Fofoti tree on Eagle Beach
In the bleak mid-winter, frosty winds are definitely moaning, earth’s hard as iron and my pipes froze last week. Yes, it’s wintertime in North West England and summer seems a long way off. So here’s a photo of the quirky fofoti tree on beautiful Eagle Beach on the Aruba in the Caribbean, to brighten your day.
I’d plonked my beach bag next to the tree to take the photo and then decided to include it in the photo. It nicely complements the turquoise colours of the sea and adds a focal point for the photo. There are a couple of these fofoti trees on Eagle Beach. They both lean over the water and have gnarled bark that adds a picturesque element to the image.
This is one of my favourite photos from a holiday on Aruba which produced a number of classic winter sun photos. The sinuously bent branches of the Fofoti tree add texture and the green leaves contrast beautifully with the blue of the ocean and silver sand. A short while before, there’d been one of those short, sharp Caribbean rainstorms that clear the air; the swirling clouds are drifting away and in a few minutes’ time the skies will be totally clear.
This beach is very popular with visitors to Aruba and also for wedding photographs; you can see why. I can’t make my mind up which tree I prefer but I definitely prefer the top photo with the basket. What do you think?
That is a fofoti tree, NOT a divi divi tree. They are thorny and scraggly and found in the cunucu, usually very gray in color from the perennial drought of the desert climate of my native island. I was born and raised in Aruba, growing up in the corporate town provided for overseas personnel of the Esso refinery during the 1930 – 1985 era. Mine was 1944 to 1962. I have never thought Aruba was anything but dry and ugly. However, where sweet water can be afforded to water plants, like the hospitality industry, it can be made to bloom. It is totally dependent on the manmade water system. They take sea water and desalinate it, then re-mineralize it to taste better. It is very dear, so watering is expensive, as well.
These photos were originally incorrectly said to be of the ‘divi-divi tree NOT the fofoti, which is what I had been told these trees are. Many thanks to S GRAVENDIJK for pointing our my mistake. I have now changed all the references and also the weblink, which may explain why you didn’t find it if you used an old link!
Thank you so much for explaining my error; I have now corrected not only the article but also changed the URL. This does mean that all previous links will no longer work but it is important to do this. I try not to have inaccuracies on my blog but they do happen and it is really helpful when someone points them out. I had been told by a local it was a divi-divi tree, hence the mistake. Very happy to correct.
I also appreciate your comments about the island – it is certainly quite barren apart from where the tourist places have created growth, similar to Gran Canaria and some of the other Canary Isles. I enjoyed visiting Arikok National Park and learning about the climate, flora and fauna (see https://www.thequirkytraveller.com/guide-things-to-do-on-caribbean-aruba/) I don’t like the overdressed luxury hotel grounds anywhere – they are sort of versions of MacDonalds – look the same all around the world …