ARUBA NATURAL BRIDGE

It's such a shame! What was once an awesome tourist attraction now lies in a heap against crashing waters. The Aruba Natural Bridge has been the subject of many photographs for years. It as one of the most frequently visited sights on the island. But the continually changing evolution of nature has taken its toll. And for the last time, the Aruba Natural Bridge stood high and mighty, before it finally collapsed in September 2, 2005.

The Aruba Natural Bridge was just one of the many natural bridges on the island, but it was the biggest. It stands 25 feet high and was a hundred feet long. A shorter and a much smaller natural bridge can be found next to it. The Aruba Natural Bridge was actually a formation of coral limestone that was cut out from long term crash of the waves and the slap of strong winds. Before it demise, it was also a venue for picnics and other group gatherings. Tourists and locals alike, marvel being able to go across it. It is one of the biggest crowd-drawers of the island.

Locals say that the Aruba Natural Bridge has been seen to have a crack on its side several years back. Perhaps, the constant exposure to the same natural forces has intensified the crack, thus resulting in its collapse. No one really gave any conclusion as to what really caused the Aruba Natural Bridge to fall.

This tragedy has again put Aruba into the limelight. Not very long ago, Aruba has been under strict scrutiny for the disappearance of an Alabama teenager on her final night of vacation on the island. The victim, Natalie Holloway, was last seen leaving with three guys in a car, as recounted by some of her companions. She, along with 124 others, was spending their high school graduation trip in Aruba. Up to date, Aruba still has not fully gotten over the island's association with the missing girl. Its tourism has been subtly affected. People were shock to know that an island who boasts of a very low crime rate level could be tainted with such ugly occurrence. And of course, the downfall of the Aruba Natural Bridge has not made things better for its tourism. The bridge used to appear in the island's tourism fliers, as a way to draw tourists. What a blow.

The Aruba Natural Bridge may just be one of the many things worth seeing on the island. But it was a national treasure. What would China be like without the Great Wall? For an island that depends mostly on tourism, it cannot afford to lose another great treasure. Each resident should do his share in whatever means he possibly can.