Sightseeing in Aruba: The Faces of Stray Animals

Especially if you’re a big fan of TikTok, you’ll probably appreciate the silly potential of the 0.5 Lens feature on Apple iPhones. Although I avoid TikTok like the plague, I do enjoy collecting bobble-headed images of people and animals alike with this lens feature. I figure it’d be a little weird to go around shoving my phone camera in the faces of random people, so these adorable little stray dogs and cats will have to do! Probably for the best.

I have such dear memories of visiting Hawaii as a child and being amazed by the domesticated but stray animals occasionally wandering around the streets or chilling in the park, and equally hard to believe that no one wants them! Thus, I still have this sort of childlike joy at the sight of a dog happily strolling down the street on its own errands. Although I love them all, my personal favorite is the large image at the very bottom. This calm, mixed mutt was wandering around Baby Beach, a much-beloved enclave near Saint Nicholas boasting shallow, turquoise waters.

At first, I felt terrible for the tranquil, gentle dog walking up and down the beach with no rush or stress. Likely hot from the blazing sun, she eventually slinks into the water to cool off entirely of her own accord. A couple puppy-loving beachgoers, myself included, go out of their way to show love to the wandering dog. After a victory lap, she laid down in the sand in front of our beach chairs to relax, lifting her head up to enjoy the sea breeze in her ears. I can’t help but wonder if this is the life…