One Happy Podcast

Joining me today on One Happy Podcast is Nancy Gallagher.  Nancy is a listener of the show who you may recognize if you are a member of any of the popular Aruba Facebook groups.  Known for her stunning photography and insightful posts I asked Nancy to be a guest on the podcast a couple of months ago, but she was reluctant.  Fearful that listeners wouldn’t be interested in her version of Aruba, Nancy asked in one of the Facebook groups what they thought.  The support that was shown was overwhelming and as a result at fantastic podcast episode was born.

Nancy has been visiting Aruba since 1990 and over the course of that time she has seen it all… literally.  I am sure you will agree that most visitors to Aruba actually only see a small portion of the already small island, but not Nancy.  Over the course of the 26 years she has been visiting the island of Aruba, Nancy has made it a point to get off the tourist trail and to actually get to know the island we all love so much.  Although the bulk of her vacations are spent at the Divi Dutch Village, Nancy’s trips usually start out with a couple of days booked at a lesser known property out of the tourist area. This practice that has exposed Nancy to the Aruba that locals live.

Listen as Nancy tells us about her version of Aruba which starts at the Coral Reef Beach villas in Savaneta and finishes in her timeshare at the Divi Dutch Village, just 32 steps from the beach.  Over the course of the interview Nancy tells us about those two properties as well as about some of her favorite restaurants on the island, many of which you don’t need to make reservations at even during high season.  We also learn about some of Aruba’s off the beaten path treasures such as Seroe Crystal and Aruba’s National Art Gallery which is a great way to learn more about the culture of this very special island.

As some of you may know in addition to being a wealth of information on all things Aruba, Nancy is also an incredible potter.  In the past Nancy has crafted pieces as a fundraiser for the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary but can also do custom pieces.  So if you have an idea for an Aruba themed piece of art, you really should get in contact with Nancy. 

You can see examples of her work at:

 

On This Episode of One Happy Podcast You Will Learn:

  • About a fantastic place to stay in Savaneta
  • One of the best spots on Aruba to find sea glass
  • Where you can get custom made Aruba inspired pottery
  • Who has some of the best ribs on the island
  • Where you should dine while watching the sunset

 

Restaurants and Attractions Mentioned on this Episode:

  • Baby back grill
  • Flying Fishbone
  • House of Cake
  • Marina Pirata
  • Zeerovers

 

Links and Resources Mentioned This Episode

Direct download: EP31_-_Nancy_Gallagher.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:13pm EDT

Joining me today on One Happy Podcast is a repeat guest, Marie Geerman.  You may remember Marie from episode 15, “Rescuing Dogs with Marie Geerman”.  In that episode Marie took us on a journey to her Aruba.  Marie took us all the way from her first exposure to Aruba, through taking on the task of feeding Aruba’s homeless animals, all the way to her present day work of trying to completely eliminate the stray animal problem in Aruba by educating and informing Arubans on the benefits of responsible ownership.

I asked Marie to come back onto One Happy Podcast to not only check up on the status of her spay and neuter campaign but to also learn more about Aruba Flight Volunteers.  Aruba Flight Volunteers is a Facebook page that was started to better organize the animal transportation efforts from Aruba to the United States. 

For a while now I have been aware of the generosity many tourists show in helping getting adopted dogs and cats from their birthplace of Aruba to their “fur-ever” homes back in the states, but like many of you I was completely ignorant of the process.  This lack of information really struck home on this last trip to Aruba when I made my first trip to the Aruba Animal Shelter.   Visiting those puppies and kittens really makes you want to help and although we did make a donation we wanted to do more.  Maggie came up with the idea of possibly transporting a puppy home.  The only problem is we had absolutely no idea how to go about setting something like this up.  

When I arrived back home I promised that I would find out more about the transportation process and figured what better place to turn for that information than Aruba Flight Volunteers.  That I when I got in contact with Marie to set up another interview.  It is my hope that this newest interview with Marie answers not only my own questions about animal transportation but also the questions of so many others that have the inclination but not the information to help save a life.   

While I hope every episode of One Happy Podcast is informative, this one goes the extra mile to provide focused insight into the topic of Aruba Animal Transportation.  My hopes are that it can be used as a primer for those curious about transporting in the future.  Both Marie and I realize there are questions that weren’t answered in the podcast and can’t be answered in this format due to everyone have different circumstances but it’s a start.  Your next step next step should be to go to the Aruba Flight Volunteer’s page and like it on Facebook; there you will be able to find even more information about transporting.

On This Episode of One Happy Podcast You Will Learn

  • Which airlines allow transportation of animals
  • How much notice you should give prior to your trip to Aruba
  • The Status of the Aruba Spay and Neuter campaign we talked about in episode 15
  • How early you need to arrive at the airport on the day you are departing
  • That it costs you nothing but time to transport an animal
  • About the failsafe’s Aruba Flight Volunteers has in place to make sure your transportation experience is perfectly executed

Links and Resources Mentioned This Episode

Direct download: EP30_-_Aruba_Flight_Volunteers.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:21pm EDT

On today’s episode of One Happy Podcast I am trying something a bit different.  This episode is actually my first ever solo episode.  So what does that mean?  Well today instead of having a guest on the show it’ll just be my talking as I am recapping my September 2015 vacation to Aruba.

The trip itself was pretty uneventful as I usually have a pretty solid game plan going into vacation.  However, even though I have now gone to Aruba several times I am still learning different and better ways to enjoy vacationing there.  That learning process is a central part of this podcast as much of this trip was spent evolving as an Aruba vacationer.

So even though this podcast episode is a recap of my trip, I am not going to give you a complete play by play.  When we vacation in Aruba we are all over the place so a complete rundown of everything would be impractical.  Besides I really doubt you guys want to hear me drone on about hopping from Palm Beach to Eagle Beach to Arashi Beach every day.  So, instead what I am going to do is countdown my top 5 takeaways from this latest trip to One Happy Island.

 

One this Episode of One Happy Podcast You Will Hear About:

 

  • Re-kindling my love for Photography

Although I do have a love for picture taking, over the past few trips I’ve been neglectful when it in the department of memory preservation. This trip I made it a point to be a more active photographer and it has paid off in the form of more images for me to share.  So be certain to check out the One Happy Podcast Facebook Page to see some of the photos I snapped on this last trip to Aruba.

  • The continuation of my Aruba Food Truck infatuation

Hear me talk about some of my favorite places to eat in Aruba… the food trucks.  The rolling revolution has hit Aruba in a major way.  In my opinion some of the absolutely best places to pick up a quick and cheap meal are the Aruba food trucks.  Here I focus on 4 food trucks that impacted me on this Aruba vacation in a major way.  I know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but personally I could do an entire trip and eat nowhere else.

  • The Kukoo Kunuku

Even though I am not as young as I used to be, every once in a while my brain tricks my body into believing that I am still a young man.  This particular Aruba vacation, my bravado resulted in me taking an excursion on the Kukoo Kunuku party bus.  While I will say that I did pay the price for foolishly believing I could still party like it was 1999 (literally), I wouldn’t change it for the world.  If you have never gone on the Kunuku but do like to party you should absolutely check it out, you won’t be disappointed.  Tell the Aruba Curt sent you.  It will get you absolutely nothing.  In fact, they probably won’t even know who the hell Aruba Curt is but tell them anyway.

  • Meeting new friends

As I’ve stated before I am a bit of an introvert.  On this trip I actually do let my guard down and interact with quite a few different people while in Aruba.  I’m not talking about the odd superficial bar or beach conversations.  I mean I actually go to structured events to meet and mingle.  So find out what happens when Aruba Curt stops being such a loner and let’s life happens.  Does he actually have fun?  Will he once again crawl back into his shell?  Is it possible Aruba Curt embraces his newfound status as a social butterfly?  There is only one way to find out.  Press play on Episode 29 of One Happy Podcast.

  • Visiting the Puppies and Kittens of Aruba

The more I podcast the more I get exposed to all the different aspects of Aruba.  One part that I was exposed to a few episodes ago was the plight of the stray animals in Aruba.  This trip I decided to stop in at the Aruba Animal Shelter to see things first hand.  The plan was for us to set out one morning to make a quick stop to pet some puppies and make a donation.  What ended up happening was an experience that will forever change the way I vacation in Aruba.

Direct download: EP29_-_Aruba_Curt_September_2015.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:13pm EDT

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