Page 35 - KPA JULY 20 2015

DIALUNA 20 JULI 2015
Riba Dia Nacional di Colombia
Fraccion di AVP ta manda
mensahe di pabien na tur
ciudadano Colombiano
ORANJESTAD(AAN)Awe
ta un dia grandi pa Colombia
caminda e pais aki ta celebra
su Dia Nacional y fraccion di
AVP sin duda algun ta uni su
mes na e colonia Colombiano
aki na Aruba, cu pa hopi aña
caba, ta bibando riba nos
isla, formando parti di Aruba
su desaroyo y progreso.
Sin duda algun aki na Aruba
nos tin ciudadanonan di
Colombia cu a forma parti
esencial di e progreso y
desaroyo di Aruba, caminda
nan a adapta nan mes como
ciudadanonan cu ta stima nos
pais mescos cu nan ta stima
na pais natal, Colombia.
Aruba a ricibi ciudadanonan
Colombiano cu a bin busca
un porvenir riba nos isla,
durante temponan dificil
cu Colombia a confronta y
cu gran satisfaccion mundo
Chauffeur ta accidenta y baha na
awa lagando su sixpack atras
ORANJESTAD(AAN): Diado-
mingo marduga un chauffeur
di un Altezza a huy lagando su
auto atras despues di un acci-
dente cu el a haya su mes aden
na Mei Veld. Ta sospecha cu e
chauffeur di e Altezza lo tabata
bou di influencia y pesey lo a
core drenta e veld di Mei Veld
y disparce. Pa ora cu polis a
yega no por a hay’e .
A yama takelwagen pa hala e
auto pasobra el a keda riba ca-
minda.
E chauffeur a perde control
den e birada y a bay pega den
e mata. El a hera dal e palo di
luz tambe.
henter awendia ta tumando
nota di e cambio grandi cu e
pais ta pasando aden.
E proceso di paz ta riba e
caminda corecto, e pais ta
pasando den un desaroyo
economico sumamente
positivo y trankilidad poco
poco ta yegando bek den e
pais.
Riba e gran dia aki fraccion
di AVP ta felicita tur
ciudadano Colombiano den
nos comunidad, y cu e dia aki
wordo celebra cu tur honor
cu e pais merece como pais
liber y prospero.
A haya un sixpack den auto
benta, cu boternan bon friu
ainda.
E chauffeur tabata bisti na
blauw segun informacion di al-
gun testigo.
DIARIO PAGINA 19
COCKTAILS UNDER THE TREE. We went to Happy Hour on Friday at Fort Zoutman, under
the tree, street-side. The last time I was there, exactly one year ago, was the day our Prime Minis-
ter abandoned his self-styled hunger strike, as Malaysia Airline, MH 17, was shot down over the
Ukraine. So, back to the Fort on the anniversary of that fated day, for an event conceived by the
ever-entertaining Joase-Ann van der Biest, who is today the director of the Historical Museum.
Joase says she wanted to breathe life into the complex, which is usually hopping and happening on
Tuesdays, during the Bon Bini Festival and very quiet the rest of the week. Reasonably priced beers
and futuristic flavors by Taki Aruba, with foraged flowers and locally grown veggies welcomed us
to the a social mixer, brushing shoulders with Aruba Tourism Authority personalities, and the Min-
istry of Tourism officials including the Minister himself. We also took a speed-tour of the museum
with Valerie who is a great story-teller. Joase will repeat the get together bao palo at the end of the
month.
YOU WERE MENTIONED IN BATI BLEKI. We recently said goodbye, as in bon voyage,
to a Belgian-born friend-of-Aruba, who has been living in Paris for the past few decades. Hotelier
Willy Libert spent the last three months here and reports appreciating our sunshiny lifestyle and our
gracious people. On weekends, walking to his favorite Arashi beach, he never failed to collect trash,
and on several occasions joined local friends hiking the wild side, taking pictures and marveling at
the diversity of his life, retired in Paris one day, then heading to Aruba for a project on the following
day! Among friends saying adieu were Hotel Manager Leslie Prea, Marriott Aruba Hotel & Stellaris
Casino and Erwin Noguera General Manager Marriott Ocean Club. The party on Quatorze Juillet
featured French dishes by the now stylishly-bearded Chef Miguel Garcia and the adorable Chef
Romeo Penacino, proud members of the Marriott culinary team. Looking around the dinner table
Erwin immediately established that of all famous party-goers Leslie has never received a mention in
Bati Bleki, he then went on to spend the rest of the evening telling me that a good-juicy story about
the ever-cheerful Seychelles-born hospitality executive would sell a mountain of newspapers on
Monday, but, he never gave me any fodder, and never spilled any exciting information besides what
I already knew from the day we met at La Cabana, many years ago, that Leslie is a stand up guy, and
a good boy! So here we go, a mention in Bati Bleki for a perfect gentleman, father and friend!
WELCOME TO THE HILTON. As the Radisson logo lettering went off the Aruba tower
many of my friends expressed a variety of emotions. First there was joy, over the fact that the new
owners of the real estate, the Aruba Growth Fund, made good on its promise to purchase and protect
all employees and their work places. That by itself is a huge accomplishment. We were talking at
dinner about the reality of local businesses changing hands and one of us reported living with the
eternal sting of being fired without compensation, when Chez Mathilde Restaurant, went so-called
bankrupt. She said she was still hurting from that insult. In the Radisson’s case, it was business
as usual, one day lime green, the next day blue, when the Aruba Growth Fund introduced Hilton
International, in charge of navigating the Grande Dame into its glorious future. On the other hand
there was an end-of-an-era sentiment. Twenty-five years under the Radisson brand were good, albeit
less-than perfect General Managers. The resort introduced contemporary ideas to its traditional
clientele, and adjusted to demographic shifts, and ever-changing guests’ preferences, needs and
wants. It was apparent that management watched its customer-behavior and decision-making and
continuously tweaked the product, managing to stay popular, all these years. But there is more
pressure to succeed now that a large investment was made, and it is up to employees to show their
gratitude, for the fact their jobs were save, by applying themselves 120% to guest satisfaction and
top notch service, to help push the hotel to higher, better room rates.
NEW COLLECTION. The new Breitling 2015 Basel Collection was previewed in
the lobby of the Ritz Carlton hotel recently. The trunk show was hosted by Little Switzerland
marketing and management duo Nathalie Van Trikt and Jeanette Keith. It is nice to know
that that the watches unveiled at the international BaselWorld fair, in Switzerland in March,
are already available in Aruba. John Travolta, the famous superstar with a passion for aviation
is now the spokesperson for the brand appearing in advertising campaigns, replacing British
celebrity David Beckam. The ladies report that the Little Switzerland flagship store in
Oranjestad, at Royal Plaza, is open, having undergone a complete renovation in record 8 weeks.
MAGGY’S MAKE UP FESTIVEL CONCLUDES 13th EDITION. Hosted by Rachel
Hughes Senior Marketing & Sales Manager, Diane Fleming, Support Office Manager, and Roxana
Hoevertsz, Marketing Assistant, the 13th annual make up festival hosted a number of events, at
the main street store. Opening night offered a special cocktail hour with music by saxophonist
Eduardo Proveyer, hors d’oeuvres by Croleco Snacks and wine by a Boma Wines, a company
owned by Ramon Helgers of Madame Jeanette fame. Wine Advisor Remco van Kerlhof was in
charge of pouring wines, and reported they were imported to Aruba from France, for the occasion.
During the week Maggy’s also offered a Google Glasses/ YSL Makeup Event, for the first time
ever. Basically, the makeup artists wearing the glasses recorded the process of makeup application
and the customers got a video, to replay at home, and be able to recreate the look step by step on
their own. The partnership between Google Glasses and YSL was launched at Bloomingdale’s in
New York City, and at Maggy’s in Aruba.
NEW COMPANY IN ARUBA. Have you ever asked yourself how long it takes to open a new
company in Aruba. Recently it took seven month to open one here. And while everyone we met
along the way seemed efficient and helpful, I am asking myself if seven-month is indeed our idea
of fast and well-organized. Notary Ted Johnson and his assistant Cheryl Trim were helpful. One
meeting and a couple of trips to the Orange Plaza was all it took. Yet, they charged extra for the Eng-
lish transcripts. Then the Censo was not as bad as we expected, but we had to take a number of trips
down there for a number of different extracts, as each turn of the road required a fresh Censo paper!
The Ministry of Justice where our Good Conduct certificates were issued was on the ball. The pa-
pelito was ready at the time they indicated it would be. The Chamber of Commerce receptionist was
helpful, though she charge double, Awg 30, for an extract in English VS one in Papiamento. Then
the CMB executive, Diza Arends was helpful, naturally, it was a non-borrowing account. But, our
visit in the CMB branch in Noord was stressful. The lines were endless. We stood in a Caracas-style
cola fortísima, then someone suggested to line up at the much-shorter business queue. Sure it had
fewer people, but cash depositing members of the business community take much longer, and so the
time-saving ploy failed. Last but not least after a number of visits to the Department of Economic
Affairs, we picked up the directors’ permits, on a Friday afternoon, just before 4pm. The ladies at
Economic Affairs, Esther Ramirz Kelly, Mary Baarh, Marcycelly Ras, seem organized and dili-
gent, but the process is still paper-bogged, with the photocopy machine in a starring role, spitting
out a copy of this, and a copy that, continuously. I think someone needs to look at the process, and
make overall recommendations.