OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 The Ostrich Farm Page 9

Our last stop was an ostrich farm….At this site they raise ostriches for the benefit of tourists but their main farm raises them for food. The meat is red like meat from cattle, not white like that of a chicken. We didn’t eat any, so can’t say for sure.

Austin and Jennie had a chance to feed the ostriches….Austin was not sure if he liked them or not and was scared he’d get pecked. I don’t blame him, they were about 6 feet tall and had big hard beaks and big eyes that stared at you. The feed was a small type of pellet and the trainer poured some into their cupped hands. The birds would reach over the fence and peck the food from your hands.

I didn't feed the birds.....they have very big, hard beaks and I had no desire to be pecked. And I never did like ostriches.

The trainer made a huge ostrich squat down and the children in the group were allowed to sit on it’s back so the parents could take photographs. One of the few places that didn't charge for photographs and the parents were clicking like crazy.

When it was Jenny's turn the trainer poked the ostrich to get it to get up and walk around the enclosure….well it was supposed to walk but it was more of a trot with the trainer hanging onto it’s neck.

Jenny didn’t know that it was planning to get up and go, and suddenly found herself 5 feet in the air on the back of an ostrich who was squawking and flapping it’s wings.....doing it’s best to get away from the trainer. Jen had a look of pure terror on her face!

The trainer kept telling her to hold onto the wings, but she was afraid she’d hurt it so floundered from side to side for three gallops around the pen before finally sliding off it’s tail. I don’t remember if she was laughing or screaming, but she was making a loud noise of some kind.

The trainer didn’t have a rope or leash on the bird, and I was worried that the ostrich would get away and go racing around the enclosure with Jenny holding on for dear life. I’m sure she’ll fondly remember her first (and probably last) ostrich ride.

After the ostrich farm, we were on our way back to the ship. Aruba has many casinos, boutiques and upscale bars – also the usual group of open-air shops. Ken and I went back to the ship, but Lisa and family decided to get in the last bit of shopping that they could. The kids had a few more souvenirs to buy for their friends.

This was our last formal meal…and it was lobster….great if you like lobster. Ken doesn’t so he had some type of fish. The lobster was good – and, since they were rock lobsters and only about 6” long, we were served two of them. Boy, talk about rich-- dip those things in melted butter and my gall bladder will be dancing on the ceiling tonight. And, as always, if you wanted another lobster, the waiter was happy to oblige.

Speaking of the waiters, your waiters tips and tips to the rest of the crew are usually added to your cruise card......if you are not concerned about costs, thats OK. However, the added gratuity can come as a shock when you are paying your final bill. It isn't mentioned unless you read the cruise book usually on a desk in your room. I don't remember exactly what ours would have amounted to.....$10.00 per day per person to the room steward (per child also), an amount to the head waiter, wine steward and several others. Just call the front desk and ask that they remove the charge. We prefer to leave money on the bed for the room steward and to shake hands and hand an envelope to the waiter and other crew members who have served us.

We also had our photos taken again…hope these come out better than the first batch. We’d go from site to site hoping that at least one of the photos would turn out to be BEAUTIFUL!!!! (and not show the pounds that we've packed on thanks to the ever present FOOD!)

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The kids are about two steps from being professional models.








(to be continued)