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Curacao and Aruba Trip, March 14-22, 2007
This entry was written by Matt. Usually, Diane writes the articles for the SCRAPBOOK; however, given that she was in the hospital while Matt traveled to Curacao and Aruba with his grandmother, this is MATT’s log: I went to Curacao and Aruba with my grandmother and my sidemen (and families) to do several benefits for Autism groups. I was also joined by a travel writer named Kevin Raub, who followed me during my stay in Curacao and wrote an article about my adventures for American Way Magazine, the American Airlines Magazine that is found in the seat pockets of all American Airlines flights. The article will appear in their September issue. We flew into Curacao on March 14th. We stayed at the Breezes Resort, a really terrific place to stay. It’s all inclusive, with several indoor and outdoor restaurants and a giant chessboard. There’s plenty of stuff to do there as well- they have a flying trapeze, which I did, along with snorkeling on the beach, and they have scheduled “special” events throughout the day and evening. I spent a lot of time in their swimming pools, which are right next to the ocean. Among the highlights of the stay was a 2-hour giant chess battle with my bassist, John Funkhouser. I wouldn’t have written this if I hadn’t won. History is written by the winners. I also ate some (cooked) sushi at the Munasan Japanese restaurant there, something I don’t do every day. Oh yeah, the concerts. I did some interviews in advance of the concerts, which I often do. I appeared on Telecuracao’s “Moru Bon Dia” (Good Morning, Good Day) television show and on Trosparadise radio station and did a general press conference. The first concert was held in the La Belle Alliance room of the Avila Beach Hotel. I played one of only two Bosendorfer pianos on the island (this one had 4 extra keys on the bottom!) After that was the concert at the Brakkeput Mei-Mei restaurant in Brakkeput, Curacao. The Brakkeput Mei-Mei has a large outdoor hatch shell and amphitheater, and concerts are often held there. There is a very beautiful view from the restaurant. I also played a short concert the next day at Het Savaanhuis, which is a home for kids with disabilities. Once the concerts in Curacao were done, we did some general sightseeing. I got to see places I didn’t see the first time I spent time in Curacao, including Westpunt, which is all the way at the west end of the island. On March 19th, we flew into Aruba. It was a 20-minute flight, the shortest flight on which I have ever been. We stayed at Divi Beach Resort Aruba, which is even bigger in size than Breezes. Our room was all the way at one end of the resort. Getting anywhere took a long walk, but it was so beautiful that it didn’t matter. The beaches in Aruba are completely flat, with pure white sand and pure turquoise oceans. They are just incredible. I played one concert in Aruba, on the 21st. It was an especially cool concert because it was the day before my sister’s birthday. The playlist for the concert (unintentionally) included some songs that related to my sister, including “Kid Sister” and “A Child is Born.” I celebrated Rebecca’s birthday without her even knowing it! I flew back into New England on the 22nd to return to cold, snowy weather… and a 12-year-old sister. I loved spending time with my family and friends in the Caribbean. The people on the islands are so nice. To Krissy and Stan (and Shane and Skylar) and Eddy and Marianne and EVERYONE who worked to bring us back to Curacao, thank you very much for bringing us back to my favorite island. And Monique and Norman and Dilma and John-Eloy, thank you for bringing us to Aruba and being NEW friends! I guess now I have TWO favorite islands. Just so you all know, I’ve already written another Latin song, inspired by this visit! It’s called “Muy Caliente”. It’s going to be on my next CD, which will be recorded LIVE in Boston the end of September. |
