through Saturday. On Sundays, supermar-
Oranjestad: HOH hospital: +297-527-4000 kets generally close earlier; mostly around
San Nicolas: ImSan: +297-527-8833 2pm.

Electrical power Taxis
Aruba generally operates on 110V to 127V Prices for taxi fair are set by the Depart-
supply voltage and 60Hz. There are also ment of Public Traffic and are based on
three types of outlets used on the island: destination rather than mileage. Most taxis
type A with two flat prongs; type B with can take up to five passengers, but this
two flat and one grounding prong, and may vary depending on the vehicle. Taxis
on occasion, type F with two round prong are pretty much always available and you
and two earth clips on the side. However, can ever hire one for $45 an hour.
Type A is most commonly found in homes
and establishments. Safety
Aruba is one of the safest islands in the Ca-
Drinking water ribbean, and many tourist that visit have
The water that flows through the sinks of often told us how they feel safe to explore
every house, hotels and other establish- the island or walk around at night. Howev-
ments is distilled and perfectly safe to drink. er, rare incidents do occurs, so keep your-
Aruba’s drinking water exceeds WHO’s in- self and your belongings safe. q