Aruba sounded familiar. Could this be anything to do with the Beach Boys' jingly song Kokomo, where the island's name is sung in the chorus. You know how it goes: 'Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya...' As it was, we would be hearing this tune many times on this fascinating Caribbean island. Aruba is a Dutch protectorate. Once part of a group of three islands that fell under Dutch rule (Curacao and Bonaire are the others), it has been independent since 1986. From the moment you touch down at Queen Beatrix Airport, you sense there something special is going on.
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The small island is located 15 miles off the Venezuelan coast
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Sherbet-hued buildings brighten the picturesque capital of Oranjestad
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The Caribbean island is affectionately known as 'One Happy Island'
We had arrived in @placeholder feeling like foreigners; we left feeling very much that we had known the place for years.