2/5 Rob W. 4 years ago on Google
I
want
to
be
crystal
clear
-
Aruba
is
gorgeous,
and
seeing
it
at
ground
level,
traveling
at
a
leisurely
pace,
defies
description.
Kini
Kini
Transfer
&
Tours
was
prompt
in
picking
up
our
party,
and
their
equipment
is
in
good
shape
and
well
cared-for.
On
those
points,
Kini
Kini
earns
5
stars.
But
this
review
isn't
over
by
a
long
shot.
It
is
2:54pm
Aruba
time,
and
our
excursion
ended
about
two
hours
ago.
A
man
named
Pancho
runs
this
place.
And
Pancho
greeted
us
as
most
Arubians
greet
people,
with
unabashed
enthusiasm,
stories
of
Caribbean
bliss,
anecdotes
liberally
sprinkled
with
Spanish
flair,
leaving
everyone
full
of
love
and
joy.
Pancho
gave
us
a
quick
-
QUICK
-
primer
on
how
to
drive
an
ATV,
and
we
were
off.
At
every
stop
along
the
way,
Pancho
was
pure
charm
and
could
not
have
been
a
more
knowledgeable
guide.
Then,
on
a
rocky
downhill
incline,
my
girlfriend
(with
me
riding
shotgun)
squeezed
the
brakes,
but
on
the
loose
rocky
terrain,
the
vehicle
could
not
stop
in
time.
We
rear-ended
the
ATV
in
front
of
us,
which
carried
my
best
friend
and
his
wife.
Their
ATV
flipped
over,
briefly
pinning
the
two
of
them
underneath.
With
my
girlfriend
in
hysterics,
and
Pancho's
assistant
Edmundo
flying
in
like
Superman
to
lift
the
fallen
vehicle,
Pancho
came
in
to
survey
the
situation.
While
my
best
friend
and
his
wife
suffered
some
scrapes
and
road
rash
(they're
actually
on
their
way
to
our
resort's
first
aid
center
as
I
type
this),
Pancho
was
at
the
now-uprighted
vehicle
and
as
long
as
I
draw
breath
upon
this
Earth,
I
will
never
forget
the
first
words
out
of
his
mouth
when
he
saw
the
minor
damage
to
the
ATV:
"Oh,
man,
now
I'm
gonna
have
to
charge
you
for
this."
A
woman
is
in
shock,
there's
her
husband
with
a
tennis-ball
sized
swelling
on
one
leg,
and
this
swine
Pancho
is
more
concerned
about
the
tour's
remaining
timetable.
We're
unsure
of
how
(or
if)
medical
professionals
could
even
reach
us
at
that
location,
and
Pancho
uttered
another
unforgettable
quote:
"C'mon,
are
we
staying
or
are
we
going?"
We
ultimately
soldiered
on,
but
as
far
as
I
was
concerned,
I
was
done
with
this
excursion,
and
more
specifically,
our
host.
When
we
arrived
back
at
Kini
Kini
HQ,
our
party
found
itself
the
only
one
not
boarding
a
return
bus.
Some
employees
checked
out
the
ATV's,
and
then
disappeared.
A
few
moments
later,
as
we
made
our
way
to
the
bus,
Pancho
and
Edmundo
appeared.
Then
our
host
said
this:
"We've
decided
not
to
charge
you.
See
what
nice
guys
we
are?"
We
were
dumbfounded.
This
guy
was
full
of
love
a
few
hours
ago.
We
boarded
the
return
bus,
and
another
passenger
observed,
"Pancho
didn't
even
say
goodbye."
To
everybody
not
close
to
the
situation,
Pancho
was
Senor
Charm.
Those
of
us
in
the
rear
of
the
line
saw
something
quite
different.
And
if
you're
reading
this,
Pancho,
let
me
tell
you
how
I
will
forever
feel:
Pancho,
tu
eres
tiburon.
This
place
will
give
you
a
magnificent
tour
of
some
historic
places
in
Aruba.
But
a
lot
of
others
will
too.
I
very
much
recommend
you
patronize
one
of
the
others,
until
Pancho
learns
that
the
tourists
who
bankrolled
his
shiny
black
Mercedez,
his
gleaming
red
Mitsubishi
SUV,
and
his
THREE
Toyota
buses
are
probably
worthy
of
a
little
human
kindness
and
sympathy
in
a
time
of
injury
and
confusion
in
a
completely
remote
and
unfamiliar
place.
Oh,
and
as
we
were
at
the
Natural
Pool
a
few
minutes
after
the
accident,
I
took
a
look
at
some
of
the
other
ATV's;
ALL
OF
THEM
were
in
2-wheel
drive
mode.
In
4-wheel
drive
mode,
you
get
better
traction
off-road,
and
all
the
brakes
engage
even
when
only
one
handbrake
is
squeezed.
Keep
that
in
mind
when
you're
selecting
ATV
tours
in
this
beautiful
island
paradise.
Edmundo,
thank
you.
At
every
step
along
the
way,
you
were
kind,
professional,
and
understanding
that
not
everyone
who
flies
into
Aruba
for
a
week's
vacation
comes
in
with
decades
of
experience
driving
ATV's.
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