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                                                                                                           LOCAL Monday 11 deceMber 2023


















            Aruba Tourism Authority honors loyal visitors at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort!


            The Aruba Tourism Authority recently had  Goodwill Ambassador (20>years consecu-
            the  great  pleasure  of  recognizing  Distin-  tively visiting Aruba)
            guished  Visitors  of  Aruba.  These  Distin-  Emerald Ambassador (35>years consecu-
            guished  Visitors  were  respectively  hon-  tively visiting Aruba)
            ored  with  a  certificate  acknowledging
            their years of visits, loyalty, and love for the  The honorees were:
            island of Aruba.                            Distinguished Visitors Mr. Greg Drew & Mrs.
                                                        Marj Rooney from New Hampshire, United
            The honor certification is presented on be-  States
            half of the Minister of Tourism as a token of
            appreciation and to say “Masha Danki” to  Ms. Kimberley Richardson representing the
            guests who have visited Aruba 10, 20, or 35  Aruba  Tourism  Authority,  and  staff  mem-
            years or more consecutively.                bers of the Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort be-
                                                        stowed the Distinguished Visitor certificate   tion, as their home away from home.
            The three honoring levels are as follows:   to  the  honorees,  presented  them  with
            Distinguished  Visitor  (10>years  consecu-  gifts, and also thanked them for choosing   Top reasons for returning to Aruba, provided by the hon-
            tively visiting Aruba)                      Aruba  as  their  favorite  vacation  destina-  orees were:
                                                                                                   Aruba’s great weather
                                                                                                   Aruba’s beautiful beaches
            Aruban legends:                                                                        Aruba’s safety

            Frenchman’s Pass                                                                       Aruba’s variety of restaurants to choose from
                                                                                                   “To relax in Aruba!”

            (Oranjestad)—If  you  ever                                                             On behalf of the Aruba Tourism Authority, we would like
            plan  on  taking  a  group  There  are  many  ghost  sto-                              to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the
            tour of the island, you may  ries  surrounding  this  area,                            honorees  for  their  continued  visits  to  the  “One  Happy
            pass  through  the  French-  but  one  of  the  most  fa-                              Island”.q
            man’s  Pass  in  Balashi.  The  mous one involves a lonely
            Frenchman’s  pass  (known  hitchhiker,  trying  to  find  a
            to  locals  as  “Franse  Pas”)  ride back home in the dark
            remains a mysterious—and  rainy night.
            spooky—road  of  which  its
            legend is told from genera-  Sometime  after  trying  to  he ordered a drink and be-
            tion to generation.          hitchhike,  the  man  saw  a  gan to tell everyone about
                                         car approaching, appear-     his  experience.  Everyone
            The  history  of  the  French-  ing almost ghost-like in the  grew  quiet,  because  they
            man’s pass—and how it got  rain.  However,  since  he  realized  he  wasn’t  some
            its  name—dates  back  to  needed  a  ride  real  bad,  drunk  messing  around;  he
            the colonization era, when  he  didn’t  think  twice  and  was telling the truth.
            the French tried to colonize  jumped in. But to his horror,
            the  island,  but  were  met  he  noticed  that  the  there  Sometime  later,  two  men
            with  an  angry  mob  of  in-  was  no  driver  in  the  front.  walked  into  the  bar  and
            digenous  settlers,  refusing  Paralyzed  with  fear,  he  one  of  them  noticed  the
            to give up their land. How-  didn’t dare to get out, and  hitchhiker. He called out to
            ever,  as  the  French  were  the car started to move.    his buddy and said: “Look,
            heavily  equipped  with  fire                             there’s  the  idiot  who  sat
            arms,  the  indigenous  set-  When    approaching     a  in  our  car  when  we  were
            tlers began to retreat, and  sharp  turn,  the  hitch  hiker  pushing it!”
            hid away in nearby caves.  braced for impact, but just
            The French colonizers tried  when  he  though  the  car  French  man’s  pass  is  one
            to  smoke  them  out  of  the  might drive straight off the  of  the  few  sites  on  the  is-
            caves,  but  the  indigenous  road and crash, he saw a  land  that  keeps  the  locals
            settlers  ended  up  inhal-  hand  appear  out  the  win-  on  their  toes.  While  most
            ing  too  much  smoke  and  dow  and  turn  the  wheel.  ghost stories may not have
            most  died  in  those  caves.  For the next few  turns, the  real grounds—or some may
            From then on, this passage  hand appeared again. Af-      even be a set up story for a
            was known as Frenchman’s  ter having had enough, the  joke, this pass contributes a
            Pass, and there have been  man  decided  to  jump  out  lot to our culture of folkloric
            many  accounts  of  spirits  and he ran to Santa Cruz.    story-telling.
            roaming the area of Span-
            ish Lagoon.                  Arriving  at  a  nearby  bar,      Source: visitaruba.com
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