Page 12 - AHATA

a5
local Saturday 11 January 2025

Best spots to view the sunset

(Oranjestad)—What can hotels, the western shoreline set, the white sandy beaches
be more romantic than sur- and the wild waves that and the soft sounds of waves
prising your partner with a crash on the northern side crashing—it can only be de-
date watching the sunset. of the island. scribed as an experience!*
Aruba’s sunset leave many
speechless, and luckily, the Manchebo & Eagle Beach Arashi Beach
best spots to view the sunset Speaking of the western Another beach that has to
are entirely accessible and shoreline, the best spots for be considered as another
easy to find. Here are some viewing the sunset on the great spot to view the sun- Hooiberg Hill Casibari Rock Formation
of the best places to view the beach has to be either Man- set. Arashi Beach is the last These last two options are If you’re a rock climber, you
sunset on the island. chebo Beach or at Eagle beach you will find along for more active couples. If might enjoy watching the
Beach, which stretch along the western coast line, just you and your partner like to sunset on top of the Casi-
California Light House the entire western coast of before you drive up the hill hike, the Hooiberg Hill may bari Rock Formation. It’s no
Of course, being one of the the island starting from be- to the California Light House. be a great place for you to Yosemite, but it does offer a
highest point easily acces- hind Bucuti & Tara Beach A favorite for surfers and get your daily workout in fun little exercise to get to the
sible to locals and tourists, Resort up to the Amsterdam body boarders, the Arashi and enjoy a beautiful view top. But if you prefer not to
the California Light House Manor roundabout. The sun- sky stretches out for miles, of the sunset and the island get your hands a little dirty,
hill not only offers a tremen- set on these beaches is truly lending a spectacular can- as a little reward. Climb on you can always use the stairs
dous view of the sunset, but breathtaking; the sky and vas for the sun to create a top the 587-step stairs and in the back.
also a breath taking scenery ocean look so big and spa- masterpiece of orange, pink reach the top to enjoy this Editor’s note: This spot may
of most of the island. In the cious, and paired with the and purple hue. incredible scenery. be my personal favorite, if
distance you can spot all the orange/pink hue of the sun- you couldn’t already tell… q

The legend of the Kibrahacha tree

was very worried, and as was satisfied to see Aretima so
The Kibrahacha is said to the custom in the olden days, When they arrived at the happy and encouraged
have extremely hard wood— asked Aterima to go fetch tree, they saw that it was to help her father, took her
so hard that it can break an Kudawecha, who was a covered head to toe in back to her hut.
axe. In fact, that’s what its epistemophile, to come see thorns, with only a few closed
name means in Papiamen- his father. flowers at the very top. Ku- Upon arriving back at the
to: “kibra” (break) “hacha” dawecha, experienced hut, Aretima’s mother quickly
(axe). The flowers bloom Aterima wasted to time and veteran in all things Aruban made a tea out of the flow-
around April and May, but went to go fetch Kudawe- flora and fauna, told Aretima ers and gave it to her sick
this only last for about three cha. Upon telling Kudawe- to start plucking the thorns husband. Miraculously, after
days, as the flowers start to cha that her father was sick, of the tree to climb to the just one sip of the tea, the
fall off and the tree starts he immediately accompa- top where the flowers are. father’s fever left his body im-
(Oranjestad)—The Kibraha- growing its green leaves. nied Aretima back to her hut, Aretima, just as determined mediately, and he opened
cha is a famous tree known The Kibrahacha is especially where he encountered her to save her father, didn’t eyes and sprung up feeling
locally for its bright, yellow particular, as it’s the only one father in a bad state. Not will- hesitate to start. new.
flowers that blooms for just among its neighboring trees ing to waste any time, he told
three days. Scientifically to starts blooming first. Aretima that the only thing To her surprise, every time The next morning, they all
known as Tabebuia billbergii, that can cure her father is she plucked a thorn of the visited the same Kibraha-
and in English as the Yellow The legend of the Kibraha- a home-made potion made tree, a bright, yellow flower cha tree that saved the life
Poui, this tree is native to the cha out of the Kibrahacha flower. bloomed in its place. The of Aretima’s father and they
Caribbean islands of Aruba, Written by Hubert (Lio Booi) At the time the Kibrahacha thorns were hard to pluck saw another miracle. The
Bonaire and Curacao, and is was not yet in her blooming out, but Aretima continued tree was covered again in
considered among locals as One day Aterima, who lived season, but the stubborn Ku- plucking with enthusiasm the same bright, yellow flow-
one of the most spectacu- west of the hill Sero War- dawecha was determined and wonder at the unfold- ers, with not a thorn in sight.
lar trees on the island. But awara, woke up one day to to bring back Aretima’s fa- ing sight before her. Not too And as the legend goes, from
did you also know that the find her father sleeping in his ther back to health, and so long after she was able to that day on, the Kibrahacha
beautiful yellow flowers have hammock, suffering a bout off they went to the nearest fill her entire satchel with the tree no longer produced any
a story behind them? of terrible fever. Her mother Kibrahacha tree. yellow flowers. Kudawecha, more thorns. q