✈ Keeping Kosher in Aruba

Contributed by: Dani Klein | Last Date of Travel: June 2007

Kosher Info: Kosher restaurants did exist at one point, but in our week there, none was to be found. American institutions like Baskin Robbins / Dunkin Donuts exist near the major hotels, but that is about it. We had to bring our own pot and portable stove, along with some frozen meals. I definitely recommend renting a car (about $30/day) and shop at their large supermarket (Kong Hing) which carries major American products; is about 5 minutes driving from the main hotels on L. G. Smith Blvd.

Tourist Info: Aruba is a hot, dry island perfect for relaxing with your significant other. The hotel areas are beautiful, beaches are white and clean, and the people are friendly. There are a few tour groups that operate half-day and full-day activities on the island including various water sports, ATV tours, Safari tours, and more. We spent 2 days with De Palm Tours with mixed results. The first day was great. We did the “Natural Pool Jeep Adventure” and it was amazing! We got to drive a Jeep and swim in a rocky natural pool carved out in the Caribbean Sea. Day 2 was spent going to “De Palm Island”. Unless you have children, do not waste your time with this. We ended up leaving early and demanding our money back.

De Palm and other tour groups run other day trips around the island. To save you money, I suggest doing what we did, rent a car for the day and tour the island yourself. You can drive across the entire island in an hour. Drive through the Arubian villages, and be sure to visit Baby Beach and Arikok National Park, both on the opposite side of the island from the hotels. Baby Beach is pristine, secluded, and has the softest the sand you’ve ever felt.

Shopping and nightlife in Aruba is decent. There are numerous casinos in the hotels, and shopping in Oranjestad was definitely different. Don’t expect major bargains. Everything is imported except for the locally made Aruba Aloe products; which you may need after your sunburn.

At night, consider hitting up one of the poker tables as I did at one of the numerous casinos in the hotels. This seems to be a pretty common activity for those who don’t want to go far.

Jewish Info: Jewish life on this island is tiny, and consists mainly of tourists and traveling businessmen. There is a local shul, however not an Orthodox one, nor was it open when we stopped by.

✈ Keeping Kosher in Calgary, AB & The Great Canadian Rockies

Contributed by: Josh Margo | Last Date of Travel: June 2007

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Kosher Info: After living there for a few years you learn about the kosher situation very fast. In the city of Calgary there are a few options for kosher food. They even have their own kosher symbol the CK (its not on many product buts its a good hashgacha). Check out the new CJCC website which has more details about the city and Shabbat hospitality. Worst case scenario you can always get kosher bagels and cream cheese or hummus from the grocery store!

• Barel’s Bakery is a nut free dairy free bakery with some good stuff. A great place to get challah and they have some pre-packaged meat too!
• Carriage House Inn is the closest hotel to the orthodox synagogue House of Jacob. It also has a great kosher bakery. If you get there Thursday morning or Friday morning they have some unbelievable pies and cookies, But they go fast!
• Haifa Deli is an all in one kosher shop. If has a great deli counter with a wide variety of South African specialty foods. They have frozen prepared meals, and much more.
• Karen’s Cafe is a cozy little restaurant in the JCC. Its mostly dairy but from time to time they have a great meat dish for Thursday nights. The prices are great and the services is one of the best I’ve seen for a kosher establishment.

Tourist Info: No matter if its winter or summer there is always lots to do. If you like hiking and outdoors activities there is no better place in the world. Just imagine a hike where you can walk for about an hour and you get to a little opening in the forest and the only thing you can hear is…the sound of yourself breathing!!!

If you are planning on staying for a week or more. I would start in Calgary for Shabbat and leave early Sunday morning. Banff is a nice place but I wouldn’t spend more than a day there. If anything I would check it out on the way back. For cost and experience I would start in Jasper (about a 6 hour drive from Calgary) and work your way down and do day trips. Japser is a very small city but the accommodations are the cheapest (depending on the season) and the hiking and tourist attraction are great. The majority of the sights are only at most an hour drive form Jasper. Believe it or not but Hanukkah time is Jasper is really nice its usually not that cold or busy as most people are out gone to be with family for the holidays.

Jewish Info: The community in Calgary is very warm and welcoming. The House of Jacob (orthodox) is a great synagogue which offers home hospitality for Shabbat. Just call up the synagogue and they will set you up. The cost is free, of course they expect a small donation for the synagogue. The synagogue is also next to the Glenmore reservoir which is a great walk on Shabbat considering it goes really late in the summer. They have a new Kollel which offers some great classes for men and women Shabbat afternoon. There is a nice Chabad, which has a great vibe but a bit of a far walk from the hotels. They both have a kiddush Shabbat morning. There is also a Reform temple Bnei Tikvah, which has a great service Friday night. The largest synagogue is the conservative one called Beth Zedek. They have a world class cantor!